Yoga retreat adventure
MAGICAL MOROCCO 2024
22nd - 29th April
* 8 days / 7 nights, in the heart of historic Essaouira right by the sea
* Rooftop yoga with panoramic views staying in a traditional town house
* Optional trips, swimming pools and steam baths
Warm hospitality, friendship, and community
Brush off the cobwebs with this magical Moroccan adventure designed to rejuvenate and inspire you
Enjoy mindful yoga in a unique rooftop ‘studio’ where we can practice indoors or out with sweeping views of the ocean and the charming port of Essaouira on Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
Between yoga sessions you can go sightseeing and shopping, head for a steam bath and scrub, meander. on the beach or simply put your feet up and rest to your heart’s content.
Celebrated for its old city architecture, souks (markets), shops and restaurants, Essaouira is a cultural melting pot and World Heritage site that merits many visits.
NB. This is a holiday for 8 - 10 people who have practiced some yoga past or present and are Ok with lots of stairs where we stay..
What people say
‘Felt super chilled after this treat of a week”.
“Sally has a beautiful, kind, inclusive presence. She makes you feel OK to use alternative positions if more comfortable”.
“Such a great week. The perfect mix of yoga, activities, and relaxation.”
‘You were both so flexible in terms of people deciding to go or not go somewhere. The horse riding along the beach was incredible”.
“Amazing hospitality. Kate’s warm friendliness and generosity made us feel so at home”
“Daily structure was excellent, Loved it all!“
“Excellent holiday. Beautiful, comfortable space. Loved the treatments”.
Magical Morocco yoga retreat 2023
Our home for the week
Our home for the week will be “The House of the Caravan’ in the heart of the old city. Once known as the Port of Timbuktu, caravans travelled to Essaouira from all over Africa to trade.
Under the highly-rated hospitality of Omar and his team, our Riad (house) enjoys a top reputation as a special oasis where travellers can comfortably rest, explore and exchange tips. The hotel has received an exceptional rating of 9.6/10 on Hotels.com
Our bedrooms overlook the rocky beach of the northwest corner of this old fortress city. All rooms enjoy sea views and en-suite bathrooms.
Rooms are clean, comfortable, and charming. Twins, doubles, and some single occupancy rooms are available on this retreat on a first-come first-served basis.
The hotel has three floors, lots of stairs, and a stunning rooftop lounge and terrace, with fabulous views up and down the coast. From here, you step straight out into the old city - with its winding streets, vibrant shops, museums, galleries, and an abundant choice of restaurants and cafes.
Our accommodation is also close to the historic ramparts, the lively fishing harbour, and the vast sandy beach to the south stretching away into the distance.
It’s a beautiful, welcoming, and an ideally located home for the week!
A typical day
These are provisional timings and may change according to weather, trips, energies etc:
8.00 am Tea/coffee
8.30-9.45 am — Slow Flow Yoga
10.00 am — Brunch
Free-time / trips, etc.
5.00-6.30pm — Restorative Yoga
6.45pm — Dinner at home or out in the old city, or on trips
NB. There will be one day off from yoga in the middle for an excursion and activities further afield - an optional adventure for those who like to explore.
The Yoga
We will practice Slow Flow Yoga in the morning, building up gradually to energising standing sequences before winding back down to the floor.
The late afternoon offers the opportunity to truly relax after the day’s adventures through the practice of Restorative Yoga. This style of yoga is designed to enable us to enter deep states of rest and rejuvenation.
Both sessions will take place surrounded by sea and sky in the rooftop lounge and/or adjacent roof terrace. This is a retreat for those with a bit of yoga experience who are fine with climbing lots of stairs to enjoy the top floor studio/lounge.
The Food
We will enjoy a substantial vegetarian brunch up on the rooftop after our morning yoga. Three communal evening dinners at the House of the Caravan are also included with your booking.
Essaouira is a foody’s paradise with lots of choice of what to eat and where, from different cultures and cuisines. There’s also a lively fish market at the harbour and further down the coast a famous fish restaurant with great options for vegetarians too.
The Location
Essaouira offers sweeping beaches, fascinating architecture, fabulous shopping, restaurants, cafes and rooftop bars. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. Cultural highlights include the Jewish Museum and various art galleries. Lots to explore!
Essaouira Mogador airport is half an hour away from our Riad by taxi, with weekly Ryan Air flights from London Stansted. This retreat is timed around these direct flights:
Monday 22nd April: Depart Stansted 06.30 arrive Essaouira 10.10
Monday 29th April: Depart Essourira 10.35, arrive Stansted 14.10
You can also fly to Marrakesh airport if you prefer, spend time there, and travel to Essaouira to join us for this week.
Trips and activities
We can book you day passes to swimming pools outside Essaouira and we highly recommend a session at a local ‘hammam’ combining a steam bath with a vigorous, cleansing whole body scrub. Possibilities in and around Essaouira also include: -
surfing, windsurfing or kitesurfing
horse riding on the beach
camel rides
hiking
visiting the Jewish Museum
We will take a complete day off in the middle of the week — how you spend it is entirely up to you. We can organise a group trip for those who want to join.
The Host
Kate Sebag is our host and organiser for the week, She has a special affinity for Essourira with family roots here and knows her way around so is a fantastic guide. She speaks excellent French and always goes out of her way to make sure everyone has a wonderful holiday.
Kate’s background is in international and community development and she is currently working with Kings College Hospital NHS to provide more green space indoors and out, along with her other gardening clients.
She is former director of Brockwell Park Community Greenhouses in South London and continues to organise great gigs and all sorts of events there. She especially loves yoga, horse riding, swimming, walking, art, gardening and good food. She is an excellent cook!
The Yoga Teacher
Sally Ramsden teaches Slow Flow, Gentle and Restorative Yoga with an emphasis on mindfulness and kindliness. Her Buddhist name is Vimalamani - ‘pure jewel’ and she happens to speak rusty Arabic which comes in handy for this holiday.
She also specialises in therapeutic yoga for refugees and teaching English through yoga. She runs classes to support people's mental health and integrates mindfulness with all her offerings.
Her original yoga training was with Yoga Campus in London. She loves to teach outdoors as much as possible in a wide variety of settings - from London parks and community gardens to olive groves and rooftop terraces further south.
Costs
£850 per person sharing a twin room
£850 per person sharing a double room
£995 single occupancy room
Add £50 supplement for a larger room; all rooms are en suite
A £200 deposit secures your place. The full balance is due 1st February 2024.
For more information, bank details and to book contact: sally@naturalconnection.org.uk
What’s included
7 nights accommodation
Delicious vegetarian brunch
3 communal evening dinners
10 yoga classes
Free bottled water in rooms
Wi-fi
Tourist tax
What’s not included
Travel costs, including to/from Essaouira, and transfers to/from local airport, trips, excursions
Food, drink and snacks when out
Costs of optional activities (e.g. steam bath, horse riding, swimming pool day pass etc.)
Travel insurance, which you must have to join this retreat