Retreat in Morocco near M'Hamid in February 2019

Yoga retreat in the Moroccan desert

Retreat theme: Rasa, the taste of emptiness

Rasa, taste, will be the companion of this retreat, all the way to the taste of the mind and of the emptiness that the desert will share with us.

The chance to meet the desert, its infinite space and its silence that enters us from every side.
The chance, too, to meet Mohamed and M'Bark ELBALLAL, our hosts, who take such good care of us! It would be a shame to miss this retreat, supported by Moroccan professionals, true Berbers of the desert, the blue men!

Sample programme:

Day 1: Arrival at Marrakech airport. Transfer to Ouarzazate and night in a superb hotel in Ouarzazate.

So we meet in Marrakech at 5pm!
It is the official Moroccan excursion agency "Caravane Renard du Désert" that handles all the travel logistics in Morocco and in the desert. I am only in charge of the Yoga retreat in the desert.

Day 2: Departure from the hotel in Ouarzazate at 8am.
Transfer from the hotel to M'Hamid by minibus or 4x4 along a superb road through the Anti-Atlas, over the Tizi n Tifntit pass at 1,710 metres, where the Draa valley begins, the longest river in the kingdom (1,220 km). To the north lies the Djebel Saghro, to the east the Djebel Bani, to the south the Hamada du Draa and to the west the Anti-Atlas range. Then arrival in Mahmid, the last oasis village of the Draa valley: lunch in Mahmid, then departure by 4x4 to reach the bivouac in the great desert of Mahmid.
At the bivouac, an evening of nomad songs.
Day 3: Yoga, breakfast, rest, Yoga, dinner at the bivouac around the fire, sand bread, night meditation.
Day 4: Yoga, breakfast, rest, Yoga, dinner at the bivouac around the fire, sand bread, night meditation.
Day 5: Yoga, breakfast, rest, Yoga, dinner at the bivouac around the fire, sand bread, night meditation, nomad songs, dinner and night at the bivouac.
Day 6: Yoga, breakfast, rest, then departure for a night under the stars far from the bivouac, among the dunes of Sidi Amour.
Day 7: Yoga, a simple breakfast, then a gentle walk back to the bivouac.
Day 8 : Yoga, breakfast, rest, Yoga, dinner at the bivouac around the fire, sand bread, night meditation.
Day 9: Transfer by 4x4 to Mhamid, then by minibus to Marrakech, night at the hotel.
Day 10: Transfer from the hotel to the airport.

A sample day of Yoga practice:

8am to 9:30am: awakening practice in the dunes, Hatha Yoga
9:30am to 10:30am: meditation in the dunes
10:30am: breakfast
1pm to 2pm: pranayama and mudras
2pm to 3pm: study of a text, sharing, talking circle...
6pm to 7:30pm: Hatha Yoga
7:30pm: dinner
After dinner, improvised meditations in the dunes, the bivouac around the fire...

What to bring!

Please bring:
- A sleeping bag (comfort rating 0°C)
- Warm clothes such as ski base layers (€10 at Decathlon)
- A personal first aid kit
- Wet wipes for washing
- A towel
- Toilet paper and a lighter
- Good walking shoes + sandals to rest your feet
- Comfortable, loose, covering clothes in natural fibres
- A fleece at all times and an anorak in winter.
- A head torch.
- Sunglasses and sun cream.
- Plastic bags to protect some of your belongings from the sand
- A small rucksack for the things you will need during the day.

Price of the Yoga retreat in the Moroccan desert from 9 to 19 February 2019

The price includes:
- All airport / hotel transfers on arrival
- Both nights at the hotel: the first night and the last night.
- Return transfer from Ouarzazate to your bivouac in the open desert
- All meals.
- A guide throughout.
- Transfer from the hotel to the airport,
- A guide and cooks throughout.
- Mineral water,
- The bivouac.

The price does not include:
- The flight to Marrakech.
- Tips.
- And everything else

The price is €850 (one part for me, the other part for the logistics)
Please plan to pay Caravane Renard du désert in cash, directly on site
€50 deposit to register.