Imagine waking up in Cyprus, stepping onto your balcony and starting the day with views of the sea or the mountains.
Your morning begins with yoga, followed by a long vegetarian brunch. The afternoon might be spent by the pool, exploring the beautiful Paphos region or simply reading in the sun.
And somewhere in between, there will probably be a rescue puppy climbing onto your lap.
Welcome to a slightly different kind of Yoga Retreat in Cyprus.
At our Puppy Yoga Retreat in Peyia, near Paphos, yoga is an important part of the experience – but it isn't the whole experience. Our retreats combine yoga, Mediterranean living, time to explore Cyprus and life with the rescue puppies we foster together with local animal welfare organisations.
So, what does a week here actually look like?
Why Choose a Yoga Retreat in Cyprus?
Cyprus is one of those places where spending time outside quickly becomes part of everyday life.
The Mediterranean climate means that much of retreat life can take place outdoors: morning yoga, brunch in the sunshine, afternoons by the pool, coastal walks and evenings overlooking the Mediterranean.
Our retreat is located in the Paphos region, giving you the opportunity to combine a relaxing yoga holiday with beaches, beautiful landscapes, traditional villages and the many sights of western Cyprus.
But you certainly don't have to spend every free afternoon sightseeing.
Sometimes doing absolutely nothing is exactly what a retreat is for.
Welcome to Our Yoga Retreat in Peyia
Our retreat is located in Peyia, in the Paphos region of Cyprus, in a peaceful hillside setting surrounded by beautiful views.
Rather than staying in a large hotel or resort, our guests share a villa that becomes home for the duration of the retreat.
There is a swimming pool, garden, indoor yoga space, rooftop yoga area and plenty of communal space to relax, talk or simply enjoy some quiet time.
Because our groups are small, the atmosphere tends to become personal very quickly.
You might arrive knowing nobody.
A few days later, you're sitting around the dinner table together talking about the day while a puppy sleeps underneath someone's chair.
What Does a Typical Day at Our Cyprus Yoga Retreat Look Like?
One of the first questions people ask us is:
“What do you actually do all day at a yoga retreat?”
The answer is: probably less than you think.
Our retreats aren't designed around filling every hour of your day with activities. There is structure, but there is also space.
And that space is important.
8:30 – Morning Vinyasa Yoga
We usually start the day at 8:30 am with Vinyasa Yoga.
Depending on the weather and time of year, we can practise outside or use our indoor yoga space.
Our morning sessions are more active than the evening classes, helping you wake up, move your body and start the day feeling energised.
You don't need to be particularly flexible or experienced. The idea isn't to perform the perfect pose.
It's simply to move, breathe and begin your day without rushing.
A Long Vegetarian Brunch
After yoga comes one of our favourite parts of the morning:
Brunch.
Our food is vegetarian, and vegan options are available as well.
We eat together and there is no need to rush. Shared meals are a surprisingly important part of retreat life.
At home, breakfast might mean grabbing something quickly before starting the day.
Here, you can sit down. Have another coffee. Talk to the person next to you.
And possibly have a puppy staring hopefully at your plate.
Your Afternoon Is Yours
This is where your retreat can become whatever you need it to be.
Some guests want to explore as much of Cyprus as possible.
Others discover after two days that what they really needed was permission to lie beside a swimming pool and do absolutely nothing.
Both are completely fine.
Your afternoon could include:
- relaxing by the pool
- reading in the garden or on your balcony
- spending time with the rescue puppies
- visiting beaches
- exploring Paphos
- discovering the Cyprus coastline
- going for a walk
- visiting nearby sights
- or simply taking a nap
If you would like to use your free time to explore Paphos and the surrounding area independently, you will need a rental car. Our hillside location gives us wonderful views and a peaceful atmosphere, but it isn't a convenient base for exploring the region without a car.
If you're happy spending most of your retreat relaxing at the villa, practising yoga and enjoying time with the puppies, there is no need to fill your afternoons with excursions.
17:00 – Slow Down With Evening Yoga
Later in the afternoon, we come together again.
Our 5 pm sessions are usually slower, with practices such as Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga or meditation.
This creates a very different atmosphere from the morning class.
And sometimes there are four-legged participants.
Our rescue puppies may join some of our gentler sessions, turning an already relaxing hour into something rather special.
Puppies are not particularly interested in respecting personal yoga space.
They might fall asleep beside your mat. They might climb onto you. They might decide your yoga block is actually a toy.
And that's perfectly fine.
The Puppies Are More Than a Cute Addition
This is the part of our retreat that makes us different from a traditional Yoga Retreat in Cyprus.
The puppies aren't here because we buy or breed puppies for yoga classes.
They are rescue puppies.
We work together with local animal welfare organisations and foster puppies who would otherwise be living in shelters.
By taking puppies into our retreat, we help free up urgently needed shelter space for new emergencies while giving the puppies something equally valuable:
the experience of living in a home.
Socialisation Is Part of Their Journey
A shelter can keep a puppy safe, but it is very difficult for an overcrowded shelter to recreate normal family life.
At the retreat, the puppies meet different people. They hear household noises. They experience visitors coming and going and learn about cuddles, boundaries, different voices and everyday routines.
When they are old enough and it is safe for them, they can gradually experience more of the outside world too.
These seemingly small experiences can help prepare them for the biggest change of all:
moving into a permanent family.
How Our Retreat Helps Support Rescue Work
There's another important part of our concept.
We don't primarily finance this work through donations.
Instead, our yoga retreats and puppy events help finance the work we do with the puppies.
