Disconnect from the 'world' to connect with yourself.
A retreat is not only a time of rest, a moment of disconnection, but also an opportunity to get to know oneself (and in some cases, others) in order to be able to move forward in life with 'clarity'. Because well-being and personal health begins with self-care.
TO CONNECT WITH YOURSELF
This Christmas has been the first time that ** Solaz Retreats ** has celebrated one of his sincere retreats in a gothic castle in Soria (he usually organizes them in Navarra and Ibiza) and the experience has been so satisfactory that another identical one is already scheduled for the end of the month.
It will be from January 31 to February 2 when the house-fortress of San Gregorio (15th century), located in the term of Cubo de la Sierra, will once again serve as a spiritual setting to achieve **well-being (through yoga, meditation and Ayurveda) ** and wisdom (thanks to silence, nature and self-care) .
Victoria Vigón, its organizer, tells us that she has chosen this enclave, in addition to its incalculable historical value – it even has a Renaissance church that preserves the original polychromy –, for its spiritual legacy, it was a Dominican convent and even today it is a completely isolated architectural complex where you can breathe peace: away from the noise in a wooded environment.
"It's a place that facilitates the practice of meditation or mindfulness inside its thick walls and the conscious walks through the cloister. It brings together all the ingredients of true luxury, staying in a National Monument and Property of Cultural Interest, together with comfort, simplicity and calm", continues the facilitator-didact of the retreat.
Views of the castle of San Gregorio, in Soria.
Throughout the weekend a program is followed -adapted to each of the guests- in which Ayurveda nutrition is designed to purify the physical, mental and emotional body, as Victoria explains: "This cleansing or detox, which is also very tasty (one of the main dishes is kitchari, as complete and nutritious for an adult as breast milk for a baby) is of great help both in the practice of meditation like yoga, in addition to calming the body and mind.
In the morning the day begins with a class of meditation, followed by breakfast and then another yoga and pranayama class (breathing exercises) until lunch. And, in the afternoon, they propose a siesta in the rooms or in front of the fire in the fireplace. This is also the right time to enjoy an Ayurveda massage, take a walk and get to know the natural or architectural environment or delve into the technique of mindfulness.
At nightfall comes dinner and, after it, the last meditation session of the day, "the best antidote against insomnia", in Victoria's words, because rest is sacred in the castle.
"Throughout the weekend our qualified team (of which his partner Carlos Echeverry, IYENGAR yoga teacher at the Ramamany Iyengar Yoga Institute in Poona, is a part) will accompany our guests in learning the technique mindfulness, whose results are benefits for mental, emotional and physical health, since a clear increase in energy, calm and, therefore, the well-being of each person is achieved", concludes Victoria.
One of the Ayurvedic dishes served by Solaz Retreats.
RECONNECT WITH YOUR PARTNER
You have to pay attention to the website of La Garriga de Castelladral because this historic farmhouse converted into a hotel with spa always offers different withdrawals.
Soon it will be Veronica Blume who will give a Journey through the chakras (from February 8 to March 1), but the one that interests us most is the that she bears by name Reconnecting with the couple , taught by the conscious parenting consultant ** Míriam Tirado ** (from March 14 to 15).
"It is a retreat designed for mothers and fathers who, after the arrival of their sons and daughters, have had very little time to stop, integrate so many changes, and take care of themselves a little. My intention is to give you information that will help you connect with each other, but also help them connect with themselves and their bodies, often very tired of so much dedication, stress and the exhaustion that sometimes involves working and growing a family, all at the same time", explains the also journalist specializing in maternity, paternity and parenting.
From the medieval farmhouse La Garriga you can see the mountain of Montserrat.
During this special weekend there will be a theoretical part, but also a practical part, with individual and couple body awareness exercises. Two days of retreat whose objective will be for the couple to dedicate time, pause and reflection: "For this we take care of them and make these days a balm that helps them, on the one hand, to integrate everything they have experienced and, on the other, to gain inspiration and motivation to continue raising their sons and daughters feeling more team than ever", the expert concludes.
They tell us from La Garriga that in the month of May they plan to organize a retreat for Conscious Sexuality also as a couple, so if you are interested in this topic, it is best to pay attention to their website so as not to be left without a place.
From the La Grande room you can see the fields and forests of the area.