We are preparing a yoga retreat in North Wales: a few days of steady yoga and meditation, simple food and time outdoors, close to home. Dates and details will be announced soon.
Why a retreat close to home
When people picture a yoga retreat, they often picture somewhere far away: a beach in India, a mountain in Austria. We run retreats in both, and we love them. But the distance is not what makes a retreat work.
What makes it work is time. Several days in a row with nothing asked of you except to practise, eat simply, rest and pay attention. That can happen a few hours from home.
- Less travel, more practice. A short journey means you arrive rested, and the first day is not lost to recovery.
- Easier to fit into a life. A few days away is often possible when two weeks abroad is not.
- A practice you can take home. Practising in a climate and a landscape like your own makes it easier to keep going once you are back.
- The landscape. The mountains, lakes and coast of North Wales are as good a place to sit quietly as anywhere in the world.
What a retreat actually is
A retreat is not a holiday with yoga added. It is a short period of steady practice, lived in a rhythm: meditation and yoga in the morning, time outdoors in the day, a slower practice in the evening, early nights.
The classical texts treat practice as something done daily and over time. Patanjali calls it abhyasa: sustained, repeated effort. A retreat gives you a small, concentrated taste of that. Many people find the mind settles noticeably by the third day.
What our retreats are like
Every Avana Yoga retreat follows the same rhythm. Mornings begin with meditation and yoga. The middle of the day is spent outdoors, walking or by the water. Evenings bring a slower practice, such as Yin or guided relaxation. Meals are vegan and vegetarian, and groups are small.
The practice is rooted in India’s classical yoga tradition: asana, pranayama and meditation, taught as the classical texts describe them, and open to every level.
Our current retreats
- 01
Austrian Alps
Five days of yoga, meditation and mountain walking in the Austrian Alps, with the Dachstein in view from your room and the studio.
- 02
North Goa, India
Eight days of yoga, meditation and Ayurveda on the coast of North Goa, with airport transfers included.
FAQ
Dates are still being finalised. Follow us on Instagram or get in touch and we will let you know as soon as they are announced.
What you will actually practise, and who it is for. How the day is laid out. How many people will be there. What is included, and what is not. A good retreat answers all of these plainly before you book.
Yes. Classes are open to every level, and each posture is offered with variations.
Groups are small, so the teacher knows everyone in the room. Each retreat’s page gives the details.
Vegan and vegetarian meals throughout. Exactly which meals are included is listed on each retreat’s page.
