Sri Lanka Yoga Holiday

Fly to Colombo via Dubai

Begin your Yoga escape with an overnight flight to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Arrive in Colombo

Morning

Upon arrival, you will be met by your local expert guide at the airport before being transferred to your hotel in Colombo.

Colombo walking tour

Afternoon

After some time to settle in you while embark on an afternoon walking tour of Colombo with your local expert guide. Explore the bustling city and its markets to discover the best places to eat, shop and sightsee. You will have the remainder of the day at leisure to continue exploring independently.

Accommodation

Overnight

Colombo to Matara & Buddhist temple visit

Full day

This morning it is time to say goodbye to the hustle and bustle of Colombo as you head south towards Matara for your Yoga escape. (Approximate distance: 176km. Approximate duration: 2 hours and 40 minutes). You will be based in Matara for the next 7 nights on a full board basis, with breakfast lunch and dinner included each day. Later in the afternoon visit Wewurukannala Rajamaha Viharaya temple with your local expert guide. This Buddhist temple is located in Dickwella and is most famous for its enormous seated Buddha which stands at 160 feet tall. This temple is the perfect place to reflect and set an intention for your Yoga retreat.

Welcome Meet & Greet with your Yoga teacher

Evening

This evening you will gather with your group of fellow yogis and your Yoga teacher from MOONS Yoga Loft for an opening circle ceremony. This opening circle is an important part of your retreat experience as it will allow you to connect with the other members of the group as well as your Yoga teacher, helping you feel relaxed and at ease in your new surroundings. After an initial welcome sequence, you will be taken through a slow and mindful restorative Yoga session, stretching out any tensions you may have picked on the journey to Sri Lanka. Winding down this first group gathering, you will be led through a grounding meditation which will help you fully shift into Yoga holiday mode, settle into the new space and prepare you for a beautiful night’s rest. All Yoga sessions throughout this holiday will take place either on the lawns of your hotel, on the nearby beach or in an indoor roof top Yoga area. Each Yoga practice will be approximately 90 minutes. Evening sessions will take place from 6pm – 7.30pm and morning sessions will take place from 7am – 8.30am. We encourage you to bring your own Yoga mat for this holiday. Alternatively, there are Yoga mats available to purchase locally from €19 per person.

Accommodation

Overnight

Morning Yoga practice

Early morning

Each morning you will have a Yoga class with your Yoga teacher from MOONS Yoga Loft. Each Yoga asana sequence will be different offering you variation and creativity in your movement but of course the poses will be repeated in different ways so you can start to truly connect and familiarise yourself more deeply with the ancient art form of Yoga. Each morning practice will begin by opening the body and the mind, aiming to get your energy flowing from tip to toe. The practice will build to a relatively strong flow class, incorporating breath work and mindfulness throughout. Starting softly and working up into a series of slow fluid sequences, it will include lengthening, balancing and strength building poses for a heat building Hatha Vinyasa class. The morning practice will end by coming back down onto the ground for a deep releasing stretch and well-earned pre-breakfast meditation.

At leisure or optional excursion to a tea plantation

Day time

The remainder of the morning and afternoon are at leisure for you to explore independently as you wish. We suggest renting a bike and exploring some of the surrounding area from the saddle. Or if you want something more relaxing you can lay by the swimming pool or chill out at the beach with a good book. If you would like to partake in an optional excursion with one of our local, expert guides we have some exciting activities available throughout the duration of your holiday. Please note: Optional Excursion Handunugoda Tea Plantation During this 3-hour excursion visit the Handunugoda Tea Plantation and learn about tea harvesting, leaf plucking, rubber tapping and visit the tea factory, which still uses machinery that dates back 145 years. You will also have the chance to taste up to 30 different types of tea during this experience. Transfers and guide included. (From €39 per person. This excursion is subject to minimum numbers).

Evening Yoga practice

Evening

Each evening you will have a Yoga class with your Yoga teacher from MOONS Yoga Loft. The evening sessions will begin with a warmup, like in the morning, but will focus on a particular section of the body, moving more deeply into it through specifically targeted postures. The evening practices will be more like a workshop than your standard Yoga class. For example, one session might focus on hips and hip openers working towards a climax posture such as pigeon (reclined virasana). Another workshop could be based on shoulders and arms, working up towards some accessible arm balance play. One evening could be specific to twists, another evening to inversions or another evening could be a restorative Yoga & Yoga nidra workshop. An additional benefit of these evening sessions is the education you take away with you off the mat, going home to your local studio with a better awareness and knowledge of the different poses, alignments and their benefits. The evening practice will be followed by a cool down sequence with time to release, relax and rest the body finishing with an evening meditation, leaving you ready to float away and enjoy the remainder of your night.

At leisure

Full Day

Today you will have a full day at leisure to take a break from Yoga and spend the entire day soaking up the Sri Lankan atmosphere. Perhaps you would like to spend the day on the beach relaxing? Or maybe you would like to try out something more active like sea swimming in the Indian ocean or catching waves at one of the local surf schools? The choice is all yours. We recommend taking an optional excursion with one of our expert local guides to Udawalawe National Park.

