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Enjoy the sweet pleasure of a yoga holiday at Relais Borgo di Pietrafitta in beautiful Tuscany. The venue is located on top of a hill, away from it all. You can get away from all the stresses of life and enjoy some personal time. This yoga holiday in the idyllic beauty of the Chianti hills, under the Tuscan sun promises to be a real treat. It's a NEW yoga holiday at Relais Borgo di Pietrafitta and we're all very excited about it.

Join us and enjoy a week of relaxing yoga, pranayama, chanting, relaxation, meditation, art and culture. There'll be flowing yoga sequences in the early morning to energize and build flexibility and strength. You then have the day free to enjoy as you wish. Then there will be deeply restorative yoga in the late evening. Pranayama and meditation are incorporated in the sessions.

The yoga holiday is suitable for all levels and limited to 12 people. It's an opportunity to try yoga or deepen your understanding of the asanas (postures), develop better breathing and learn more about meditation.

Our teachers are qualified and experienced providing the highest quality yoga tuition for all levels of ability.

Rosaleen Bloomfield and Neil Pendlebury will be your yoga teachers.

Rosaleen started to practise yoga when she worked in a demanding corporate sales environment, as a way to reduce stress and improve her physical health and well-being. She also wanted to develop a calmer more relaxed mind. This was over 10 years ago and yoga has truly become a way of life for her. Rosaleen qualified as a yoga teacher and started to teach yoga in 2002. She has always practised a variety of yoga styles: Iyengar, Sivananda, dynamic yoga and other styles. Elements of these styles are merged in her teaching. She enjoys guiding class members to gently and safely improve their asana practice (according to individual ability) as well as attaining the peaceful balance of body and mind which is the essence of yoga. Through practising yoga, Rosaleen has learned that it is a wonderful system for developing self-awareness, inner knowledge and greater understanding of the mind and its power to transcend all limitations. Rosaleen is also a life coach.

Comments from participants of Rosaleen's retreats:

I found the retreat relaxing, you feel energized and happier within yourself. Food was delicious. Mayuri Shah

It was great as usual. I learnt more things, enjoyed the yoga practice and the people attending. Stephanie Veillas

Really positive. Enjoyed the yoga immensely, it was challenging but really stretched parts of my body that have not been stretched in a long time. Loved the food, it was excellent. Sharon Hemans

Neil (Ishwara) began his yoga and meditation practice in London 1991 and practised many of the Hatha Yoga styles such as Kundalini, Ashtanga, Shadow, Iyengar and Sivananda Yoga. Yoga and an interest in Eastern philosophy took Neil to India in 1995 and 2005 to see and feel where it all came from. Neil took teacher training with the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta organization in 2003 as well as training in various aspects of Yoga around the world such as Kriya, Pranayama and Meditation.

Neil is also a fully qualified practitioner of traditional Thai Yoga massage and has opened his own Yoga and Meditation centre in South Cumbria, UK. Neil is guided by the enlightened teachings and lives of Swami Sivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh and his disciple Swami Vishnu Devananda. He teaches from the heart. His path is to facilitate the experience and learning of classical Hatha and Tantra Yoga practices.

Comments from participants of Neil's retreats:

I received so much from your retreat. I loved all the different breathing techniques and the chanting. I felt such a great sense of peace especially on the last day. Anna Leeming

I would like to thank you for a truly special time that I had at the retreat. The retreat gave me a deeper insight into yoga and meditation that I enjoyed very much. Phillip

Thank you very very much Neil. I learned a lot about myself and for the very first time I gave myself space to meditate. I came back and my feet haven't touched the ground. Carl Turnock

Time to Relax during the day

During the day you spend your time as you wish. You can simply relax, rest and recharge. If you want to be active, you can take to the hills, on foot or by bicycle, and marvel at the breathtaking views.If you want art and culture, you can join us for a trip to Florence and immerse yourself in the extraordinary timeless beauty of Florence's galleries and palazzi. It's virtually an outdoor museum and an art lover's paradise. Florence is also great for shopping.

There's the opportunity to have pampering massages, wallow in the delights of a local health spa or try your hand at Italian cooking. Wine lovers can indulge in wine tasting. You can also have fun trying olive oil tasting and picking grapes.

Why not have a relaxing swim in the incredible open air swimming pool overlooking the hills.

You'll also meet like minded people and make some new friends.

