TRAVELER TESTIMONY: Eryn - Austin, Texas, USA

We are so excited to feature a guest from one of our most recent retreats for our Traveler Testimony. Eryn is a an artist and lifestyle photographer at LewChan Photography in Austin, Texas. She works with her husband to beautifully document people's lives and events. She is also mom (to 2 year old Olive Jane), a yogi, and an avid traveler. In fact, she met Erin Lewis in Florence, Italy when she was there to get married to husband Alex! You may have already seen Eryn's work on our site tagged as @colormepale. In fact, all the photos in this blog post are Eryn's work! She is a remarkable artist with a keen eye for culture and beauty. We were so lucky to talk to her about her experience in Marrakesh, Morocco.

Eryn at the Majorelle Gardens

What made you decide to take an EAT.PRAY.MOVE retreat?

I've known Erin since 2008 and have followed her on social media platforms. It was the wonderful photos she posts and my love for travel and yoga that drew me to her retreats. My husband suggested I take the plunge and do the Marrakesh retreat last August. I was beside myself with excitement and anticipation.

How did you trip compare to your expectations?

My trip exceeded my expectations and then some! Every detail was thought of and we were able to participate in these lovely outings, meals and practices without having to plan any of it. Erin does a lovely job of scouting and planning these retreats. I'm seriously in awe.

The Atlas Mountains

What did you learn on your trip? Did anything surprise you?

I learned so much about Moroccan/Berber culture while in Marrakesh. It was my first trip to a Muslim nation, and it was a true eye opener. I now find myself drawn to Islamic culture/architecture and anything Moroccan. The people were so kind and inviting, and the taste of mint tea will forever bring me back to the medina of Marrakesh. Something that I truly enjoyed was hearing the call to prayer 5 times daily. Every time I heard it, I was immediately reminded that I was somewhere so unlike the place I call home. It was serene and peaceful and mystifying. My time in Marrakesh was beyond perfect.

A colorful array of Moroccan rugs

   
 What was it like to have Erin Lewis as a guide?

Erin Lewis is pretty spectacular. She plans beautiful itineraries and caters to everyones' needs and then some. She was an expert at being present and calm when needed and leaving us to learn and explore on our own once we became more comfortable. She's also cool as hell and hilarious. 

At the souks

What was your favorite moment from your retreat?

I loved so much about my retreat that this is a tough one. I adored the Peacock Pavilions, the staff and the whimsical grounds and decor. Maryam is a vision and somewhat of a rockstar to me, and Chris is funny and approachable. The two of them run such a fabulous boutique hotel that I long to visit again one day. The food was OUT OF THIS WORLD delicious. Another highlight was a trip to the Atlas Mountains to visit Kasbah Tamadot. The scenery was unrivaled and the carrot gnocchi and orange/ginger creme brulee are what my dreams are made of. Lastly, I adored our time in the souks, meandering through the narrow alleys and shopping for beautiful rugs to bring home. 

On the Peacock Pavilions grounds

What lasting impressions did you have from your trip?

Traveling home was reminiscent to traveling home after my semester abroad in college. I obviously wanted to see my friends and family but I long to be back already, discovering and learning new things. Wanderlust is me. Traveling to a Muslim nation opened my eyes a lot to Islamic culture and changed a lot of my opinions of what I thought it was. It's a religion that is peaceful and welcoming. I hope to spread that message to the handful of people that have asked me about it since my return. 

We love sharing future and new experiences with our guests, and we love that it made such a warm and lasting impact. Thanks, Eryn, and we can't wait to see you on another adventure!

GIVE BACK Update :: Project Soar, Marrakesh

We had such a wonderful time on our two back-to-back retreats last month in Marrakesh. This completed our 14th (!) week there and what a pleasure it's been to have enjoyed so many guests throughout the years, and spent so much time with our hosts at the beautiful Peacock Pavilions. Our first retreat was our "Luxury" itinerary and the second week was another fun collaboration with Julian of EASEL&LENS for our "Form+Focus" art/yoga week. 

Because Marrakesh and the non-profit project, PROJECT SOAR, was our very first Give Back partner (where we donate at least 10% of the retreat profits), it's very close to our hearts and we wanted to give you an update on the work we've been doing with them there. On the weekend between both retreats we were honored to get to work work with the project in the village. There were around 50 girls that participated that day and so we split into two groups - Julian led an art class at Peacock Pavilions where the girls created beautiful mandalas out of natural pigments, petals, leaves, and love - while Erin led a yoga class at the new Project Soar headquarters building in the village. Each group had about 45 minutes at each class and then switched, and we all got together at the end for a photo along side some of the Moroccan high-school volunteers from the city.

