Sicily Yoga + Discovery Retreat
Move slowly. Taste deeply. Discover Sicily.
Women's Sicily Retreat
Some places invite you to slow down without trying.
They don’t ask for big breakthroughs or bold reinvention — they simply make space for you to breathe a little deeper and live a little more intentionally.
That’s Sicily.
This retreat with Yoga Elements is designed as an easy, immersive introduction to Sicilian life — one that blends movement, culture, food, and exploration in a way that feels natural and unrushed. From the moment you arrive, the pace shifts. Days stretch gently. Meals are meant to be lingered over. Presence becomes something you fall into, not something you chase.
We’ll spend the week along Sicily’s southwestern coast, a region shaped by sea air, ancient civilizations, and traditions that continue quietly, day after day. Here, history isn’t preserved behind glass — it’s woven into daily life. Greek ruins rise from the landscape, markets spill into streets, and vineyards and olive groves stretch toward the horizon.
Our days are intentionally balanced. We’ll explore the archaeological park of Selinunte by e-bike, guided through ruins that have stood for centuries. We’ll visit small towns and coastal villages, enjoy long meals by the sea, and take in the vibrant energy of Palermo — a city full of contrast, color, and life.
Food is central to this experience, not as spectacle, but as connection. We’ll taste olive oils, fresh ricotta, and local wines, share a hands-on cooking class, and gather around tables where conversation flows easily. These moments are simple, social, and deeply Sicilian.
Yoga is woven gently throughout the retreat. Practices are grounding and accessible, offered as a way to support the body after days of exploration and travel. Movement becomes a way to stay present and connected — to yourself, to the land, and to the experience unfolding around you.
There is also time built in for rest and enjoyment. A day on the water. Quiet mornings. Unplanned conversations. Space to do nothing at all.
This retreat isn’t about transformation or escape.
It’s about experiencing a place fully.
About traveling with intention.
About moving through your days with a little more awareness and ease.
Sicily offers a reminder that beauty can be everyday, pleasure can be simple, and slowing down doesn’t mean missing out — it means being here for it.
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Yoga Styles
Yoga is gently woven into our days in Sicily, supporting the experience rather than leading it. Practices are intentional, accessible, and designed to complement travel, exploration, and rest. Morning classes blend slow vinyasa and mindful flow, offering steady movement and breath to help you feel open, energized, and ready for the day ahead—whether you’re exploring ancient ruins, heading to the coast, or enjoying a long Sicilian meal. Evening sessions shift into yin, restorative yoga, and guided relaxation, allowing the body to unwind after full days of discovery. Longer holds, gentle stretches, and quiet moments support recovery, ease, and deep rest. Yoga Nidra may be offered to encourage full relaxation and nervous-system reset. All classes are open to every level and offered with options and care. This is not about performance or pushing—it’s about moving well, resting deeply, and feeling supported as you experience Sicily at a slower, more intentional pace.
Skill Level
This retreat is open to all yoga levels, from beginners to experienced practitioners. You don’t need a strong yoga background—just a willingness to move, breathe, and show up as you are. All yoga sessions are taught with options and modifications, so you can practice in a way that feels supportive and comfortable for your body. The overall pace of this retreat is relaxed, but it does include light to moderate activity. You should feel comfortable with walking through towns and markets, spending time on your feet while exploring archaeological sites, and participating in gentle excursions like e-biking or boat days. No advanced fitness is required—just a general level of mobility and stamina to enjoy full days of travel and discovery. All excursions are included, and participation is always optional. You’re encouraged to listen to your body and choose what feels right each day. Whether you join everything or opt for extra rest, the experience is yours to shape. Come as you are—curious, open, and ready to enjoy Sicily at an intentional, unhurried pace. Our goal is for you to feel supported, energized, and at ease throughout the journey.
