7 Days Yoga, Meditation, and Space Retreat in Murcia, Spain

Accommodation is provided in beautifully furnished 5-metre bell tents. Nestled amongst the lemon and orange groves, the bell tents are simple but sumptuous, with electricity and comfortable beds. Each tent can sleep up to three people. Crisp bed linen and pool towels are provided. There are solar hot and cold powered showers facilities. Internet access is available. There is a small shop on site for all those little essentials you might need.

Your Rustic Retreats journey

“In not only the physical science, but in the real mental silence, the wisdom dawns.” Satchidananda

“See how nature—trees, flowers, grass—grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… .We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Mother Teresa

​“Yoga is the progressive settling of the mind into silence.” Patanjali Yoga Sutras

Many of the key teachings of ancient and modern spiritual masters involve lessons around the importance of silence, stillness and space. Yoga philosophy teaches us that we are all perfect souls, however we need to silence the ego and the ‘fluctuations’ of the mind in order to reveal this perfect version of ourselves. In this yoga retreat you will be looking deep within to find our inner teacher. You will learn from the wisdom of the stars, trees and flowers about how you can unfold and blossom in periods of silence.

You will start each day with a period of silent meditation, followed by a dynamic asana sequence. This will help you release tension, and find stillness and spaciousness within your bodies. From this place of calm you will then be using a variety of methods to explore and find a place of deeper silence and spaciousness within. Tanya will introduce a variety of different breathing and meditation techniques to help you still your mind and thoughts, and you will also have periods of silence during each day. You will explore space, stillness and silence from a number of different perspectives including writing, drawing and getting inspired by the natural world. This will help each of you, in your own unique way, learn to tap into your inner world and place of stillness.

​Sample daily timetable

• 07.30 Pranayama or morning meditation
• 08.00 Morning Yoga practice
• 09:30 Breakfast
• 11:00 Workshop (practical/theoretical) or free time
• 13:00 Lunch
• 15.00 Free time
• 19.00 Evening Yoga practice
• 20.30 Meditation or yoga nidra
• 21.00 Evening meal

Times will vary slightly on each retreat. There is one workshop a day, it may be in the morning or afternoon. There is also the option to visit local markets on Wednesday and Sunday.

Styles of yoga to be taught

On this retreat we will be honoring the theme of creating‘space’ in the yoga asana practice. The morning yoga sessions will be inspired by Vinyasa yoga and will focusing on using heat and movement to open and expand our bodies, to create more length and internal space. Each class will focus on a different area of the body, and we will explore how we we can find sweet release in this area.

The afternoon sessions will be more slow and restorative drawing from slow-flow vinyasa, yin, and restorative yoga styles. They will be about creating space within our bodies and minds. You will learn multiple ‘take-home’ sequences that you can use and adapt for your home practice. As well as detailed instructions of the sequences and poses, once we have learnt an aspect of the sequence we will have the opportunity to practice this in silence. This will help us to learn to move with our own breath, trust our own instincts and learn to find space in the movements and practice.

Your workshop programme

The theme of this retreat is about Yoga, Meditation and Space. It is about learning to find space in our practice and lives to be fully present moment to moment. How can we learn to be still, sit with ourselves and accept where we are in the moment.

Workshop one – learning to be still

‘Did you ever sit quietly with your back straight, not moving, just only cherishing the beauty of silence?’ JidduKrishnamurti

Do you feel like you’re constantly running in life, chasing the next goal, ticking off things on your to do list (which never seems to get shorter)? Do you find it difficult to be still, to be away from technology, hard to switch off after a busy day at work? At this workshop we will be exploring how we can be stiller in our lives and find time for just being, and the things that nourish and sustain us. We will explore the ‘cult of busyness’ and look at how modern life and technology nudge us to always do more.

We will do some creative journaling exercises where we will look at the things that take up our time. Together we will explore these and develop strategies for creating more time and space. We will also explore some simple meditation, and mindfulness strategies for creating mental space.

