Being present in the mountains with Reclaim Yourself in Iceland
Kim Willis reviews a marvellous yoga adventure across Iceland and finds incredible food, yoga, hot tubs and a new firm friend
I know you’re supposed to have your eyes closed during savasana but I couldn’t help peeking, just to make sure the snow-capped mountains were still there. And there they were, a view so perfect it was like someone had painted it, positioned perfectly for sneak peeks from the warmth and comfort of the yoga shala.
I’d made myself a promise while packing my bags for this trip. ‘Be present.’ I didn’t want the week to fly by with my head in the past or future, thoughts wandering to emails, deadlines, to-do lists. I wanted to shelve all my life admin for one week of bliss, savouring every glimpse of the mountains and some quality time with my travel buddy and friend, Boo. So on this occasion, I think it’s okay that I opened my eyes during savasana. I had snow-capped mountains to gaze at.
I’ve been practising yoga for five years, Boo is a qualified yoga instructor. We were keen to retreat together and Boo did all the research, finding Reclaim Your Self and suggesting Iceland. Enticed by the thought of ticking the Northern Lights off my bucket list, I agreed. I was looking forward to daily yoga, time with Boo and stomping in snow. What I got was so much more.
After an overnight stay in Reykjavik, we flew to Akureyri and that internal flight set the tone for the rest of the trip. We flew over mountains so beautiful we craned our cameras into the window, taking about 4,563 photos of the landscape. Jools and her team welcomed us at the airport and after a mini-bus ride, we arrived at the retreat location.
“As if the snow-capped mountains; juicy, stretchy yoga; luxurious lodges and delicious menu aren’t enough, this is a retreat with eco-credentials”
Giddy with excitement, we soaked up our surroundings. The retreat is set on a private, family-owned farm and the communal spaces felt so hygge, with comfy sofas, carved wood tables and giant wooden beams. We’d booked a private lodge, which was warm and cosy and there were little gifts from Jools awaiting us on our beds. Life felt calm and quiet and a perfect tonic to the busy and stressful few weeks I’d had preceding my arrival.
Yoga bookmarked each day and really, is there any more nutritious way to start and end each day? The yoga, led by Adam Husler, was challenging yet fun, with a focus on stripping back the moves we might have thought we’d mastered and relearning them. At the end of one evening class, Adam invited his wife to sing to us. With a voice like honey, it was such a tender, sweet experience and one savasana for which I did keep my eyes closed, for the lullaby deserved total immersion.
The food was incredible. As a committed vegan, I was in for a treat. Wholesome, generous portions of plant based meals from a chef so talented we often gave him a round of applause. I never felt hungry and always felt like I was doing my body good, with delectable dishes such as lasagne, casserole and burgers given a healthy twist. (And there was always pud. I love pud.) Coffee lovers rejoice, because despite the week serving as a way to detox from many of life’s stressors, the line is drawn on the right side of coffee. I don’t think any of us were expecting coffee, which gave me my first bonding moment with fellow yogi Fran, when – with giddy exaltation – we realised we’d be allowed to indulge.
There were daily extra-curricular activities and while we didn’t sign up for every excursion as we were keen on plenty of downtime, we went whale-watching, wandered around waterfalls and swam in the naturally hot bathing lagoons of Myvatn spa.
My favourite was the hike up a mountain. I’d spent enough time gazing at them, now it was time to scale one. This was challenging, as it was freezing and the higher we climbed up the precarious slopes, the colder it felt. Reaching the summit, the views were outstanding. There was just enough time for some posing, some soup and some whoops and cheers, for we had just hiked a 700m mountain and that definitely earned a whoop and a cheer. Then, with fingers quickly numbing, we began our descent.
We were on retreat with a dynamic collection of humans from many corners of the world. The ice was quickly broken and meal times became a buoyant, raucous affair. Our ages ranged from early thirties to mid sixties, but different generations found common ground in our shared love of yoga, coffee and snowy mountains.
One afternoon, Boo and I made our way to the hot tub, where two yogis, Fran and Yan, were already enjoying the view. We had a lovely afternoon with our new friends as we scampered from hot tub to sauna, hot tub to sauna.
Every moment on this retreat was made more special by the view. I found myself making good on that promise to be present because it’s easy not to think about emails when you’ve got magnificent mountains surrounding you.
As if the snow-capped mountains, juicy, stretchy, bendy yoga, luxurious lodges and delicious menu aren’t enough, this is a retreat with eco-credentials. Jools has put abundant effort into making sure her retreats have a positive environmental, cultural and social impact. She supports local communities and conservation projects and her ethos of travelling with heart is reflected in all the little details.
A retreat throws you together with a group of people who just so happen to have decided to have a holiday at the same time in the same place. Thank you, yoga gods, because to my delight I met Antonia, a woman my husband now refers to as my spirit animal, because we have so much in common.
We held out hope for the Northern Lights and on the final evening Boo and I joined forces with Fran and Antonia to squint out of a window in search, but when the aurora borealis were not forthcoming, it didn’t even matter. Testament to just how perfect a week it was, because I never thought I’d hear myself saying it didn’t matter that I didn’t see the Northern Lights. I had enough beautiful moments to treasure.