Optional Excursion: Udawalawe National Park

Full Day

During this full day excursion, you will have the chance to get up close with Sri Lanka's wildlife. Udawalawe National Park is well known for its elephant population, as well as being home to wild buffalo, spotted deer, wild boars, samburs, mongoose, crocodiles and snakes. Take a jeep safari through the scenic landscape and keep your eyes peeled for the abundance of animals. Transfers from your hotel to Udawalawe National Park take approximately 3 hours each way. You will spend approximately 3.5 hours in Udawalawe National Park on jeep safari. Transfers, guide and park entrance fees included. (From €99 per person. This excursion is subject to minimum numbers)

Morning Yoga practice

Early morning

Each morning you will have a morning practice with your Yoga teacher from MOONS Yoga Loft. As with the previous mornings, each Yoga asana sequence will be varied, offering you different options to allow you to creatively move. Each Yoga asana will be repeated in a variety of ways to allow you to really connect with each pose and truly discover the intention behind each movement. Open your body and your mind, get your energy flowing from head to toe, and build towards a strong flow class. Incorporating breath work and mindfulness throughout is an important part of all morning practices. Work up into a series of slow fluid asana sequences, to include balancing, strength building and lengthening poses and end your heat building Hatha Vinyasa class with a releasing, deep stretch and a well-deserved pre breakfast savasana.

At leisure or optional excursion to Galle & the Madu River

Day time

The rest of your day will be free for you to spend however you wish. You might like to try out snorkelling around the nearby reefs or perhaps you would like to head off on an optional excursion with one of our local expert guides. Please note: Optional Excursion Galle & the Madu River. During this full day excursion visit the Dutch Fort and the city of Galle, which is the south coast’s largest city. See the oldest landmark, the massive 17th century Portuguese and Dutch Fort, in which the central city is contained, and explore the streets which have Dutch, British and Arabic influences. Next take a boat on the Madu river to discover the swampy marshland with mangrove forests, which are rich in biodiversity, and wildlife. Transfers and guide included (From €49 per person. This excursion is subject to minimum numbers)

Evening Yoga practice

Evening

During your holiday one of the evening Yoga practices will consist of a Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra workshop. Restorative Yoga poses help us learn to rest deeply and completely. Yoga Nidra is a progressive deep relaxation technique that focuses on the healing benefits of rest. Meditation is another technique we will use to practice calming the mind and emotions, helping to develop inner stillness, clarity and more peace. These evening sessions will incorporate breath work, gentle preparatory exercises, guided meditation, resting poses and deep relaxation; the perfect recipe to intercept the other more physically focused Yoga practices on this holiday. Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra can be especially beneficial for stress relief and promoting a good night’s sleep.

Morning Yoga practice

Early morning

You will have one final morning practice with your Yoga teacher from MOONS Yoga Loft. As with the previous mornings, you will mindfully move through a sequence of Yoga asanas, focusing on breathwork throughout. As always, the Yoga asanas will be repeated in a variety of ways working towards a heat building strong flow class that will help you open your body and mind and get your energy flowing. There will be the chance to work on some strength building, balancing, or lengthening poses before unwinding with a deep stretch and sinking in to a blissful pre breakfast savasana and mediation.

At leisure

Day time

The remainder of your day will be free for you to explore at your leisure. This is the perfect time to try out another surf lesson, rent a bicycle, swim in the sea or simply relax and unwind by the pool. The choice is all yours and the options for exploration, activity or chilling out are endless!

Yoga closing ceremony

Evening

This evening will be your final Yoga practice with your fellow yogis and your Yoga teacher. Like all other Yoga practices on this holiday there will be of course movement, meditation and mindfulness however there will be some added sparkle woven in to make this final session special. The aim of this closing ceremony is to help you leave this Yoga retreat feeling restored, refreshed and ready to embrace your life back home upon return!

At leisure

Morning

You will have one final morning at leisure to soak up the revitalising tropical atmosphere at your hotel. Rise early for a sea swim in the Indian Ocean, treat yourself to an optional massage at the hotel’s spa facilities or embark on one final morning of independent exploration.

Transfer to Colombo

Afternoon

Later in the afternoon it will be time to say goodbye to your beachside location and transfer back to Colombo city. On arrival in Colombo you will have the rest of the evening free to spend as you wish. Check out some of the night markets, mingle with the locals at a traditional eatery and soak up the atmosphere of this buzzing city. Your local guide will be happy to make recommendations on local bars and restaurants.

Accommodation

Overnight

At leisure

Full day

You will have a full day at leisure to explore Colombo further. This vibrant city has so much to offer, from beautiful colonial buildings, to traditional markets to ancient ruins. Take a tuk tuk to discover some of the city’s temples, unwind at Beira Lake or wander through the bustling streets of Pettah, Colombo’s oldest district.

Transfer to Colombo airport

Late afternoon

In the late afternoon transfer to Colombo airport to board your overnight flight home.

Arrive home following your once in a lifetime Yoga retreat to Sri Lanka with MOONS Yoga.