Seek out a yoga retreat and you’ll be overwhelmed by options: from super high-end events in tropical locations to wholesome weekends in the British countryside. It’s still unusual, though, to find such an offering led by someone raised in the culture in which the South Asian practice originated. Angie Tiwari’s work consciously aims to correct that imbalance.
The London-based yoga and breathwork teacher founded UNEARTHED, a membership and event platform, in 2021. It’s the home of both online classes, spanning topics like meditation and mudras (gestures typically created with the hands and fingers, which, according to yogic philosophy, facilitate the flow of energy in the body) as well as being the banner under which she hosts in person retreats.
These include day-long women's circles, half-day yoga sessions and longer occasions, such as a three night retreat in the hills outside Malaga, Spain, which I attended last December.
After arriving at the city's airport and stopping to luxuriate in the (still warm, if not July-style hot, even in winter) Spanish afternoon, we (I attended the retreat with WH Features Director, Roisín Dervish-O'Kane) take a taxi over winding roads, taking us ever deeper into the Andalusian countryside.
With the car window open, the air fills with the subtle scents of the orange and palm trees lining the road. We arrive at the retreat villa in the late afternoon, at which point the low-hanging sun's rays hit the white brick of the entrance. London's bleak grey feels very far away.
Stepping inside, the floor is made up of vast flag stones set in a diamond pattern, with the ceilings supported by low wooden beams. Touches of sunflower yellow paint and heavy wooden doors complete the Spanish finca vibe, as do the surrounding lush green grounds, with a vast, calming view over the Malagan hills. The rooms – available to have to yourself or to share – are cast in terracotta tiles, with long white linen curtains framing expansive windows, leading to a balcony with views onto the estate.
That evening, the group – there’s around 20 of us – gather on cream sofas in an outdoor courtyard framed by a flamingo pink sky swallowing the setting sun. Angie welcomes everyone in, before diving into an overview of the retreat’s theme.
This is overcoming the kleshas, (pronounced ‘clay-shas’) a Sanskrit phrase variously translated as ‘affiliations’ or ‘destructive emotions’ and comprising avidya (ignorance); asmita (egoism); raga (attachment); dvesha (aversion) and abhinivesha (clinging to life/fear of death). Over the course of the retreat, we take up various practices which speak to the philosophy.
Mornings start with a dynamic yoga practice. This takes place in the villa's on-site yoga studio, with views through floor to ceiling windows over the hills. These AM sessions are my favourite part of the retreat – at once energising and grounding.
Keenly aware of how simple or difficult it may be for different people to move their bodies into various yoga poses, Angie offers multiple versions of any one move, giving gentle hands-on adjustments to those who opt in. This ‘come as you are’ worldview is one which underpins UNEARTHED's broad lens.
‘UNEARTHED is about bringing in people who may have felt excluded from the yoga world, or that it isn’t for them – maybe that they're not flexible enough or they don't fit the typical ‘yoga aesthetic’ of a slim woman in active wear, often with white skin,’ she says.
It’s an ethos reflected in the warm, wise and diverse group brought together. We get to know one another over the villa’s huge oak table, where we eat abundant, delicious pescatarian meals, including giant grilled prawns, colourful salads and one of the best lasagnes I've ever eaten – and it’s lovely and unusual to see how quickly the group bonds, happily sharing candid stories and listening intently to one another.
The whole experience is one of learning as well as relaxing. Angie weaves in abudnant downtime, for reading around the glinting turquoise pool or heading out into the hills for little hikes, before afternoon classes. Some days these are philosophy workshops, exploring the kleshas, others focus on the breath.
One day we try out a meditation which involves imagining our own death, linked to the final klesha (abhinivesha, or clinging to life.) It’s a powerful practice, one which draws out deep emotional reactions from the group and which we collectively agree has been profoundly rewarding,
Days are closed off with a slower evening yoga practice before dinner. These are languid affairs, stretching over hours and culminating in the group splintering into various configurations and staying up chatting (my phone’s screen time was reduced to next to nothing over the days I was on the retreat.)
On the last day phone numbers are swapped, promises to meet up are forged and each individual leaves sad to depart but glowing with renewed energy. As an antidote to the dominant narrative around what a yoga retreat can be – as well as to the low vibe of the cold months in the UK – it's as close to perfect as I can imagine.
Angie is planning another Spanish retreat in 2025. Find out when the next UNEARTHED retreats will take place, at tiwariyoga.com/unearthed-retreats
Claudia is Health + Wellness Director at Women's Health and Men's Health. She commissions, edits and writes about topics including the happiness potential of less conventional relationships, what the latest wave of psychedelic research means for women and how to thrive through each stage of your life. She regularly hosts and participates in panel talks about how we live now and is frequently asked to provide expert comment for national radio.
