Sardinian Yoga and Pilates Retreat: June 2025: Wellness Escape in Sardinia

Our second Sardinian Yoga and PIlates Retreat in Bari Sardo took place from 1 to 8 June 2025. Only now do I find the time to write a post about it because it has all been a whirlwind since I got back!

This time, 29 Yoginis and Pilates enthusiasts and 2 teachers travelled from Ireland to Sardinia to enjoy a week of sun, sea, mindfulness, movement and relaxation.

I was accompanied by my lovely colleague Angharad Costin, who taught some amazing Yin and Hatha practices and even brought Reiki into the mix.

I took care of Vinyasa and Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra and Mat Pilates, as well as some meditation.

We arrived on a Sunday night, armed with our lovely 4-Moors t-shirts and a lot of hunger, to be served a 4-course dinner in the stunning restaurant of the Galanias Hotel, in view of the sea and graced by a gentle Mediterranean breeze.

We then made our way to our rooms through this beautiful complex that includes three pools, garden- and sea-view rooms, a treatment room and a restaurant, only 8-minute walk from the blue-flag beach of Torre di Barì.

On the Monday, after a delicious (and enormous) breakfast, we made our way to the beautiful Shala 1. You can never get used to how amazing this circular Yoga room is. From the sliding doors, you can see the sea and smell the salty sea breeze. The wooden beams and floors, coupled with the orange mats, bolsters and meditation cushions, create an aura of serenity and relaxation. An array of teas, fruit and water is there to welcome us every day. And around it, Nature moves – bushes, trees, lizards, colourful butterflies and birds ... you cannot imagine it fully unless you have been there!

We all introduced ourselves but, with 31 people there, we understood it would take time for everyone to remember all the names! Incredibly, though, within a few days, people had got a hang of it.

On the Tuesday, we had our marvellous boat excursion to some of the most gorgeous beaches on Earth. We travelled to Cala Mariolu, Cala Biriola and Cala dei Gabbiani, and in two of them we were the only people there! There was some brilliant snorkelling to be done, as well as just chilling on the beach and getting to know one another better. I chatted to some really fascinating people and as usual took a ridiculously long time to get into the water, which to me felt like ice (but not to anyone else, it seems...)

On the boat we were served a yummy lunch and an aperitif, and we were treated to a quirky dance by our wonderful Maria, who also made a Spotify soundtrack to be used on the boat and convinced the crew to play it! I will never forget everyone singing and dancing to “Mamma Mia” on the top deck floor of the boat (and I have a video to prove it)!

The sea was choppy on the way back, which unfortunately caused some of us to feel unwell, but our very own doctor Elma came to the rescue and, by the evening, all was well again.

While at the hotel, we took advantage of Tomaso Moro´s incredible expertise. Tomaso is a physiotherapist, osteopath and massage therapist who seems to know exactly what you need to feel better. I must say, the only bad thing was that the massage had to end, sooner or later!

Some of us wandered to the village of Bari Sardo for an ice cream, a walk and a peep into the jewelleries that make and sell beautiful Sardinian filigree, or the food shops where we could get some of the delicious Sardinian produce we were having for dinner at the hotel.

On the Thursday, we went on our second excursion: this one we had never tried before, so we did not know what to expect. We met funny and knowleadgeable guide Giorgio Mulas, who told us all about Ogliastra being one of the World´s Blue Zones, that is, a place where people live much longer than in other parts of the World. This longevity is attributed to a sense of community, exercise (a lot of the villages are uphill), goat´s produce and sun. Stephanie, our wisest member, showed us how it is done when we all had to hike along a stony trail. Not a bother on her! We were taken through the fragrant Mediterranean vegetatian to a farm where the lovely Coili-Orrù family showed us how they raise goats in the traditional way. Some of the participants helped milking the goats and making casu axedu, the cheese that goes into the local longevity soup. We got to pet the sweetest baby goat called Manduleddu (little almond) and to taste some local produce.

The highlight for me was their homemade ricotta with the honey they get from their own bees (I usually don´t even like honey, but the taste was just divine!). We also sampled the longevity soup, as well as goat´s cheese, Pecorino cheese and traditional Sardinian sweets. Stuffed!

Then it was time for a meditation in the enchanting surroundings of the farm. Sat amongs flowers and butterflies, we closed our eyes and found a moment of stillness and peace in a busy, fun day.

Afterwards, some of the participants got to stir the cheese it as it was warmed up on a big metal pot and to squeeze the serum out of it. We got to buy some of their produce, and they even gave us a present of some arbutus-scented soap and sachets filled with local aromatic herbs.

