“How was your journey? Would you like some herbal tea?” – Laura, the founder of Zest Life, meets each guest in person. Only eleven to thirteen people come to Plas Cadnant every weekend, many returning again and again to forget about their everyday problems and immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the retreat.

The project started 20 years ago. It was yoga that physically revived and mentally supported Laura after a back injury sustained on a trip to Australia. Regular classes were part of rehabilitation, and came together with nature walks, healthy food, and wild swimming. It helped her overcome depression and discover a new reality. “Yoga gives you a 360-degree perspective of your body. With this awareness you can start working with injuries, work on your habits, build a healthier version of yourself,” says Laura.

Plas Cadnant is just one of the picturesque places where Zest Life has its retreats. This particular one is a Victorian country estate with a cozy hearth room for lunches and dinners, a separate building for yoga classes with a view of grazing sheep, and a huge park that deserves a separate story. The first area of the park is a palace garden with neatly trimmed triangular bushes and a pond, then comes a “secret valley”, a wilder woodland part where you can find a river with a waterfall. Autumn turns these alleys into a real chef-d’œuvre with skillfully arranged bushes complementing yellow trees with their bright red and orange colors. “I was looking for a beautiful place and nature for my yoga retreats and my mom brought me here. As soon as I arrived, I immediately realized – this is it,” remembers Laura.

The retreat is designed to combine yoga classes, meditation, walks, and a healthy diet. Beginners in yoga and meditation are also welcome here, as Laura carefully thinks through the intensity of the exercises for all levels.

According to the retreat’s schedule, after you arrive on Friday evening there is a relaxing yoga and meditation class, followed by dinner where you can meet other participants over a cup of tea by the fireplace. On Saturday there is an early invigorating yoga with a walk after breakfast! Endless Wales beaches with the views of Snowdonia Park will be at your disposal. After lunch you have free time, with a snack provided if you feel like it. In the evening you’ll experience yin yoga, a calm exercise that flows into meditation. The day will end with a vegan dinner. On Sunday the program includes yoga, meditation, walking along rivers and bays, healthy food and rest…

Weekend programs vary. Sometimes they include swimming in a river or in the sea with plunges (depending on the time of year), or climbing Mount Snowdon, one of the famous Wales mountain peaks.

Signing up for a massage is also an option. Rebecca uses the tuina method, one of the ancient Chinese massages often combined with acupuncture and designed to relieve muscle tension. There are other massage therapists who offer alternatives (Swedish massage, etc.)

Meals in Zest Life are vegan, gluten–free, prepared according to healthy recipes of the chef Amy. Her cuisine is comparable to that of a good restaurant. Possible menu options include a fruit salad with orange, grapefruit, persimmon, nuts and mint, toast with vegan cottage cheese, a baked pumpkin, pomegranate seeds and pecans for breakfast; a cream soup with beetroot and white beans for lunch; and ravioli with celeriac and sage, kale gremolata and a salad with grapefruit, poppy seeds, turnips and radishes for dinner. Pear crisp with custard was served for dessert.

The weekend is over. You are on your journey back to London, with the train running through fields and small towns… Autumn no longer seems gloomy, as just outside the window a boho style yellow and red blanket has been thrown over the landscape. It is not cold or rainy anymore, you feel cozy and invigoratingly fresh. Your energy is back, it is high time to get back to business!

Timetable of classes on the website The Zest Life