My next adventure takes me to Mallorca, a beautiful Spanish island. A trip that I am looking forward to for a long time and one I am very excited about. With two of my friends; Anggina and Marina, we are going to do a 6-day yoga retreat Reconnect and Recharge by Svenja Berndt. I have been doing yoga on a regular base the last few years and I am enjoying the practice a lot, so it is time to do a retreat. Anggina and Marina are both yoga teachers and amazing practitioners (which is great for me because I can learn a lot from them).

I wouldn’t be me if I wouldn’t go into the mountains. In every new place (and whenever I have the time), I want to do either a climb or hike, so also in Mallorca. The initial plan is to climb Puig de Massanella, the highest publicly accessible mountain but due to lack of time and proper rest I decided not to do the seven-hour hike to the top. Instead, I hike on a smaller mountain next to it: Puig de n’Ali (1035m). The trail is nine kilometers long, and with a climb of 800 meter. Especially the last part of the hike is challenging but fun, with inclines of 50 to 60%. This is more of a climb than a hike and also what I enjoy the most, easy climbing over rocks. There is no clear path (just a lot of rocks) but there is only one way to go: UP. It takes me three hours to reach to the top. The sky is clear and I the weather is perfect, dry and not too hot. As always, the views are magnificent! I am always feeling great in the mountains, it feels like home. Away from the city and I did not see a single soul on my hike which is perfect for me. Definitely a whole lot better than a plane full of crying babies and screaming kids. Here in mountains and nature I only came across a few mountain goats and birds singing in the background.

Check out a short video clip below:

In the afternoon I drive back to Palma to meet up with the girls and explore the capital city of Mallorca. They spent their morning chilling and reading by the pool but around lunch time we go out. We have delicious Spanish food and we walk to the big Cathedral. We didn’t buy the online tickets in advance, but instead we got some delicious ice creams and admired this beautiful Cathedral from the outside. We do visit the Palace next to it. Both beautiful and historical sites to visit, a good place to make some Instagram photos. For dinner we had a great plan of driving to the coast and find the best Spanish restaurant, but we could hardly find parking and eventually we had to settle for an Italian restaurant. Not our first choice but at some point we are so hungry that we don’t care anymore. I had a great day hanging out with Marina and Anggina.

The next day, while the girls do girl-things, I stay in the hotel and enjoy working on my blog work. In the afternoon we drive to the outskirts of a small town Porreres, to a finca called Son Sion. The location of our yoga retreat. It is such a large area with large finca’s (two finca’s booked for this one retreat) that we got a bit lost looking for the entrance. I consider ourselves (the three of us) lucky to be offered a guesthouse with a kitchen, two bedrooms, and living room, instead of just one bedroom at the main Finca. At six pm we arrive just in time to drop our stuff and join the evening practice. This is more of an introduction practice to stretch out stiff muscles and get into the mood.

After practice we were in desperate of a refreshing shower, but we took a bit too much time getting ready. It was already ten pm before we walked over to the main finca and the food was already cold. It had started at nine pm, but there was some left-over pasta which was fine. Although it was cold, it was still tasty.

There are about 30 people in the retreat, a relatively large group but we all have at least one thing in common: Yoga! In the following week we slowly get to know all the people. We are with a very international group from all over the world and everybody is very kind, respectful and welcoming. Obviously, we have never met each other but it feels like we are one big group of friends.

Food is prepared daily by Marius, a friend of Svenja (the yoga teacher). Marius is a private nutritious chef and prepares a wonderful vegetarian brunch and dinner every day with lots of variety and nutritious rich food. It’s simply amazing food.

The finca is situated on 30.000m2 land in the middle of the island. It is a quiet, serene and peaceful area. The yoga shala (150m2) is built with natural light stones and a wooden floor, giving it a warm and special atmosphere. It is fully equipped with mats and props so we do not have to bring our own stuff. The shala is surrounded by a beautiful, large and dream-like mediterranean garden and bright colorful flowers. Everything is very much spaced out, creating a feeling of wealth and calmness. There is a large salt-water pool with sunbeds and a terrace to relax. A large common area and outside sitting area where we have our brunches and dinners.

It is truly the perfect spot for a yoga retreat and to wind down from everyday life.

A typical day during the retreat would look like this:

• Start the day with a light breakfast (yoghurt + fruit) and coffee.
• 8 am first yoga practice, working on a yoga flow sequence for 90 minutes.
• 10.30 am healthy and delicious brunch, freshly prepared by the chef.
• 11.30 am until 17.00pm free time, we usually went out to explore the island and the beaches.
• 17.00 pm second session, for example strength exercises, inversions or handstand workshop.
• 20.00 pm fresh, delicious and (mostly) vegetarian dinner.
• Free time after dinner.

In the next post I will share more about the retreat itself and more photos, so stay tuned…

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