Erin leading yoga with the girls

 Julian and the girls making mandalas

During the second retreat week, we had a bit of freetime on Tuesday and offered to the guests the opportunity to help with a beautification project in the village for part of "Project Pride". We had a great time cleaning up and painting 8 doors which led to a nice and bright new row of color for the village. It was fun driving past them each of the following days knowing we'd had a part in helping out.

A huge thanks to our amazing guests and to our hosts at Peacock Pavilions for everyone's efforts to do good and make this world a more beautiful place!

Read more about our GIVE BACK Initiative HERE. And SIGN UP to join us on a future GIVE BACK retreat! 

Want a Piece of Moroccan Glam? *GIVEAWAY*

It's about that time again for a fun GIVEAWAY over here at EAT.PRAY.MOVE! This month we'll be giving away two of these handmade, one-of-a-kind clutches that were made from genuine vintage Moroccan wedding blankets!

What is a Moroccan wedding blanket you ask? Well, you can get a good idea HERE and even shop for some full size ones HERE from Maryam, our host in Marrakesh at Peacock Pavilions!

...wedding blankets are woven in anticipation of, you guessed it, a wedding, by the bride's female relatives. It can take many hours — even weeks — of work to attach those hundreds of mirrored sequins once the weaving is complete; it is thought that during this collaborative task, the bride's relatives teach her all about the birds and the bees, among other marital duties and expectations. After the wedding ceremony, the bride wears the blanket tied around her neck as a kind of cape...When complete, the wedding blanket serves not only as warmth and decoration for the bride, but also to ward off evil and to bestow fertility and good luck upon the newlyweds.    — ApartmentTherapy

HOW TO GET ONE!

There are only two, and two ways to make one yours:

1. The next guest to sign up for LUXURY MARRAKESH Mar 8-14, 2015 will receive one.

2. There will be a random drawing from comments on this post! RULES: Leave your NAME & EMAIL in the comment. Only 1 comment per person. Extra chance given for a Fackbook, Twitter, or Instagram share of the link to the retreat page on our site HERE. Be sure to tag us on either @eatpraymoveyoga! Then let us know in the comments what you did and we'll add your extra chances.

GOOD LUCK & We hope to see you in MARRAKESH!

Unfortunately, due to custom regulations, we can only ship to address in the US or Canada...or we can bring it to you on the next retreat! Drawing will end Dec 26!

Happy GIVEAWAY Time!

Have you been to Morocco? Maybe joined (or will be joining) us on a yoga retreat in Marrakesh? Have you always wanted to experience the exotic pleasures of this faraway land but just haven't made it there yet?

Well now you can have a little piece of Marrakesh at home! Some of the beautiful colors, sights, textures, and patterns...

The beautiful Maryam of MyMarrakesh, and owner of the boutique hotel Peacock Pavilions, the location of our EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreats in Marrakesh, has just completed a lovely book titled Marrakesh by Design, published by Artisan Books and set to be released in May!

AND YOU CAN WIN A FIRST-EDITION SIGNED COPY!

Or better yet, why not join us for a trip of a lifetime this year! Spots still available for Feb 26-Mar 3 and Sept 23-29. FIND OUT MORE AND SIGN UP HERE!

Read what one of our past guests had to say:

"I have always had a love of travel and a spirit of adventure, but as an almost 69-year old single woman, I believed my opportunities were limited and tame. Then, EAT. PRAY. MOVE came into my life and boy am I hooked! I signed up for the September ('11) trip to Marrakech and it was one of the finest travel experiences of my life. The accommodations were beautiful. The service. wonderful, The feeling of family and good friends surrounded us. Instead of being in a hotel, with the usual hotel culture, I was able to experience a true Moroccan lifestyle, including delicious food served on a delightful porch near the beautiful pool during the day and in a picturesque tent in the evening. The activities were fabulous: walking around in the walled old city with shopping galore, going on a day trip to a beach town including riding a camel. (I fantasized being Lawrence of Arabia.) and dining in exceptional Marrakech restaurants. We received henna treatments and spent an afternoon at a spa. Of course, there was yoga and meditation every day, too. It was a wonderful, exciting and affordable trip. I can't wait to see next year's schedule!"
- Bonnie

