Kenya Yoga Retreat: what I'm most looking forward to

More then ten years ago I unrolled my yoga mat on my verandah at The Safari Cottages and moved through a few sun salutations listening to the sound of elephants rumbling in the bushes near by, lions roaring in the distance and watching the sun set over the acacia trees as flocks of crowned cranes flew overhead. It was paradise and I remember thinking, in that moment, people need to be here and experience this! I reached out to some of the yoga teachers I knew were already running retreats around the world and invited them to bring their students to my little patch of paradise and since then I have organised 4 epic yoga retreats. One teacher told me it was “the best retreat she’d ever led” and I was buzzing with excitement - it wasn’t just me. This place really is magic!

When I became a yoga teacher this was my dream retreat destination. And, in 2019 when my friend and fellow teacher Laura Messer and I were leading online fundraising yoga classes for Ol Pejeta we joked about a retreat here. The more time went by the less funny it became - “we can do this,” we thought! People want this! And so we launched the Yoga for the Wild: Kenya Conservation Yoga Retreat, in partnership with the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. It sold out in under a week! So we rolled out the Yoga for the Wild: Kenya Conservation Yoga Retreat 2.0. And now I get to share paradise with not one, but TWO groups of people who love the wilderness, wildlife and yoga as much as I do.

I can’t wait for our Kenya Yoga Retreat in June 2022!!! Here’s what I’m most looking forward to…

1. Sharing my home

My family have been living on Ol Pejeta for the last seven years and The Safari Cottages is our little family business as well as our home. This is one of my favourite places on the planet; I adore the jovial atmosphere, the food, the kindness of the people (who are like family themselves) and the wild, beautiful surroundings. I really can’t wait to share this space with yoga and wildlife lovers from all around the world!

2. The Wildlife

Ol Pejeta is one of Kenya’s best regarded wilderness areas; it’s a model for conservation in East Africa and this is very clear by the sheer abundance and variety of wildlife. Just driving into The Safari Cottages you’ll drive through herds of elephants, buffalos, giraffe, zebra, eland, impala and more. It’s a haven for wildlife! But you don’t have to actually leave The Safari Cottages to find wildlife - I’ve spent so many lunches watching elephants playing in the river no more than 10 metres away, watching lions passing along the game tracks and black rhino sneaking past. More than once had to stop our conversation as a big bull elephant passed just metres from our lunch table.

3. The Conservation Education

One of the more unique aspects of our Kenya Yoga Retreat is that we are running it in partnership the The Ol Pejeta Conservancy. This means we get behind the scenes visits to some of the conservancy’s expertly run conservation projects including the Northern White Rhino program, the endangered species boma and Chimpanzee Sanctuary. We’ll also be treated to a demonstration from the K9 canine security team and have a chance to meet some of Ol Pejeta’s highly trained rangers and security crew at our community yoga class. All proceeds from this retreat going to Ol Pejeta so I’m really excited to learn more about the work they do here each day with funding like ours.

Photo x Ami Vitale

Image x Ol Pejeta Conservancy

4. The Yoga

I so often lead retreats alone, which I love, but I’m so excited to be leading this retreat alongside my friend and fellow teacher Laura Messer from Zen Mission Yoga in Greenville, South Carolina. Not only is Laura a heap of fun and a passionate conservationist but her teaching style is different to mine, which means retreaters can explore more variety in their practice. We’ll be guiding our Kenya Yoga Retreat attendees through Vinyasa, Power Yoga, Yin Yoga and Restorative Classes each with our own unique offerings.

5. The People

One of the BEST things about any yoga retreat is the people you meet. There is always an incredible sense of camaraderie being surrounded by people of a similar mindset. So often yoga retreats produce lifelong friendships, and our upcoming Kenya Yoga Retreat will, undoubtedly, be no different.

Come to Kenya with us!

At the time of writing this we have one spot left on our first Kenya Yoga Retreat and six spots left on the Kenya Yoga Retreat 2.0 - both go down in June 2022 and the itineraries are same, it’s only the dates that are different. If you love wildlife, yoga, meeting new people and are passionate about protecting the future of our planet then you’re going to love this retreat and I would love for you to join us!

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