After a pause on our yearly retreats in Sri Lanka - pandemic and all that - we are finally back but bigger and better!
Along the Southern Sri Lankan coast, we are in surfer's paradise with hours of sunshine in this high-season period. Glorious sunrises over the Indian Ocean and hours of pink sunsets each evening over the glassy lake. Enjoy twice daily yoga and incredible fresh breakfasts laden with never-ending tropical fruits from the year-round garden, and local vegan delicacies such as 'rice & curry'.
You will be practicing in the the open-air roof shala set amongst the treetops, and just like a David Attenborough documentary, with the monkey and birds calling to us every morning. The whole venue has an almost uninterrupted view of pristine Koggala lake from each room. You’ll see nothing but green and blue, with the occasional crocodile, soaring eagles, and other wildlife that will make it feel like you’re living in a national park.
Between morning and evening yoga classes, you'll be free to relax or explore at your own leisure. On a couple of days there will be organised trips, such as taking part in beginner's surf classes in Weligama, afternoon tea in the the colonial town of Galle, or eating lunch in nearby cafes and restaurants.
Introduction
Highlights
Sample Day
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Spend 7 nights in our water-edge private villa in your own room, or shared with 1 other person.
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Get your sweat on with morning vinyasa, and cool down with sweet yin yoga in the evenings.
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Swim in the inifnity pool overlooking the lake.
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On-site Ayurvedic masseur.
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Eat fresh mango, jackfruit, rambutan and papaya straight from the garden.
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National park nature vibes right at our doorstep.
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Beautiful long stretches of golden beaches fringed with coconut trees and surf vibes.
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18 minutes from trendy Unawatuna.
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30 minutes from the UNESCO heritage Old Town of Galle.
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Beginner's surf classes, catch your first wave!
07.00 - 07.30
07.30 - 09.00
09.30 - 10.30
10.30 +
16.00 - 17.30
17.30 - 18.30
19.00 - 20.00
20.00+
Sunrise: silence, optional meditation
Dynamic vinyasa practice
Breakfast
Free time / organised excursions
Free time / workshop
Yin practice
Dinner
Free time / Evening gatherings
Yoga
On this retreat, Faye (@wildestyoga) will be teaching dynamic vinyasa yoga, workshops and healing yin. Each day will be based on one of the five classical elements, a full integration of elemental energy:
EARTH, FIRE, WATER, AIR & ETHER
This retreat will not be total beginners yoga, but new students are more than welcome but be prepared to dive in the deep end. The practice will be strong vinyasa, flows with fluidity and playfulness: expect laughs and a lot of sweat!
Each day begins in silence to enjoy a cup of herbal tea and gaze upon the beauty of sunrise over Koggala Lake. Following this will be an intense 90 minute vinyasa practice amongst the trees in our beautiful and open shala, with lots of chances to explore challenging poses and get you ready for the rest of the day. As always, we will also be finding new ways to explore pranayama (breath work) and meditation, experimenting with different styles throughout the week.
Closing off each day we will ground down with earthy yin as day to turns to night. On a couple of evenings we will gather together to explore lineages such as Yoga Nidra (yoga sleep) & sound healing.
Food
Michelin chef Elspeth Humm designed the plant-based menu and trained the kitchen staff. The menu is seasonal and health-focused menu tailored specifically just for our venue which utilises fresh ingredients from the garden as much as possible. The food is Sri Lankan fusion, as we believe you should eat the food of where you are, although better if it’s somehow more familiar.
Expect beautiful spreads of rice and local curries, freshly baked goods, platters of tropical fruits and breakfast buffets. The food will blow you away.
Venue
The venue itself is one of a kind. Located on the water’s edge, we offer a calm alternative to the sometimes-hectic nature of the beachside options. The generously spaced venue has open plan living, nooks and crannies, yoga spaces, gardens, trees, a substantial vegetable garden and more.
Sitting on an acre of land, our home for the week is abundant in nature: a patch of soil left unattended quickly grows a forest, a pile of stones becomes home to lizards and small snakes, and an old building home to birds of all varieties. Peacocks call to one another over the lake, and monkeys look for fruits to steal.
Although Koggala lake is beautiful, the crocodiles make it unsafe to swim in, so we must compromise and bathe in the glorious infinity pool instead!
