09-Jun-2024, After a short introduction to both finca’s, meeting the large group and a warm-up yoga session yesterday, Sunday June 9^th 2024, is the first official day of the yoga retreat in Mallorca. I have been looking forward to this day for over six months and I have not been disappointed. I am careful with getting high expectations but this retreat has been absolutely amazing for several reasons. It has been such a wonderful trip and experience that on Day one we decided we wanted to do this every year.

In my previous story I shared that I am traveling with my two yoga buddies; Marina and Anggina. The three of us are sharing a beautiful and spacious guesthouse-apartment with two bedrooms, on the second finca. A separate guesthouse might not be ideal to everyone but the introvert in me loves it. I don’t always have the need to mingle and I like having my own space. The rest of the yoga group is staying at bedrooms at the main building(s), where the common area and kitchen is shared.

Sunday – The first official practice of the retreat and the three of us secured a nice spot on the second row. We are experienced yogi’s and like being far in the front. The practice is led by Svenja Berndt; an advanced yoga teacher. She is amazing, flexible and very strong. Today we work on basic movements which we are going to incorporate into a flow the coming days. For the evening practice we continue working on the flow and did a lot of leg-exercises, including the brutal pistol squat (a deep squat with one leg).

In-between the morning and evening practice we have a lot of free time and we chill by the pool and read a book. Having no plans, no obligations and no responsibilities feels absolutely amazing and a great way to fully relax into this retreat. Marius the chef has outdone himself and prepared a delicious and nutritious plate of food. It gave me such an amazing and grateful feeling to be here amongst these people that I would love to do this every year.

Monday ­– During the morning practice we did a lot of side stretching and hip mobility exercises. A great practice, and challenging at the same time with my tight hips. I really need to work on my tight hips. The evening practice is focusing on arm balancing and strength. We practice some exciting moves; crow poses; the side crow; the flying crow; headstand and some variations; and a little flow from three-legged downward dog to headstand. And a new pose for me: the Eka Pada Koundinyasana I and II (the flying split). I know that most of my readers have no idea what I am talking about but these are advanced yoga poses that require a lot of balance, arm and core-strength and flexibility. I enjoy pushing myself into these poses and we did it for two hours long. Physically challenging myself and doing new things is what I like to do most and gives me great satisfaction.

We already made two new friends, two very kind souls; Lu from Canada and Konstantina from Greece. In our free afternoon the five of us make plans to go outside the finca. We drive to a nice and cozy beach town Cala D’or. The beach is absolutely packed and we are wondering if these people don’t need to work on a Monday? We hike a bit further, over the rocks, to find a more private spot, away from the crowds.  We settle into our spot and dip our toes in the water. Marina is the bravest of all and goes in first. The water is cold but after the initial cold-shock and once you are used to the temperature, it is actually nice to swim here. After swimming around the cliff and climbing up, I couldn’t resist jumping off of it. And four beautiful ladies were watching so I wanted to impress them as well of course. Just Kidding… or not. The weather is perfect for a nice and refreshing ice cream before we drive back to the finca.

Tuesday – Coffee and yoghurt + muesli is the fuel I consume before the first practice. We start with a flow yoga practice; not challenging but it is a great way to start the day and get the energy in the body flowing. The topic of the evening workshop is: Pincha (forearm balance) and some variations of the Pincha. Again, this requires a lot of balance, arm and core-strength. Thanks to my many bootcamp trainings and gymnastics past my strength and balance in the body is still very much present. I think I just need to work on a bit more elegance. The workshop is fun and hard work. When the practice ended, some of us stayed a bit longer to keep practicing the cute Pincha. A forearm stand transitioned onto your elbows with the palms on your cheeks, and looking forward; in a cute pose (also a very challenging pose I might add).

Dinner was yet again a true feast and because we had a birthday girl in our midst, the chef made a delicious lemon cake; one of my favorite cakes! The close the day, the five of us played a few rounds of uno in our guesthouse. Although I kept losing every round, I had a lot of fun.

Wednesday ­– My body is feeling very sore from yesterday and I wanted to rest a bit more so I slept in a bit. Getting up at 7 am instead of 6 am feels like a treat. Today’s practice is another challenging one. It is not so much about strength and balance but more about a deep stretching and working on hip mobility. I struggled but at the same time I am grateful for this exercise; it shows me on which areas I need to work on if I want to improve my yoga skills. And the last 12 months I am definitely seeing improvement in my flexibility.

The evening practice is a more relaxing Yin yoga. Yin is a more passive form of yoga where poses are hold for a longer period of time. I did not always enjoy a Yin practice before (initially I found it quite boring), but now I have come to appreciate it and embracing it for its health benefits.

The practice this evening is beautiful and heart-opening.  People are safe to release any emotions and let it all go; some tears have been shed by the group. I also often feel the goosebumps and the connection with the universe during the Savasana (the resting pose at the end) and it feels great and heart-warming.

There is also sadness this evening. Unfortunately, Marina needs to leave the retreat early. It has been such a wonderful experience to have Marina around and to practice together. I wish she could stay until the end. “we will miss you Marina!”. Anggina, Lu and Konstantina join me to drop off Marinca, but before we do, we first pick up another friend from Anggina. Chrysti just arrived at the airport a bit earlier and the six of us go for dinner at the same restaurant where we had been a week earlier. We know for a fact the food here is delicious and we ordered several dishes for all of us to share. As the only guy at the party, I sit of course at the head of the table and we cheer to the good times we had and the good times still to come.

~ THE END ~