MARRAKESH, MOROCCO

CLASSIC [LUXURY] – Join Mindy Johnstone for a luxurious week of exploring your body and mind through daily yoga and sensory explorations of Marrakesh. Experience all the sites and sounds of magical Morocco with luxurious day trips, spa days, tea time, souk tours, and more!

GIVE BACK RETREAT

This retreat is part of our GIVE BACK initiative, where EPM will donate at least 10% of profits to a humanitarian partner in the community where each retreat is held. Our partner in Marrakesh is PROJECT SOAR who works with underprivileged communities and young women to empower with design, clean-up projects, and creative ventures.

THE PAVILION

This fantastic yoga retreat will take place at the fabulous Peacock Pavilions boutique hotel. Located in Marrakesh on 8.5 acres of land, including 5 acres of olive grove, this stylish and eco-friendly abode has been featured in worldwide publications, including National Geographic Traveler.

Breathtakingly beautiful and luxuriously designed, the living quarters where guests will stay during the retreat feature gorgeous fireplaces and a glamorous bathroom in each room. Each bedroom also has its own private terrace – “just the right place to enjoy a minty tea or a zingy cocktail”!

The entire pavilion property has been decorated with care and “loaded with art, special fabrics, and exotic good stuff from all around the world…A swanky place to relax, the salon/great room has a stunning lacy plasterwork that took weeks to complete. There are also seating and dining areas for intimate discussions and cozy meals. A spiral staircase leads to a catwalk high in the air, where you can sit on vintage embroideries and admire the view.” Not only is this place gorgeous, but it’s also eco-friendly. Observing “green” building and gardening techniques, you’ll feel good about the organic bounty served to your plate, and the hot water you use heated by the solar panels! Spend some free time at the lovely, inviting pool and patio, or join us for a henna and cocktail party in the painted tent, or perhaps an outdoor cinema night on the lawn.

Peacock Pavilions is owned by Maryam and her husband Chris, both recently featured on HGTV’s House Hunters International. Chris is an architect, and Maryam a freelance photographer, travel and lifestyle writer, and the author of the award winning blog, My Marrakesh. Both make a perfect team in putting this amazing estate together.

CUISINE

Healthful, vegetarian food is part of the retreat experience, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, either hosted at Peacock Pavilions or out and about in town. Some even come with a side dish of belly-dancing! Plus, there is wine-tasting, a cocktail reception, and even a meal at the night market. The cuisine is simple, delicious and Moroccan, using fresh ingredients from the on-site organic gardens or local markets. Selection may include tempting dishes and libations like stuffed dates, almond couscous, vegetable terrine, avocado dip, leek tarts, mint tea, pomegranate martini, rose water, and more. Selection is seasonal, and you can guarantee to love and appreciate each bite.

SURROUNDING AREA

Guests will not only enjoy the grounds of Peacock Pavilions, the outdoor areas including a lovely pool, patio, private terraces, and covered yoga platform, but the retreat includes some amazing day-trips to the surrounding sites. A guided day in Marrakesh will lead guests through an introduction to souks and visits to sites such as Bahia Palace or Ben Youssef Madrasa.

A full day will be spent exploring the nearby Atlas Mountains with a base at the Kasbah Tamadot Hotel and a traditional mule trek to the nearby village of Asni, followed by time at the beautiful grounds of this 5-star location overlooking the vista and tasting menu lunch. We’ll even enjoy an afternoon at one of Marrakesh’s most famous luxury hotels, where guests can indulge in the pool, spa, and garden areas of this amazing place. The final full day entails a trip to the famous Bains de Marrakesh, a luxurious spa facility, where guests can be pampered to their heart’s content with a full program of various treatments. What better way to wrap up a week of yoga than a day of pure relaxation.

YOGA

Daily meditation and yoga classes will be offered in a way to relax, stimulate, and help guests grow in their own personal practice. Classes are open to all levels, beginner to practiced, and can range from gentle, restorative, and more vigorous vinyasa flow and ashtanga styles.* Style and class levels will be determined and moulded to fit participating students’ needs, and with a small intimate retreat class size, students will be able to get personalized attention and comfortability to deeply explore their practice. Depending on each retreat location, classes will be held in a dedicated indoor yoga space and some also offer outdoor options as well for us to use if the weather is agreeable. Classes are generally held twice daily, one morning class which is more of a general vinyasa flow, and a shorter evening class that is more restorative or themed (such as hip-openers, yoga nidra, yin, etc)

This retreat will be led by our collaborator, Mindy Johnstone. Having began her practice 20 years ago, Mindy’s style of teaching is rooted in the Ashtanga tradition. A love for the fluidity is deepened with Vinyasa Flow and the more restorative Yin & iRest Yoga Nidra. On retreat prepare to be inspired and nurtured as her strength lies in the ability to cater to groups and individuals needs. The yoga community offers a family in all parts of the globe and Mindy is grateful for the guidance and shared wisdom she receives from students and teachers. She looks forward to inspiring people to see the delight in travel and where we can feel at ‘OM with the world.’

* Participation in classes and activities is optional throughout the retreat. All levels welcome!