School of Sensual Arts: AWAKEN Retreat
Wednesday 13th May 2026- Monday 18th May
Benissa, Alicante, Spain
A 5 night retreat designed to restore your vitality, awaken your senses and remember your essence.
Maybe that’s feeling alive, inspired and curious for life or maybe it’s feeling well rested, relaxed and revived.
Nestled in a boutique Spanish villa, a stone’s throw away from the mediterranean sea, this is your invitation to deeper connection through nature, nourishing food and the ancient Indian sister sciences: Tantra, Yoga, Ayurveda, where you have space to finally unfold and awaken.
Who is this retreat for?
This retreat is for you if:
Life has been doing its thing and you want to do something to pause, realign & feel yourself again
You appreciate beauty, ritual and good food around a table with good conversation
You’re looking for more depth and intention than a standard ‘eat, sleep, repreat, holiday’
You want to feel the effects of a consistent movement practice, balanced meals & good rest
You’re curious about authentic yoga & tantra for awakening & connection to your inner voice
You want to go beyond the physical and theory, and feel the practices as lived experience
You’re open-minded and excited to explore your inner landscape while enjoying the Spanish nature around you
You want to explore a new experience on the Spanish coast without the stress of organisation
You want nourishment, growth and depth in your experience without the heaviness of a training or course
You’re ready to be held by freedom in how you spend your day and the structure of intentional practices to hold you
The Location
Picture mid-may in Spain: nature is in bloom, the light is golden and a scent of zesty fragrant fruits fill the air. Amid centuries-old trees, you retreat to a private boutique villa, set in one of the oldest small towns on the Costa Blanca, overlooking the green La Fustera Valley.
Benissa is a quiet jewel on Spain’s Costa Blanca, where the mountains lean gently toward the Mediterranean sea and the pace of life softens almost immediately. The area is known for its crystal clear blue sea, coastal walks with dreamy pink sunsets. Set between Valencia and Alicante, it offers the beauty of the coast without the noise, think rugged coves, turquoise water, and winding paths scented with rosemary and sea air.
The Practices
Each day we’ll uncover aspects to personal awakening according to your ayurvedic dosha.
You’ll explore morning yoga and breathwork practices which bring you into balance, restoration and vitality, peppered with practices you can take away to apply into your daily life.
In the afternoon, you can take a break from the sun with a workshop for personal awakening: exploring aspects of tantra philosophy, psychology, mythology and practices from Henika’s book ‘SENSUAL: connect deeply, express freely, love intimately’
In the evenings, before or after dinner, we will gather for a final wind down session, such as a shakti circle, candlelit yoga, guided sunset meditation, nidra or new moon ritual.
Everything we offer is an option, we welcome beginners and experienced practitioners, if you want to sleep in one morning, skip an afternoon session or head to bed earlier another, you are welcome to take what you need.
The Space
The boutique villa is designed by 4 sisters with earthy tones, warm natural stone and a rustic yet modern charm. Offering beautiful sea views with multiple terraces and lots of space for to find both inspiration and relaxation.
Between sessions and healthy meals, you can find a space in the villa’s charming hide‑away corners to journal or read, lay down on a lounger under the olive trees or take your pick between the private pool, hot tub and multiple terraces where you can sunbathe and stargaze.
On some days, you might want to stretch your legs, grab your book and take a short 7 minute walk to the beach for a lounge in the sun and dip in the healing Mediterranean sea.
Rooms can be booked private with a double bed or they can be split into a shared room with single beds. Many of our guests travel solo and although this can be a daunting experience, it is repeatedly a highlight of the retreat experience!
The Food & Ayurveda
Ayurveda translates to the ‘science of life’ and is a foundational holistic science which reminds us of our profound connection to nature. It understands that we all have a unique constitution made up of the elements, and certain foods, movements and practices are supportive in bringing us into out optimal balance - where we can awaken and feel radiant, from the inside out.
Each day will start with light morning refreshments before our movement practice, followed by a delicious brunch. You’ll have an afternoon bite to boost your energy and dinner is served family style. Both vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and meat options will be available. Coffee, fruits, snacks and warming teas will be available through the day.
‘Spice of Life’ Ayurveda Workshop
At the beginning of the week, you will understand your ayurvedic constitution with a view to learning more about finding balance through what you eat as the week goes through.
A special workshop with our private chef: Learn to craft spice blends for your dosha, imbalances, or season. Explore common spices used in Ayurvedic healing, empowering you to bring natural remedies into your daily cooking, with knowledge you can take back into your life to sustain, your inner spice for life!
