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Mychal Prieto is a Los Angeles based Holistic Lifestyle Coach, Registered Yoga Teacher, and ex-collegiate athlete who has studied Kinesiology + Exercise Science since 2008. 

He is known for his ability to help his students build strength, courage, body-awareness, + self-confidence through the use of mindful movement/embodiment practices including: Yoga, Kettlebells, + Animal Flow.

In his classes, you'll be taken on a journey deep within your mind, body, and spirit. Infusing holistic elements, ancient yogic wisdom, personal experiences and insights, as well as bio-mechanical easy-to-grasp cueing that allows and encourages each student to become more interconnected to their bodies and the divine within.

Mychal is a certified Strong First instructor (SFG), 250+ hour Holistic Yoga Flow teacher, certified in Animal Flow, TRX, Functional Movement Technique (FMT Basic & Performance), & Precision Nutrition Coach. Mychal was a top-producing trainer at Equinox from 2013-'17 & was voted Most Professional Trainer of the Year 2015 & '16. He has been the personal trainer & yoga instructor of Jane Fonda, Lilly Tomlin, and musician Banks. He has also worked on many projects with Nike and Adidas as a Movement Director and model.

He currently resides on the westside of L.A. You can practice with him in person at 'Light on Lotus', in Mar Vista, as well as the online Yoga and Meditation platform 'Inner Dimension TV.' 

This retreat will be a total immersion into wellness. We will offer an assortment of nourishment for the body, mind, and soul. Morning yoga, meditation, pranayama practices, afternoon adventures and ample time for relaxing, recharging, and decompressing. In the evenings, we will dive deeper into restoration through a combination of Gentle, Restorative, and Yin yoga, plus healing sound frequencies integrated throughout.

No matter what your level as a practitioner is, new or seasoned vet, you will leave this retreat having a greater understanding and solid foundation for any and all of your yoga, movement, and wellness practices.

Expect morning yoga sessions to be awakening, yet calm, invigorating yet approachable for any level of yogi. Led by Mychal V. Prieto, whose many years of teaching and movement experience will take you on a journey both physically and spiritually. Each practice will begin with a heart-centered theme and thought-provoking dharma talk steeped in Yoga philosophy and personal experience. Evening sessions will be blissfully restorative and cup-filling — the perfect way to end each day after immersing local activities around Puglia. 

All practices will invite us to contemplate, expand, and listen deeply, so that we may come into greater harmony within ourselves. We will sharpace and feel supported by like-minded human-beings who come in as strangers and leave as family. 

By the end of the retreat, expect to feel rejuvenated, refreshed, and in equanimous state-of-being. You will take home many simple, yet profound self-care and self-love tools and practices to support you along your life's epic journey.

Cacao ceremonies are a type of shamanic healing – which is one of the oldest holistic healing practices used by indigenous cultures all over the world. These types of healing ceremonies work with rebalancing energies in the body to regain health.

Immerse yourself in La Dolce Vita, "the sweet life" in the Italian dreamscape of Puglia, Italy in this 5-day/6-night retreat of yoga, delicious farm to table food, vineyard hikes, excursions to the quaint towns of ...., olive oil tastings, and authentic Italian cooking.

Led by Los Angeles yoga instructor Mychal Prieto, this yoga retreat, will take place at LaRosa, a renovated 17th century Masseria (farmhouse) tucked in the beautiful Mediterranean olive groves and vineyards of Itria Valley.  

Twice daily yoga practices will be held in an ancient barn that has been converted into a bright and spacious, fully-equipped yoga studio that features a vaulted ceiling of local stone. Expect both energizing and restorative yoga practices to reawaken and connect to a healthier, nourished-self as well as guided meditation and pranayama to calm the mind. Some yoga experience is preferred.

You can further deepen your relaxation with a massage, a swim in the private pool, a gorgeous hike through nature, or simply by enjoying your free time with a good book. 

La Rosa is an ancient Masseria (farmhouse) dating from the year 1689 renovated with the aim of bringing it back to its timeless beauty.

The property is located in the heart of the Itria Valley, about 10km from Martina Franca, 450 meters above sea level and midway between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

It was carefully designed with the purpose of hosting yoga disciplines, philosophies and activities from all over the world.

The retreat is totally immersed in the quiet countryside of the Murgese, a gently undulating area of alternating troughs and hills, hillocks and karst lariat, between oak forests and Mediterranean scrub, orchards, olive groves and vineyards.

