Cultivating Life — A New Residential Course
Feel Younger. Move Better. Live Longer.
6-Day Yoga, Plant-Based Living & Longevity Retreat
September special: €295 sharing | €395 single
Valencia | 13–18 September
Six beautiful days of delicious plant-based food, hands-on cooking, gentle yoga, meditation, mountain walks and fascinating insights into how to live well — now and for years to come.
Move with ease. Eat beautifully. Feel amazing. Age well.
Imagine waking up in the mountains, moving your body gently, learning something fascinating about health and longevity, then spending time in the kitchen creating beautiful, nourishing food with a small group of like-minded people.
That's the experience we're creating in Pego this September.
This isn't about strict diets, calorie counting or giving things up.
It's about discovering how good healthy living can feel.
🌿 Cook. Learn. Eat. Enjoy.
The heart of the retreat is our hands-on plant-based cooking and nutrition workshops, where you'll get involved in preparing delicious food from scratch while discovering the science and inspiration behind what you're eating.
We'll work with colourful vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, tofu, tempeh, seeds, herbs and spices, learning how simple ingredients can be transformed into food that is genuinely exciting to eat.
You might find yourself making golden chickpea and greens masala, saffron quinoa garden pilaf, tofu saag with seasonal greens or fragrant vegetable rice with spiced tempeh — and then sitting down together to enjoy what you've created.
And while you're cooking, you'll also discover why these foods matter.
We'll explore plant-based protein, wholegrains, legumes, nutrient absorption, gut health and the relationship between what we eat and how we feel.
So you don't just go home with recipes.
You go home knowing how to create delicious food that works for your body.
🧘 Move Better. Feel Better.
Each morning begins with gentle yoga, breathing and meditation designed to leave you feeling awake, grounded and energised — never exhausted.
We'll explore movement, strength, mobility, balance and mindful awareness in a way that works whether you're completely new to yoga or have been practising for years.
There will also be a guided walk through the beautiful surrounding countryside, with plenty of time to breathe in the mountain air, wander, rest, read, talk, explore or simply do absolutely nothing.
Because a retreat shouldn't feel like another item on your to-do list.
🍋 Discover How Good Healthy Food Can Taste
Forget the idea that plant-based food means boring salads and feeling hungry.
This is food that's colourful, abundant, satisfying and full of flavour.
You'll discover how wholegrains, vegetables, legumes, tofu, tempeh, herbs, spices and seeds can come together to create meals that are both incredibly delicious and nutritionally nourishing.
Our cooking sessions are designed to give you ideas you can actually take home and use — not complicated recipes requiring twenty obscure ingredients.
Beautiful food. Practical skills. Real-life nutrition.
🧠 The Science of Living Well
What does healthy ageing actually mean?
How can the food we eat support our health?
Why does gut health matter?
How can we build strength and mobility as we get older?
What simple habits can make a meaningful difference to the way we feel?
Throughout the retreat, Namit Kathoria — clinical pharmacist, yoga teacher and founder of Yoga Sutra Shala — brings together science, practical experience and the wisdom of yoga to explore these questions.
No lectures. No fear. No obsession.
Just interesting, useful knowledge that you can take home and actually use.
A Week You'll Feel
There is something wonderfully simple about spending a few days doing things that make you feel good.
Moving your body.
Eating beautiful food.
Learning something new.
Walking in the mountains.
Cooking with other people.
Laughing over dinner.
Having time to breathe.
And perhaps discovering that some of the things you thought you had to give up to live healthily are actually things you can learn to love.
Come for the food. Stay for the mountains. Leave feeling lighter, stronger and inspired.
Six days to nourish your body, expand your knowledge and rediscover how enjoyable healthy living can be.
Cultivating Life
A small residential course in the mountains of Valencia,
where ancient wisdom and modern understanding come together.
Meditation • Yoga • Internal Arts • Philosophy • Longevity
A calm and supportive learning environment
For over a decade, students from around the world have come to Yoga Sutra Shala to deepen their understanding of yoga, movement, and meditation in a calm and supportive learning environment.
Set in the heart of the historic town of Pego, in the beautiful Valencia region of Spain, Cultivating Life is a residential course devoted to living well — blending yoga-inspired practice, natural movement, breathwork, meditation, philosophy, and the Chinese internal arts within a calm, plant-based environment.
Most people are not lacking information.
They are lacking clarity
Modern life constantly pulls attention outward —
towards noise, stimulation, and endless activity.
Over time, this creates a subtle sense of disconnection.
Cultivating Life emerged as a response to this.
Not as an escape from life,
but as a way to understand it more deeply.
A unique, transformative experience
During the course, a combination of practices that have supported human wellbeing for thousands of years is explored — brought together in a simple, practical way:
• meditation
• yoga
• Chinese internal arts (Tai Chi & Qi Gong)
• philosophy
• longevity practices
The course is guided by a clinical pharmacist and meditation teacher, bringing together scientific understanding and traditional practice.
A clinical pharmacist is a healthcare professional trained in how the body functions, how lifestyle influences health, and how different approaches — including movement, recovery, and nutrition — affect long-term wellbeing.
This allows the practices to be explored not only experientially,
but also with clarity and understanding — helping to see why they work, not just how.
What are Chinese internal arts?
Chinese internal arts include practices such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong.
They are slow, mindful movement systems designed to:
• improve balance and coordination
• develop internal strength and stability
• calm the nervous system
• restore natural, efficient movement patterns
Over time, these practices help movement become more natural and effortless —
not just in practice, but in everyday life.
Returning to natural movement
Yoga and internal arts are not simply exercises.
They are ways of rediscovering how the body is designed to move.
Through consistent practice, there is a gradual shift towards:
• less tension
• more functional strength
• improved posture and coordination
• greater ease in the body
This naturally carries into everyday life —
walking, lifting, sitting, and simply being.
Looking inward
Meditation and philosophy form the heart of the experience.
Rather than adding more ideas,
they guide attention inward.
Over time, this can lead to a simple but profound recognition:
that clarity, calm, and meaning are not something to chase —
but something already present.
These teachings are explored in a grounded, practical way
that can be integrated into everyday life.
Plant-Based Nutrition & Longevity
A practical approach to nourishment and long-term health.
Alongside Cultivating Life, a separate residential course is offered focusing on plant-based nutrition, cooking, and longevity.
This course explores:
• how to prepare simple, nourishing plant-based meals
• how nutrition supports energy, recovery, and metabolic health
• how to build sustainable, long-term eating habits
• the science behind plant-based nutrition and longevity
The approach combines practical cooking with clear, evidence-based understanding —
making it easy to apply in everyday life.
In the mountains of Valencia
Surrounded by mountains, orange groves, and the nearby Mediterranean coast, Pego offers an authentic rhythm of life where practice unfolds gently rather than being rushed.
The small-group format creates a supportive space where each person can work at their own level, developing strength, stillness, and deeper awareness through simple, grounded daily practice.
Whether the intention is movement, reflection, or a deeper understanding of life, the direction remains the same:
to cultivate clarity, resilience, and a more joyful way of living.
If this resonates, you are very welcome to join.
Meals are organic, plant-based and thoughtfully crafted by our resident chef, whose approach blends creativity, nourishment and culinary expertise. Each dish is prepared using high-quality local ingredients, sourced wherever possible from trusted Valencian farmers — offering vibrant, seasonal cuisine designed to support energy, balance and longevity throughout the week.