HOW TO ENTER GIVEAWAY:

• COMMENT on this post with what exotic Mediterranean location you'd love to EAT, PRAY, and MOVE in! *Be sure to include your name, email (if not directly linked in comment), and if you completed the Facebook and/or Twitter additional entries*

OPTIONAL ADDITIONAL ENTRIES:

• "LIKE" us on FACEBOOK

• TWEET (copy and paste this exact message) "Enter to win signed book by @MyMarrakesh & Join us for #YOGA Retreat w/ @eatpraymoveyoga http://eatpraymoveyoga.com"

Contest runs until Feb 14, 2012 11:59est. Winner will be announced later that week and prize delivered when book is released in May 2012. *ONLY US &CANADA mailing addresses accepted*

Yoga in Marrakesh :: part 2

I hope to have whet your appetite for more about the Marrakesh yoga retreat from the last post. Oh but how much there is to say about our lovely time there.

So what did we do during the week (well besides a couple yoga classes and some meditation each day)?

PLENTY!

 The first day was a magical guide through the exotic Marrakesh Medina. Through palaces, rihads, and souks.

We explored the streets, bargained at the stalls, found just the right rugs and slippers, and of course enjoyed a few mint tea breaks throughout the day.

The main square in the old part of the city is indescribable in words or photos...you just have to be there to experience it first-hand!

One day we enjoyed a pool-side cocktail party at Peacock Pavilions while getting painted up with beautiful henna designs! (Even the guys joined in on the party!)

Then we all took a trip to the seaside town of Essoauria with its lovely laid-back vibe. After a yoga session on the beach we explored the markets and the quaint streets, (ate a gelato...shhh don't tell!), and then geared up for one of the highlights...

...Camel rides on the beach! Passing old fortress ruins, watching the sunset as we lazily rode through the sand, "fantasizing being like Lawrence of Arabia" as one guest put it!

But wait...there's more! Stay tuned for thoughts on the food, flavors, and spices of Morocco!

and we're baaaacckk!!!

Wow. Has it really been six weeks already? Finally just a few days ago I arrived back to NYC and am finally getting over the jet lag!

The last time we spoke I was just about to board a transatlantic flight - and boy has the time flown! Well now I'm back after some unforgettable weeks in both Marrakesh and Ischia. For now I thought I'd just give you a nice recap of the Marrakesh retreat and the amazingly fun time we had at Peacock Pavilions in September. ...Of course, stay tuned for even more updates about the Ischia retreat - and news on the upcoming 2012 calendar announcements.

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OUR EXPERIENCE AT PEACOCK PAVILIONS

I thought I'd break up the posts on the Marrakesh retreat into several categories. The first being about the amazing location and hosts of Peacock Pavilions. Words won't do it justice so I'm only going to give some snippets of how beautiful it really was.

As soon as we arrived we were given a tour of the grounds and just oooh'd and aaaahh'd at all the details that had gone into every single space. The rooms are magnificent and each piece of paint, artwork, or fabric seems to have some story behind it.

Many an afternoon was spend lounging by the beautiful pool area while mint teas were sipped continuously. We even had a henna & cocktail party as well as a wine-tasting event around the pool throughout the week...but more to come on that in another post!

Morning and evening yoga classes were held in the lovely yoga tent in the olive grove. Spacious and always nice views, the tent has most recently been painted even more awaiting our next retreat in March! Meditation class, including a walking meditation around the grounds, was always a nice wake-up routine with just the warm breezes and occasional bird caw filtering in through the tent.

Meals here are another story that will require its own post - as there's just too much to say about it. I think that between all of the guests, the plates were the spotlight of the most photos all week! Each meal, including breakfast, was served in courses, each one more beautiful than the next. And don't get me started on the mouth-watering tastes. Plus, we enjoyed dinner in the dining tent which made us all feel like kings and queens each evening!

Maryam with me and some of our lovely guests

Then there are the hosts Chris and Maryam (plus their adorable kids, interns, and staff) who all welcomed us with open arms. Their hospitality makes you feel at home - ok, well maybe a bit more pampered than at home - but a beautiful home nonetheless!

...More to come on the rest of the Marrakesh experience!

Celebrate Earth Day - Eco-Friendly Yoga Retreat

photos by Peacock Pavilions

I know I've talked about the amazing place where the Moroccan EAT.PRAY.MOVE Yoga Retreat will take place, but in celebration of Earth Day, I wanted to tell you about another part of Peacock Pavilions that is very relevant today especially - the "eco-friendly" part.

