Name: 8 Day Yoga, Meditation, Healthy Food, and Massage in Idyllic Sea Mountain River landscape in Spain
Brand: Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats
Rating: 9.6 (23 reviews)

Accommodation

The 4 guest rooms are all different and are offered as a service for people who do yoga and therapeutic sessions, with a maximum of 5 guests. The rooms would cost more if rented as a B&B. Even more beneficial is that our retreat guests get to use our rooms for single use without extra costs (only the large double has a small surplus or can be used by 2 individuals).

There are 3 doubles with queen-size beds and one large double room with a large bed, optional 2 single beds, all with their own bathroom (3 attached, 1 in the hall).

There is no TV (on purpose) and no air-con, but all rooms have ventilators and central heating. The guests do not get to choose the room online. It can be discussed by phone before booking. Guests are never placed in a shared room unless they travel together.

The retreat center is in Aleid and Doby’s home, 3 rooms together are on the ground floor connecting to the dining room and the patio, and one room is on the first floor next to the yoga room. The owners have separate private quarters on the first floor.

There is pure water from a natural source nearby and an ecological waste water system, please bring only biodegradable soap and shampoo, no chemicals please.

Please take a look at the images provided to have the right expectations. The house is comfortable, in a great location, and your hosts will do all in their power to support your needs. You can relax on sunbeds or puffs or take a hammock to where you want, the flower garden, our river beach, the yoga deck, the patio, the statue garden or the wild northern part of the land.

Extra information

For the yoga classes, mats, and meditation pillows are provided. The yoga has a maximum of six participants and the classes are outdoors whenever possible. From April to October, you can be sure to enjoy outdoor yoga. In January, March, November, and December, yoga classes mix outdoor and indoor instruction. As soon as the sun is out, Aleid uses an outdoor coaching "office," which is available most of the year.

You can also use the six bicycles and the infrared sauna (still under construction), and ofcourse the river and the pool of the neighbouring house.

Your hosts will try to find a balance between connecting and private space for them and for you. You will have quite some time for yourself to rest. You are welcome to bring your own books, movies, or music. You can also use the house's collection. Your hosts like to share what they have, so if you need a specific thing, tool, fire pot, paint, or clay, do ask.

Eco-practices

Use of organic cleaning products, recycled toilet and kitchen papers, and avoiding single-use plastics. Organizer donates towards innovation, especially in plastic replacement. They separate garbage.
Guests are given reusable water bottles.
Besides the fact that they do not over-use electricity, their electricity provider is 100% sustainable (creating more green electricity demand)
The cooking is mostly organic and vegetables are from own produce, the host's shops as much as possible locally produced and they look at packaging options.
No pool because the river is great and more sustainable. They have an outdoor shower. On retreats involving the neighbouring property there is a pool.

Yoga and Coaching Retreats are location near a High Speed Train stop connecting to all of Europe. They would ask people to use flights consciously.

They participate and invest in the '8 billion trees' project and can highly recommend that. This company also intends to show that sustainable production and care can be a rewarding social enterprise.

Program

Sharanam Yoga and Coaching Retreats offer personal attention, quality of guidance, and long term experience. The retreats offer relaxation, sharing and joy in beautiful surroundings as well as a personalised inner journey of yoga, meditation, individual sessions and healthy food catering for your needs.

The type of yoga. ''In the classes we work with traditional Hatha yoga as a base. My (Aleida) longest training is within the school of Transformational Yoga, aiming towards developing 'the inner eye' for our body mind connection. We use a physically restorative way of working with the body, which is also greatly complementary to sports. The main focus of Restorative Yoga is that by relaxing in poses, without strain, we can achieve physical, mental and emotional relaxation. On the Therapeutic level we are working with inner observation of patterns and towards the release of emotional blockages. In every class we use Breath work / Pranayama practices and Relaxation / yoga Nidra to enhance nerve system regulation and relaxation. During the retreats we practice daily meditation: short practices at the start of each class and 3 times per week a longer Vipassana practice in nature. Mindfulness is an integral part of how we plan the day: wake up in silence, walk with attention, prepare food in a mindful way.

All is included except travel costs.

