Shamita is so excited to be offering another retreat in one of Free Spirit Yoga‘s favourite venues – the Palm Tree Yoga Centre, in stunning Kerala. Spend ten nights in a magical venue, with its own rooftop yoga space where you will enjoy twice-daily sessions, while gazing out towards the Arabian Sea. You will sunbathe, swim, enjoy ayurvedic massages, visit beautiful backwaters, eat amazing food, and have a truly immersive yoga experience.
The Location
The beautiful Palm Tree Yoga Centre is surrounded by coconut groves, and overlooks a quiet beach. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available, and there is another beach only 5 minutes walk away. Massages and ayurvedic treatments can be arranged on-site, and a short tuk-tuk ride or half an hour stroll away, is Kovalam, where you will find shops and restaurants. Kerala itself is laid-back, with miles and miles of glorious coastline with palm-fringed sandy beaches, beautiful backwaters, tea-covered hills, nature reserves and quaint hill stations. Contact Free Spirit if you have mobility issues.
The yoga
The rooftop yoga space has magnificent views of the ocean, and is kept cool by overhead fans and bamboo blinds. It is fully equipped with mats, blocks, straps and bolsters. Here, Shamita will be teaching two yoga sessions per day, for 7 days (14 sessions). There are 2 days kept completely free of yoga to allow for sightseeing.
The morning session will start with pranayama (breathing techniques), which will then lead into a flowing, dynamic practice, finishing with meditation or chanting.
Some of the evening sessions – accompanied by sunset views over the Arabian Sea – will follow a ‘workshop style’ format exploring a different theme each day. Examples of themes we will focus on will be arm balances and inversions – feel free to suggest more themes you would like to explore!
Some of the remaining evening sessions will be a blissfuly relaxing Yin practice, accompanied by the resonant vibrations of the gong.
This retreat will be suitable for practitioners of all abilities from the relative newcomer, to the seasoned yogi.
The venue
The venue has cool, marble floors throughout, and all bedrooms have solar powered en-suite facilities, ceiling fans, wifi, and mosquito nets. The sea is directly in front of the venue, and 5 mins walk away, there is another beach protected by a reef, so calmer, which is great for swimming. You can also swim in the Uday Samudra hotel pool for a small fee (10 mins walk away).
Kerala is known for its fabulous cuisine, and in this retreat, a delicious breakfast is served daily, and on 6 evenings, a vegetarian dinner is provided. Fish and meat options are also available for a small additional fee. Treatments and massages are available on-site, and numerous excursions will be organised to local backwaters, tea plantations, elephant sanctuaries, or Kanyakumari, the most southerly tip of India. Trips are full day, scheduled on the ‘yoga-free’ days, or half day.
The accommodation is spread over 3 buildings, the Palm Tree, Pavilion, and the Curry Leaf.
Palm Tree, which houses the yoga space, has 4 rooms, a shared lounge, and a kitchenette. Some of the rooms have balconies with a sea view available for a supplement, and some have optional air-conditioning.
The Curry Leaf has two new, large bedrooms, both with balconies with sea views.
Pavilion is superior beachfront living. There are 2 apartments, each with 3 bedrooms, a shared lounge, and a shaded terrace. All the rooms carry a supplement. In each apartment, 2 of the bedrooms have a balcony with a sea view, one of which also has air-conditioning. The third bedroom has access to the sea view balcony and also has air-conditioning.
The schedule
DAY 1 (Thursday 2 December)
Arrive and check in
7pm (approx) Complementary welcome dinner
DAY 2, 3, 4, 5 (Friday 3 – Monday 6 December)
8am (approx) Morning yoga
Breakfast
Half day trip available
5pm (approx) Evening yoga
Dinner
Day 6 (Tuesday 7 December)
8am (approx) Morning yoga
Breakfast
Half day trip available
5pm (approx) Evening yoga
Day 7 (Wednesday 8 December)
No yoga
7 – 10am Breakfast
Full day trip available to Kanyakumari or Tea plantation
Day 8 (Thursday 9 December)
No yoga
7 – 10am Breakfast
Full day trip available to Kanyakumari or Tea plantation
Day 9, 10 (Friday 10, Saturday 11 December)
8am (approx) Morning yoga
Breakfast
Half day trip available
5pm (approx) Evening yoga
Dinner
Day 11 (Sunday 12 December) 7 – 10am Breakfast
Check out & airport transfer
Travel
Fly to Trivandrum, where you will be met and transferred to the venue (this is included).
Please book your outward flight to depart one day prior to the start of the yoga retreat, and the return flight on the last day of the yoga retreat.
The cost
£774 (sharing) or £964 (single). This includes accommodation, breakfast, 6 group dinners (& one complementary dinner on arrival night), 14 yoga sessions, and transfers from the airport.
Flights, treatments, all other drinks and meals, and sightseeing excursions are an additional cost. Air-conditioning can be available from 6pm to 8am for £10 per night. For most people, the ceiling fans are sufficient, so A/C is not considered necessary. Visas are also not included, and are necessary for this trip.
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