My name is: Fernanda de la Puente.
My stomping ground is: Madrid, Spain.
I’m known for being:
Yoga teacher and founder of Asana Groove.
I'm talking about:
Our Yoga, Mindfulness & Sound Meditation Retreat in Menorca, October 11th-16th, 2022.
You can find it at:
Before I started this retreat work, I was:
I’ve been teaching Jivamukti yoga since 2014 and, before that, I was a nutrition counselor and eating psychology coach. I lived in New York for eight years, which is also when I studied acting. I currently have a yoga studio in Madrid and do some acting projects from time to time!
My interest was sparked when:
The obvious answer: I was offered the chance to do yoga retreats at a secret hotel in Upstate New York called the Dutchess back when I was living in NYC. I did quite a few retreats there every year, and when I moved to Madrid, I just wanted to continue doing them!
The less obvious answer: I realized that all my mental, physical and emotional ailments were always connected to some sort of heart/mind incoherence. After extended periods of time in the city, I usually would observe some lack of alignment in me, which ended up eating the life force and happiness away. I think we all need to create the space and time in our busy lives to change environments, so we can re-pattern our minds, get back in sync and keep ourselves rooted in joy.
Honestly, I think I wouldn’t like myself that much if I didn’t retreat from my everyday life, every once in a while!
How it works is:
This retreat has three main components:
- The asana groove class—Jivamukti yoga and movement meditation.
- Sitting meditation (mindfulness).
- Soundbaths.
What makes it different is:
The active meditation (dancing) and shaking part of the Asana Groove class, together with the kriyas and breathing practices, make it a highly effective method to purify body and soul. Also, everything about the food at the retreat is so special—from being harvested right there on the property’s farm, to being prepared by the most wonderful chefs, to being served so beautifully on long tables outside, under the moon and stars.
What also makes it very unique is the property itself. Located on the top of a hill, only 10km from the nearest beach, this exclusive finca is nestled on 60 hectares of land in the heart of Menorca, so there’s plenty of space for long walks in the forest. It´luxurious in the good kind of way, with beautifully designed furniture, comfortable beds with linen sheets, hair and body care made from Mediterranean plants and a beautiful yoga shala.
My favorite lesser-known detail is:
We have a day excursion to Hauser & Wirth gallery and a mindful horse ride to the beach. We also do a show cooking with our in-house chefs!
I hope the guests walk away feeling:
Awakened, energized, rooted, grounded, at ease, light, joyful and connected. It’s so important at this time to connect with our body, mind and spirit. We live in a very chaotic world and it is our responsibility to bring balance and steadiness back into our lives.
Retreating is so important because:
If there is no exhale, no inhale is possible. In order to bring new things into our lives, we must first create space to let go. Retreating allows us to enter a space where we can notice where our mind is and make a conscious choice to drive it in a direction where we can align our body and heart. We spend so much of our lives projecting into the future or getting so caught up with the past that we leave little space for us to fully inhabit the present moment.
We need time and a safe space in order to practice loving-kindness towards ourselves. I teach clearing, purifying and awareness practices such as mindful movement, yoga and meditation in order to help shift the heart into a state of coherence and synchronized heart/brain neurology.
My favorite retreat I ever went on was:
The full month when I did my yoga teacher training in Nosara, Costa Rica.
The words I live by are:
“Through repetition magic arises.” — Sharon Gannon
One truth that is so important, but people don’t always realize is:
We are so powerful. You are so powerful. The heart's electromagnetic field is synchronized to the Earth’s resonant frequency—that’s potent! It’s been proven by neuroscience that our heart is our main brain center. That is, our heart can actually be more powerful than the brain. Which is why we ought to work on this center.
According to Rollin McCraty Ph.D, “The heart has access to information outside the boundaries of time and space. It’s been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.”
So, I invite you to get out of your mind and into your body!