Abundance

What a better place to practice yoga than in a quiet retreat tucked away in the hills of Perugia, I place left still and undiscovered by tourists. This quiet and enriching retreat left me wanting more!The retreat far exceeded my pre-conceived expectations. I lived the abundance that is being held in this wonderful place which welcomes us each morning with the faces of newly opened wild flowers. We did our morning practice on carpets of wild herbs.The week was truly inspirational and what I really appreciated was the focus not only on the physical aspects of yoga but also on the mental and spiritual aspects of the practice which can be often overlooked. In between the morning’s more dynamic Hatha practice and the afternoon’s more relaxing Pranayama (breathing) practice, the rest of the day we were given a choice to join in the energy healing workshops, go out hiking or on an excursion to one of the local towns or just fall asleep in deck chair the grounds.We shared the big oak mezzanine inside the church which was spacious and cool.

Spectacular views, powerful energies and cozy family like stay. The couple has a lot to share, are very open to let you in their lives and ready to help everyone who's open and in need for that.

Once you step into this space, you feel the energy of the stone walls and all the meditation, yoga, prayer, laughter and love. Tess exemplifies living a yogic life. The food is fresh home cooked Italian cleansing and nourishing. Meeting people and connecting with souls from around the globe is uplifting and provides a sense of connectedness. The teacher that week was also a David who was knowledgeable, adaptable and created a space for individuals of all levels to appreciate yoga and meditation. There was a beautiful balance of yoga, meditation and time to reflect. The views are breathtaking. I suppose that they had the choice of the best spot 1500 years ago, but surprisingly nothing much has been built in the valley except 2 small borgos in 14th century

Soooo...Having researched endless European yoga retreats (this was my first one), I finally settled on San Flaviano or 'Abundance' yoga retreat in the heart of Umbria, Italy.My decision was based upon the attractive photos and the 'abundance' of food

Now, i just stepped through the door in my home.I'm so disappointed and confused.I wanted a quiet place with a warm atmosphere, joy, good food and a yoga for beginners. Exciting talk about life and beautiful walks.You did fulfill some of my expectations, but very few.You're making good food and we had a few talks about life.But i didn't feel like it was a quiet place, I think it was a lot of stress and some things, for example your Tinder pictures (some very very inappropriate) and your meetings with men, was something I didn’t want to be involved in.You were stressed out about some things and I felt it and I couldn't cope with all that, I needed the rest more than anything.The pool was so filthy the first days that I couldn't use it, water for me is very healing and I had been looking forward to relax in the pool".I also looked forward to enjoy various treatments for example healing

The classes and staff were fabulous, as well as the food and location and views. It's not really a place for couples, however. Although the room my partner and I were in was spacious, it was also an open loft above the venue were the classes were held as well as massage sessions so there was little privacy. That was odd and disappointing. It is a bit isolated with not much to do so renting a car is recommended. Definitely rustic!

“Having just finished an intense two-year masters degree in law, I was in need of some R & R. I have always enjoyed yoga, but my practice has been patchy, with my picking up classes in a peripatetic fashion. I had a week to kill this summer, so I decided to book myself into a yoga retreat abroad. The object of this exercise was to improve my yoga, through sustained practice, and to relax after a hectic few months. After some research, I booked my self into Abundance Yoga Retreat, in Umbria, Italy, drawn by the reasonable price and the opportunity to explore the green heart of Italy. I paid €895 for 6 nights accommodation, three meals a day, two yoga classes a day and two excursions to nearby Medieval towns, the world-famous Assisi and Visso (the latter being voted the prettiest town in Italy).My flights to Perugia Airport, from London Stanstead, were about 150. This price being so good I was apprehensive about what to expect, nervous that I was going to be rouging it in a modern villa with a hundred other wannabe yogis, while a militant vegan fed me nothing but lentils, in order to cleanse my system of toxins. I neednt have worried. San Flaviano Monastery, where the retreats are held, is in a pocket of pure Umbrian magic. It is nestled in a tiny Medieval village, 850 metres from sea level, with a stunning view of the Sibillini Mountains. The climate is cool and the gardens shady, with a forest which is a truffle reserve for the wild boars pressing up against the ancient buildings. And if you do need to cool down, you can jump in the swimming pool.Yoga took place in an eight century church, adorned with fourteenth century frescos. In the mornings the sun would drench across the stone flagging, as we gave our salutations to it. During the meditation-focused evening classes, candles would be lit, highlighting the spiritual element of the practice. The retreat is small. There were only nine of us, which gave an intimate feel, and ensured that our attentive yoga teacher, Laura Slavov, was able to give us enough individual attention to improve our practices. I was lucky enough to have some lovely people staying with me, ranging from an archaeologist, a refugee lawyer, an economist at the EU and a teacher.This varied and well-travelled group had me laughing the entire week.But the highlight for me was our hosts, Kevin and Tess. I could not have hoped for more warmth and kindness. They went out of their way to ensure that we were enjoying all that Umbria had to offer and also entertained us with stories from their incredible lives.Worth a special mention is the food. Tess has had an illustrious career in the restaurant industry, including managing The Belvedere (arguably one of Londons best restaurants), and has honed her natural talent at cooking phenomenal food. Each meal was a feast, full of locally-sourced, organic products. There was no meat and lactose (so, only sheep and goats cheese), so the good work of the yoga was not undone. Kevin sourced local wines the earthy, fruity types that the Italians wisely refuse to export to unappreciative foreigners and deserts were produced from local bakers, including tiramisu and profiteroles. Yet, despite these gastronomic excesses, I lost weight probably because Tess made us eat our weight in vegetables.For those seeking more of a holiday than a retreat, then Abundance Yoga is definitely for you!”

