As regular readers know, Jo recently skipped off to Italy for a Yoga break - which was just what
il dottore ordered, after a particularly frenzied few months hurtling towards our deadline for
The Anti-Ageing Beauty Bible. And we thought you should know about her destination: The Shanti Centre, in the beautiful hills of Abruzzo (two hours from Stansted to Pescara). The centre's been opened by lovely Yoga teacher Stephanie Bosanko, with her gifted foodie partner Rupert Fox generally responsible for the scrumptious food. But the week Jo was there, Roo shared meal-prepping with Hayley North, a Brighton-based Scaravelli yoga teacher who came up with a sublime menu based on foods for this transitional time between summer and autumn: nourishing stews and soups, delicious smoothies (many based on nut milks or green veg - much more delicious than that sounds!), and even a raw chocolate brownie on the last night. The 'autumn cleanse' included five-and-a-half hours of classes a day with Hayley (including 7 a.m. Qigong), a mountain hike and a day at the beach, and Jo returned home feeling positively Tigger-bouncy. In between, Jo experienced some of the best massages she's ever had, from Stephanie (Thai and Swedish styles) - and that's saying something; there are beautiful walks nearby, too, as well as a sauna on-site. The Shanticentre just published its timetable for 2011 - see link below - with extremely reasonable prices, making it the perfect yoga destination in particular for anyone on a budget (a week is from just £395 including meals with the current 'early bird' booking discount, but not including Ryanair flights). Yoga bunnies, get clicking.
