Masqi is born with the existential crisis of Sonia, the soul and the thinking head of this retreat near Alicante. Out of work, out of a relationship and “hello, what am I doing with my life”.
She went to Ibiza to a yogi retreat and there her head, which does not stop, began to develop a healing project. She went back to the Sierra of Mariola, between Alicante and Valencia ; to her house, a 19th century house where PEACE is breathed.
She turned it into a boutique hotel, although to call it that is to reduce it to almost nothing, because Masqi The Energy House is much more than a hotel. She continued to live in it, literally sharing her kitchen with the guests. , her rooms became cozy spaces where they began to spend long periods or weekends looking for themselves.
The rooms where she made her friends' stomachs happy (because Sonia loves to cook) became dining rooms where Masqi's guests changed eating habits to improve their health.
The Sierra de Mariola for you.
“Something will change in you when you come to Masqi”, she tells me. I listen carefully to her. She says that all kinds of people have passed through here: well-known writers to finish their books, people with illnesses, others who were going through marital crises, who changed jobs or wanted to; and even older men who wanted to practice yoga.
Among many things, which I will explain throughout this article, four surprise me. One of them is the Sonia's ability to inspire others with her life project. A project of generosity, with which she has helped many people.
The second is that there are no televisions in any of the rooms, nor in any room of the hotel (only books) ; third, that there are many “lonely” women in Masqi . Above all, Dutch women between thirty and forty years of age.
I ask them while we share breakfast (because that's what Masqi is about), some have children, couples, others are single... Apparently in your country yoga retreats for women are booming, maybe in Spain they will arrive soon , I think. I find them highly recommended, because there is nothing like finding yourself and, for that to happen, we must be in solitude.
And the fourth? The kukicha, of course. This calcium-free, theine-free, alkalizing, vitamin-packed Japanese tea is all over the place. You will already be one more when you start drinking it at all hours with a smile from ear to ear. The kukicha falls in love!
MasqiLa kukicha is life.
Sonia found herself practicing yoga and meditation In fact, everything she has learned she shares with each of her "guests". She and the whole Masqi team.
Although what they do best is listen. “Many people come to **Masqi Transforma,** which lasts for seven days or the 21-day program. It ends up creating a very great bond, ”she points out.
The best thing for her is to receive the thank you messages a few months after her stay. Because yes, it is true that to a lesser or greater extent, this place changes you.
The Masqi dome.
LET THE ENERGIES FLOW
Masqi is essentially made up of **yoga, meditation and macrobiotic nutrition**. From there you can add more activities depending on the type of stay you choose, which can range from a weekend as a couple or, and already getting into the matter, its different programs.
Masqi Transforms it has a duration of seven days to change your lifestyle thanks to mentoring, yoga, nutrition workshops, meditation, cooking courses, personal growth talks, therapies to improve your emotional health...
There are also the Renewing Holidays, the Yoga Wellness Retret and, the one that for me is the most interesting, 21 days in Masqi . Or what is the same: 18 massages, 18 meditation classes, 18 yoga classes, 21 therapies to choose from…this is really renewal!
Every day is a different day with activities from morning to afternoon. For example, it is very rewarding start the day with a yoga class in the dome, a bubble-shaped space with views of the forest and the pool; and end it with a meditation.
Among my recommendations is psychobioenergetic therapy that tries to improve three fields of the human being: the physical, the emotional and the mental. With a kinesiological test the blockages of the body are worked. Eva, the therapist, helps you harmonize and balance.
They offer more like reflexology, naturopathy, chi meditation, etc. Everything will depend on your needs.
Massages in Masqi.
MACROBIOTICS: WHAT IS IT?
Do you want to change your diet, habits, improve in the kitchen or simply learn? Another of the great lessons that Masqi offers you is knowledge about macrobiotic cooking.
The first question you will solve will be what is a macrobiotic diet . This type of diet goes beyond the simple intake of food, It is a philosophy of life based on traditional Chinese medicine, that divides everything between yin and yang.
The important thing is to try to find the balance between what is healthy and what makes us happy. "This diet makes me much more focused, aware of my body," Sonia tells us.
Each food has an energy, so if you need vigor because a new work stage begins, the wild salmon It will give you the strength you need, but if you need to be calmer instead, you will need more yin in your life.
And as for ingredients? The macrobiotic plate is composed 40% whole grain , where rice is king, 40% seasonal vegetables , a 15% protein which can be seitan, white fish or shellfish; and 10% that would correspond to seeds, algae, nuts and ferments.
Obviously this is a summary, but if you want to go deeper or become an expert you will have to go to Sonia's nutrition workshops. They have no waste!
The cereal is the whole of macrobiotics.