Workshop two – Space and Nature

We are all made of space and stardust. In this workshop we will use nature and the space around us to inspire our own spaciousness and help us lighten our inner skies. First we will discuss nature and its relationship with space.

Next we will learn some simple meditation techniques, including sitting in nature, walking in nature and reflecting on the world around us. These will help us tap into the healing power of the natural environment.

Workshop three – Drawing Space

In this workshop we will create space and stillness for you to draw. We will start with a simple mediation where we will look deep within the still, peaceful space within us. Emerging from this we will explore some exercises to draw negative space.

The logical mind tends to try to focus on objects, identifying them and categorizing them. However with negative drawing exercises we focus on exploring the space around objects rather than the objects themselves. This will help us appreciate more fully the importance of space.

Workshop four – Yoga Nidra– moving into stillness

In this workshop we will explore the practice of Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra is a practice that is sometimes known as yogic sleep. It is a practice we lie still and go on a deep inner journey.

Firstly we will explore the theory of how yoga nidra works and helps us to create more spaciousness in the body by releasing preconditioning. We will then explore the correct way of making a sankalpa or yogic intention. After this we will experience the practice of yoga nidra for ourselves

Workshop five – Dancing Space

At this workshop we will explore our bodies and the spaces around them through the medium of dance. We will dance our dreams, hope and aspirations. We will dance alone, with a partner (if we like) and as a group.

As part of the dance we will explore non verbal communication. We will feel energized, push our boundaries and sweat! At the end of the workshop sink into a place of deep and complete stillness.

Rustic Retreats run beautifully yoga retreats in the Sierra Espuna mountain range in Southern Spain. A stunning estate, totally off-grid, with zero light pollution, solar power, and fresh spring water. The unique yoga platform sits nestled into the side of the mountain, with breath taking views across the tranquil valley.

Stimulate all your senses whilst you absorb the bright colors, beautiful textures, tantalizing flavors, and sublime aromas of the fresh food served at Rustic Retreats. The chef will create a myriad of fresh, healthy vegetarian meals to tantalize your pallet, all using the ripest, freshest, seasonal ingredients that are locally produced either from their very own organic garden and vegetable patch or from the local market and farmers.

Varieties of fruit are growing freely on the site such as lemons, oranges, almonds, pomegranate, and carob to name but a few. All vegetarian meals are lovingly prepared by a trained chef in the outdoor kitchen and are served 'al fresco' whenever possible. All meals are included in the price. The meals have been so popular with the clients that they are looking at producing a recipe book for next season.

Example menu:

• Start the day with a fruit smoothie or refreshing mint tea.
• Breakfast baby spinach omelet, cereals, fruit and French toast.
• Lunch bell pepper frittata, bean and yogurt salad, and pumpkin bread.
• Evening meal squash and zucchini casserole with wild rice and lemon tart.

Exclusions

• All day snack menu is available but cost is not included in the price. Alcohol is available at a small extra charge.

Contemplate life in the beautiful wooden meditation cabin

Play plenty of board games

Relax or read books on the hammocks, shaded terrace, and sun loungers

Take a dip in the swimming pool

Take a hike in the surrounding mountains

Use the outdoor shower block to literally shower under the stars

• 6 nights accommodation
• All meals, including daily breakfast, lunch, dinner, and juice
• Bed linen
• Daily workshops, talks and mountain walks
• Meditations twice daily
• Stunning yoga platform nestled into the side of the mountain
• Towels
• Use of beautiful swimming pool
• Yoga mats
• Yoga practice twice daily

• Airport transfers
• Flights
• Alcohol and snack menu (small extra charge)

Arrival by airplane

Fly into to Alicante, then it's a 2-hour train journey (6 EUR) through the beautiful Spanish countryside down to Totana station where Rustic Retreats will collect you.

Arrival by train

• Arrive at Totana station where Rustic Retreats will collect you.

Arrival by taxi

• You can get a taxi from the airport which would cost 170 EUR and upwards. Also, there are car hire options at the airport.