The retreat starts on Friday at 3pm with a welcome drink, introductions and a walk around the grounds. In the early evening there is a gentle wind-down Pilates session to stretch out travel tension, then dinner together. Each morning opens with an early Pilates class with Ruth, followed by breakfast outdoors at the Tamarind Sala, named after the large tamarind tree beside it. Mid-morning brings an extra activity — past retreats have run a gua sha facial massage workshop, a session with a holistic health coach, and a mindful doodling hour.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons there is a small-group sound meditation after lunch. The rest of the afternoon is free: read or swim by the pool, book a treatment at the resort spa, or sit in the café set inside a restored tobacco barn. The day closes with a restorative Pilates class in the early evening and dinner at Po Liang Bistro.

The last full day is an outing to a local day spa booked just for the group, for Thai herbal steam and cold immersion. Guided breathwork is on hand for anyone who wants to try the ice bath, and there is a saltwater pool for dipping and floating. A healthy lunch, small snacks and cool drinks are served through the day.

What separates this from a generic Pilates week is Ruth's teaching. She found Pilates as a ballet student at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, moved to Hong Kong in 1998 to teach ballet, trained with Polestar and spent seven years at the Isofit Pilates studio learning from visiting Pilates, Gyrotonics and physiotherapy specialists. She founded RH+Studio in 2006 and taught staff at Hong Kong University for more than 15 years, including classes for its work-life balance programme. She has run this Chiang Mai retreat every few months since opening her virtual studio in 2019.

The venue does the rest. Kaomai Lanna's rooms were once tobacco-curing barns, and the wide green grounds sit in a tropical garden on the road to Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest mountain. Every room is slightly different — some have antique wooden beds, others a comfortable mattress on a raised platform.

What's included

- 4 nights in a Single or Double Deluxe room - Three fresh Thai meals a day from the resort kitchen and garden - Two Pilates sessions daily with Ruth - Optional Pilates class in the pool - Sound meditation with Tibetan singing bowls - Extra wellbeing workshop (e.g. gua sha facial massage) - Optional cycling trip through the local countryside - Outing to a local outdoor spa for Thai herbal steam and ice bath - Guided breathwork at the spa - Chiang Mai airport transfers both ways

What's not included

- Flights - Spa treatments at the resort - Alcoholic drinks and extra snacks - Beverages outside mealtimes - Travel insurance