Stretch. Breath.
Imagine.

Feed your spirit.

Are you a bookworm looking to combine your love of literature with your passion for yoga and mindfulness? You're in the right place. We are Imaginary Retreats, a unique business that specializes in organizing yoga retreats with a literary twist.

Experiences

Mindfulness and Yoga Spa Retreat
From 450 British pounds
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Upcoming Journeys

Mindfulness and Yoga Spa Retreat

In the setting that inspired My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante

You are invited to join us on the paradise island of Ischia in the Bay of Naples, for 3 days/4 nights of

Mindfulness Meditation

Mindful Hatha Yoga

Vegan Cooking

Thermal infinity pool

Volcanic sauna

Elena Ferrante inspired excursions

Beaches, including spa beach with mud treatments

Beautiful Italian towns, including the famous San Angelo

Panoramic sea views

Sunset mindfulness workshops

Swimming under the stars

Schedule

Awake to the sounds of waves in your comfortable, typically Mediterranean room.

Step onto your terrace and breathe in the surrounding: luscious gardens, mountains, and an endless glistening horizon.

As the sun creeps up over the mountains, settle the mind and sharpen your senses with a Mindfulness Meditation class on the cliff.

Then get the energies of the body flowing with a Mindful Yoga Class overlooking the sea - suitable for all levels and bodies.

Enjoy a nourishing and delicious vegan breakfast, prepared with care by our in-house cook. The day is yours to spend as you please.

Soak up some autumn rays on a luxurious sun lounger by the pool; fall into the arms of a novel (Elena Ferrante's The Story of a New Name which is set on the Island is a great choice); go on a hike; rent an e-bike to explore the island; amble to the beach for a dip in the serene blue space of the ocean; or simply lap it up from one of the centre's shady terraces.

Working on a creative project? Settle into a spot on one of the many balconies, garden terraces or by the pool and watch your untethered creativity unfurl.

Take a trip to San Angelo, the glamorous hamlet of spa hotels and boutiques sloping into the sea for a spot of literary tourism (Moranto beach is mentioned in Elena Ferrante's novel come Netflix series) and beach time.

Regroup for a second Yoga Class or Mindfulness Workshop.

Slow back down, release any mental or physical stickiness or fatigue that has set in; refresh and reset for the evening.

At the centre you will have a front row seat each evening to the most stunning sunset on the island. As the sky floods with flaming oranges and pinks, and the ball of liquid gold dramatically dissolves into the sea, enjoy talking the day over with new friends.

Dinner may be served at the villa or taken in one of the array of restaurants the island has to offer - ranging from rustic, hearty and family-run to the chic and sophisticated.

Take another dip in the organically warmed pool for a velvety night-swim under the stars.

Before retiring to your room for a night of rich sleep, deepened by fresh sea-air and the sounds of waves. Let the mind drift off, the practice sink in and the day melt away.

Roots and Growth

Welcome to Imaginary Retreats. We are Daisy and Rob, a couple-team-partnership who have been travelling the world for fifteen years, inspired by a shared passion for literature and cultural exploration. Daisy is a lifelong practitioner of mindfulness meditation (though she didn't always know this was what she was doing!) and yoga, and as an expert in the field she loves to bring the tools she's gathered to new communities, while Rob's passion for cooking for large numbers makes him the perfect dinner party maestro come chef. Combining our loves in the creation of Imaginary Retreats has been a long imagined dream that we are so excited to be making a reality. Join us for a unique immersive experience to uncoil the body, calm the mind and feed the artistic spirit. We can't wait to host you.

Our Journey

Daisy

Daisy is passionate about sharing ancient techniques supported by cutting edge neuroscience for overcoming physical and emotional blocks, enhancing creativity, and raising emotional IQ. Her classes are steeped in warm, humorous, zen energy.

Suitable for beginners and advanced yogis alike, she offers mindful movement for the development of alignment, ease and strength in the body; served on a bed of creative visualisations with a large dollop of Eastern philosophy.

Rooted in the traditional view of Yoga as the physical branch of a wider meditative practice, each class has a philosophical orientation to capture the heart, mind and body and point them in the same direction.

Expect to breathe consciously, move playfully and stretch deeply, before blissing out it Savasana.

A teacher of Philosophy, Creative Writing and Literature, Daisy draws inspiration from a wide range of sources. Her wellness journey could be said to have truly begun however, when she picked up ‘Full Catastrophe Living’ by Jon Kabat Zin and discovered that her inner life could be fundamentally transformed by meditative practice. She trained to teach Mindfulness Meditation and taught Mindfulness in schools and to young offenders for ten years, before training in Bhakti and Hatha Yoga and later Pre and Postnatal Yoga. She teaches extensively in London and worldwide.