Accommodation

The yoga retreat is in a very quiet and natural environment. Your accommodation will be in elegantly furnished apartments, with modern five star comforts. The apartments are on top of a hill, in an ancient small village beautifully restored, on the road which connects Florence to Siena. It's an amazing exclusive setting in the heart of the Chianti region. Rooms are shared. Single occupancy will incur an extra £50 charge.

£795.00 (excluding flight, travel insurance, transport and any extras). £150.00 non-refundable deposit is payable on booking. The balance is due by 1st August 2009. BOOK NOW by emailing Rosaleen: rlbloomuk@yahoo.co.uk or Francesca: fcamisoli@yahoo.co.uk

You work hard and deserve some fun and relaxation even in challenging economic times. This is a really great way to invest in yourself. Relaxation and peace of mind are very important to your well-being and it is not selfish to look after yourself. To make it easier for you to invest in your well-being, we're offering an optional three-month payment plan to make it easier on your pocket. Get in touch if you wish to make use of this option.

Cancellation

All cancellations 30 days or less before the event will incur a 20% cancellation fee to cover administration cost.

Please ensure that you have travel insurance cover for an activity holiday.

BOOK NOW. To book and for more information contact Rosaleen at rlbloomuk@yahoo.co.uk, or call her on 07768 936920 or contact Francesca: fcamisoli@yahoo.com . You will be sent a booking form to complete and return to us with your initial deposit. Payment can be made by cheque, bank transfer or by cash if you attend Rosaleen's yoga classes.

Hiking, cycling, horse riding, spa, massage, visit to Florence for sightseeing and shopping, wine and olive oil tasting, grape picking

You will need to bring your own yoga mat and any other yoga equipment that you may personally need.

BOOK NOW. To book and for more information email rlbloomuk@yahoo.co.uk, or call Rosaleen on 07768 936920 or email Francesca: fcamisoli@yahoo.com

Getting there - Travel

By Plane

1. Florence's Peretola Amerigo Vespucci airport (about 53 km away from venue)
Flights from £150 return

Flights to Florence from Gatwick airport with Meridiana (www.meridiana.it)

From there you can either:

- Take a train to Siena and then a taxi
- Take a coach from outside the station to Castellina in Chianti (SITA bus). It leaves @ 1.35pm and arrives 3.05pm
- Take a taxi (note: this can be an expensive option. The venue is 53 km away, about 50 mins drive)
- Rent a car. Relais Borgo di Pietrafitta is 53 km from Florence Airport. If you wish you can rent a car to reach Borgo di Pietrafitta. On the way guests can enjoy the splendid view of the Tuscan hills (50-minute trip). From the airport take Highway A1 towards Rome. Exit at Firenze Certosa and continue as described in paragraph "By car - from the North".

2. Pisa International airport (called "Galileo Galilei" ) about 104 km away from the venue.
Flights from £70.00 return if you book early !

Flights to Pisa from Stanstead airport with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com)
Flights to Pisa from Gatwick airport with Easyjet (www.easyjet.com)

From Pisa airport you can either:

Travel to Siena (about 22 km away) by coach then take a taxi to the Relais (about 20 mins drive).

- Travel to Florence either by Terravision bus (www.terravision.eu) or by train (www.trenitalia.com). They will both leave you at the main Florence train station "Santa Maria Novella" (SMN) which is about 45 km away from the Relais.

From there you can either:

- Take a train to Siena and then a taxi
- Take a coach from outside the station to Castellina in Chianti (SITA bus). It leaves @ 1.35pm and arrives 3.05pm
- Take a taxi (note: this can be an expensive option. The venue is 53 km away, about 50 mins drive)

By train

Once you arrive at Firenze Santa Maria Novella, take a train going to Siena. From here continue with a taxi, the trip will take 20 minutes.

By car

From the North: when you get to Florence, by taking highway A1 towards Rome, exit at Firenze Certosa and take the highway junction Firenze-Siena. Exit on San Donato in Poggio, turn left towards Castellina in Chianti, by taking the SP 101. Once you are in Castellina, at the first intersection turn left and take SR 222 towards Greve in Chianti. After about 4 km you will find directions for Borgo di Pietrafitta on your right.

From the south: Get off highway A1 by exiting on Bettolle/Siena/Valdichiana, take the highway junction towards Siena and continue along the ring road towards Florence, exiting at Siena nord. Follow directions to Castellina in Chianti, taking the very famous and panoramic Via Chiantigiana (SR222). When you get to Castellina, continue towards Greve in Chianti for about 4 km where you will find directions for Borgo di Pietrafitta on your right.