What was the most memorable or exciting part of my holiday? For me was the feeling of calm & wellness that this holiday brings is amazing! Gorgeous sunshine, some time to explore , a lovely villa setting and all in the context of looking after yourself. I've never treated myself in this way before but to spend 6 days with great food, yoga, & a few indulgent treatments has reset me in the way I look after myself, I feel so well.My tips would for other travelers booking this holiday is don't skimp on the treatments! Try to have a few over the time you are there but you also need time to lie by the pool too.Food was superb , an amazing thing to be saying on a detox & true compliment to our chef for the week, Michele. Lovely small group of people & I'll definitely return. It's totally changed how I look after myself on a day to day basis for the better.

After reading the response to my review... I would like to ask people considering a yoga retreat to read all the negative reviews. I recently lost my father and went their to grieve and recover. Very scary how the owner Tess Honeybell treats her customers. The majority of the group was deeply disappointed. Please make a better choice then we did. I have been to over 20 yoga retreats in my life and have never written a negative review before. It takes time out of our life to do this and would have no reason to write negative things unless true.The retreat was presented as a week of rest, healing, peace and energy alignment. Unfortunately I was not able to find these things at the San Flaviano Retreat.1. The energy felt loud, tense, and uncomfortable and filled with a self-centered attitude as opposed to creating a comfortable group connection.2. The room was also not as expected with little to no privacy, unpredictable water temperature in tub/shower and inconsistent electricity and3. The church felt unsafe with many noises and it felt like people might have been walking downstairs in the middle of the night and periodic door rattling.All in all, I had several sleepless nights and felt my already high stress level increasing day by day and leaving me upon my departure feeling more depressed, shaken and exhausted.Myself and two others on the retreat left halfway through with a guaranteed refund. We just found out Tess, the owner and the one running the retreat, has decided not to follow thru with her word. This shows a huge lack of integrity. I would rate this experience a zero if I could.

Let's start with the good stuff...food was amazing cooked by the lovely Sandra, yoga and massage by Emily was fabulous and views are pretty and far reaching. Local spa was very nice as was the restaurant, both 20mins twisty drive. You have to rely on Kevin, the owner's husband to drive though.The not so good...the rooms are VERY rustic, dark, damp and not so private so if you want clean, bright, airy, bug free and a comfy bed then this is not for you. Beds are 'Z' beds so extremely springy and not supportive teamed with a very soft mattress. Plenty of dust, dirt and a shower that is over the toilet and a window with upper body view so if anyone walks past they can see you, perfect if you're an exhibitionist. Scorpions were found twice! There are no areas to really chill and relax, the 'swimming pool' (a giant version of a kids paddling pool) is in the car park along with some loungers and chairs so every time a car drives up you get covered in a cloud of dust. It's very isolated and the drive is very winding and twisty so there is nothing to do.The ugly...the owner Tess is a self confessed alcoholic who dominated the conversation non stop at every meal, talked over people and always extremely opinionated. She also spoke very negatively and inappropriately about her 'staff' who were, all but one, volunteers (being exploited/modern slavery) as well as the other guests. Tess will give you a good story on how she's doing them a favour for their assisted yoga teaching hours, reality is when guests are doing yoga the volunteers are preparing breakfast and dinner so they are rarely there. She also burst into tears one afternoon in front of guests as she was struggling to cope with all the complaints. Highly unprofessional and shouldn't be running a retreat with all her own issues.