The Best Yoga Holidays
December 27, 2008 @ 9:55 AM - Features: Travel
Balancing yoga for body and mind, exhilarating adventure sports and vitality foods, all in jaw-droppingly beautiful locations. Er, where do we sign up?
Yoga and Surfing
Surf Maroc
Taghazout, Moroco
The destination
The west coast of Morocco is one of the world’s best surfing destinations, with a non-stop source of Atlantic swell creating waves for all abilities on neardeserted beaches. Even though it’s only a three-hour flight from the UK, Morocco has a totally different climate, and a landscape similar to the Southern Californian coastline back in the day. Now is the time to go – investors have moved in and in five years this rugged coastline will be lined with soulless five star hotels and golf courses. Accommodation is in the luxury Killer’s Bay apartments, which look out over the legendary Killers and Anchor Point spots.
The yoga
Vicki Boswell is classically trained in Sivananda Yoga (and positively radiates health and serenity), the basis of which is powerful Hatha with elements of Ashtanga. Two-hour classes are held at sunrise and sunset, under a wooden pagoda with breathtaking views of the ocean. These are built on over the course of the week to encompass all 12 basic asanas postures/poses) and their variations, incorporating techniques to improve the strength and suppleness of the muscles used for surfing.
The action
As soon as breakfast is finished, as if by magic, surf guides appear with wetsuits and long boards to whisk you off in 4x4s to the most suitable break of the day. Be it just down the road at Mysteries, or further afield to the long peeling wave of Imsouane, just perfect for beginners to get up on. There’s no better place to learn to surf and with the gentle, clean breaks and four hours of instruction from the Surf Maroc guides every day, you’ll be standing up in no time.
Foodie heaven
Food is up there with yoga and surfing in terms of importance at the retreat. A healthy breakfast, including freshly made smoothies and juices, is served on the balcony overlooking the sea, but it’s the evening meals where Australian chef Devi really comes into her own, creating a mouthwatering variety of vegetarian dishes influenced by her time in India and Morocco.
Extra curricular
A trip to the Hammam (steam bath) in Agadir is part of the retreat, and a gommage (exfoliating massage/scrub) by a topless Moroccan lady comes highly recommended (40Dh). There’s an optional mid-week day trip to the colourful fishing port town of Essaouria, where you can practise your bartering in the souks. For those brave enough, you can gallop an Arab/Burba stallion along the beach, sans hat (160Dh/hour).
Fall off the wagon
The retreat runs an honesty bar and there’s a plentiful supply of local wines and beer to have with your evening meal. Alcohol isn’t served in the restaurants of Taghazout, so if you want a night out, Agadir is the nearest big town (100Dh each way for a taxi).
More info
£549 pp/pw includes airport transfers from Agadir, accommodation (twin sharing), breakfast, lunch and dinner (six nights per week), four hours of yoga each day, transport to the surf, board and wetsuit hire, surf guiding and surf lessons. Retreat dates are 18th-25th April and 21st May-28th May.
Visit surfmaroc.co.uk/yoga
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