A UNIQUE yoga and food experience has been introduced to County Clare thanks to a pair of female entrepreneurs who have established Retreat Yourself.
Yoga instructor Caroline Rouine-O’Connor has relocated to Kildysart from New York City where she ran a successful studio. Back in her native county, she has teamed up with chef Tanya Ranlow to offer a variety of nature and wellness retreats which combine movement, nourishing food and meditation in beautiful locations in the west of Ireland.
The next retreat takes place at the Cliffs of Moher on Sunday, January 22 which will include mindfulness, meditation and movement at Hags Head, followed by tea, snacks and a yoga session in Doolin. All retreats include a three-course vegetarian meal prepared by Tanya, who is a Ballymaloe-trained chef.
Mum-of-two Caroline also runs weekly public yoga classes in Kildysart and Clarecastle and she tells The Clare Echo that relocating to Clare wasn’t part of the plan. Having built a life in New York with her husband Sam, a restauranteur, for more than two decades, the family returned to Clare for a wedding in early 2020 for a wedding.
“We all got Covid at the wedding,” explains Caroline. Flights were subsequently grounded and following three months in Ireland, the family made the difficult decision to leave New York behind, along with Caroline’s yoga studio and Sam’s three restaurants. “New York – and the whole world – shut down. We home schooled our kids and then eventually put them into Kildysart school.” Caroline adds that her children have fallen in love with Kildysart, despite the abrupt change of pace from downtown Manhattan.
Caroline began teaching yoga locally in 2020 in beautiful outdoor locations to ensure social distancing, something which was made possible by glorious weather that summer. As Caroline began to build a community in West Clare, she and her friend Tanya Ranlow, who previously worked with The Cliffs of Moher Retreat Centre, decided to establish their own business called Retreat Yourself.
The pair incorporate activities including paddle boarding, horse riding and hiking into retreats which take place at retreats across the West including Gortglass in Kildysart, the Cliffs of Moher, Clonshire Equestrian in Adare, and the 12 O’Clock Hills. They also offer private retreats for corporate clients and We do a lot of privates as well, we work with the Midwives of Ireland, I work in Clare County Council also, we’ve done a few retreats there and I teach there every Thursday at lunchtime. My public classes are in Kildysart, Ennis, Clarecastle and Kilrush. We do workshops also.
“It’s for everybody,” explains Caroline. “What I love about the retreats is every person who comes is so different. Some might be yoga teachers, or they might have never done a movement practice before apart from the obvious, which is walking. In every retreat I also bring in an introduction to meditation.”
Caroline emphasises that ‘togetherness’ is an important part of the retreats, with people sharing during the three-course meal and getting to know each other. “The table is very important for us, we prepare them with flowers, plants and colourful foods. We give the recipes out as well, people are always interested in that.” Numbers are limited to 18-20 on each retreat to ensure inclusion for all those in attendance. They also offer mobile retreats and overnight retreats for corporate clients and celebrations such as bridal parties.
To book a retreat or a yoga class, visit https://retreatyourself.ie/ or find RetreatYourselfIRL on social media.
