Bad romance: yogis with a heart of gold…

Namaste Jamaica
GoldenEye's brightly painted Beach Huts – your cosy, chilled-out home during the retreat – have soft king-size beds and invite the outdoors in for a true beachside feel. In lieu of air-conditioning, they beat the heat with a trusty ceiling fan and they're ergonomically designed to let sea breezes drift through. Amid Oracabessa Bay’s unruffled sands and lush greenery, twice-daily vinyasa yoga classes are held with YFBP founders Heather Lilleston and Katelin Sisson: in their own words, ‘regular people who love yoga – and having a good time’. 

If you’re no yogi, don’t tie yourself in knots (until you can, that is), YFBP’s focus is on proper alignment, a relaxed pace and hands-on assistance. Absolute beginners are warmly welcomed.

Yoga for Bad People
They’re not all bad… Those who’ve read yoga text Hatha Yoga Pradipika (we have, of course), will know that an obstacle to yoga is ‘adhering too strictly to rules’, so ‘bad’ really means ‘good’, and YFBP welcomes rule-breakers.

Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and others have praised YFBP’s spoiling and serene approach to yoga retreats. Their stonkingly great playlist could be why: Outkast, Cat Power, Led Zeppelin – music to get you in sound shape.

Where else than Jamaica to hold a yoga retreat that’s more laid-back than the wheel pose? 

GoldenEye, the former writing retreat of Bond penman Ian Fleming (his villa takes pride of place), has many chakra-stirring charms: a talc-soft beach, a banyan-sheltered setting and bright, secluded villas.

Alongside yoga, paddle-boarding and kayaking are included, and if you feel too virtuous, hit the bar for rum-lashed drinks.

Once you touch down (in either Kingston or Montego Bay airports) a car will be dispatched to pick you up and bring you to beachy island stay GoldenEye for a five-day stay.

Settle in, then feel the bend in your first yoga session with Heather Lilleston and Katelin Sisson. A healthy dinner of locally-inspired soups and fresh salads follows.

Kickstart your day at 7am with rich coffee and a selection of light bites in preparation for your athletic morning session of vinyasa yoga and meditation at 8.30am. Sessions are held on the lagoon-set yoga deck, or onstage and upstairs at the Bizot Bar.

Brunch follows at 10.30am. In the afternoon, hit the Field Spa for a pimento-and-ginger-, or lemongrass-and-wild-lime-infused massage to ease your newly malleable muscles, or take to the water on a paddle-board or kayak.

At 5.30pm you’ll salute the sun as it sets in a restorative, 90-minute evening yoga session. A dinner packed with locally-grown veggies follows.

After pre-breakfast snacks and coffee made from local beans, at 8.30am you’ll move through corpse and cobra poses before a moment of quiet reflection in a meditation session. 

Breakfast is served at 9.30am, and then guests can frolic on Oracabessa Bay’s sands or splash through the shoreside pool. At noon, you’ll wave goodbye with a toned arm to your island hideaway.

• Full prepayment will be taken when booking.
• YFBP ask that you fill out a form to ascertain your level of experience when booking.
• If you have any queries before arrival, the Smith24 Team can be contacted at any time of day.
• Mr & Mrs Smith need to share your name and email address with YFBP; you’ll receive a countdown email with further details, including your arrival-flight number, departure information and packing tips.

Please note that flights to and from Jamaica are not included in the package rate. Upon booking you agree that you have read and agree to these terms. If you'd prefer a Lagoon Cottage with air-conditioning, an upgrade is available on request (for an extra charge).