A yoga retreat that feels like a hug...

'The best way I can describe Riverheart Retreats in Andalucia is that it feels like a hug. I knew it would be, even before we arrived. The voice messages I received from Samm were filled with her calm warmth, and on meeting her and her husband, Mike I knew that this place was just what my partner and I needed after the stress of a lockdown break-up, followed by weeks apart, an anxiety attack and a decision to get back together, but on new terms.

Samm and Mike are the most welcoming of hosts, providing a calm, relaxed, family atmosphere that is tremendously healing. We stayed in a delightful en-suite cabana with beautifully painted walls and spent our days relaxing in the hammock, meditating, practicing yoga, reading, cooking, swimming in the delightful pool and sunbathing. We also spent time with the family playing with their two young children, Alba and Jesse, who are both little rays of sunshine.

We learned how to meditate with Mike and gained a sense of awareness that neither of us had had before. We learned that when a negative emotion rises up, the process of naming it, knowing it and letting it go, is enormously powerful in managing anxiety and reactive behaviour.

Every morning I spent an hour and a half on the mat doing Hatha yoga with Samm as my teacher. This commitment to spending time just on me at first felt rather self-indulgent, but it made me realise that by doing so, I am better able to cope with all life's ups and downs, more aware and resilient, more able to speak my mind and be true to myself. I also learned about the seven main Chakras and meditated to unblock them, to let my divine energy flow. 

So many lessons were learned, so much kindness was shown, so much positive energy absorbed, so much reflection, understanding and self-awareness created that we both left feeling renewed and ready to face the future together.

Riverheart is a difficult place to leave. After 10 days we felt like part of the family and could easily have stayed for ever in this garden paradise where the stresses of life melt away. But leave we must, and as soon as we got home we booked flights to go back again in the Autumn. We still have much to learn, and there is no better place.'



-Andrea, Yoga Holiday Guest, July 2020