Food
Food in Sicily is simple, seasonal, and deeply connected to place — and that’s exactly how meals are approached on this retreat. Daily breakfast is included, along with three group dinners and one group lunch during the week. Meals are thoughtfully prepared using fresh, local ingredients whenever possible, highlighting the flavors and traditions of the region. Breakfasts are easy and nourishing, designed to support mornings of movement and exploration. Group meals are shared around the table and intentionally unhurried, becoming a natural part of our time together. Some lunches and dinners are left open so you can explore local restaurants, seaside cafés, and markets at your own pace — an essential part of discovering Sicily. Plant-based options and most dietary needs can be accommodated with advance notice. The goal is not excess, but enjoyment — food that feels grounding, satisfying, and supportive of full, connected days.
What Makes This Retreat Special?
This retreat is special because Sicily has a way of making life feel fuller without asking you to do more.
There’s an ease here in the pace of the days, the way food is shared, the way history and modern life exist side by side. Sicily doesn’t rush you. It invites you to slow down and participate, not as an observer, but as someone moving gently through it.
Rather than hopping from highlight to highlight, we spend time experiencing Sicily from the inside out. We bike through ancient ruins at Selinunte, learning the stories of the land as we move through it. We visit olive oil producers and local dairies, tasting food made the same way it has been for generations. We cook together, share wine, and sit at long tables where conversation stretches easily into the evening.
Exploration here feels natural, not curated. Wandering markets in Palermo, lingering by the sea, drifting along the coast on a boat — these moments aren’t about spectacle. They’re about rhythm. About letting the place shape the experience rather than trying to control it.
Yoga supports this way of traveling. It helps you stay present in your body as the days unfold — grounded enough to explore, relaxed enough to enjoy, rested enough to savor it all. There’s no pressure to be anywhere other than where you are.
This retreat is intentionally kept intimate, allowing space for connection to form naturally. Friendships grow over shared meals, quiet mornings, and unplanned conversations — the kind that feel easy and real.
This retreat is special because it’s the kind of experience you don’t just remember — you crave again. Sicily has a way of staying with you, not through intensity, but through warmth, beauty, and the simple pleasure of being fully present.
To eat well.
To move gently.
To experience Sicily in a way that feels both nourishing and sustainable — something you could return to again and again.
Just A Few Of The Benefits...
Presence through pace-
Life in Sicily moves differently. Stepping into its slower rhythm — long meals, walkable towns, unhurried mornings — naturally creates space to unplug from daily noise and reconnect with yourself in a grounded, easeful way.
Connection through culture and food-
From olive oil and ricotta tastings to shared meals, vineyard visits, and cooking together, Sicily invites connection through its most beloved traditions. Food becomes more than nourishment — it’s a way of understanding place, people, and one another.
Living history you can touch-
Exploring ancient ruins by e-bike, wandering historic streets, and visiting cities like Palermo allows you to experience history as something alive and integrated into everyday life — not something observed from a distance.
Coastal air, open countryside, sun-washed towns, and time on the water offer a gentle kind of restoration. Each guest will also receive a massage during the retreat—intentional time to unwind, soften the nervous system, and fully settle into rest.
Sicily offers beauty, depth, and richness in a way that feels accessible and lived-in. A professional photographer will be with us throughout the journey, capturing meaningful moments as they unfold so you can stay fully present. A shared album will be available afterward—allowing you to revisit the experience long after you return home.
Selinunte E-Bikes
We’ll spend the day exploring the ancient ruins of Selinunte Archaeological Park by e-bike, guided by a local expert who knows this land deeply, with a translator alongside to ensure nothing is lost in the telling. Riding through the expansive archaeological park, you’ll move at an easy, unhurried pace—feeling the breeze off the sea, the sun warming the stone, and the vastness of history unfolding around you. Temple columns rise from the earth, pathways stretch toward the horizon, and the landscape opens wide in every direction, blending ancient architecture with coastal views and wild grasses. Our guide will share the stories of Selinunte’s past—its origins, rituals, daily life, and eventual decline—while our translator helps bring nuance, context, and meaning to each moment. There’s space to pause, wander, take photos, and simply stand in the presence of a place that has held centuries of life, ceremony, and movement. The e-bikes allow the experience to feel accessible and flowing, letting you cover more ground without effort, so you can stay present with the surroundings rather than focused on exertion. It’s equal parts exploration and reverence—a living history lesson felt through the body. This day offers a powerful reminder of time, resilience, and our place within the long arc of human story—one of those experiences that stays with you long after the ride ends.
