I did it! I host my first ever retreat abroad and the result is…sooo rewarding! I can’t even explain how I’ll miss this place and these girls.
I’ll let the fact speak for themselves. Here is a little insight on what happened in the past 5 days.
Wednesday 9th March
The girls arrived early in the afternoon and checked in at La Scuola di Chiappera, the lovely mountain lodge that would have been our house for the next 5 days.
La scuola, Italian for school, has been abandoned in 1972 and soon after the whole village of Chiappera did, because of its altitude (1600 m above sea level) and its distance from the administrative centre. It’s only in recent days that the whole village went through a renovation and given its locations amongst the uncontaminated nature and its not so known destination that makes it less touristy than other Italian mountain spots, it can truly be considered a hidden-gem. Needless to say all of the guests were wowed by the stunning views that surrounded them and loved the cute, rustic decor of the cabin.
The first activity together was an introductory Welcome Circle where the schedule and all the activities were explained in detail and the ladies would get to know each other.
As part of our retreat partners we had The Happiness Planner, and they gifted each of the guest a 12-months journal.
After travelling for the whole day, I thought it would be good for the girls to stretch their limbs and leave all the hustle and bustle of the city behind them (they were all travelling from London) so I took them through a yoga-inspired class. We set our intentions for the week during the shavasana and then went for dinner.
Our chef Pierpaolo was great at accommodating each and our guests dietary requirements and all of the food was made with fresh local and seasonal-only produce. From buckwheat pasta for lunch to banana bread loafs for breakfast, everything was curated to inspire the guests to eat healthy and balanced.
Thursday 10th March
We started the day with a high intensity class followed by breakfast.
On Thursday we had our first cross-country ski experience, and since most of the guests never tried cross-country before we had a local instructor taking through a learn-the-basic class. Alessio was so good to make it fun, teaching us the proper technique with some partner exercises.
After a whole day of skiing we had another low intensity/stretch class in the evening and one of Pierpaolo’s amazing meal.
Friday 11th March
Since our bodies were tired from the class and – mainly – the skiing of the day before (cross-country skiing is much harder than down hill) we started the day with a lower impact, equally effective Sculpt class using the aid of thera bands to get deep into that muscle burn.
We then geared up for a walk in the snow.
We stopped half way for a meditation in nature.
And of course a snow ball fight – we couldn’t resist!
The guests had then some time to r&r and journal until a folkloristic night with local musicians who played typical “occitane” songs and taught us the dance moves which go with them.
That was our workout for that evening!
Saturday 12th March
After a high-intensity morning class we put our ski back on and went to put into practice what we learned two days back.
On the last evening after another amazing meal, I took the guests through a Vision and Goal Setting workshop, as I wanted to leave inspired and motivated on the next day. Thanks to Neom Organics, another retreat partner, all our sessions were scented by the most beautiful and calming perfumes.
Sunday 13th March
After a farewell TotalBody class and breakfast – how could we live without Pierpaolo meals from then on we had no idea, we said goodbye as it started snowing. Everyone agreed, those were truly 5 unforgettable days!
If you want to join me in my next retreat, register your interest by sending me a message using the contact page or comment below!
