Name: 8 Day Detox Light Holiday with Yoga, Massage, and Healthy Diet in Idyllic Nature in Girona, Spain
Brand: Sharanam Yoga and Therapy Retreats
Rating: 9.2 (3 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 and B. Even more beneficial is that their retreat guests get to use their 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 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 wastewater 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, and 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 five 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, the infrared sauna,, and of course the river and the pool of the neighboring 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 paper, 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 their own produce, the host 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 neighboring property, there is a pool

They are located 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 guidance, and long-term experience. The retreats offer relaxation, sharing, and joy in beautiful surroundings as well as a personalized inner journey of yoga, meditation, individual sessions, and healthy food catering to your needs.

They will look at your yoga level and needs, your dietary needs or wishes to learn about food and health, then in your private sessions, they offer you personal guidance.

The type of yoga

The classes are based on traditional Hatha yoga, with the foundation in transformational yoga, which focuses on developing the "inner eye" for the body-mind connection. A physically restorative approach is used, which is highly complementary to sports.

The main focus of Restorative yoga is to achieve physical, mental, and emotional relaxation by relaxing in poses without strain. On a therapeutic level, it involves inner observation of patterns and the release of emotional blockages. Each class includes breathwork / pranayama practices and relaxation / yoga Nidra to enhance nervous system regulation and relaxation.

Daily meditation is practiced during the retreats, with short sessions at the start of each class and longer Vipassana practices in nature three times a week. Mindfulness is an integral part of the daily routine, including waking up in silence, walking with attention, and preparing food mindfully.

You can walk or cycle in the amazing landscape full of olive, vine, forest, and historic sites (5000-year-old dolmens and menhirs, medieval villages). You can swim in the cold river or from the secret pebble and rocky bays on the nearby coast. You can relax in the garden or on the sundeck. Usually, winter has sunny warm middays (15-20 degrees) and cool nights.

All is included except travel costs.

This yoga retreat in Spain is for you when

You are looking for a small group yoga retreat with a lot of personal attention
You have never done yoga or meditation and think it could be good
You love yoga and like to deepen your practice with a teacher who has more than 25 years experience
You are looking for a guidance on your path inward
You want to enter a new phase in your life more consciously and energetically
You need a change but still have to define it

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.

Example day program

07:30 - 08:00 Mindful morning walk in silence (optional)
08:00 - 08:30 Breakfast smoothie and tea in silence
08:30 - 10:00 Yoga in a small group of 3-5 students (when possible outdoors)
Coffee / tea and a 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. At least once a week, there is a special extra option for a coastal excursion, a visit to the Dali museum, a concert, a longer walk / cycle tour, etc.

Included excursions

Short walks or swims in the area are included, often in the late afternoon. It can be discussed if you would like to visit the neighboring villages with a local wine and olive oil tasting in one of the village 'cooperativa' or the Dali museum or Girona old town. 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

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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 travelers with many dolmens and menhirs (8000-year-old ritual stones) and 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 was 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 neighboring 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, and 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 colored earth, and the medieval town of Besalu. And the Lake of Banyolas another natural pearl. And many river gorges driving towards the higher mountains.

Distances

Sant Climent village - 15 minutes walk
Llanca - 15 minutes drive

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Features

Activities

Sauna
Swimming pool (outdoor)
Table tennis

General

Café
Dining area
Environmentally friendly
Fireplace
Garden
Kitchen
Labyrinth
Luggage room / storage
Meditation garden
Multilingual staff
Picnic area
Smoke-free property
Special menu request
Terrace
Yoga deck
Yoga shala

Services

Free bicycle
Free Wi-Fi
Laundry
Library
Tour assistance

Food

During this retreat, you will enjoy daily healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The detox light program is more fun and less challenging than the detox week with only juices that will also be offered. In this light detox week, Sharanam Yoga prepares food without dairy, sugar, and gluten.

Also, Sharanam Yoga shares easy-to-learn cooking ideas to replace heavy-to-digest food with more healthy alternatives. For many, it is definitely a detox leaving meat, alcohol, sugar, heavy food, and heavy old mind-patterns behind. If you choose this light detox option, your meals will be gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. No cigarettes and no alcohol will also be a featured policy and if you need support with that, let them know.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snacks
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

Water
Tea
Detox juices

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

Vegetarian
Gluten Free
Organic
Lactose Free

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, in Alberta
Cycling tour
Hiking excursions
Donkey walks
Sailing
Snorkeling
Stand-up paddleboarding
Visit the neighboring villages, medieval villages
Local wine and olive oil tasting in one of the village-‘cooperativa’
Alex is a naturopath, prepares many of his own oils, and offers a great variation of ayurvedic treatments, relaxation, and sports massages. You can book sessions with him. (Doby still does his well-received massage / Reiki sessions, one per person included in the program)

Spa treatments

This retreat includes a 60-minute massage. Another massage is optional in the choice sessions.

Infrared lamp
Infrared sauna
Cold plunges in the river

What's included

6 90-minute sessions of yoga and meditation
2 60-minute guiding coaching sessions, individual (at the start and end of the retreat)
3 short meditations (plus walks to historic or natural sites)
Relax with 1 60-minute Reiki or massage session
2 60-minute sessions of your choice (meditation, breathwork, life coaching, massage), individual
Personalized diet
Walks with meditation in beautiful natural / historical places nearby
At least one longer walking excursions, visit to Girona or Dali 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

What's not included

Additional activities
Airfare
Airport transfers
Personal expenses

How to get there

Recommended Airports

BCN

Barcelona–El Prat Airport

142 km

Transfer not provided

GRO

Girona–Costa Brava Airport

57 km

Transfer not provided

PGF

Perpignan–Rivesaltes Airport

39 km

Transfer not provided

Arrival by car

You can rent a car at Barcelona airport and drive (1.5 hours).

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 with 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.

If you fly into Barcelona airport, there is a service to the main station, Barcelona Sants. There you can book the high-speed train (AVE, 55 minutes) to Figueres Vilafant. Sharanam does a pickup from Figueres Vilafant train station for 25 EUR per drive.

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$ 79 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$ 85 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 on arrival.

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