Your Host + Teacher: Henika
Henika is the founder of the School of Sensual Arts and Author of SENSUAL. She bubbles with enthusiasm in sharing the intersection of tantra, yoga, ayurveda and psychology for awakening, connection and expansion! She’s happy to take time to understand your needs and offer personalised support throughout your experience
Your Chef : Baru
Baru lives locally and loves the way Ayurveda and yoga dance together. Both offer pathways back to ourselves, strengthening the body, calming the mind, and opening the heart. Baru’s approach to food reminds us that balance doesn’t have to be heavy or serious, it can also be light, playful, and full of discovery. She’ll be serving balanced delicious meals throughout the stay, guiding our ‘spice of life’ workshop and is very welcoming to cater to allergies or strong preferences you may have to ensure you’re nourished from the inside-out!
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5 Nights Accommodation in our boutique villa
Daily Brunch, Afternoon Snack, and Dinner with healthy balanced meals cooked by a private chef
Full Access to the pool, hot tub and amenities
Complimentary Tea, Coffee, Water and snacks throughout your stay
Daily Guided Practices led by Henika
Group coastline trail excursion
Ayurvedic Spice workshop to explore personal herbs for your wellbeing
Gift Bag filled with gifts to support your wellness
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Flights, Transfers, Travel Insurance, Treatments
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Rooms can be booked private with a double bed and private bathroom. Or can be shared with 2 single beds and a shared bathroom. Although this can be daunting, it is often a highlight of the retreat experience! We will have a pre-retreat form and call to get to know each guest before pairing. As a boutique retreat, there will be a maximum of 10 guests on the retreat
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You’ll find out the exact schedule for the next day, the evening before, so that you can relax, and let us look after your day.
Wake up - slow morning with morning refreshments
830/9am-1030am Morning practice
11am-12pm - Brunch
12pm-230pm Relaxation time
230-330pm Afternoon Bite
4pm-5/530pm Afternoon session
530pm-7pm Sunset Relaxation time
7pm Dinner
Some evenings: Evening meditation, nidra, circle after dinner
10pm Bedtime
Timings can change depending on weather.
Checkin is from 430pm, checkout is at 9am
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The villa is around 1 hour from Alicante airport or 1 hour 30 from Valencia airport
Flights are very accessible and reasonable to the location
We will book one taxi at a specific time from Alicante airport
We recommend either getting a taxi or you can also hire a car if you prefer to drive and explore the area in your spare time
If you prefer to stay in the villa, no need to hire a car
We will create a whatsapp group for taxi-share with other guests arriving at similar times to the airport and offer you a taxi number too
After booking, we will share what you can do if you are arriving earlier or extending your stay after the retreat ends
We will share detailed instructions on how to reach the retreat location.
As seen in Natural Health Magazine
We were lucky enough to have a journalist come and experience one of our retreats. She left glowing reviews of her experience and the article went to the no.1 trending article on the website for weeks. We’re happy to have been hosting retreats for years, understanding the sensitivity, craft and magic of providing both structure and freedom, space to expand as well as space to relax. If you’re nervous about ‘tantra’ or would like to read the article: “what really happens on a tantra retreat” read here
Reviews from retreat guests:
“I come away from this experience feeling both internally and externally refreshed, with a renewed consciousness of every layer of my senses that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. This was my first retreat and I'm almost nervous to try any other retreats because it was just so magical!”
“I just had one of the most incredible weeks of heart opening, sensual awakening and bliss. With a deep connection to both myself and the others on the retreat in such beautiful and emotional ways that I truly didn’t expect nor knew was possible”
“Sometimes you reach a point in life when you’re ready for deeper connection but aren’t quite sure how to do this, or maybe you don’t feel safe enough to surrender. This retreat was the right time, right place, right people to let go and just be. To explore depths of myself, be vulnerable and in turn, connect with others in such a profound way”
“Every detail was thought through with care. The organisers went above and beyond, paying close attention to how each of us were doing throughout the retreat and tailored the experience accordingly, even throwing in a few delightful surprises. There was just the right amount of variety in what we did every day, with each new day bringing new delights for the senses and inner soul”
“The retreat was the highlight or my year, or two! For anyone looking to connect deeper within, to reach new levels of awareness and awakening, to allow bliss into your life, I cannot recommend this enough”
Investment
Earlybird for the first 5 bookings only: place a £500 non refundable deposit to save your room
Settle the remainder using the following payment plans, links will be sent after deposit is received
1x full payment, 3x payments - available until March 13th or 5x payments -available until Jan 15thDeluxe: double room, ensuite: £1750 pp shared (payment plan from £260 x 5)
Classic: 2 single beds, shared bathroom: £1450pp (payment plan from £200 x 5)
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact hello@schoolofsensualarts.co.uk and we will be happy to support you!