Guests get a memorable experience. The puppies get care, attention and socialisation. And the shelters get some much-needed breathing room.
The more sustainable the retreat becomes, the more capacity we have to continue helping.
That's why we don't really see ourselves as simply a Puppy Yoga business.
The retreats and events are part of what makes the rescue work possible.
And Then They Leave Us
This is simultaneously the best and hardest part.
The puppies aren't supposed to stay with us forever.
The goal is for them to find their own families.
Some are adopted in Cyprus, while others eventually travel abroad to their forever homes.
And sometimes something particularly lovely happens:
one of our visitors falls in love.
We have already had visitors meet a puppy through our events and later welcome that dog into their own family.
If you'd like to see what life can look like after a puppy leaves us, you can follow Oscar's journey from rescue puppy in Cyprus to beloved family dog in Germany.
What Is the Villa Like?
For the duration of your retreat, the villa becomes your home.
We have five bedrooms and seven beds, with both private and shared-room options.
Every bedroom has its own balcony and either beautiful sea or mountain views, so even your room feels connected to the landscape around us.
Outside, you'll find our swimming pool and garden, while inside there is plenty of communal space to relax and spend time together.
Because retreat life isn't only about the scheduled activities.
Some of the nicest moments happen between them.
Coffee on your balcony in the morning. Conversations beside the pool. Dinner together.
Or everyone suddenly stopping what they're doing because one of the puppies has fallen asleep in a ridiculous position.
Yoga With a Mediterranean View
One of our favourite places at the villa is our rooftop yoga area.
Looking out towards the Mediterranean while practising yoga is one of those experiences that is difficult to recreate inside a studio.
During warmer periods, we make use of shaded areas and adapt our practice to the weather.
And when practising outside isn't appropriate, we also have an indoor yoga room.
The goal isn't to force the retreat into a rigid schedule regardless of the conditions.
It's to work with where we are.
And we're lucky enough to be somewhere rather beautiful.
What Can You Do Outside the Retreat?
You certainly don't have to stay at the villa all week.
The Paphos region offers beaches, archaeological sites, beautiful coastline, countryside and access to areas such as the Akamas Peninsula.
Depending on the season, you might spend your free time swimming, sightseeing, walking or simply finding somewhere beautiful beside the Mediterranean.
However, if exploring the area is important to you, we strongly recommend renting a car for your stay.
Do You Need a Car?
If you'd like to explore Paphos and the surrounding area during your stay, a rental car is necessary.
Our retreat is located in Peyia, in a peaceful hillside setting rather than in the centre of a tourist resort.
That location gives us wonderful sea and mountain views and a relaxed atmosphere – but it also means you need a car if you want the freedom to visit beaches, explore Paphos, discover the Akamas Peninsula or head out independently for sightseeing and walks.
Paphos Airport is the closest airport, while Larnaca Airport is another option for international arrivals.
You don't need a car simply to enjoy the retreat itself.
If your plan is to slow down, practise yoga, relax by the pool and spend time with the puppies, you can happily enjoy your time at the villa.
But if exploring Cyprus is an important part of your holiday, we definitely recommend arranging a rental car.
Coming Alone? You're Definitely Not the Only One
This deserves its own section because it is something many guests worry about before booking.
You absolutely do not need someone to come with you.
Many of our guests arrive on their own.
You arrive alone, but you aren't spending a week alone.
Yoga classes, meals, puppies and simply sharing a house create natural opportunities to get to know each other without the pressure of organised socialising every minute of the day.
At the same time, if you need some space, you can take it.
That's an important balance.
What If You've Never Been on a Yoga Retreat Before?
That's completely fine too.
A yoga retreat isn't reserved for people who can do handstands or have practised yoga for ten years.
Our classes can be adapted to different levels, and you don't need to arrive with any particular level of flexibility.
What Should You Pack?
You don't need anything particularly complicated.
- comfortable clothes for yoga
- swimwear
- sunscreen
- comfortable shoes
- clothes for relaxing at the villa
- and some warmer layers depending on the season
And don't worry about dressing up for dinner.
This is a retreat, not a fashion show.
A Yoga Retreat – Without Having to Be “Retreat Perfect”
Maybe this is the most important thing to know.
You don't have to arrive as the healthiest, calmest or most flexible version of yourself.
You don't have to wake up at 5 am.
You don't have to meditate for two hours.
And you don't have to spend the week pretending that a green smoothie is more exciting than dessert.
Our idea of a retreat is much simpler.
Move your body. Eat together. Spend time outside. Rest. Explore if you want to. Laugh. Meet people you wouldn't normally meet.
Cuddle a rescue puppy.
And go home feeling like you've actually had time away from everyday life.
Is Our Yoga Retreat in Cyprus Right for You?
Our retreat may be a good fit if you're looking for:
- a small and personal yoga retreat
- a retreat that's welcoming to solo travellers
- both active and relaxing yoga
- sunshine and Mediterranean surroundings
- time to explore Cyprus
- vegetarian food
- a relaxed rather than rigid schedule
- and, of course, lots of time with rescue puppies
It probably isn't the right retreat if you're looking for an intensive yoga training programme or a highly structured schedule from morning until night.
We deliberately leave room for the holiday part of a yoga holiday.
Ready to Spend a Week With Us in Cyprus?
Yoga, Mediterranean sunshine, vegetarian food, time to explore Cyprus and, of course, lots of time with our rescue puppies.
We deliberately leave room for the holiday part of a yoga holiday.
