DISCONNECT TO RECONNECT AT THE PRÍNCIPE YOGA RETREAT

From 10-24^th September 2014, Bom Bom Island Resort in Príncipe will host a detox yoga retreat over two weeks led by one of the industry’s leading instructors, Grace Dubery. The retreat will combine daily yoga classes with community involvement in an idyllic environment to release guests from the daily strains of modern life and reconnect them with their mind and body like never before.

Located on Príncipe Island in the Gulf of New Guinea, Bom Bom is one of the most tranquil retreats in the world and feels like a million miles away from built-up cities and daily digital life. The seven-day yoga retreat includes five nights at Bom Bom Island Resort with daily yoga classes, a specially created detox menu, a visit to Roça Paciência to sample the island’s organic produce and two nights at Omali Lodge Boutique Hotel in Sao Tomé.

Guests can take part in twice-daily outdoor and indoor yoga classes led by the inspiring Grace Dubery against a stunning backdrop of golden beaches and crystal clear sea views.  Suitable for all levels, the classes will be tailored to each of the student’s individual requirements. Each class will be deeply rooted in the vinyasa yoga style combining a meditative component to focus the mind and breath with a physical workout. Guests will also benefit from a diet of nutritionally rich and locally grown produce from the island during their stay such as fresh coconut, cocoa and seasonal fruits. Bom Bom’s Head Chef has devised a detox breakfast and dinner menu of freshly sourced seafood and vegetarian options to ensure guests leave feeling re-energised and refreshed.

The focus on diet and nutrition will continue into the community involvement element of the retreat where guests will be able to visit Roça Paciência. There, guests will be able to sample a range of new produce such as dry papaya, almonds from Príncipe and a new blend of ‘tropical muesli’ that is currently in development on the island.

Grace Dubery’s teaching is rooted in a deep personal exploration of the vinyasa yoga system. Using a non-dogmatic approach, Grace views the teacher as the bridge between the student and the practice. Grace believes that the individual’s journey inward must ultimately lead back outward, to engagement with the community.

Yoga instructor, Grace Dubery, comments; ‘What students will take away long-term from their practice to me, is just as important as what they experience during a class. As a teacher my service is to act as a guide while still allowing students the space to discover their own awareness, what it means on the mat and how it translates into their role within the community’.

Bom Bom Island Resort is one of the most beautiful hideaways in Africa, at just 12 miles long, with pristine rainforest, historic plantations and beautiful secluded beaches on an untouched volcanic coastline. It is the first hotel in Africa to earn Biosphere Responsible Tourism certification and was recently recognised by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve due to its outstanding biodiversity.  There are 19 air-conditioned bungalows with spacious verandas and en-suite bathrooms, a restaurant and bar with open-deck and a swimming pool. The bungalows, with sea, garden or pool views, are simply furnished with white linens while also flooded with natural light.

During their stay, guests can benefit from a number of other activities at Bom Bom Island Resort including whale-watching, trekking, snorkeling or visiting the old Portuguese town of San Antonio, the smallest city in the world.

The Príncipe yoga retreat: Prices start from €1,195 per person in a double occupancy room. This rate includes five nights at Bom Bom Island Resort, two nights at Omali Lodge, airport transfers to and from Sao Tomé and Príncipe, daily yoga classes, a detox breakfast and dinner menu for seven days and a visit to Roça Paciência.

Scott Dunn offer year round packages at Bom Bom Island with rates starting from £2,440 per person for five nights based on two people sharing a pool room on a half-board basis. Includes two nights in Sao Tomé either side, international flights from the UK, domestic flights, and private transfers. Book through Scott Dunn on www.scottdunn.com / 020 3627 5741