The Date
19 - 24 April, 2022
Veggie organic
meals
Different yoga
teachers
4 classes
per day
Transportation and
activities included
“Immerse in the peace of nature, comfort and yoga in the mountains of Southern Spain.”
Take the gift of relaxation on our nature and hiking yoga retreat. Where the Parque Natural of the Sierra de Grazalema rises from quiet rural byways like an apparition and the natural world takes over, find yourself enticed into wellbeing. Where great buttresses of rock silhouetted against the clouds soar above a forested landscape tinged with green, feel the vitality of this area even when the rest of Andalucía turns yellow under the Spanish sun. Deemed a Unesco Biosphere reserve since 1977 this land is one of the best places to hike in Southern Spain.
The Sierra de Grazalema and whitewashed villages serve as the gateways to our Yoga Retreat Center which hosts some of Spain's prettiest mountain scenery. Our retreat center is settle in this picturesque land of diverse terrain with its narrow passes connecting the villages over high mountain ridges.
Being between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, this dynamic area is home to unique plants and animals and has a slightly tropical microclimate. On the same day there can be warm sunshine, clouds or rain and directly a return to warm sunshine. From fascinating historical stories of the surrounding whitewashed villages to Neolithic tombs, a visitor to this province can do yoga in the morning, explore serene hiking trails, cool off in one of the five outdoor swimming pools with views of the Sierra, taste local foods and finally sleep in luxury accommodations with the silence of the mountain.
The accommodations are rooms in villas with views of the mountain, air conditioners and heaters and there is wifi inside all the buildings.
If you´re looking for a mountain and yoga vacation, this is the place for you!
The experience
INCLUDED
- 5 nights at the beautiful Nature Reserve retreat center
- 4 yoga classes per day: 2 energizing and 2 gentle/yin yoga, for all levels and ages
- 2 yoga workshops
- 3 delicious healthy meals daily
- Five swimming pools at the yoga retreat center
- Hiking tour to the big Dolmen and/or the whitewashed village balcony
- Hiking tour to the Zahara de la Sierra famous castle and olive oil factory tour and tasting
- Arrival day and departure day transport between the retreat center and the Ronda train station
- All transportation for included activities
- Yoga retreat center in the middle of a Nature Reserve
Hour by hour
PROGRAM
Arrival day pick up 15:30 at Ronda train station
Departure day 11:00 transport to Ronda train station
7:30- 9:00
Energizing Yoga class.
9:00- 09:30
Meditation.-
9:30-10:30
Gentle Yoga Class. 
10:30-11:30
Breakfast.
11:30-14:00
Free Time.
14:00-15:00
Lunch, Local Food Tasting or Picnic.-
15:00-18:00
Free Time. -
18:00-19:15
Energizing Yoga Class or Workshop. -
19:15- 20:15
Gentle or Restorative Yoga Class. -
20:30
Dinner.
* The schedule is flexible. It will adapt to needs of each group or as necessary.
THE NATURE
The villas, gardens, walking paths, and swimming pools that make up the Nature Reserve yoga retreat center are nestled under an escarpment and have a panoramic view of the Sierra Grazalema mountains. Fresh clean mountain air fills a visitor's lungs with every breath. The Andalusian sunlight illuminates the natural landscape and olive trees that dot the mountain side. One can hear the soft chirping of birds and the occasional bleat of goats and sheep that roam the lands outside of retreat center. Just being in this place of stillness brings a sense of peace and wellbeing like no other.
The hiking tour takes yoga retreat participants on paths around the mountain, up to the breath-taking view of the whitewashed villages and/or to the Giant Dolmen. From the Neolithic period, the magic of the Giant Dolmen takes us back in time and reminds us of the everlasting health of a land where people have resided for thousands of years.
WHITEWASHED VILLAGES
The Whitewashed villages of the Serranía de Cadiz sparkle under the sunlight of the lengthy days. Brimming with history and stories of when the Arabs built the villages and inhabited the area up until around the 8th century, each whitewashed village has its own feel.
Explore Zahara de la Sierra which sashays up a craggy and hike up to the famed castle topped peak in the park's northern reaches. Duck through the winding streets of Setenil de las Bodegas, a whitewashed village built as caves under the rocks and end up tasting local wine, jamón, and goat cheese. Visit an authentic olive oil factory - and then taste the delicious olive oil! - that is still produced using traditional and sustainable methods, and belongs to the same local family which has owned and worked the land for 11 generations.
LOCATION
The Nature Reserve Retreat Center is tucked away in the mountains easily accessible from Malaga and Sevilla Airports, and from the Ronda train station. Transportation options are included in Lucia Yoga Retreats and we're happy to help you organize if you prefer to arrange your own transport. From the retreat center, Malaga and Sevilla Airports are each a 1 hour 30 minute drive. From Ronda, the retreat center is a 30 minute drive. The closest village is a walkable 3 kilometers.
See google maps
Renfe: The Spanish national railway information
Alsa: Spanish buses information
Madeleine Rommel
Yoga teacher and physio-massage therapist.
Combining the principles of Physio-therapy with Yoga, Madeleine provides students with clear alignment instructions, comforting hands-on adjustments, and an inviting Yoga practice, inducing no cost to the body.
Madeleine started down the path of Yoga 30 years ago, when she began to study both Ashtanga Yoga and Physiotherapy simultaneously.
Discovering these two disciplines were closely interlinked, she wrote her Thesis, in 1992, on the common principles between them, while she was studying with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, in Mysore.
As a Physiotherapist, Madeleine specialised towards prevention, pursuing her interest in the natural / physiological movement guided by inner wisdom verses our will.
Her strong passion for Yoga lead her to attend over 500 days of workshop and 1000 hours of weekly classes at Ashtanga Yoga Institute Brussels (1988-2000), to study with Shri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore (1991-1992), with John Scott in Cornwalls, Goa and at Yoga In Salento - Puglia, where she also gives Yoga Retreats.
Madeleine is the founder of Ashtanga Yoga Woluwe, a non-profit organisation in Brussels, where she has been teaching Ashtanga & Preventive Yoga classes, and conducting workshops since its creation in 1994. She has also completed a master’s degree in Journalism (1980), Photography (1986), a bachelor’s degree in Nursing (2006), a bellicon coach certification (2017), and several Veda Chanting courses and workshops with Shantala Sriramaiah (2018 - to now)
With her knowledge, understanding and vast experience in successfully running a physiotherapy center in Brussels and teaching Ashtanga Yoga in a preventive way, Madeleine breathes calm, warmth and peace in her class.
Her biggest strength lies in her ability to adapt the practice to any level and easily connect with students.
Prices and promotions
Retreat date: 19 - 24 April, 2022
All the space!
SUITE
+ 150€
Large/spacious room, your own private tower and closet room, Moorish Bathtub and landscape views.
Private villa, double bed with private swimming pool and big garden.
Private room?
SINGLE
OCCUPANCY
+ 185€
OCCUPANCY