The countryside of Martina Franca, dotted with characteristic trulli, the typical peasant houses with the cone-shaped dome, is a riot of colors ranging from green oak woods, olive trees and vineyards, to the white of trulli and farms to the red soil of  the countryside, framed within the dense network of characteristic dry-stone walls.

Here is where La Rosa hosts guests from all over the world.

People at La Rosa carefully work in creating and offering the best environment to welcome retreats, workshops, trainings, events and all the disciplines related to psychophysical, spiritual and moral well-being.

The aim is to create a healthy, positive and regenerating environment, safeguarding the exceptional energy and tranquility of the surroundings.

We promote a careful and sensitive approach, from our food philosophy to the attention for details, and we ensure that all these meaningful values are met into an unique experience.

The activities of La Rosa dei 4 Venti assists to spread and apply a humanist and social vision of tourism based on social cohesion, unity and sharing, meeting and communication and improvement of human relations.

Through the form of retreats and holistic holidays we develop social connections, opportunities for cultural enrichment, promotion and exploitation of local resources.

The old stone barn has been converted into a large and impressive yoga studio. 

Inside, the natural wood flooring is surmounted by a barrel-vaulted ceiling of local stone, and the original troughs that contained the food for the animals now used for storage of mats, etc. It is a bright and spacious environment in which to find silence and inspiration, and to practice yoga and meditation.

100 square meters, hard wood floor, convection heating system.
Suitable for every yoga style and activity.

Equipped with Ashtanga yoga mats, bricks and blocks, belts and straps, anti-burst Swiss Balls, meditation pillows and blankets.

PA system with Analog Mixer (Ipod, Iphone connection), video projector
with Pc & Mac connection, microphone headset.

Whiteboard and Flipchart.

Guitar, harmonium, Kirtan instruments.

La Rosa Dei Venti 4 is surrounded by silence and tranquility, nestled amongst the vibrant colors of the countryside. To appreciate its beauty there are various indoor and outdoor areas where you can spend time in peaceful solitude, rest and reflection.

There is also a large glass room that maximizes natural light and allows you to appreciate the views of your surroundings from the comfort of an armchair.

All the individual outdoor areas are designed to allow guests to relax and connect with the harmonious charm that this unspoilt environment offers.

You can laze in the sunshine under one of the poolside cabanas, linger in the outdoor lounge, doze on the hammock or easy chairs found under the olive trees, listen to the sounds of nature or in relaxed contemplation under the shade of oak trees in an island of green, surrounded by wheat fields.

The private wood covers about 13 acres, is populated by a variety of ancient oaks and following the sinuous path you can breathe in the scents of Mediterranean shrubs and discover the colours and fragrances of other flowers and plants.

The vastness, silence and intimacy of the wood make it perfect for walks amongst the foliage and for moments of meditation. Discrete recesses are equipped with natural stone seating where you can relax and contemplate under the shade of the oaks.

The forest is also home to our beloved donkeys, Elma and Elinara, who take care of it and keep it tidy and clean.

The Retreat has 10 guest rooms in total: five trulli-rooms (traditional Apulian dwellings with cone shaped roofs), three spacious rooms in the main building and two comfortable rooms next to the Yoga Shala.

Each guest room is unique, full of character and furnished to reflect different styles consistent with the building to create a relaxed, calming and laidback atmosphere.

Options include single or twin bedrooms.

Max Capacity 20 people (Teacher/Staff included).

Rooms are all equipped with:

– Underfloor heating system
– En-suite bathrooms with shower, toilet and basin
– Towels
– Hairdryer
– Welcoming gift

Trulli (traditional drystone huts) enclosed by vineyards and olive groves, this is the authentic side of the Itria Valley. The panorama is filled with a timeless magic, in the heart of which lie fascinating villages like Alberobello, Locorotondo, Martina Franca and Cisternino.

Leave the trulli, olive trees and drystone walls of the Itria Valley, and follow the way to the most beautiful beaches of the Adriatic or Ionian coast.

Take a journey at the marinas of Fasano and Ostuni, with their beaches and small coves in the low rocky coast.

Further south, search out an untamed corner of the marine nature reserve and enjoy sea breezes and the perfume of Mediterranean scrub, a natural paradise of inlets and high dunes overlooking the Ionian sea.

For millennia Puglia has been predominantly an agricultural region, producing around 40% of Italy's olive oil and a large proportion of its wine. Vast tracts of the region's territory are given over to farming, whether it be crops or livestock, and many inhabitants continue to grow their own produce.

This essentially agricultural nature means that Puglia cuisine's is home-country inspired, predominantly using the abundant local produce such as durum wheat, tomatoes, artichokes, fava beans, rocket, courgettes, beans, fennel, peppers, onions, beef and lamb.

