Recently, I attended the Seachi Yoga Retreat for Beginners which took place the first week of May. Funny, but I still consider myself a beginner, even if I’ve been practicing yoga (on and off) for more than 12 years. And what I mean by that is…my practice is always evolving…I still have so much more to learn, to study, and incorporate into my life. Being in the same space with those who are just beginning their yoga journey is not only refreshing, it’s a great reason to remember why I started practicing yoga in the first place.
Jen and I were very excited for the invitation to join the retreat. Momma duties are always first and foremost for both of us, so taking a break from those responsibilities to improve our yoga practice and better ourselves in the process is not only seen as a great opportunity, but a welcome respite.
The retreat was held at The Momo Beach House in Panglao, Bohol. I had never been to Bohol before, so I was not only excited for the “me” time that the retreat would provide, but I was also excited to see the sights. I thought that there were many areas still devastated in Bohol by the recent earthquake, but my friend PJ who travels to Bohol often assured me that everything was “business as usual,” since the island had pretty much recovered.
I’ll share in a different post about the sight seeing that Jen and I did before the start of our retreat because there are so many fun things to include in THAT post.
I want to keep this more about my mini vacation at Momo. I’ll break it down further so that each day of the retreat is one post as well. It’s easier to follow and I won’t get overwhelmed with trying to include all the information in one really long post.
The room was quite large and could accommodate 4 people comfortably. The decors gave off that cool rustic beach feel, and it had a beautiful ocean view. We could walk out of our room and be on the beach in just a few steps.
After arriving at the resort Friday afternoon, we were able to kick off the retreat with our first yoga class of the weekend. I was surprised to learn that our teacher Chingay, who was also from Manila was unable to teach for the weekend because she was under the weather. Jen and I met our new teacher Yohanna right away. We were also able to chat briefly with resort owners Ria and Nikki, and event organzier, Avery.
Through our practice, and the course of the weekend we learned that Yohanna was a certified Sivananda teacher. She certified with her husband when they both realized how good yoga made them feel, and when they realized it was the perfect compliment to their other favorite past time which is scuba diving. Yohanna and Julian have a lovely daughter Tara, who kept many of us entertained the entire weekend.
There were little nooks spread through out the resort that reminded me of places in someone’s home. This one has a nice view of the pavilion where we had two of our classes.
After traveling and sight seeing all day, that first class with Yohanna was exactly what my body needed. It was an invigorating practice which woke up the muscles that were tight from traveling. I could literally feel how tight I was with each stretch and each forward fold. I was delighted to snack on veggie sticks and my favorite Buko Juice.
Hummus and fresh veggie sticks are my favorite snack, not just after yoga…but all the time.
By this time, many of us had gotten to know each other and we decided to watch the sunset together.
Every night, we sat by the water to watch the sunset.
Sometimes we played around with our yoga poses. I suppose it’s obvious from the picture I practice Bikram? he he…
After practicing, playing, and watching the sun set, we had time to go back to our rooms, freshen up, and get ready for dinner. This was probably the reason why I feel that this retreat was perfect for me. We had enough activities to look forward to during our stay, but we were also given plenty of time to enjoy the resort and down time for ourselves. I took the opportunity to revisit one of my favorite books that has helped my yoga practice on and off the mat.
We practiced here earlier and I was pleasantly surprised to see everything transformed.
Dinner was served on the buffet after the pavilion was transformed back into our dining area. I loved that all the food was similar to I would serve at home. Simple fresh flavors…and lots of food to go around. This wasn’t the type of yoga “retreat” that leaves you starving and tired or cranky from juicing. We had plenty of healthy food to eat, with many dishes having a Boholano influence.
Dinner was baked fish, herbed grilled chicken, and vegetable soup done Boholano style.
After dinner, many of us retired to our rooms. Some received their full body massages in their room, (Jen and I opted for a Saturday night massage before bedtime.) and others decided to have a glass of wine by the beach.
By this point, I was ready for bed and my book. But not before I played with and checked out all the goodies in our loot bags provided by Seachi sponsors.
SoTrue Castile Soap, Aura Athletica, Lagu, Loudbasstard ,and bobble goodies filled our loot bags that we took home with us.
Be sure to come back for all the fun we had on Day 2!
For more information on the next Seachi Yoga Retreat contact Momo Beach House.
Barangay Bil-Isan, Momo Beach
6340 Panglao, Bohol
Great Article Michelle Ann!
Thanks Dad! Miss you and Mom!