KERALA RETREAT, 5 NIGHTS, 31st OCTOBER-5th NOVEMBER 2017
Listening to the Wisdom of the Body - Mindful Yoga for Well - Being

COST: £500 for a shared room and £750 for a single. This includes  accommodation, yoga and writing workshops, breakfast and poolside drinks. 

What's not included : Flights, transfers, meals and drinks other than those listed in costs, Aryuvedic massages, treatments and  excursions.

Payment:  A deposit of £200 is required to secure your place. The final balance payable 8 weeks before the retreat start date.

Extend your time in Kerala: If you would like to extend you stay to 14th November and continue with the creative writing retreat please contact magicalwritingjourneys for details and to book.

Places are limited so early booking is advisable. For enquiries and to book please email:

gailsmithyogauk@gmail.com  or complete the enquiry form in my contact page

This is a retreat that renews and refreshes the spirit from the inside out. We stay in Fort Cochin in the sanctuary of The Secret Garden Hotel, named from the Frances Hodgson Burnett children's novel. The Hotel is in the old part of Fort Cochin, within walking distance of the waterfront and the bustling streets of Cochin. 
Twice daily yoga sessions, an optional daily writing session, wonderful food, Kathkali dancing, beaches and backwater trips - let Kerala envelop you in a wealth of sensation, colour and tradition.
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The Yoga: 
The yoga sessions will provide an opportunity to explore the integration of yoga’s contemplative elements with asana to create a therapeutic and transformative  practice. These twice daily sessions will include Breath-work, postural alignment, mindful asana, core body integration and myofascial release to help  restore balance in the body and mind and encourage the natural renewal processes. The body- centred and meditative elements of therapeutic savasana and restorative yoga will help promote deep relaxation and deepen our connection to the "inner self"

The Writing: The trip offers participants the opportunities to enjoy abundant time to write, reflect and establish often life-changing alliances and friendships with other writers, away from the constraints of our daily lives. You are invited to come and be part of a transformational journey with people who generously and imaginatively share their creative energy. Story is at the heart of who we are and how we inhabit the world. Story develops grace, insight and deep connections. It grounds us in who we are and suggests to us all the possibilities of who we might be. The empowering pleasure of telling stories and sparking connections with other writers nurtures the creative spirit in profound and illuminating ways. Creativity is a way of connecting with our truest selves, fostering confidence and deeply enhancing a sense of well-being.

 Activities: The spice warehouses on the waterfront and ancient libraries and modern art cafes all provide  places in which explore or linger and absorb the atmosphere. We take a lazy backwater trip on a traditional Keralan houseboat and also a trip to the almost empty white beach, fringed with coconut trees along the coast from Fort Cochin. 
From the iconic Chinese fishing nets on the waterfront to the haven that is the Secret Garden, Kerala will envelop you in a wealth of sensation, colour and tradition.