I find it hard to make time to just stop and listen to what my inner self really needs sometimes, so what better way than to actually leave the country to do nothing but just that? After a short and easy flight from London to Sevilla and then about an hours’ drive, I found myself at Iberian Wellness Retreats Olive Mill in Andalusia.
Beautifully nestled in amongst cork and olive trees in the middle of nature, all you hear is birdsong and, of course, the welcome braying of the rescue donkeys.
I was invited to attend a yoga retreat for six days at the Olive Mill, and I was ready.
The days had a fairly set schedule, which looked like this:
- Morning smoothie
- Meditation
- 1.5hr morningYoga
- Brunch
- Free time or treatment
- Nature walk
- 1hr evening Yoga
- Dinner
- On some days, there will be an evening event such as sound healing and open river dance
Welcome to the Olive Mill
Our first day was eventful and peaceful all at the same time, it could be because of the ambiance or perhaps the people, or more likely both. Three of us decided to take a dip in the non-heated pool, and even my Scandi self can admit it was a cold swim, but so very refreshing, and we all felt the better for it. Might also have been made better from the support of the lamas and little goats in the field next to us. A great cheerleading team, indeed.
After having dried off and unpacked, we were treated to a lovely vegetarian dinner cooked with care by Jonathan and Sara. I don’t think they fully understood just how good and stunning the food and its presentation was; beautifully laid out and filled with flavour and colours, a feast for both body and soul.
Once we’d emptied our plates, it was time to start our journey. We were invited to a welcome sharing circle in the grand hall of this old olive mill. The entire villa has been made into this serene, welcoming space with a feeling of home away from home. Open fireplaces, sofa groups and lots of natural light. The villa, originally from the 1800s, has been restored beautifully with well-chosen decorations, open brick and features left behind from its olive-pressing days. Wood beams and doors give that extra rustic feeling.
Sitting down, we were asked to share a little about ourselves and, very interestingly, how we believe people see us. Now, this actually opens you up to a whole different perception. Our personal journeys are obviously very internal, but when you start to also look from others’ points of view, it’s quite a powerful thing. During this entire moment, we were surrounded by the wonderful harp music played by Danielle, supporting us to stay in the now.
We then moved on to a Cacao drinking ceremony, and for each cup, we all had to send our hopes and gratitude to the person the cup belonged to. I wonder what they all sent me? Finalising the evening, we then moved on to a fire ceremony. Having written down our intentions and what we want to aim for as well as what we need to let go, we moved towards the fire pit and tossed it in. Away with the things we don’t want to harbour in ourselves anymore to make space for what we want for ourselves.
Now, evening meant retiring to my very own room, a room that is named after one of the rescue donkeys, mine was Daisy. Stunning wooden furniture, a large bathroom with a bathtub and a balcony opening up to the view of stunning nature and the graceful Llamas. Not a single noise could be heard, and it was pitch black, a far cry from the London nights and so needed. I slept better than I have done in a long time.
A large bed in the middle with ample space for me, a wardrobe with space for my yoga wear. Robes and slippers were available for use, and the floors were stone, so slippers were perfect. Plus, no need to bring any toiletries aside from your toothbrush and toothpaste as you are provided an amazing set of products.
Note to self and perhaps others: don’t overpack. I ended up wearing perhaps one or two yoga sets but had packed around five of them.
A new morning routine
After our morning smoothie, it was time for meditation and a morning yoga session, which was guided by Linne. We focused on starting the day with positivity and good intentions for both mind and body, stretching and breathing to awaken every part of you. Each session was a little different each morning, giving an opportunity to target different areas and for me to learn more.
The morning yoga session was an hour and a half, which might sound like a long time to the untrained yogi such as myself, but it was surprisingly quick and such a nice way to start your day and also make it an easy routine to stick to.
Following the morning yoga session, it would be time for brunch, a healthy mix of fruit and berries, homemade granola and the most divine scrambled eggs! Yoga is gentle, but it does make you hungry in the morning, and to have had a full breakfast before the session would have made it hard to hit the poses. So, a brunch hits the spot perfectly.
My treatments at the Olive Mill
During the free time of my first day, I had an Intuitive Energetic Massage with Linne. A deeply relaxing and rejuvenating, hands-on massage using cold-pressed Portuguese almond oil and Mediterranean essential plant oils.
This massage releases both physical and emotional tension, something I really needed. Just all in all, it was restoring a harmony within me. Linne was very understanding of me and my knee and was so gentle. I could not have asked for more. We bonded instantly on the very first day, and by the time I got to have my massage, it already felt like we had been friends for a long time.
Danielle offered to give me a treatment as well, and of course, I accepted. She gave me a Reconnection Journey treatment. This is tailored for everyone differently depending on what she feels you need more, so mine might be very different to someone else’s.
