Yoga Under the Tuscan Sun:
Lucca, Italy Retreat
September 21 through 28, 2024
Please note: Because it is so early, registration requires a few extra steps to work around software that only wants to book within one year. Please follow these exact steps on a computer, not a mobile device: Click the link below. Then change ONLY the second date in the upper right hand corner to 2024. Make sure you have selected “Retreats. Go to the second page of retreats, and you will find this one. Please email me if you have difficulty!
Experience “La Dolce Vita”
Join Sheila Ewers for a week of Yoga in Italy! Experience “la dolce vita” in a stunning villa just outside of the beautiful city of Lucca.
Tuscany conjures dreams of extraordinary art and culture, quaint villages, sumptuous food, tasty wine, idyllic landscapes and so much more, and Lucca is one of the most beloved destinations in the region.
In addition to daily yoga and meditation, your stay will include optional opportunities for:
A guided bike tour atop the ancient walls of the city of Lucca
A visit to the nightly performance of a Puccini Opera that takes place in the city
A day trip to the breathtaking region of Cinque Terre with the opportunity to hike or simply explore on your own.
An Italian Cooking Class
A wine tasting at a local vineyard
What’s Included:
All accommodations
All meals while at the villa
Daily yoga and meditation classes
Transport to and from the villa on arrival and departure.
All taxes and fees.
Unlimited Wifi
What’s Not Included:
Optional activities and excursions
(These range on average between 25 Euros and 100 Euros)
Airfare
Meals when offsite or away from the villa
Taxi service for unscheduled trips to and from the villa.
What to Know
Cuisine:
Our retreat menu is vegetarian and we have a wonderful local cook who prepares deliciously fresh dishes based on what is in season and the region’s specialties. As we are in Tuscany, we do indulge in local cheeses, pasta, breads, wines and other delights, so although our menu is not a strict cleanse, we do offer plenty of healthy choices with nuts, seeds, legumes, plenty of vegetables and salads, rice, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, fresh fruit and yogurt.
Our food is sourced from local producers, and wherever possible, the cooks use organic grains, fruit and vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetable juices are prepared onsite every morning herbal teas are always available. Organic wine, olive oil and honey are produced in the surrounding agricultural area and served during our retreats. Upon request, we can cater for gluten free and lactose free dietary requirements.
Massage and Healing Arts:
Massages and holistic treatments are available in-house during your retreat to help participants relax, unwind, release tensions and improve well-being. We have a wonderful therapist offers body work and facial treatments which can be booked upon arrival.
Laundry:
Washing facilities are available for use by retreat guests free of charge.
Deposit
A NONREFUNDABLE $500 Deposit will secure your spot with the balance due by July 1, 2024. For technical questions or alternative payment options, please contact us.
Please note: Because it is so early, registration requires a few extra steps to work around software that only wants to book within one year. Please follow these exact steps on a computer, not a mobile device: Click the link below. Then change ONLY the second date in the upper right hand corner to 2024. Make sure you have selected “Retreats. Go to the second page of retreats, and you will find this one. Please email me if you have difficulty!
Accommodations
Discover the beauty of Tuscany and embrace the laid-back-lifestyle of the Italian countryside. This stunning farmhouse has been renovated to create the dream retreat center. Enjoy living in this private villa where you will have comfortable, spacious accommodations, delicious and authentic Italian cuisine, breathtaking views of Tuscany, and a gorgeous yoga hall overlooking the rolling hills. During your free time, enjoy lounging by the pool, visit nearby Sienna, sip wine from the local vineyards, and learn what makes Italy a top destination for travelers worldwide.
Italy Travel Details
Arrival in Italy:
The nearest airport to Lucca is Pisa International Airport “Galileo Galileo” – 18 Miles from Lucca
Florence International Airport “Amerigo Vespucci” is 50 Miles from Lucca
If you are flying into Rome, Fiumicino Airport is 162 miles from Lucca.
Regular trains and buses run from both Pisa and Florence airports to Lucca and are very reasonably priced. Trains also run regularly from Rome airport but the trip is much longer and takes around 4.5 hours.
US Citizens traveling to Italy need a current passport. Check the expiration date to make sure that it does not expire within 6 months of your trip. Visas are not required.
Transportation to the Retreat Center:
Your pick up and drop off will be from Lucca Train Station. On the day the retreat begins, you should plan to arrive at the station no later than 15:30 in order to coincide with the group pick up at 15:45. On the day of the departure, our transport will leave the villa at 9:30 am to return to the train station.
We understand that booking transportation can be daunting! Don’t let that stop you from fulfilling a travel dream! Sheila is more than happy to guide you through the travel booking process if you need help. Email Sheila with any questions you may have.
About Your Host
Sheila is an ERYT 500 and YACEP teacher certified through Yoga Alliance. She trained at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and has been practicing and teaching for more than 20 years. In 2011, she created Blue Lotus Yoga, LLC which operated in two physical location in Johns Creek and Duluth, GA, Under Blue Lotus, she also launched a comprehensive online studio platform and developed Sweet Tea Yoga Festival in Alpharetta, GA. She is a published author and served as Yoga Editor for Natural Awakenings Atlanta Magazine from 2019 through 2021.
Today, Sheila owns and operates SEEK Yoga and Travel, a full service yoga platform designed to help students and seekers of all sorts develop tools for deepening consciousness, developing connection and living lives of joyful embodiment. Sheila holds additional certifications in Meditation, Yin Yoga, Thai Yoga, Bodywork, and Yoga Nidra and has trained with dozens of internationally known yoga and meditation teachers. She leads Yoga Teacher Training at both the 200 and 300-hour levels, hosts retreats and workshops both domestically and internationally and provides spiritual and professional coaching. As a former Professor of American literature, Sheila loves to explore the intersection between philosophy, poetry, religion, nature, and yoga and often brings that synthesis into her work. She continues to take advantage of every opportunity to train and learn and will forever consider herself a student of this ancient and beautiful practice.
Sheila will be joined by Special Guests, Dennis and Kathy Lang. Dennis and Kathy are both E-RYT 500, YACEP instructors of yoga, meditation and mindfulness with over 16 years of experience specializing in weekend immersions in Yin Yoga Teacher Training, Chakra and Energetic Anatomy, Meditation and Mindfulness. As ethereal musicians, they integrate sound and vibration into their teaching with guitars, sitar, crystal bowls, gongs,Native American flute and drum. The couple has led workshops and teacher trainings in the US plus retreats overseas. They have been providers of meditations and courses on the Insight Timer App since 2016. In addition they wrote, "Everything Matters - How a Corporate Over-Achieving Couple Found Real Truth and How You Can Too (and it's not what you think)". Lovers of adventure and other cultures, they havetraveled to over 46 countries and their lifelong mantra is "finding fun, making memories"