In terms of pasta, Puglians pride themselves on their orecchiette, little ear-shaped shells that are still produced by hand on a daily basis by many signore. It is usually served with tasty sauces such as meat ragu, broccoli and lard, mushrooms or turnip tops. 

The pasta itself is made rigorously from durum wheat flour, water and salt. Eggs once considered a luxury, are not used in traditional Puglian pasta-making.

Trulli, trulli everywhere... It must be Alberobello, Puglia's picture-postcard town famous for its conical-roofed houses - trulli!

It's not just a pretty picture, though, but also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, protected thanks to its "outstanding universal value... an   exceptional example of a form of building construction deriving from prehistoric construction techniques that have survived intact and functioning into the modern world."

With its narrow pedestrianised streets, little shops selling local produce and a few nice cafes and trattorie offering al fresco dining, Alberobello is a great day out for families with young children, who, in our experience, love the trulli and remember them as one of the highlights of their holiday!

Polignano offers all the right ingredients for a perfect day out. The tiny old town, reached through the Porta Vecchia gate, combines charming, white-washed streets with beautiful old churches such as the Chiesa Matrice. 

You may find yourself getting lost in the winding streets, but you won’t mind at all. Before you know it, you will have reached one of three panoramic terraces offering breathtaking views of the beautiful Adriatic Sea and coastline.

After a stroll through the town and a coffee in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II, why not pop down to the Blue Flag beach, just a few minutes’ walk from the old centre? A firm favorite with the locals, the beach has crystal clear waters and is flanked on two sides by cliffs from which children and teenagers dive all through the day until sunset.

Polignano is famous throughout the world for three things. First of all is, as hinted at above, cliff diving. In recent years the town has hosted the Red Bull diving competition, attracting crowds of 45,000 people in 2010! 

Second is its outstanding ice cream, which you really cannot afford to miss on a hot summer’s evening. The third and possibly most famous export of Polignano a Mare, however, is the great Domenico Modugno, who wrote and sang numerous classic songs, including the massive international hit, Volare (originally entitled Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu)! 

The locals are incredibly proud of their favourite son and rightly so. As you wander through the streets that inspired such a wonderful song, you might well find yourself involuntarily singing or whistling, “Volare, oh,oh… Cantare, oh,oh,oh,oh… Nel blu dipinto di blu… felice di stare lassù…”.

Rising high above the vast olive-carpeted plateau of the lower Murgia, Ostuni has long been an awe-inspiring sight for those travelling across Puglia. Strong defensive walls and tumbling clusters of white-washed houses wind around the hillside, at the top of which, proudly surveying the surrounding land, sits the magnificent Gothic cathedral.

First founded by an indigenous tribe some 600 years before Christ, Ostuni’s long and varied history saw it pass from the Romans to the Ostrogoths, from the Lombards to the Saracens, from the Byzantines to the Normans, from the Hohenstaufen to the Angevins and from the Aragonese to the Bourbons. Traces remain from each domination but most of what visitors can see today dates from between the 1400s and the 1700s.

The most distinguishing characteristic of Ostuni and the reason for its taking the epithet La Città Bianca, is its uniformly white buildings. Originally the practice of lime-washing the town's served as a means of lightening up the dark, labyrinthine medieval streets but in the 17th century it became a matter of life and death and was used to limit the depredations of the plague.

Wandering through the streets today, visitors are charmed by Ostuni's medieval layout. The narrow back streets, little passages and flights of steps make it delightfully easy to lose one's bearings! Suitably, however, the climax of any visit arrives when you reach the highest part of town, home to the imposing Archbishop’s palace and the 15th-century Concattedrale with its curvaceous, symmetrical façade and rose window.

The views from Ostuni are, by themselves, reason enough to make a trip there. Wonderful vistas abound from all angles, the best of which offer 360-degree panoramas of the surrounding countryside and the Adriatic Sea.

The coastline near Ostuni (just 8km away) boasts some of Puglia's loveliest beaches whose cleanliness and quality of amenities are testified to by the 5 Blue Flags won in recent years.

Heading south down the Adriatic, the coast between Manfredonia and the bustling, historic capital, Bari, is formed by a series of sandy and pebble beaches, the salt pans of the Margherita di Savoia Nature Reserve, and some lovely towns such as Trani with its fabulous seafront cathedral. 

From Bari, the mostly rocky coast is punctured by occasional spots of sandy beach, such as those at the lovely towns of Polignano a Mare and Monopoli, both well worth a visit.