Olive Oil + Ricotta
We’ll visit a local family-run ricotta farm, where generations-old traditions are still practiced by hand. Here, we’ll learn about the nutritional and cultural significance of fresh Sicilian ricotta, how it’s made from start to finish, and why it plays such an important role in everyday life on the island. You’ll witness the process as it unfolds—milk gently heated, curds forming, and ricotta ladled fresh while it’s still warm. Of course, there will be time to taste it just as it’s meant to be enjoyed: fresh, simple, and deeply nourishing. Because we’ll be visiting during olive harvest season, we’ll also take part in the olive oil process. You’ll see how olives are gathered from the groves, learn how timing and technique affect flavor and quality, and experience firsthand the care and intention that goes into producing true Sicilian olive oil. This experience is immersive, grounded, and beautifully slow—a chance to connect with the rhythms of the land, the people who tend it, and the foods that have sustained this region for centuries. It’s not just a tasting or demonstration, but a lived moment of tradition, presence, and connection.
Palermo + Erice
Palermo: The Living Heart of Sicily Time in Palermo invites you into the raw, vibrant pulse of the island. This is a city that lives loudly and honestly—where history, daily life, and culture overlap in real time, and every street carries layers of story. Moving through Palermo’s historic center, we’ll wander open-air markets alive with color, sound, and scent—vendors calling out, citrus stacked high, espresso bars humming, and centuries-old rhythms still very much in motion. We’ll take in the city’s architectural grandeur, including a visit to Teatro Massimo, the largest opera house in Italy and a powerful symbol of Palermo’s artistic soul. There’s space here to explore and observe rather than rush—to notice the contrast between the ornate and the raw, the sacred and the everyday. Palermo isn’t polished; it’s expressive, textured, and unforgettable. If schedules align, there may be an opportunity to attend an evening opera performance—an immersive way to experience Sicily’s deep cultural roots through music, ritual, and atmosphere. Erice: Stillness Above the Sea At another moment in the journey, we’ll make our way up to Erice, a medieval village perched high above the coastline. The energy here is entirely different—quiet, timeless, and expansive. Stone streets wind through ancient walls as the pace slows naturally. We’ll gather for sunset cocktails as the light fades over the sea below, followed by a relaxed dinner surrounded by open skies, cool air, and centuries of history held gently in place. This experience is about stillness and perspective—standing above it all, letting the day soften, and allowing Sicily to reveal a quieter, more contemplative side. Together, these two city experiences offer contrast without rush—energy and calm, immersion and elevation—each distinct, each memorable in its own way.
Retreat Details
Egadi Islands + Snorkeling
A full day unfolds on the water, departing from Trapani and tracing the coastline toward the luminous waters of the Egadi Islands, passing near Marsala as land slowly gives way to open sea. The first stop brings the day ashore on Favignana, the largest of the islands—known for its vivid turquoise coves, pale stone cliffs, and easy island rhythm. Time opens for swimming, wandering, and settling into the pace of the sea rather than the clock. From there, the experience returns to the water. Clear coves invite swimming and snorkeling, with space to float, dive, and drift in places accessible only by boat. A leisurely lunch is served onboard, offering a moment to rest, refuel, and take in the archipelago from the quiet vantage point of the sea. The afternoon continues along the coastline of the smaller islands, pausing where the water draws the group—hidden inlets, calm stretches of sea, and moments that invite stillness as much as exploration. There is no rush and no rigid agenda, only an unhurried rhythm shaped by sunlight, salt air, and the natural movement of the Mediterranean. The return toward Trapani arrives as the light softens and the islands slowly recede, closing the day with a sense of spaciousness, ease, and deep presence—one of those experiences that lingers long after the shoreline comes back into view.
