6 Day Pranayama, Meditation, and Yoga Retreat in Benissiva, Alicante

Facilities

Typical timetable

You will observe silence in the morning until after breakfast.

• 07:45 Pranayama class
• 08:00 Morning Vinyasa and Hatha yoga class (Yang based)
• 09:15 Morning guided meditation
• 09:30 Silence time
• 10:00 Organic healthy and delicious breakfast
• 11:00 Rest time, time for massage
• 14:00 Organic plant-based lunch
• 15:00 Free time for reading, walking, resting, massage
• 17:30 Pranayama class
• 17:50 Evening yoga class (Yin based)
• 18:10 Evening guided meditation

Silence time in the evening after yoga until dinner

• 20:15 Organic plant-based dinner

Yoga and meditation classes

Throughout these retreats, you will be focusing on different guided meditations every day in the morning and evening to teach your mind to relax and focus on silence within. The aim is to help you return with a more positive and happy mindset.

There will be different series of Yin and Yang based Vinyasas taught to you every day, Yang every morning and Yin every evening - designed to slowly open up the whole body over five days so that by the last day of the retreat, every muscle within your body feels open, alive, relaxed, rejuvenated and energized.

"Free to do/attend" retreat

Note that all the classes are all optional during your yoga retreats. Yoga Sutra Shala wants you to develop at your own pace and they want you to enjoy your stay. They want you to enjoy your yoga retreats as much as possible, to become healthy in mind and body, to learn how to relax and deal with stress, and to learn how to feel at one with yourself.

"Your yoga" structure

At your yoga retreat center, their aim is to help you develop your health, learn relaxation techniques and learn meditation so helping you to deal with stress, improve the quality of your life, your happiness, and your sense of well-being. On your yoga retreats, you will be taught meditation, asana (posture), chanting, and breathing techniques. All classes will be optional as we want you to enjoy your stay and develop at your own pace.

You will be asked at the beginning of each yoga retreat what areas you want to develop in. Your yoga retreat will be personalized according to your wants and needs for your own development whether you are a new or established student of yoga.

Namit will be using his highly developed teaching system during each class at your yoga retreat at Yoga Sutra Shala to teach Vinyasa yoga. Your yoga retreat center will be run specifically as a shala - a place of refuge and a place to find inner peace. Your shala will be a perfect place to escape the stresses of the modern world and develop a sense of peace, calm, well-being, and happiness.

Guided walks

During this retreat, there will be 2 guided walks (on Mondays and Tuesdays). You will be taken to the beautiful mountain called La Forada in the stunning Valencian valley called La Vall de La Gallinera. In summer, when the days are warmer, the guided walks will take place in the early morning. During autumn and spring, they will take place in the late morning.

During the winter season, midday is the best time to do the guided walks and catch the sun.

Get the most out of this retreat experience

On Sunday, there will be a welcome lunch and introductions to staff, fellow guests, and the retreat program. This is the time that many good friendships begin and you have the opportunity to orientate yourself and rest from your journey.

The first yoga and meditation class, on Sunday afternoon, provides an important foundation for you to build on for the rest of your week. To get the most out of your retreat and fully enjoy the loving and peaceful family sentiment here, come for the whole retreat.

If your available flights don't match the retreat times, you could stay a night in Alicante or Valencia before and/or after the retreat and make use of our Alicante shuttle bus transfer (the quickest, easiest and often the cheapest way to get to and from the retreat) or use public transport from Valencia.

If you decide to come for less time, be aware that your booking and cost would be as for the whole retreat and you may miss out on certain aspects of the retreat experience.

Free private yoga classes

In addition to the scheduled classes, Yoga Sutra Shala also offers private yoga classes to any guests that want them. The private yoga classes will be offered for free by the assistant teachers.

You can ask for these classes if you want to:

• Go at a faster pace than the normal classes
• Go at a slower pace
• Work on an individual aspect or posture of yoga
• Workaround an injury
• Anything else that you want to work on

Workshops

During this retreat, there will be a lot of evening workshops conducted by teachers who will share what helped them teach when they first became teachers, for example teaching students to focus on the breath.

Itinerary information

Retreats start on Sunday and finish on Friday. It is best to arrive Sunday morning and leave Friday early evening. The retreat lasts for 6 days and 5 nights.

Course information

The yoga retreats are suitable for students of all levels including beginners because all the classes are personalized for the students on each particular yoga retreat.

Yoga Sutra Shala's aim is for you to move at your own pace - at a pace that you enjoy and feel comfortable at. The Vinyasa yoga taught at this yoga retreat center uses movement and flow from one posture to another to bring the student closer in awareness to the breath and to give them the experience of meditation.

Practitioners from all backgrounds should gain benefits of meditation and inner silence by practicing at Yoga Sutra Shala. The classes involve postures that can put pressure on the uterus.

Whilst the exercises help with your health at normal times, they may disturb the developing baby during pregnancy so if you are pregnant, it is preferred you go to a retreat that will help you with the specific parts of yoga that are designed for pregnancy such as breathing and hip opening.

Retreats are based at the yoga and meditation retreat centre in Benissiva, a village in the province of Alicante, Valencia, Spain. The retreat centre is surrounded by 8 beautiful mountains and it is situated in complete silence. The retreat center is only 30 minutes drive to one of Valencia's most beautiful and secluded beaches, Oliva.

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Healthy, delicious plant-based, 100% organic meals will be provided using locally grown organic fruit and vegetables on every yoga retreat. The recipes used will be created by health and nutrition experts including Namit and Maru, the founders of Yoga Sutra Shala. Wholemeal foods will be used as well as foods low in saturated fat during your yoga retreats. All meals are based on the principles of good nutrition, health and good taste.

There is no meat or fish on the yoga retreats. All the food is plant-based in the tradition of yoga and ahimsa (non-violence). The yoga tradition encourages the plant-based diet during the practice of meditation in order to increase the experience of peace.

Instead your meals at the yoga retreat centre will contain beans, nuts, avocados, tofu, seeds and other plant-based sources of protein, allowing you to build core, back and other muscle groups that have been developed from practicing yoga postures by yogis for millennia.

Other special dietary requests such as vegan, dairy free, and wheat free will also be catered for. Gluten free and lactose free diets as well as other allergies can also be catered for. Our chefs will make delicious alternatives for you.

During your free time, you can go for a nature walk and admire some of the stunning views of the surrounding mountains as well as breathe in some of the lovely mountain air. You can also arrange a trip with a local taxi driver to the surrounding villages or to one of Valencia's most beautiful and secluded beaches, Oliva. Most people, however, like to relax by the pool, read, chat to new friends at your yoga retreat centre or listen to quiet music.

Therapists from the local villages come to the shala and offer massage treatments, which last about an hour and cost 60 EUR. Please feel free to send an inquiry to Yoga Sutra Shala if you want to find out more.

• 2 guided walks
• 5 nights accommodation in the cosy villa
• Fun and professional yoga and meditation classes twice a day
• Free private yoga classes (upon request)
• 3 delicious organic plant-based meals daily
• Use of the swimming pool
• Over 20 of the best quality organic teas from around the world which you will have available to drink whenever you want to
• Wi-Fi available for the entire length of your stay
• A library of books on yoga, philosophy, meditation and travel
• A library of CDs with mantras, meditation music, philosophy lectures and classical music
• Fresh organic fruit from the local organic farmers available all day for you to snack on

• Airport transfers (30 EUR one way, group transfer from Alicante airport)
• Flights
• Massage treatments

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