Mine had a holistic pulsing massage to calm the nervous system and a Tibetan singing bowl massage, which uses resonant vibrations to release stagnant energy flow. The set-up was beautiful and calming in the light of the room, and I felt absolutely wonderful after.
Getting to enjoy the surrounding area of the Olive Mill
It was finally time for our first nature walk. As much as we were working on our inner well-being, we were also making good use of the power of nature, the calmness and the sounds of birdsong and braying donkeys.
We went for a trek to the neighbouring village of Higuera De La Sierra. I almost chose to go by car instead, as I had been told it was to be quite a steep walk over a hill, and I have a slightly unhappy knee. But my desire to see the view made me change my mind. It was the best decision! The view was absolutely gorgeous, the walk together with everyone, and to just see the surroundings was all worth it.
Once we had reached the village, it was time for Tapas. The food, the place and the people were just so lovely! Authentic and homely. Warm and welcoming. And after that trek, we were starving!
Evening yoga to calm back down
Luckily, we were picked up by a van to take us back to the Olive Mill just in time for our evening yoga session with Danielle. Her evening sessions would also be different each time, but I felt they were perfect for winding down after the adventure we had, shaking off all that extra energy and getting back to our centre.
After yet another gorgeous dinner, it was time for a sound healing session and harp concert led by Danielle, who is incredibly talented. We brought our blankets to stay warm and were all positioned in a half circle facing her, some lying down, some sitting. Free to move as we wished but also advised to allow ourselves to close our eyes and be immersed by the music. I have not really listened to harp music like this before, so it was such a nice experience.
The calmness of animals
I was very much looking forward to our excursion the next day, I was beyond ready to meet them, the rescue donkeys and my Daisy! Well, not min,e but she was my “Room Donkey” after all, so how lovely that we were so comfortable together.
She was all I could have hoped for, she was a young donkey and so very cuddly. I was in charge of keeping an eye on her during our donkey walk. She was the youngest and had not learned just yet how to carry baskets and be on a lead, but she would never stray far behind her mother. I just had to make sure she didn’t get too preoccupied by eating and then forget to tag along.
The donkeys were carrying our picnic and showed us the way up the hill where we were met by a stunning view and tables set up with drinks, food and someone playing the guitar. What a moment! As much as we could have stayed up there until sunset, we had to head back to prepare ourselves for our evening yoga at the Olive Mill.
Two special evening events
On a Wednesday evening, we had a sound healing session all together in the big hall. Our yoga mats were spread out, forming a half moon facing the harp, where Danielle was ready to take care of us. The candles were flickering, creating a peaceful moment and really helping us to find calm after the day and just relax.
She used both guided visualisation and music, such as singing bowls and chimes. The harp concert was so beautiful. She really is a talented musician. Some of us were lying down, and some of us were seated, just allowing the music and the sounds to flow.
Thursday had an open river dance on the cards; some of us were a bit apprehensive as we weren’t sure what it would be. We walked into this session slightly nervous, but once we were there, we all decided to just go with it. The open river dance was about movement and being in the now, allowing yourself to just do what you feel like doing.
We were, on occasion, paired up and asked to mimic each other’s movements. Now, I would have felt like hiding under a table on any other day, but this group of people were just so easy to have fun with. I felt ok and had so much fun. We were laughing until we couldn’t stand at some point.
But the moment that really got to me and to the others equally was when we had to join hands and stand in a circle. Each and every one of us had a moment in the middle of the circle where we would look into each other’s eyes, one by one, no words spoken.
We shared our stories and journeys during this stay, so just by looking at some of them, tears would start to fall. Not for sadness but for just feeling a heaviness release from our shoulders, I suppose. It was so very powerful, and like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders after.
Iberian Wellness Retreats offer this stunning restored villa for more than just yoga, but it did feel like a perfect space to do this retreat. We had everything we needed there, and stunning nature all around us.
I was initially worried my yoga skills were not going to be good enough, but that was never an issue; we all had different knowledge, and it was so much more than just yoga.
I was often hit with the feeling of wonder of how easily I felt comfortable with this group, all strangers to one another, lots of different personalities with different walks of life. But we all had something special to give.
There were cards on a table in the big hall with nice inspirational words that we could pick. On occasion, we were allowed to pick one of Danielle’s tarot cards. Very fitting to my journey and take away from this yoga retreat, my last tarot card read…Grounded.
Iberian Wellness Retreats
Iberian Wellness Retreats
A five-night retreat costs €1950pp based on two sharing or €2950pp for single occupancy in a double room. There is a 10% early bird discount for the June retreat dates on bookings made by 30 April.
All stays include daily meals—fresh, seasonal, and rooted in Andalucian flavours—plus any listed activities and excursions. Yoga mats, blankets, bolsters and props are also provided. Retreats run on selected dates in March, May, June and September.
To find out more, visit www.iberianwellnessretreats.com