Cooking Class + Wine Tasting
We’ll take part in a hands-on traditional Sicilian cooking class, guided by three local cooks who will lead us through a full, multi-course meal from start to finish. Together, we’ll prepare an abundant Sicilian feast—beginning with a seasonal appetizer, followed by fresh handmade pasta, a traditional meat dish, a locally inspired side, and a classic dessert. Along the way, we’ll learn the stories, techniques, and regional nuances behind each recipe, gaining insight into how food, family, and culture are deeply intertwined in Sicily. This is a fully participatory experience. You’ll chop, roll, stir, taste, and plate—moving through the kitchen at an unhurried pace, guided by expertise and generous hospitality. Wine flows throughout the class, with coffee served at the end, inviting conversation, laughter, and a sense of shared celebration. Once the cooking is complete, we’ll sit down together to enjoy the meal we’ve created—slowly, communally, and in true Sicilian fashion. It’s a sensory, joyful experience that brings people together through food, tradition, and presence—one of those moments that becomes a highlight of the journey.
Thermal Springs + Salt Pans
Thermal Springs at Night As evening settles and the air cools, we’ll visit the natural thermal springs near Terme Segestane—a place locals have been soaking for centuries. Arriving after dark transforms the experience. Steam rises softly into the night air, stars overhead, the sound of flowing water replacing the noise of the day. The warmth of the mineral-rich pools melts into tired muscles, quieting the nervous system almost immediately. This is unhurried, deeply grounding, and wonderfully elemental—warm water against cool night air, silence punctuated only by breath and water moving over stone. There’s no rush, no agenda, just presence. A rare opportunity to experience Sicily the way it’s been felt for generations: simple, restorative, and profoundly calming. The Salt Pans of Sicily At another point in our journey, we’ll explore the ancient salt flats of western Sicily, known as the Saline di Trapani e Paceco—a landscape shaped by sun, wind, and time. Shallow pools stretch toward the horizon, shifting in color from soft ivory to blush and rose depending on the light. Traditional windmills stand quietly, reminders of centuries-old salt harvesting methods still in use today. Flamingos are often nearby, drawn to the mineral-rich waters. This experience is less about movement and more about observation—walking slowly, learning how salt has been harvested here for generations, and taking in the stillness of a place that feels both stark and beautiful. As the light changes, the landscape becomes almost otherworldly. The salt pans offer a powerful pause: minimal, expansive, and deeply Sicilian—where nature, tradition, and patience converge.
Accommodations
Shared Accommodation
Our shared rooms offer a beautiful balance of comfort, connection, and quiet luxury. Designed for two or three guests, each room is spacious, calm, and intentionally crafted to support deep rest.
This is Sicily’s only accommodation located within an Integral Nature Reserve, a strictly protected natural area where the land and ecosystems are preserved almost exactly as nature intended. The reserve is overseen by Legambiente, Italy’s leading environmental organization, ensuring the highest level of environmental care and preservation. Eco-sustainable design, natural materials, and soft earthy tones create a soothing, grounded atmosphere.
Large windows and private outdoor spaces open to views of vineyards, olive groves, and rolling valleys. Guests sharing a room also enjoy access to the terrace Jacuzzi—a perfect place to unwind beneath the Sicilian sky after full, meaningful days.
Private Accommodation
Our private rooms offer a deeper layer of solitude and restoration—ideal for guests who value privacy, quiet, and personal space. Designed for one guest, each room is spacious, serene, and intentionally crafted to support deep rest and reflection.
This is Sicily’s only accommodation located within an Integral Nature Reserve, a strictly protected natural area where the land and ecosystems are preserved almost exactly as nature intended. The reserve is overseen by Legambiente, Italy’s leading environmental organization, ensuring the highest level of environmental care and preservation. Eco-sustainable design, natural materials, and soft earthy tones create a soothing, grounded atmosphere.
Large windows and private outdoor spaces open to views of vineyards, olive groves, and rolling valleys, inviting in natural light and a profound sense of calm. Guests staying in private rooms also enjoy access to the terrace Jacuzzi—a peaceful place to unwind beneath the Sicilian sky after full, meaningful days.
Things to Know
