In the hills of Tuscany is a transformative experience. This may sound cheesy (and you may not believe me), but let me tell you a bit about The Hill that Breathes.
The Hill that Breathes is an award-winning retreat center that runs yoga and holistic holidays (but much, much more they say). It’s home to some of the world’s best yoga instructors and the famed “F**k It” week run by the owners (which inspired the bestselling books).
The outlook at this renovated farmhouse on a 100 acre wooded hill is light-hearted. It is the place Elizabeth Gilbert should have started her post-divorce pilgrimage.
I may be a bit bias, as a yogi myself, but the attention to providing a holistically rejuvenating experience for everyone is admirable and fantastically done.
For non-yoga converts “a holistic holiday, like one of ours, is simply a way of having a great holiday, relaxing even more than you normally would, and taking something home that will last longer than your suntan,” reads their website.
There’s no strict schedule. It’s all about what you want to do and how much guidance you want along the way.
“We don’t take anything too seriously … so there’s no getting up at the crack of dawn to chant, no strict regimes … there’s as much emphasis on pizza as there is on peace, as much giggling as there is contemplating.”
That’s my kind of holiday.
It seems that these type of holistic-focus-on-the-soul-holidays are popping up everywhere (check out another Tango Diva blog entry about one in India). But, The Hill that Breathes combines the impressive venue, with an eco-friendly outlook, and guidance along the way to a better self.
To assist in refreshing yourself there is The Dome, a geodesic dome in the middle of the woods known for its ideal energy for yoga.
There’s a salt water pool with a view of the surrounding hills. Hammocks pop up all over the hill and well-groomed pathways are ideal for exploring and finding some peace and quiet.
The Hill that Breathes is a breath of fresh air to the travel industry and to our hectic lives.