Peacock Pavilions was designed with the earth in mind, and the owners take steps to make a healthy haven, and one that doesn't make a huge mark on the land. Located on a 8.5 acre piece of land just outside Marrakesh, 5 acres of which is olive grove, this boutique hotel was built taking certain things into consideration to make it more "green". With over 300 days of sun a year, creative pergolas and porches allow for the needed shade.

To reduce electric energy consumption and carbon output, here are a few things Peacock Pavilions lists on their website as eco-friendly elements:

• Insulation in the walls and on the roofs more vulnerable to heat gain or loss. This step is almost always skipped in Marrakech, because of the extra costs entailed.
• Aluminum windows with air tight seals.
• Rumsford fireplaces which radiate more heat into a room and less up the chimney. 
• Radiant floor heating. Hot air passes through pipes buried in the concrete floor slabs. The heat is then radiated into the room over a period of hours. This is more efficient than heating air, and nicer for the feet, too. 
• Air conditioning through evaporative cooling. This system draws 70% less energy than conventional air conditioners and is well adapted for arid climate. Used frequently in the southwest of the US, evaporative coolers blow a mist of water over a filter and then air is passed through the filter. Air temperature can be reduced as much as 30 degrees F.
• Solar water heater panels. Hot water for our own house and our 3 bedroom Pavilion is provided by the Moroccan sun, with back-up provide by instant gas heaters.
• Primarily fluorescent lights. Why use 75 watts when 20 watts will do the same job?

As for the lovely piece of land it sits on, Peacock Pavilions takes measures in the care of the land, gardens, and irrigation. Instead of using the common "flooding" irrigation system as in much of Morocco, Peacock Pavilions uses a drip system which only puts out about 1 gallon of water on the ground per hour. The water slowly seeps in the ground with almost no evaporation, thus saving a lot of precious water in this dry climate. Also grey water is used for irrigation.

No chemical pesticides are ever used on the property, and an organic garden with delicious tomatoes, lettuce picked fresh from the garden...pumpkin, corn, onions, and more are grown using only natural fertilizer. 

Besides enjoying the upcoming yoga retreat at an eco-friendly location, also with the all-vegetarian menu being served, we're being even more gentle with the earth. This past Earth Day article lists some of the popular points citing vegetarianism as one of the best "green" practices around.

So now...why not celebrate Earth Day by joining us in September! SIGN UP HERE!

Tempting Tuesday :: A Peek at the Pavilions

Today's "Tempting Tuesday" post is all about taking a closer look at the location of the Marrakesh, Morocco yoga retreat. I'm so happy to be hosting this retreat at such a lovely location. Peacock Pavilions has been featured in travel and design publications, and it's easy to see why.

This boutique hotel is located in Marrakesh on 8.5 acres of land, including 5 acres of olive grove, this stylish and eco-friendly abode has been featured in worldwide publications, including National Geographic Traveler.

Breathtakingly beautiful and luxuriously designed, the living quarters where guests will stay during the retreat features gorgeous fireplaces and a glamorous bathrooms in each room. Each bedroom also has its own private terrace - just the right place to enjoy a minty tea or a zingy cocktail!

I mean, just look at these bedrooms? The hand-painted details, and carefully chosen linens to give the perfect ambiance of exotic, modern, and Moroccan.

The entire pavilion property has been decorated with care and loaded with art, special fabrics, and exotic good stuff from all around the world...A swanky place to relax, the salon/great room has a stunning lacy plasterwork that took weeks to complete. There is also seating and dining areas for intimate discussions and cozy meals. A spiral staircase leads to a catwalk high in the air, where you can sit on vintage embroideries and admire the view. 

Not only is this place gorgeous, but it's also eco-friendly. Observing "green" building and gardening techniques, you'll feel good about the organic bounty served to your plate, and the hot water you use heated by the solar panels! Spend some free time at the lovely, inviting pool and patio, or join us for a henna and cocktail party in the painted tent, or perhaps an outdoor cinema night on the lawn.

Peacock Pavilions is owned by Maryam and her husband Chris, both recently featured on HGTV's House Hunters International. Chris is an architect, and Maryam a freelance photographer, travel and lifestyle writer, and the author of the award winning blog, My Marrakesh. Both make a perfect team in putting this amazing estate together.