Example day program

07:30 - 08:00 mindfull morning walk in silence (optional)
08:00 - 08:30 Breakfast smoothie and tea in silence
08:30 - 10:00 Yoga in a small group 3-5 students (when possible outdoors)
Coffee / tea and healthy snack after yoga
12:00 - 13:00 Individual session
13:00 - 14:00 Hot vegetarian lunch together, siesta
15:00 - 17:00 walk / swim / cycle or guided meditation walk
17:00 - 18:00 Massage (1 included, more optional)
19:00 - 20:00 Light dinner (together or take it where/when you like)

Enjoy a session of infra red therapeutic light in the evening if you like
Once a week a special extra option for a coastal excursion, visit the Dali museum, or a concert, a longer walk/cycle tour, etc.

So, you will benefit from:

Daily personal attention of chef and life coach/psychologist/yoga teacher, 24/7 available
Limit of 5 persons per week
No extra pay for single use of double rooms with bathroom
Open in winter, all year round several weeks per month, flexible dates.
Sustainable tourism
Catering for any diet and on-location adaptation to your needs and preferences
The instructors, specialists, and the instruction

Licensed Psychologist (Masters Clinical Psychology)

Licensed couple therapist.

22 years of experience as a psychologist and life coach

Senior yoga teacher with 24 years of yoga experience with over 4000 teaching hours and received over 1000 hours of teacher training

10 years of facilitating experience and running a successful retreat center as a couple.

Very consistent positive ratings.

This retreat includes some optional coaching. If you wish to work on a specific therapeutic theme like depression, anxiety, stress, or a difficult life situation, please check out the coaching and yoga program, with more focus on coaching, and inform Sharanam Yoga and Coaching Retreats of your needs.

Included excursions

Short walks or swims in the area included, often late afternoon. It can be discussed if you would like to visit the neighboring villages with olive oil and wine 'cooperativa' everywhere.

Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats have a lot of route maps and info for cycling (free use) and walking directly from home.

Instructors

Aleid Warmelink

5 Certificates

Show

Aleid is a qualified yoga instructor who utilizes her knowledge of evidence-based psychology and Eastern knowledge to gain a wider perspective and approach to healing. She is a licensed psychologist (Masters Clinical Psychology), licensed couple therapist and licensed EMDR therapist with 24 years of experience as psychologist and life coach. Senior yoga teacher with 26 years of yoga experience with over 4000 teaching hours and received over 1000 hours of teacher training, 10+ years of facilitating experience and running a successful retreat center as a couple. Very onsistent positive ratings.

Doby van den Berg

Doby comes from a family with a curiosity towards many different cultures, especially culinary culture and music. He started helping his mother in the kitchen from a young age and never stopped liking the process of preparing world food and the joy of eating together. Doby trained as a cabinet maker first to allow him to live and work anywhere in the world and building beautiful kitchens was a favorite. After going trough cancer, Doby took up healthy, tasty cooking as a new profession and loves it.

Location

This retreat will take place where the lower Spanish Pyrenees roll down into the mediterranean sea just under the South of France, the Costa Brava. The nature reserve around the retreat center is called 'Albera', an ancient historic meeting place for travellers with many dolmens and menhirs (8000 year old ritual stones) and a unique flora and fauna with dear and otters and eagles. All the villages sell their own wines and olive oils.

The retreat center is in the midst of nature alongside a small river (the house is built as a mill in medieval times) at a 15-minute walk from the small Sant Climent village where there is a supermarket, a local delicacy shop, a bakery, a pharmacy, a tobacco and bar and a pizzeria. There is 1 neighbouring house, a rental home, which Sharanam also rents to add on to their retreats.

There are walking and cycling paths from the house into the Albera Mountains with the dolmens, and into typical Mediterranean backlands with forests, flowers, olive, and fruit trees, dotted with small historic villages.

At a 15-minute drive you reach Llanca at the Costa 'Brava' meaning brave, because of the beautiful wildness of the rugged coastline with cliffs and caves and volcanic rock formations. Sharanam will show you their favorite secret beaches.

South of Llanca starts the Cap de Creus Natural Park with the beautiful town of Cadaques where Miro, Picasso and Dali all lived and worked.