We were then taken to the village of Perdasdefogu (stones of fire), where we discovered that all of the wall paintings had been made by this same incredibly talented and loving family. We learned about the history of the village, which used to be on the coast but moved inland again and again to escape Moors´ plunderings, and met Tzia Carrula, a 90+ lady (and a great character) who talked to us in Sardinian and accepted to have her photograph taken with us.

It was a day to remember! We all hugged the family before leaving, and to me talking to Giorgio was like chatting with a classmate!

On the Friday, some of the participants attended a pasta-making workshop where they learned to make local types of pasta such as Culurgionis and Malloreddus. You could hear them laugh from as far away as the road! They had a brilliant time and ended up making some delicious creations, which we got to savour the night after for dinner.

Some of the ladies carpooled in a taxi to Tortolì. They all looked so smart and beautiful as they went off on their adventure. Later, they showed us the beautiful silks, potters and jewels they had acquired. Unbeknowst to me, they had also got me a beautiful Sardinian wedding ring, which I wear every day. Breda gave us a little fashion show, showing off her wonderful red dress!

Our mch-loved wild trio ( I shan´t name names, but they know who they are, haha!) disappeared after their beach visit that evening and we were all a bit worried over dinner, until we learned they had just decided to stay there till nightfall and enjoy themselves! All was well, luckily :)

The Saturday was our last full day, and we could not believe how fast the time had gone! My friend, the talented photographer Rita Piludu, kindly drove to Bari Sardo to take some professional pictures of our group and we enjoyed a goodbye session just outside the shala, where some moving words were spoken. Some of us could not even talk for fear of crying. A group of mostly strangers had become a group of friends. The magic had happened! I also ended up being picked up by our super-tall (and super-kind) Richelle and Carol in one of the shots, which made for a very funny picture.

At dinner, I was presented with some thoughtful, beautiful and generous gifts by the enchanting Neasa, and I must say that one of my favourite presents was the lovely card she wrote to me. I am not very good at showing my gratitude in these cases as I get very embarrassed and try to retreat into my shell like a tortoise, so I hope I communicated how truly delighted and honoured I was.

I could hardly believe my luck in spending my time with such inspiring, kind and compassionate people, and in such a magical place to boot! As I said to them, I could not have chosen better people if I had cherry-picked them myself. It was a truly transformative experience that will stay with me for ever.

On the Sunday, after another plentiful breakfast, it was time to go. We were sad but also reeling from our beautiful experience, and so grateful for the time we had spent together. At Dublin Airport, everyone hugged everyone. It was such a dreamy experience, and I am still floating with the happiness of it.

Upon our return, Rena gave me a pot of the honey her bees produce in Ireland, and I am still enjoying it, because it just tastes like love. Stella brought me a scented candle that makes me think of her and how kind she is. And, most of all, everyone keeps talking about our adventure, which is the most joyful thing.

I had so many highlights, but here are some of them:

• Laughing with Joy and the others on the bus to the goat farm while Giorgio Mulas asks us to guess how old he is (you will never believe it!)

• Our dawn swims. I am not a morning person and I am always cold, so I thought there was no way I would join a group of crazy people going down to the beach at 5am to swim but... I was wrong! I was waking up at the crack of dawn for some reason so I walked down with them, and discovered that, since at that time my body was not very warm, the water temperature was much more acceptable. It was pure magic to watch the sun come up out of the sea, round and bright orange. My companions – Maria, Wendy, Ciara, Helen, Joy, and at times others – were as happy as I was.

• Breakfast!!

• The love and appreciation the participants gave me.

• Learning more about the lives of the people who came with me.

• Participating to Angharad´s beautiful practices.

• A butterfly literally walking onto my big toe in the shala.

• Snorkelling near the tower. I saw so many cool fish and got to be a sea creature for a while.

• Laughing in the shala during our Pilates sessions when people started groaning and complaining!

• Pizza night at the hotel – I cannot believe the hotel manager and the chef actually said yes when I suggested this. I loved it.

• The last night when Joy decided she had had enough of some kind of flying ants that were landing on our dinner table and started trying to squash them with a bread crust (don´t ask me why!)

• Eating the Culurgionis and Malloreddus the girls had made at the workshop, trying to identify who had made which among laughter.

• Massages (one of which was a thoughtful present by the group). I so enjoyed those!

• My room, which was beautiful and as big as an apartment, with a mezzanine and a tea machine and a hot shower and a desk and ... just everything you could dream of.

• The walk into Bari Sardo with Maria, when we got lots of time to chat and I tried to absorb the relaxing aura of this most wonderful person. We also met the adventurous Mary there, as she had gone off on a cycle all on her own.

Like they say... do a job you love and you will not work a day in your life. So true!