Simonee Chichester

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  • Home
  • About
  • Yoga
  • Retreats
    • Sri Lanka 2024 >
      • Rooms & Fees
      • Getting to Retreat
    • Testimonials
    • Previous Retreats
    • Custom Retreats
  • The Way I See It Blog
  • Contact

Sri Lanka
Yoga retreat

About
The Retreat

Get back to basics Sri Lanka style and be at peace next to nature!

Rukgala, our retreat home, was made specifically for yogis! Once a crumbly empty old house, located in the small village of Digana, between Kandy and Teldeniya, this naturally beautiful and remote place is beaming with tranquility. It is wonderfully close to temples, lush green tea estates, mountains and secluded villages that dot the shores of the Victoria Lake. 

We will be retreating to a boutique style hotel for a 7-night all inclusive yoga retreat adventure. Rooms are impeccably designed, with ensuite bath and access to private outdoor space.  The yoga shala is simple but elegant, with comfy natural teak floors that give it warmth, and every inch of the property provides a view towards the shores of the lake. 

Traditional Sri Lanka vegetarian cuisine is met with a fusion approach to create a healthy selection of options for folks to nourish themselves on; and all dishes are inspired by the indigenous tastes of the country and land to offer meals that are filling and amazingly colourful!

Retreat adventures promise to take our moving meditation off the mat with activities like paddle boarding and kayaking on the lake and guided excursions with the locals to nearby estates and waterfalls. Whether relaxing in your room, practicing yoga at the shala or joining a local for a guided tour of the fields, this Sri Lanka retreat promises to offer a first hand experience like no other, and provide long awaited adventure and peace that we all need!


rooms & fees

Retreat 
Itinerary

  • Silent mornings with the hint of a delicious breeze bring you to a guided meditation followed by a candle lit yoga practice.
  • Breakfast, Sri Lanka style! Eat healthy while connecting and charging up for your day with homemade nutty granola, overnight oats, seasonal fruits and traditional Sri Lankan breakfasts of roti, hoppers and dhal curry!
  • Morning free time: Hang alongside your fellow yogis or on your own... Massages, bike riding, standup paddle board or swimming in the pool. 
  • Lunch at Rukgala is lighter but always satisfying with a selection of raw salads, sprouted beans, homemade dips, and even lighter curries and roasted vegetables . Locally sourced food and beverage alongside your sangha!
  • Afternoon free time: Catch up on that book, sit and contemplate, take a hike or get ready for one of our planned excursions.
  • Yoga! Practice as the sun sets with the sounds of nature followed by an afternoon snack or smoothie.
  • Dinner and with new friends and loved ones. Raise a glass of vino, crack a cold beer, refresh with that juice and let's cheers to our day and lucky adventure! Meals are traditional Sri Lankan curries, brown rice with daily changing local veggies.
  • Evening free time: Yoga means to yoke and bind -  translating to union. Surrender to this under the stars of our home for a week and savour every moment.

Retreat
inclusions


  • A 7-Night stay at Rukgala in Digana, Sri Lanka.
  • Housekeeping service – rooms cleaned each morning and turned down in the evening. Bed linen is changed every 3 days.
  • Itinerary to/from retreat location provided by host based on participants preference for travel to/from Sri Lanka airport.
  • 3 daily meals and snacks (locally sourced food, beverages and fresh coconuts!)​
  • Guided morning meditation.
  • 2 Yoga classes a day (hatha, flow, yin, yang/yin).  
  • Excursion into the foothills of the private estate of Ashburnham for a guided tour of the tea fields with the locals followed by a plunge in the cooling waterfalls.
  • Access to retreat property and grounds: outdoor terrain, indoor and outdoor study and living area, outdoor dining hall and outdoor pool.
  • Use of Rukgala yoga shala and props, as well as bikes, paddle boards and kayaks.

not 
included

  • Airfare to/from/within Sri Lanka.
  • Travel fees associated with travel to/from Rukgala  retreat location (car, train or flight avail.) 
  • Vaccines and Visa's (if needed). 
  • Alcoholic and specialty beverages for purchase.
  • Extra meals and extra premium juices and/or pops for purchase.
  • Highly recommended: health insurance.
  • Additional adventures (town visits, guided hikes with guide, massage, etc.)

additional
​Adventures

.
  • Ayurveda consultation, intro class and/or treatments.
  • Shirodhara oil treatment
  • Guided day trips to Kandy, The Knuckles, or othe tea estates around Ashburnham.
  • Half-day trip and guided hike to the cave temples and hike to Bambaragala Rock.​
  • Day trip to Kandy or Ella.
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Delicious Sri Lanka Meals
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Bambaragala Rock Excursion
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Garden Cottage Common Area
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Garden Room Reading nook.
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Town of Ella
rooms & fees
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Simonee teaches yoga in Los Angeles and Toronto. Subscribe to know about her retreats and schedule .