In Port de la Selva there is an enormous old monastery, Sant Pere de Rodes, absolutely stunning. And many picturesque coastal towns like Empuriabrava, L'escala, l'Estartit, Palafrugell. Find the bird sanctuary Parque Natural Aïguamolls de Empurda and Forum Romana de Empuries, with a Roman and Greek city. Figueres with its famous Dali museum is the nearest city. Girona is also very near and can be chosen as one of the most beautiful medieval towns worldwide.

Going inland to the West there is the Garrotxa volcanic area with forests and viewpoints to see the craters and coloured earth, and the medieval town of Besalu. And the lake of Banyolas another natural pearl. And many river gorges driving towards the higher mountains.

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Food

You will be served light vegetarian, sugar, and dairy free food. Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats already liked cooking fresh homemade world food. However, after Doby (the chef) suffered from cancer, Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats seriously start to study alimentation that supports the system to heal and to be as healthy as one can without losing the joy of cooking and eating. Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats will gladly pass this knowledge on through the daily instructions and tips for healthy cooking.

Aside from that, there will be also a possibility to do a six-day juice detox without any additional costs. You will be guided in the preparation and you will spend six days with only three fresh juice daily and the guided build-up.

Note

There will be no juice detox in July, August until September 14th, 2024. This is because Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats discover that for many people the summer temperatures are higher than they are used to and difficult to combine with fasting.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Coffee
Tea
Detox juices

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Organic
Naturopathic
Lactose Free
Whole food
Yogic
Other dietary requirements on request

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Body workout exercises without weights (optional)
Visit the Dali museum
Visit medieval Girona, one of the most beautiful towns in Spain
Visit nature reserves, Albera
Cycling tour
Hiking excursions
donkey walks
Sailing
Snorkeling
Stand-up paddleboarding
Visit the neighboring villages, medieval villages

Spa treatments

A 60-minute Reiki or massage session is included in your retreat.

On location, the guests can book more sessions with Doby or Alex, a naturopath and massage therapist.

Also, beauty sessions or essential oil workshops can be booked.

Included in your retreat is the use of a river spa, a natural lake with outdoor shower, steam sauna, individual infrared sauna, red light therapy lamp, yoga swing and bank for inversions.

What's included

6 sessions of 90 minutes yoga and meditation
2 guiding coaching sessions, individual
3 meditations (plus walks to historic or natural sites)
Relax with one 60-minute Reiki or massage session
2 sessions of your choice (yoga, meditation, breath, life coaching), individual
spontaneous walking excursions or a drive to the sea
Use of river pool with outdoor shower, red light therapy lamp, bicycles (not pro but various types), maps, guide books, creative materials
Daily healthy meals, fruits, and snacks
7 nights accommodation
Transfer from the train station

What's not included

Additional activities
Airfare
Airport transfers
Personal expenses

How to get there

Recommended Airports

BCN

Barcelona–El Prat Airport

141 km

Transfer not provided

GRO

Girona–Costa Brava Airport

56 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 80 per person

PGF

Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport

40 km

Transfer available for additional US$ 80 per person

Arrival by airplane

If you fly into Barcelona airport, from Barcelona airport there is a service to the main station, Barcelona Sants. There you can book the High Speed train (AVE, 50 minutes) to Figueres Vilafant. Sharanam does a pickup from Figueres Vilafant train station for 25 EUR per drive.

Arrival by train

Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats find it very cool to be near a High-Speed train station (TGV/AVE/ICE). You can reach Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats by train from all over Europe. Europe is finally updating its international train services, over the coming 2 years more sleeper trains to Barcelona and better ticket pricing. You should stop at Figueres-Vilafant, the 1 stop before Barcelona if coming from the North.

Transfer from the train station to the retreat center is included in the price.

Check-in and out times are not specified as Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats try to accommodate international guests' flights/train schedules. So discussing your needs with them, the retreat host personally works best.

Arrival by taxi

A one-way taxi trip from Girona airport costs 100 EUR.

Airport: Girona–Costa Brava Airport Airport transfer available: Girona–Costa Brava Airport (US$ 80 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Airport: Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport Airport transfer available: Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport (US$ 80 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 15% of the total price.
The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
The rest of the payment should be paid 14 days before arrival.

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