Satvada Retreats - Morocco - Review My Retreat

Satvada Retreats – Morocco offer a selection of yoga holidays and walking retreats in the Atlas Mountain or a well-being weekend in beautiful Marrakech.

There are plenty of yoga holidays and retreats to choose from out there, so we thought if might be helpful to summarise what we’re all about:

Firstly, a little about what we are not about. We’re not about detoxes, faddy diets or boot-camps. We believe living well is about balance and mindfulness in all things, including food – which, on our trips, is locally sourced, incredibly fresh, and organic where feasible. Don’t worry – we can provide gluten and dairy-free menus.

Secondly: we seek to be as inclusive as possible. We attract a high proportion of first-time retreaters, and those new to yoga or meditation.

Thirdly: our intention is to create a relaxed environment, where everything is optional. So:

Mindful, inclusive teaching

Yoga is an ancient form of meditation that balances body, mind and spirit.

Surprisingly, ancient yoga texts such as the yoga sutras had far more to say about our minds than our bodies; physical postures are made little reference to, and postures are viewed as a way to prepare the body to sit still in meditation.

We keep this context at the heart of our teaching and approach – and stay away from ego-led yoga teaching that promotes striving and pushing. Our escapes attract many beginners to yoga or/and meditation, yet our teachers ensure experienced practitioners are challenged.

To varying degrees, and to honor yoga’s ancient roots, meditation – usually in the mindfulness tradition – is an important part of our retreats, especially in the evening sessions.

Whilst our teachers hail from a number of different styles and traditions (and have often themselves been exposed to many different influences), they usually have specialist training in the wider, therapeutic aspects of yoga; specifically, in mindfulness, yoga nidra or/and yoga therapy. All our teachers love yoga and meditation and believe these practices should be as accessible as possible.

It is common to feel intimitated by the prospect of a yoga class/retreat spent with those who we think may be fitter/younger/more experienced than we are. We know – we still experience this feeling from time to time! Rest assured our trips are supportive, down-to-earth and completely uncompetitive!

Small, personal groups

Having experienced large retreats of 30-40 people ourselves, we take care to keep our own retreats on the small side, with an average ten guests per retreat.

An exception to this is our Atlas mountain Yoga and Walking retreats, where groups typically comprise 14 guests. Our Yoga and Walking New Year escape is by the far the largest we offer, with a maximum of 17 guests.

Keeping retreats and holidays small has many advantages for you, the guest – especially a friendly, supportive atmosphere and plenty of individual attention during classes.

Guests often say that coming away with us feels like a break with good friends, and this is the environment we are keen to create.

More about our food

Coming away on a retreat or holiday is an expression of deep self-care: time and space for yourself, to nurture your precious wellbeing, for others close to you, as well as yourself.

This ethos extends to one of life’s enormous gifts: good food! We like to spoil you when you’re away with us by offering a balanced, nutritious, delicious, plentiful menu, lovingly prepared and served.

Our food is locally sourced, delicious and organic where possible. In countries such as Morocco and Croatia, where produce is so fresh and zingy with flavour, catering for you is made even more pleasurable!

Whilst this will include lashings of fruit and vegetables, we also serve afternoon tea (with accompanying nuts and fruit) and home-made cakes, plus home-made deserts with evening meals. Gluten and dairy-free menus can always be accommodated with advance notice.

Testimonials:

I can't recommend Satvada enough for the first-time yoga retreater! All my fears about being too inexperienced at yoga to go on a retreat were instantly allayed in the first class. Lucia's teaching style is wonderfully personal so that everybody in the class is looked after and encouraged individually. I felt a deeper connection with my practice developing over the course of the retreat that has left me with more commitment to and enthusiasm for yoga-a great boost for the novice student! Lucia's experience, knowledge and attitude were truly inspiring. The evening meditation sessions were relaxing and energising but also gave us an insight into the benefits of integrating yoga and meditation into daily life to reduce stress and increase wellbeing. All this was accompanied by huge doses of laughter, a great mix of people, delicious food, a stunning Riad and the beauty and hospitality of Morocco. I can't wait for the next one.

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Satvada Retreats – Morocco

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