Cosmopolitan UK – September 2019

T

hisplacehadmehookedthe

momentI laideyesonit.

PerchedonIreland’swestern

coastlineandsetagainsta

backdropoftheAtlanticOceanand

endlessgreenfields,theCliffsOf

MoherRetreatsprawlsacross 10

acresofstunningnaturallandscape.

Here,stressed-outcitydwellers

(me)andyoganewbies(alsome),

alongsidethosemoreadvancedin

theirpractice,gathertostretch,

unwindandbreatheintheseaair.

FINDINGSERENITY

Thethree-dayRest,Recover&

Reflectweekend,ledbyretreat

co-founderandyogapractitioner

MichelleMoroney,focuseson

restorativeyogaandhealingclasses.

Startingoffwiththefriendliest

greetingofall,fromtheir

live-inpoochcalledMoher,

anda welcomereception

filledwithhealthy,home-

madesnacks,it wastheperfect

waytomeetwithfellowsolo

retreaterswho,I wasdelighted

tofind,madeupmostofthegroup.

Bookendingmydayswitha

restorativeyogaclassatsunriseand

guidedrelaxation

bycandlelight

beforebedwasthe

much-neededcalm

I wascraving.Allthe

classesareoptional,so

don’tworryif yourid

ofa stress-freegetaway

meansa cleanbreakfromyour

alarmclockbeforethemessy

reconciliationcomeMonday

morning.However,I was

keentotakeontheearly

startsandsoakupallthe

classes,includingbreath

workandmeditation.Asa

newbie,myfearsofbeingforced

to“om”forhoursonendwere

unfoundedand,luckily,therewereno

uncomfortablegroupsilenceseither.

Instead,calmlystretchedout

ontheyogamatwithmyeyes

closedandthesunbeatingin

throughthefloor-to-ceiling

glass windows, my mind felt

simply serene.

REST AND RELAXATION

On Saturday afternoon we

were left to our own devices,

so I took a relaxing dip in the

WHERE:SophieLeen

unwoundattheCliffs

OfMoherRetreat,

Ireland

THE WEEKEND

RESET

utdoor cedar hot

ub,with nothing

butthe panoramic

eaviews for

ompany. It’s more

n worth braving

riefdisrobing in

y Irish air. This was

followedupbya full-body massage,

butbaga spotquickly as there are

onlya handfulavailable. The estate

also has a number of communal

lounges, where you can curl up with

a cup of tea and a book by the fire or

chat to other guests between classes.

After only two nights, I returned

home determined to recreate both

the sense of tranquillity and the

delicious vegetarian fare in my

everyday life. A stay here is so special,

you’ll try anything to preserve the

magic even a minute longer.

From £325pp for the Rest, Recover

& Reflect three-day retreat, including

all facilities, activities, meals and

beverages; Cliffsofmoherretreat.com.

Aer Lingus flys to Ireland from

£108 return; Aerlingus.com

GET THERE ✈

o

ea

y

f

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b

se

co

tha

thebr

thechilly

f ll d b

GO SOLO

Eating alone is fine

(just spend it editing

the 67 photos of

you for Insta)