Yoga Retreat July 2025
A chance to take some time for yourself, practice yoga and journey through the seven-chakra system.
My annual retreat will return next year to the beautiful Shanticentre in Abruzzo, Italy, where I will teach a week of classes themed around the seven-chakra framework. The retreat is planned for Monday, June 30th, to Sunday, July 6th, 2025.
Life can get busy, and feeling disconnected from ourselves is very common. Using the seven-chakra framework, this yoga retreat is designed to help you tune in and become more aware of what you’re feeling so you leave feeling connected and better able to take care of yourself.
The chakras are often taught in a dogmatic or mysterious way when, in fact, they are a means to help us sense and recognize how we feel and what our needs are. Chakra is a Sanskrit word often defined as a wheel, but the word can also be translated as centre, group, circle, or family. As with so many Sanskrit words, to understand the meaning, we look at the context in which it’s used and from the ancient yogic texts, we can see it’s used to refer to focal points, locations in the body to be focused on, in other words, to be paid attention to.
You may have seen modern depictions of the 7 Chakra System and noticed that the chakras are located in a vertical line from the pelvic base to somewhere just above the head. We can probably agree that the most emotional and energetically significant experiences in our lives all happen on this vertical axis – for example, gestation, birth, sexual experiences, gut feelings (butterflies, intuition), emotions of the heart, the throat and vocal chords, being able to express ourselves, singing, feeling a lump in the throat, struggling for words, deep thinking and flashes of insight.
We all experience the chakras at one time or another, we just don’t usually call them that. Using the heart chakra as an example, in moments of great emotion in life we know we can have a visceral, palpable experience in this region of the body. The experience has nothing to do with anything that could be seen on an operating table or anything that could be seen by a scan. Falling in love, infatuation, and grief can all bring a felt sense to this location.
Although most people only experience the heart chakra when it is at its loudest, at extreme times of emotion, we can learn to tune in and become aware of the more subtle activations of energy in each area. With practice, we become more conscious of our feelings and needs and are then better able to respond and take care of ourselves, giving us the opportunity to live our lives from a stronger, more grounded, more integrated place.
The Venue:
Set in the stunning Italian countryside in Abruzzo, at the Shanticentre there is ample space to wander and relax and plenty of room for both sun and shade seekers. There is a swimming pool, hot tub, sauna and a beautiful blend of inside and outside spaces including a shady Moroccan lounge, wooden sun deck, spiritual library and most importantly a wonderful fully equipped yoga studio and a yoga terrace with amazing views. Top quality vegetarian and vegan food is served at the retreat. You can find out more about the retreat centre here: shanticentre.com
Accommodation:
Shared Rooms £785 pp
Single Rooms £885 pp
Flight times with Ryan Air from Stansted are civilised: 3.45 pm from Stansted on the 30th, arriving at 7.15 pm, and 9.50 am on Sunday the 4th, arriving back at 11.25 am.
Booking: The retreat sleeps 10, so space is limited. A £300 non-refundable deposit/part-payment secures a place, but until I get the 7 I need to reserve the week for us, I will hold onto your money and give it back to you if I don't get the minimum number of people.
If you have any questions or want to book your spot, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Retreats are places where we easily make friends. You can come alone or with people you know, everyone is welcome. Take good care of yourself.
With Love
Clair x