September 21st - 23rd, 2024

I met Valentina, Yoga and Qigong teacher, a couple of months ago, on one of the Facebook groups for Yogis, she was looking for some people to start a podcast about Yoga. Time was not on her side and even if the project didn’t go through at that phase, we connected really well so we kept in touch. Finding out she is hosting Yoga retreats for teachers and students in her place Toffia, in the province of Rieti, Italy (2h away from Rome), I enrolled for her next one in September this year, precisely during the autumn equinox, which I found very special, being a period of transition and change from summer to autumn. Also, I was looking for mindful retreats in the middle of the nature, outside the exclusive bubble of Yoga for wealthy nomads, where one can find traditional Yoga practices, but also connect to different people and other teachers from different cultures and backgrounds.

Without carrying many expectations, I had however a very calm feeling about this experience and it proved to be true. The whole retreat experience was absolutely unique, as well as the location, Toffia, was definitely a place where magic is possible. Beautiful nature, lots of green that reminded me of homeland, cats at every corner, tasty homemade vegetarian food and kind, warm people - Toffia is definitely a place to visit at least once in a lifetime. The weather was sunny all the time so we were in luck and could enjoy our practices in beautiful outdoor settings throughout the whole village, such as gardens, a farm with olive trees and even an ancient church transformed into a theatre.

The retreat happened during a full weekend (21th-23rd of September) and the practices were very diverse, ranging from a more dynamic Hatha Yoga with focus on posture alignment to more gentle, meditative practices, where we went deeper into breathwork, and even ecstatic dance, but also mindful walks and journaling, outside the mat practice but not less important :) A very special moment was the afternoon practice on the first day, where we had an amazing sound healing experience with drums, gong, crystal and tibetan bowls and where a lot of other participants joined from the whole village, even families with children. It was a very special sharing practice where one could really feel the impact and importance of community.

Last but not least, I want to express my heartfelt enthusiasm and joy in meeting Valentina, she is not only a great host and facilitator of this holistic Yoga experience, but also a person that has a lot to share and can hold space for others, an authentic human being.

If you want to get to know more about her classes and future retreats, you can find more information on her website.