Plant-Based Yoga & Eco-Community Retreat in the Balkan Mountains

RisingSoul is a plant-based eco-community and yoga retreat in the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria, near the village of Belitsa. It is a live-in community — the people who run it live there year-round, and guests join them for retreats, eco stays, or longer volunteer stints. The day-to-day is a mix of scheduled yoga and meditation and the practical work of keeping a remote, off-grid property going.

A typical day starts with yoga in the Yoga Barn, followed by breakfast. Morning practices are usually Kundalini or a flowing asana class depending on which resident coach is leading. Afternoons are slower — some guests walk into the forest or the village, others help in the gardens or with community projects, and there is often a workshop, cacao ceremony, or massage session on the schedule. Evenings are communal, with plant-based dinners often eaten outdoors in summer and fires lit in the cooler months.

The community is small and international. The resident team includes Row, the founder, who came to yoga after 25 years as a natural horse trainer and retrained in India in 2017; Akie, who has practiced yoga and meditation for more than 15 years and runs the Chai House; Niko, certified in Bali in 2021 in power yoga, who teaches with an emphasis on breath and mindfulness and also cooks; and Mona, who trained in 2019 and 2023 and leads strong, flowing classes. Classes are in English.

What sets this apart from a standard yoga retreat is that you are inside a functioning eco-community, not a purpose-built retreat centre. That means simple living, shared meals, and a genuine rhythm of work and practice. It suits people who want to unplug, live close to nature for a week or more, and be useful as well as rested.

Accommodation is on site in simple, comfortable rooms. The property is remote — you are in a mountain valley, not a town — so most guests stay put for the duration and treat the surrounding forest and village as the excursion. Longer stays of several weeks are common, particularly among digital nomads and volunteers.

What's included

- Accommodation on site in a simple, comfortable room - Daily yoga classes in the Yoga Barn - Daily meditation sessions - Three plant-based meals per day - Access to the community gardens and grounds - Workshops and community activities (varies by week) - Use of the Chai House - Communal evening fires and gatherings

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Travel to and from Belitsa - Travel insurance - Massage treatments - Cacao ceremonies (included on some weeks only) - Personal expenses - Alcohol (not part of the community setting) - Optional excursions outside the property