Issue #60: The simple life lesson I learnt on my yoga retreat (that has nothing to do with yoga)

The power of accepting things as they are, not as you wish they were – inspired by Deepak Chopra and/or a dude in the group. Plus, a walnut bolognese recipe & a handful of new year confessions.

Hola – and happy new year! How’s 2024 treating you so far?

I’m back from my yoga retreat. Six days of doing the downward dog (or perro boca abajo) in southern Spain, interspersed with thrice-daily delicious vegetarian meals was, it transpired, the best investment I made in myself all year, and I’d highly recommend anyone considering a yoga retreat to do the same. The centre I visited was Suryalila, near Cadiz – some visuals below.

First off, let’s get through a mini list of FAQs…

Are you feeling super smug? A full week later: yes. Yes I am.

How much yoga did it involve? Around 90 minutes of vinyasa–style yoga (i.e. energetic, faster-paced), and 75 minutes of yin, daily. Plus, sound-healing, life-coaching and a one-off permaculture farming tour around the grounds (takeaway: rosemary is a hardy herb, even in droughty Spanish climes).

What was the group like? There were 32 of us from a diverse range of ages, nationalities and life stages (predominantly 30+, with a large number of people in their fifties and sixties, although it was hard to tell because – I’m convinced – yoga is the anti-ageing hack that would put L’Oréal out of business). 

Are you vegetarian now? I inhaled a plate of jamón upon arrival in Seville, shared with four other members of the retreat. However, I then got home and cooked a bumper batch of Nigella’s vegan bolognese – so let’s say my flexitarianism (general preference for cooking vegetarian/plant-based meals at home) has been reinforced. I’ve also just discovered that Suryalila has published its recipe for walnut bolognese – one of my favourite meals while I was there – online, so that’s next on my list.

Anyway, I want to tell you about another activity that we did – when we weren’t bathing in the sound of gongs, or contorting ourselves into human pretzels – which was a cacao ceremony. 

The three-hour-long process involved sharing a drink made from 100% pure cacao bean (think: bitter hot chocolate) followed by a series of exercises (meditation, movement, group sharing) that, for reasons I can’t necessarily articulate, moved most of us, myself included, to tears. 

During the latter part of this exercise – the group work – a fellow guest spoke candidly about his struggle with certain aspects of the yoga practice. Then, he said something which has stuck with me more than anything else from the whole weekend.