Spain Retreat 2025
Simplicity & Serenity: A Yoga Retreat in the Heart of Andalucía
Costa Del Sol, Spain
April 24-27 2025
3 nights in shared or private room £405-525
We’re excited to announce booking is now on sale for the Simplicity & Serenity: A Yoga Retreat in the Heart of Andalucía. This 4-day retreat is dedicated to the joy of simple pleasures, mindful yoga practice, nourishing food, and honouring the needs of your body. Set in the beautiful surrounds of the Valle De Vida -a traditional finca farmhouse, privately owned, and tucked away in the Andalusian Mountains among hundreds of almond, olive, lemon and fig trees - we will have 18 acres reserved exclusively for our own use. Easily reachable from Malaga Airport (as part of your booking you can choose your transfer arrangement- more information below) yet far enough away from the busyness of city life to feel you are secluded.
What to expect?
Arriving around lunchtime on the 24th April we will begin with an opening circle which will set the tone for the rest of the retreat with some fun ice breaker games and introductions followed by a yoga practice to release any tightness of tension from the trip. During the course of the retreat you'll have the option to attend 8 yoga sessions guided by two experienced instructors. Sessions are between 75 and 90 minutes. All the activities at the retreat are entirely optional. Perhaps you are looking to improve your fitness, sleep quality, mental health, or energy levels or some much needed respite and rest, or perhaps you'd just love to finally master that elusive yoga pose while enjoying beautiful food, weather, nature and people - then this retreat is for you.
The food is always very delicious, homemade, and mostly vegetarian, with occasional meat options at Valle De Vida. Our private chef can accommodate your dietary requirements. There is an honesty bar for soft drinks, with some alcohol available too. Filtered water, tea, coffee and fruit are freely available all day.
Our practice together will be grounded in the wisdom of the ancient teachings of yoga and provide a chance for you to dive deeper into your practice. If you have ever wondered what might be the effect of yoga on your body and mind if you had time to systematically practice yoga regularly, as one might at an ashram where we live and breathe yoga, this is your chance to find out. We can explore meditation and breathing exercises (pranayama) more deeply than it is possible in our weekly hour Yoga class and have more time to be playful with movement. Alongside these practices, you'll also have the chance to book private sessions at a discounted rate, where you can benefit from the couple’s combined expertise. This retreat is an invitation to relax, restore, and reconnect—mind, body, and spirit.
Valle de Vida, a place where where simplicity meets tranquillity, has a luxurious solar heated swimming pool, treatment room for therapies, steam and sauna rooms. Accommodation is either in the main house or, for those that prefer to be a little closer to nature, in one of their tipis, ME-Pods, or Geodesic domes. Valle de Vida’s Yoga and wellness retreat is designed to have minimal impact on the 18 acres of unspoilt land that surrounds us, in harmony with the natural beauty of Spain’s Pizarra Mountains.
We depart after breakfast on the 27th April.
What's included? | What's not included? |
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Who’s it for?
Imagine your days filled with nourishing yoga practices, sunbathing, swimming, maybe a massage, personal training session or steam, reading, going for walks in nature, nourishing the body with incredible food and drinks.
It’s a time to reflect, re-energise and reconnect and absorb the therapeutic benefits of being in the stunning Andalusian countryside. In this beautiful premises you will find many serene tucked away corners if you are seeking time for solitude and self reflection. Meanwhile, there are many cosy spots dotted around the site where you can hang out with liked minded people and join in with activities as a group under the sunny Spanish skies.
Return home feeling inspired, refreshed and ready to begin again with so many more tools in your yoga toolbox. With average highs of 24 degrees Celsius, we enjoy the perfect temperatures in April, so we can do morning and afternoon activities, and relax or even go for walks during the day.
The yoga classes will be Sivananda, Hatha and Yoga Flow styles with the influence of other exercise modalities coming through in our sequencing. Adaptions and progressions will be offered in each class to suit your practice. The instructor can support with alignments and adjustments to help you get the best out of your practice. This is the perfect chance to get all those questions answered and leave with a greater understanding of all the postures as well as how to acquire greater depth with your practice.
Food
As part of the retreat we will be blessed with our very own in house chef! The food offered will be vegetarian, meat and fish. (Please let the host know about any dietary requirements when booking.)
All meals are provided as part of your retreat*, unlimited tea, coffee, fruit bowl, and water too. Breakfast will be served on the last morning before we depart.
*Breakfast Bar, Brunch & Dinner provided*
Meet the hosts
We are Sara from the UK, & Akhil from India. We met while studying yoga at an ashram in India, where we trained to teach and deepen our practice. Akhil specialises in the philosophy and advanced techniques of yoga, offering valuable insights on how to access challenging poses. Sara is a yoga teacher and personal trainer and pre- and post-natal specialist, having helped hundreds of clients achieve their fitness goals.
What we want to share is that it doesn’t have to be scary and you don’t have to be a stereotype to practice yoga or take up training and movement practices. Movement and yoga is beyond all the stereotypes and it can be as simple or as deep as you need it to be. The journey is unique for each and every person who taps into these incredible resources.
We met at the Sivananda ashram in India during our Yoga Teacher Training and immediately found common interests, waking up at 5am before morning meditation to practice Tai Chi together. It was an immersive experience and we'd love to invite you to come and experience something similar and dive into aspects of yoga you wouldn’t normally learn about in a normal yoga class.
Since then we have both undergone numerous trainings in yoga at various centres from Kaivalyadhama to the Satsang Foundation, learning about the yogic diet or yoga for autoimmunity, and qualifications in Ashtanga Yoga to Restorative Yoga. The result is a broad and yet deep understanding of the history and discipline of yogic practices.
