Travel / A Special Yoga Retreat in Ibiza: The Personal Story of Laura (What About Her)
This year, I went on a yoga retreat in Ibiza (check out YogaIbiza.nl), and oh, how I miss this magical place. Everyone should treat themselves to this at least once—whether you're spiritual or not, experienced or not—it's a true enrichment. A gift. A moment of peace—real peace. Who doesn’t need that?
A week in a magical place
The location of the retreat couldn't have been better. I smile as I think back to that bohemian finca on a hill, overlooking rolling olive tree-covered hills and the shimmering sea on the horizon. I had a beautiful bedroom in a stone cottage, surrounded by a garden filled with lemon and palm trees, cacti, lavender, and rosemary. Throughout the house, there were crystals, sacred wood, flowers, and incense. The resident dog and I became best friends, and the infinity pool was the perfect place to cool off after the lessons.
also think back to those magical sunrises and sunsets, the meditations and yoga on the rooftop, the yin yoga on the grass, the deep conversations, the moments of reflection, the tranquility I found, the long wooden table under the tree where we gathered, and the incredible food served daily. The meditations, the comforting words, the soothing yin yoga sessions in the evening, the energizing vinyasa yoga in the morning, the letting go, the realizations, the happiness, the light, the clouds, the feeling of coming home.
The first words I wrote in my journal? “The first evening meditation and morning yoga were confronting—but everything is allowed to be here. I have reignited the sun, now I just need to let go of the clouds.”
What a week. What a place. Just look at it.
Yoga retreat in Ibiza
During the yoga retreat, I learned a lot about yoga and everything related to it, such as breathing and self-care – but above all, I learned a lot about myself. The daily yoga and meditation classes (from yoga nidra to vinyasa, and from guided meditations to mindfulness) and several workshops helped with that, but the free time I allowed myself was just as important. You also decide whether to participate in a class or workshop or rather read a book by the pool, whether you want to join the conversations or simply listen on your own, or whether you dine with the group at the table or take your plate to a quiet spot to be alone with your thoughts. Everything is allowed; nothing is mandatory. And another great aspect: every day, three fresh vegetarian or vegan meals are served at a long table. Chef Gilberto prepares these with local island products, and you can see and taste that they are made with love—just look at the photos!
A storm before the calm
When I think of the retreat, this moment captured in the photo below stands out the most: that golden morning meditation after a day of complete silence and a storm that had just swept through. It felt like a storm before the calm—right there, I finally found nothing but peace in my thoughts, and in the days that followed, I discovered a sense of tranquility, a sense of letting go, a sense of love. Everything was okay, almost to the point of feeling completely still.
At that moment, I realized that I should cherish my many emotions (because this is who I am—who would I be without them?), but I need to let go of fear as my advisor. Feel everything, take the time to embrace my sensitivity—but don’t overthink, don’t stress too much, and learn to release fear or past pain. I often learn this while traveling—how do you do it?
It is hard to explain what this retreat has done to me. You have to experience it. You have to surrender to it. And it is also just okay to keep this close to yourself. I share this because I want to recommend it to everyone: give yourself this gift.au.
It feels like I’ve been gone for a year, not a week. Like I was allowed to watch the rest of the world rushing by. Like I didn’t have to be there for a while. And the longer I’ve been home, the faster I’ll be rushing along again and the faster my feelings will start to run away with me again. So today I’m taking time for myself to find that golden morning again by writing about this experience. Repeating the simplest mantra at times like this helps me the most: I’m sorry, Forgive me, I love you, Thank you.
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Photo’s: Copyright Laura Coolen // whatabouther.nl