Sicilian Yoga & Wellness Retreat: Equinox Celebration in the Countryside

This is not a retreat that crams your schedule full. Mornings are the anchor: Anja teaches a three-hour intensive asana practice, preceded by optional meditation, chanting, and scripture reading. The theme for the week is warmth, light, and abundance, and because the equinox falls right in the middle of the retreat, those practices build toward that moment. Afternoons offer a shorter asana session led by a member of the Three Boons teaching faculty, but the real point is the open time in between—to swim, read, hike, or simply sit still.

The setting itself is part of the experience. The masseria was laid out by ancient astronomers, with its windows and axes deliberately aligned to the solstices and equinoxes. During the retreat, you'll stand in the courtyard and watch the sunrise line up exactly with the round-holed stone window at the front of the house, a marker built centuries ago for this precise moment. The property also has a small cave necropolis on its grounds, a quiet, strange place that connects you directly to the island's pre-Christian past.

Anja Kuehnel brings over two decades of teaching to the retreat. She founded Yogaloft Berlin in 2008 (later Jivamukti Yoga Berlin, now Three Boons Yoga Berlin) and has advanced certification in the Jivamukti method, alongside training in Khalsa Way and Ashtanga. Her teaching is rooted in the philosophy of the Upanishads and Advaita Vedanta, but it's practical and clear, aimed at giving you tools you'll actually use. She'll be joined by select members of her teaching faculty, so you get multiple perspectives over the course of the week.

The villa itself is a character in the story. It's a rebuilt 17th-century masseria set on forty acres, enclosed by ancient stone walls, with a central courtyard, restored rooms, a grand swimming pool, and vast patios. The whole place was designed to be in harmony with the sun's path, which you'll feel keenly as the equinox light floods the grounds. It's hidden away from the world, yet Ragusa Ibla, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a short drive away, and the Mediterranean Sea is just ten minutes from the front gate.

What's included

- 7 nights accommodation in a shared 3-bed room - 3 daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) plus snacks - Water, tea, and coffee served throughout the day - Daily yoga classes - Daily meditation classes - Luggage storage - Parking - Wi-Fi connection - Carbon offset: 3 trees planted per participant

What's not included

- Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Additional activities not included in the itinerary - Airport transfers (available at extra cost)