Our primary aim is to grow together, create an environment of ease, unburdened by expectation, to allow our own transformation to happen at the right time as well as the people who we have the privilege to teach. And in the meantime, enjoy the journey! We came to live in the UK together in 2017 and currently live with our dog Tchu in Barnet, North London.
Example of retreat schedule
| Morning - 8.30am | Mid Morning | Midday | Early afternoon | Late afternoon | Early afternoon | Night | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yoga | Breakfast | Free time/ walking/ reading/ swimming/ personal training Yoga | Lunch | Lunch | Free time/ walking/ reading/ swimming/ treatment | Yoga | Dinner + movie night/ Yoga Nidra |
Accomodation
Accommodation is first come first serve, and as part of your booking you will be asked what accommodation you'd most likely want. Rooms, tipis, pods and domes have space for one, two or even three people. Please indicate if you are wishing to share with a friend, or happy to share with a fellow guest that also joins the retreat. Any room can be arranged for single occupancy also.
Cortijo
The main house is a beautifully restored traditional Andalucian Finca. It has six bedrooms, a large kitchen and lounge area. Inside you will find a fully equipped kitchen, a cosy living room with a wood fire, 2 bathrooms with a shower in each connecting to a large terrace & studio(with another bathroom off the back terrace). All bedrooms have air conditioning
Me - Pod & Geodome
For guests who want the full Spanish sensory experience of the mountains at night, there two ME-Pods (brick), and the two Geodesic domes (tent). The circular me-pods with beautiful acoustics are more private, have their own wood-burner as well as air-conditioning. ME-Pods are spacious and very comfortable, with tiled floors, electricity and beautiful bedding, perfect for those with an affinity for the outdoors, but who don’t wish to compromise on comfort. Each is connected with paths winding amongst the almond and olive groves, picked out with solar lights. They all have beautiful views across the valley, the stars glittering, a Spanish night breeze whispering through the trees, the sounds of crickets and cicadas lulling you to sleep.
Tipis
There are two large tipis to bring you closer to nature, as do the geodesic domes - a step closer to nature, and the perfect temperature during the summer nights so they do not require air conditioning but we do provide fans. They are light, spacious and comfortable, with electricity and typical bedroom furniture. Also equipped with mosquito nets (although rarely needed) however, not suitable for those with cat allergies in case the cat comes to visit.
All outside accommodation has a shared toilet and shower block next to the pool, a natural outdoor bamboo shower, and use of the house facilities too. All facilities are for everybody’s use.
Recommended flights
There are many airline providers that fly to Malaga, including Vueling, EasyJet, Wizz Air, RyanAir and TUI.
Flights that land around 12/1pm are best because our first meal together will be lunch on the first day at around 2.30pm, so please try to arrive in time for that. If you arrive into the late afternoon or evening transfers are likely to cost more. Airport transfers will cost approx. 60 Euros per person for daytime arrivals.
Alternatively you may want to board a train from Malaga to Pizarra and we can arrange transfers from Pizarra at a fraction of the cost. This option you can do on your return as well. We have brunch together on the last day at 11am and transfers to follow from around midday. Please plan your return flight accordingly.
Getting There
It’s ideal that your flight arrives before 2pm since the venue is remote and at least some part of the journey will be organised by the venue owners.
Once you arrive at the airport you have a couple of options
1. From Malaga Airport travel by train to Pizarra station with one change at Victoria Kent - this takes 40 mins. There will be a transfer to the venue from Pizarra station arranged for a specific time, which we will inform you of closer to the time (it will be arranged according to your flight arrivals as much as possible). The taxi from Pizarra takes about 15 mins The cost of the train ticket is approx 10€ and the cost of the taxi is approx 30€ pp.
2. From Malaga Airport travel by taxi transfer to the venue directly. This takes 45 minutes in total and costs 60€ pp.
Cost & Ways to pay
Private Room - £525
Private Room - discounted - £475
Shared Room - £450
Shared Room - discounted - £405
Bring a friend for a 10% discount Private sessions with Sara or Akhil in PT, Yoga, Rehab, Massage are available for 80 Euros for two sessions (including consultation), and include if required a tailored home workout programme to continue your progress after the retreat.
A non-refundable £100 deposit is taken from your payment.
* Please drop an email at contact@energyoga.co.uk if you want the 'bring a friend' discount
Book now
Cancellation Policy
There is a £100 deposit which is non-refundable if the booking is cancelled 60 days prior to the retreat date and is included in the full price shown.
• In the event of cancellation of up to 60 days before the retreat refund will be issued minus deposit.
• There is no refund after 20 days from the retreat starting date.
Getting Around & Further Travel
Beyond the 18 acres of unspoilt private land that we can freely roam, it is possible to arrange day hikes with a guide. Day outings to the Ardales lakes and El Chorro gorge can be organised for 30€ pp (includes entry fee to the lakes national park and transport). Lunch or picnic costs extra. There are also trains to the historic mountain town of Ronda, which have recently been introduced from Pizarra station (23€ return).
There are direct trains to Malaga city, to see the old town of Malaga with it’s tapas bars, markets & Picasso museum and other museums. And of course there are many lovely beaches in Malaga. (6€ return by train). And then, close by the white washed typical Andalusian village of Alora can be reached by taxi at 10€ pp return - min of 3 people).
If you are thinking of staying in Malaga city after or before the retreat there is a wealth of things to see, do and places to stay at this fascinating beach city.