“One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste” - Albert Einstein

What comes to your mind if you think about yoga? Flexibility or maybe asanas (yoga postures)? We Sunchild Yogis envision tranquility, joy and play and invite you to join us as children of the sun in our hidden rural paradise. For us, yoga is a way of life and the Peace Yoga Retreat our means of sharing these ideas. Both on and off the mat.

There is so much more to yoga than performing asanas, but often these asanas serve as the door we go through to discover the unknown “world of yoga” behind it that is far away from our competitive world we are surrounded by every day. Behind this door you will find a world of love, compassion, gratitude, equanimity, peace and joy.... And most probably…. yourself!

“Yoga is a scenic journey to our deepest spirit.” - D. Swenson

More than an attitude or a worldview, yoga is an approach towards life. When feeling lost or confused, yoga grounds us, when feeling anxious or stressed it relaxes. Just like that, we breathe, experiment and play to connect mind body and soul and reverberate intuition, harmony and joy.  Simply join us and let your inner child rediscover what it means to just 'be'. Our Peace Yoga Retreat is a wonderful experience aimed at deconstructing rigidity and cultivating childlike openness.
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Whatever previous experience of yoga you have (if any) we want you to know that we all start where we are. We start with accepting where we are at this particular moment in time. Flexibility starts in the mind, not in the body. Yoga philosophy experienced in a playful and interactive way will show us how we can start to live a life which is in more harmony with the world around us and with ourselves. With practice and awareness, personal insights begin to manifest. We become aware of what we put into our bodies and how we interact with the world around us.

“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven unless its roots reach down to hell.” - C. G. Jung

Contemporary practices often focus solely on asanas, however they are a mere fragment of yoga. In fact, yoga philosophy is their foundation. In our Peace Yoga Retreat we discover the holistic perspective of yoga, rooted in ethical principles. To live a more conscious and harmonious life that leads us out of our circles of habits (our sufferings) we will also introduce you to the teachings of Buddha and discover the similarities of these two ancient but still very modern philosophies in a playful way.

Find your balance and inner peace

We will introduce you to mornings in silence and introspective meditations to reconnect with your inner self. Furthermore, we experiment with different yoga styles: active and dynamic styles (yang) to begin the day and rather passive and relaxing (yin) styles in the afternoon. Just as tasting a strawberry can not be described theoretically, the different yoga styles can only be tasted through practice. No style is better than another and by tasting them we will enable you to distinguish them and find orientation in the jungle of yoga class names.
As a natural part of non-harming, vegan alimentation will be an essential part of the retreat and together we will learn more about it not only theoretically but also in practice as the daily offered meals will be prepared together in little teams as a convivial and participative activity.
To have an intimate atmosphere where acceptance can thrive and enough space for solitude is guaranteed, our retreat will be shelter to 12 guests max.

All levels are welcome!
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You can also book 1:1 classes on site to deepen your practice or if you have any specific doubts or postures you want to learn (on additional costs).

Experience the abundant variety yoga has to offer as a way of being. After this nourishing week, three things will stay with you permanently: love, compassion & gratitude. Ground to rise and be the change the world needs! Ultimately, peace begins with you

“Yoga begins in the present moment, and the present moment begins in silence.” - Michael Stone

Our retreat takes place in the cottage “Cortijo Casería del Mercado” - a natural oasis of peace located 1250 meters high up in the Alpujarra mountains of Andalusia. This traditional spanish country house that overlooks the whole beautiful valley is home to several friendly dogs and beautiful peacocks that stroll freely through its wonderful gardens which are abundant with healthy, organic vegetables, colorful flowers surrounded by expansive fields of almond, fig and olive trees. Memorable sundowners illuminate this beauty around you and your beauty within. Other features of the venue are:

• Spacious yoga shala with a spectacular mountain-view
• Outdoor dining under a plant roof and indoors with a fireplace
• A pool with a shady lawn
• Fully equipped common kitchen

The Alpujarra region is located between the Sierra Nevada and the Mediterranean Sea. Clean air and fresh water things for which it is renowned. The Cortijo itself is a calm and magical oasis amidst the vast openness of these remote lands where your heart will find peace.

At our retreat a fresh and healthy diet plays a significant role. The food menu is designed to support all the practices on the course by detoxifying as well as energizing our bodies. Using mostly organic ingredients as well as seasonal and local fruits and vegetables, you will be provided with 3 vegan meals per day.
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Breakfast will be simple and healthy, consisting of different cereals, seasonal fruits and healthy smoothies. Sunchild Yoga's goal is to make this retreat affordable for many people and to create a sense of community in everyone. Rather than an all inclusive event, we want to focus on the appreciation of work and on working together as a family. So after the meals, you will wash yours and the kitchen dishes together. Yoga is union :)

The retreat includes one cooking class to teach you how to create wonderful and tasty vegan dishes :)

The Cortijo (our retreat) is located high in the Alpujarra mountains close to a tiny village called Cástaras. Trevélez, known as the “highest town of Spain” (1476 m) is only 15 km away. The biggest town in the region is Órgiva, which is approximately 45 minutes drives away from the Cortijo. Órgiva is also the access town to the Alpujarra valley, coming from Granada or Màlaga, with some good bus connections. The closest airport is Granada. Malaga is the second best option.

If you do not rent a car, you will have to make your way to Órgiva by BUS arriving there at 6 p.m. at the latest. There we will pick you up at 6:15 p.m. and bring you to the Cortijo / Retreat (12 EUR per person).

Getting to Órgiva
To Granada there are less direct flights but from there it is easier to get to Órgiva (5 buses a day) and it is well worth a visit with the Alhambra and the Albaicín. Málaga is the main airport of all the Andalusian Mediterranean area as it is close to the very touristic Costa del Sol. Still quite unpopular, Málaga is a charming mediterranean city at the coast with a tranquil Spanish flair, city beaches, a huge tropical plants park, home of Picasso and a picturesque castle and is worth a visit if you wish to extend your stay or come some days earlier. Some people also fly to Seville for visiting this beautiful Andalusian city and take a bus to Granada from there...

BY BUS
ALSA (www.alsa.es) is a bus company that offers budget and  punctual bus rides throughout Spain. The timetable can be checked here but the website shows connections only some weeks in advance (So do not check connections yet - be patient and trust. Spanish bus companies work perfectly, but not on the internet).

From Granada to Órgiva
Buses run five times a day from Granada to Órgiva for 5 EUR (one-way)

From Malaga to Órgiva
There is one daily connection from Málaga to Órgiva leaving Málaga at 3 p.m. and arriving in Óriva at 6 p.m. (12 EUR). Perfect, our pick up in Orgiva will wait for your bus!

Don´t worry. Depending on the amount of people arriving in Málaga or Granada we will help you to organize the best possible and most economical option. We can do so about 2-3 weeks before the retreat.

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CAR RENTAL
Another option is to rent a car: it is economical (about 70 EUR / week) and more flexible. We can offer to connect you with others retreat guests so you can share the ride and costs. You will not need a car once you are in the Cortijo but of course getting there and away requests less planning ahead and avoids being dependent on bus scedules. Also, you can visit Trevelez or other white villages when you bring your own car.
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GPS coordinates
36° 55.543, -3° 16.388 (open in google maps)