The venue is constantly striving to work on being as sustainable as possible and reducing its carbon and energy footprint. Some times being worked on: water management, waste treatments, green energy and regenerative land management as well as working on local community projects through their own action group 'eco-lanka'.
Location
We are fortunate to be deeply sunken in nature whilst not at all isolated. Located on Koggala lake in a little-known village of Duwa, our location puts us alongside South Sri Lanka’s famous surf beaches. We are just five minutes from the white sandy beach at Habaraduwa town, only ten minutes to all-year surf at Dewata, 30 minutes to find anything you need in the small city of Galle, and two hours from the international airport in Colombo.
November to March is the dry season; in this period of our travels, it’s mostly clear and sunny, the beaches are bigger, and the surf is at its best. It rains from time to time but not too much. This time of year is perfect for escaping January blues!
Facilitators
Faye Baldwin - lead teacher
Faye (@wildestyoga) is currently based in Copenhagen running Iluma Yoga Studio & eating many of the cinnamon buns the city has to offer. Half Singaporean, a large portion of her time each year is spent traveling around the world, exploring new places on small budgets and diving in to the local cultures.
Expect laughs & bliss in her light-hearted yoga classes, where she will help you to find the internal and external balance of sweetness and intensity. Here we expand together and illuminate as one. Her offerings weaves together her various trainings in Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Rocket, Mandala vinyasa, Ceremony holding and Embodied Yin.
What you get
INCLUDED
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7 nights of accommodation
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Twice daily yoga
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One surf lesson
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Exclusive access to the entirety of the property.
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Complimentary filtered water, herbal tea and coffee.
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Plant-based breakfast, light lunch and dinner.
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Sustainable toiletries in the bathrooms and their refills.
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Yoga mats and props for your use.
NOT INCLUDED
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Flights
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Airport transfer
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Insurance
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Final dinner out.
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Any extra activities.
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Massage sessions.
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Specialty drinks or deserts from the menu (We offer a tracking system and keep a tab on each guest so that you can pay for any extra expenses at the end of their stay).
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Taxis and transport during your stay.
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Any take-home items like tea or soaps.
Booking
Further Info
CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN SRI LANKA
A note from our hosts:
"Sri Lanka is coming back to normal. 2022 was tricky. A financial crisis transformed into a political crisis and the political crises. Things got tricky, and for a while uncertain and for a little while Sri Lanka became a difficult place to live. But change has come. With the outing of the ruling Rajapaksa family, the country is now moving to a new heading. New leaders, new solutions to old problems, and a new Sri Lanka."
A note from Faye:
"This will be the 6th time I will be coming back to Sri Lanka (and with my baby and partner!) and I couldn't be more happy. This is the safest, most beautiful country where all you greeted with are smiles and warmth. We cannot judge a nation on a corrupt small group of high ranking politicians making terrible decisions for the country. Now tourists are back and pouring much needed money back into the economy, and we shall go with them too. Our venue is safe, the staff there to help with anything we need, and all will be absolutely perfect! Things may be a little more expensive such as the cost of the actual retreat, to even tuk-tuk rides, but you are visiting a country that has recently had a financial crisis and whose people are in need of making income again - remember this when out there and trying to 'find a bargain'!"
Any questions will be happily answered at faye@ilumayoga.com
COVID
We are still in the midst of a global pandemic which could affect our retreat. Travel has been open to Sri Lanka for a while now and once again is thriving and becoming busy again. The only way the retreat would be cancelled is if travel has stopped entering Sri Lankan airspace due to new lockdowns, restrictions and new surges in case numbers. If this is the case, you will receive a full refund.
We will also keep track of entry restrictions, but at the time of writing (spring 2023) there are no restrictions on people entering if fully vaccinated.
CANCELLATION POLICY
The only way to receive a full refund is the above mentioned COVID cancellations.
In all other cases, the deposit of 3.000 kr is non-refundable if you choose to cancel for personal reasons.
Cancellation for all other reasons:
More than 60 days before start date = 3.000 kr (deposit) non-refundable
59 - 30 days before start date = 3.000 kr deposit + 50% rest of payment non-refundable
Under 30 days before training start date = 100% payment non-refundable