About YOAS

YOAS is a small, independent yoga travel company founded in 2003.

Over many years we have travelled the world to find unique and wonderful venues and along the way have met the most inspiring yoga teachers. This combination of magical locations and brilliant teachers makes for the very best yoga retreats.

We love what we do and hope you enjoy the retreats to form beautiful memories but most importantly to recharge, explore and bring out the very best of you.

Wendy Bryan owns and runs YOAS day to day, working closely with a community of much loved teachers, venues, chefs and therapists.

Wendy has a love for yoga and travel. She offers friendly guidance and support to ensure all experience the joy and happiness that a wonderful yoga retreat can bring. When she’s not planning escapes for others, Wendy can be found on her yoga mat, spending time with her beautiful family, or off on her travels exploring new places and connecting with the YOAS community.

Responsible travel policy

YOAS carefully selects small, locally run venues in areas close to nature and away from mass tourism.

All venues are family run or have close ties to the local community.

The food on our yoga retreats is prepared from fruit and vegetables grown on the surrounding land in each location or sourced from local producers.

Most of our locations use renewable energy and a sustainable water supply.

A partnership programme is being put in place to reduce the carbon footprint of the company and offset client travel emissions by supporting conservation projects around the world.

FAQ

What is special about YOAS?

Over the years we have travelled the world discovering unique and wonderful venues and along the way we have met the most inspiring yoga teachers. This perfect combination, with our wealth of experience, makes the very best yoga retreats. We continue to travel and make new friendships and connections around the world.

How we work

We bring together the very best handpicked venues and personally selected inspiring yoga teachers to create wonderful retreats around the world.

What is the structure of a yoga retreat?

All retreats offer two yoga classes daily in the morning and evening. In general the morning class is more dynamic and the evening class is more gentle and restorative. A yoga free day (or 2 half days) are offered for retreats lasting a week or more.

Weekend retreats also offer a yoga class each morning and evening included in the duration of the retreat but often also include other optional elements such as meditation, chanting, guided walks and workshops.

Do you need to be an experienced yogi?

All of our retreats are open to all levels of ability (unless specifically promoted otherwise) and the groups are often a broad mix from beginners to yoga teachers.

All are welcome and our teachers are experienced in offering something for everyone. A more challenging practice for experienced yogis and guidance for those who are newer to the practice.

If you have the chance though, it’s always a good idea to try a yoga class or two before you come away.

What is the style of yoga?

Our inspiring teachers are all well known to us and have a wealth of experience. Most of them have trained in many different types of yoga and offer their own unique style based on this blend. You can read more about each teacher on our teachers page or we can put them in touch with you direct if you want to know more.

What size are the groups?

Group sizes vary greatly and can be anything from 5 to 20 people. In general the maximum group size is 20 per teacher.

Are there other activities on offer beside yoga?

Yes there are often other activities that can be booked at extra cost or are naturally free. This will vary from location to location and include horse riding, bike riding, walking, going to the beach, tours of historic sites, visits to local towns or boat trips. Massages are often available at extra cost.

Can you find a sharer for me?

We will always do our very best to find a sharer for you and if we can’t then as a good will gesture we are happy to honour the sharer rate.

Is it ok to come alone?

Solo travellers are very welcome to join our yoga breaks. Our groups are always a mix of solo travellers, friends, couples, family members. So there is always the chance to make new friends or to be as quiet and peaceful as you want to be.

Are non-yoga partners welcome?

Where possible, non-yoga partners are always very welcome at a slightly reduced rate.

Are all meals included?

All of our retreats include breakfast, most are half or full board. If the retreat only includes breakfast there will be self catering facilities or a variety of local restaurants closeby.

Will the food be vegetarian?

In general all food offered on our retreats is vegetarian. At some venues a meat or fish option is available. Special diets can be catered for but if very specific please check with us first.

Will there be alcohol?

At some venues alcohol is available at an additional cost or you can bring your own for a glass with your evening meal.

What to bring

Always remember light and comfortable yoga clothing, a light blanket or sarong is good for final relaxation in the yoga classes. Sun protection and swimwear for beach retreats, walking shoes for more active holidays and your yoga mat and equipment if specified in the joining instructions.

Travel insurance

It is the individual’s responsibility to arrange general travel insurance. As a yoga travel company we have our own essential insurances.

Transfers and travel to retreats

Travel is not included, you are responsible for making your own travel arrangements, whether that be flights, trains, bus or car journeys. We are happy to give you advice.

For all foreign yoga retreats we will arrange airport transfers and group people together wherever possible. Transfers are usually at an additional cost.

When should I arrive and depart?

For foreign retreats you should arrive on the start date of the retreat and depart on the last day. In general there are no yoga classes on travel days.

For two and three night UK retreats arrival is usually on the afternoon of the first day and departure is after brunch or lunch on the last day. Each retreat varies slightly.

Currency

Individual advice on money and currency will be given on the information sheet sent 6 weeks beforehand for each retreat.

Extra nights

It is usually possible for you to extend your stay at a particular venue and, if not, we can recommend somewhere nearby.

Payment plan

Our terms are a 50% deposit on booking and the balance 6 weeks beforehand. Monthly payment plans are an option if it is helpful.

