Shawna came to yoga after a dance career ended with an injury on opening night. She now teaches a full weekly schedule across Down Under School of Yoga's Newton, Brookline, Wellesley and South End studios, plus livestream classes. Her retreats follow the same shape as her studio classes: strong, sweaty vinyasa in the morning, a second session later in the day, and time in between to walk, swim, eat and rest.

Colombia, 15–23 January 2027, is the beach week. You stay six nights in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world's highest coastal mountain range, with the Caribbean out front. Yoga runs twice daily in an open-air shala on the sand, mats and props provided. The rest of the time is waterfall hikes, the oceanside spa and wellness centre, and empty white-sand beaches. Mornings start with meditation, a walk on the beach or coffee and a book.

Morocco, 23–30 April 2027, is the two-part trip. Two nights in Marrakech first — the medina, Djemaa el-Fna, Bahia Palace, Jardin Majorelle — then five nights in Sidi Kaouki, a fishing and surf village south of Essaouira. The village is known for strong wind, so surfers, windsurfers and kitesurfers share the beach. Days there are slow: yoga, time in the water, camels and horses on the shore at sunset.

Vermont, 22–24 October 2027, is the fourth annual Yogic Feast at OQ Farm, a 500-acre working farm near Woodstock. Shawna teaches alongside a master chef. Yoga twice a day happens in a glass chapel, and six catered meals plus a cooking demo are part of the weekend. There are renovated modern cabins and a farmhouse to stay in, plus hiking, a sauna, cold plunge, hot tub, sound bowls, a fire pit and massages.

What separates these from a generic yoga week is Shawna's teaching style and the group that follows her. Reviews from her studio students describe a practice that is physically demanding but not punishing, and she has a following built over years of classes rather than one retreat season.

What's included

- Six nights' accommodation in Colombia (15–23 January 2027) - Twice-daily yoga in the open-air beach shala - Mats and props - Gourmet farm-sea-to-table meals - Access to the oceanside spa and wellness centre - Waterfall hikes - Two nights in a Marrakech riad and five nights in Sidi Kaouki (Morocco, 23–30 April 2027) - Yoga sessions in Morocco - Two nights at OQ Farm in renovated cabins or the farmhouse (Vermont, 22–24 October 2027) - Six catered meals and a cooking demo in Vermont - Twice-daily yoga in the glass chapel in Vermont - Sauna, cold plunge and hot tub in Vermont - Sound bowls and fire pit in Vermont

What's not included

- Flights - Airport transfers - Travel insurance - Massages - Surf, windsurf and kitesurf lessons and hire in Morocco - Personal expenses

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