Wifi

It is possible to stay connected at most venues these days but not all. Usually there is Wifi in a local town if not at the retreat centre itself.

Concerns or issues

If you have any concerns or issues that arise during your retreat please do reach out to us. It is always best to do this during the retreat if possible so we can try to resolve the issue there and then. In the first instance go to the teacher or venue contact who are there to support the group. Or if you prefer contact Wendy by email, info@yoasyogaretreats.com

Gift vouchers

We offer bespoke gift vouchers for any amount with a personalised message. They can be used without time constraint as part or full payment towards a retreat. Email us to arrange.

Terms & conditions

These are our general terms & conditions for YOAS Yoga Retreats.

Our cancellation policy

Cancellation by a consumer. YOAS is entitled to keep a reasonable amount, the deposit payment, to cover any expenses incurred as a result of your cancellation. The deposit can be transferred to another YOAS retreat without time constraint if notification is given more than 6 weeks beforehand.

Transfer by a consumer. If any person is prevented from joining a retreat, YOAS will agree to that person’s booking being transferred to another person who satisfies all the conditions, subject to both persons accepting joint and several liability for full payment of the cost. YOAS must be given reasonable notice of the transfer request, which is considered to be at least 6 weeks prior to the retreat date.

The deposit (50% of the full cost) is non-refundable. If you cancel 6 weeks before arrival and have paid in full, we will refund 50% of total cost. If you cancel less than 6 weeks before arrival, we will charge 100% of total cost. This does not affect your legal right to transfer your booking to another person in certain circumstances.

Cancellation by YOAS. In the unlikely event that YOAS has to cancel your retreat for no fault of your own, we will notify you as quickly as possible and we will compensate you for any loss reasonably incurred by you as a result of our cancellation. The consumer is entitled to take an equivalent, superior or lower cost substitute retreat (if we are able to offer you one). We will always refund the difference in price if the replacement retreat is of a lower cost.

The consumer is entitled to compensation by YOAS except:

a. When the number of persons is less than the required minimum of 5, providing you are notified of this 6 weeks beforehand.

b. When the holiday is cancelled due to unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the control of YOAS.

If for any reason at all, a course teacher becomes unavailable we shall do our utmost to replace them with a leader of similar qualities. Wherever possible you will be advised in advance of any alterations. Similarly, the alteration of some amenities might take place due to maintenance work, mechanical faults, weather conditions, sickness or other situations outside our control. If the change of teacher or amenities is not to your satisfaction we will make alternative arrangements at no extra cost to you.

Flight confirmation and insurance

It is your responsibility to confirm your flight times with your airline before your outward and return journey.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in possession of private travel insurance for both UK and overseas travel with protection for the full duration of the retreat in respect of medical expenses, injury, death, repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, with adequate cover.

Exclusions of liability

Cancellations, delays or changes caused by war, threat of war, terrorist actions or threats, closure of airports, civil strife, industrial action, natural disaster, technical problems to transport, staff cancellations or other events beyond our control.
Participants' medical or psychiatric/emotional conditions which may become apparent through practising yoga daily on a YOAS retreat.
Loss of, or damage to, personal property of participants.

If you have any complaints during the retreat please liaise with the teacher or go to the venue contact in the first instance. Alternatively, contact YOAS during the period of your retreat and we will do our best to help resolve any problems.

info@yoasyogaretreats.com
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7733 2996

Privacy policy

Last updated: 25 March 2023

Cookies and IP addresses collected by this website

Yoga on a Shoestring Ltd (YOAS) may store information about you using cookies (files which are sent by us to your computer or other access device) which we can access when you visit our website in the future.

We may also collect your device’s IP address as part of the basic functioning of this website. We do this to allow the website to function properly and to collect anonymous information about how this website is used through Google Analytics.

If you wish to stop or control the use of cookies on your browser, please refer to your browsers settings for cookies. Please note that by deleting our cookies or disabling future cookies you may not be able to access certain features of our site.

Personal data collected at the time of booking

A certain amount of personal data is collected by YOAS at the time of booking. This is for the purposes of meeting insurance company criteria as well as for your health and safety whilst attending our retreats and holidays.

All information gathered by YOAS is treated as confidential and will not be shared with any third party. If you grant permission, it is kept securely by YOAS. It is only viewed by YOAS and the teacher and venue of the retreat or holiday on which you have booked. After clicking ‘Book now’ in the YOAS booking system, YOAS clients will be directed to our payment partner PayPal. All card details submitted to PayPal are held securely by PayPal and covered by their privacy policy: www.paypal.com

How YOAS use your contact information

When booking you will be asked to complete a form. In doing so you are agreeing to your name, email and telephone number being used by YOAS to inform you of details of the retreat you have booked.

YOAS mailing list

Direct marketing emails informing you of new and future retreats that YOAS are offering come through a secure permission-based email system administered by hosting company Mailchimp - see their privacy policy here.

When you make a booking with YOAS you will be invited to opt-in to join our mailing list by ticking a box. Subscription preferences may be changed by you at any time.

Links to other websites

YOAS is not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from YOAS, nor the information or content contained in them. Please remember that when you use a link to go from YOAS to another website, our privacy notice is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other website, including those that have a link on our website, is subject to that website’s own rules and policies.