Wild Women's Retreat

  The Mahakala temple is a hidden gem nestled between the mountains of Montenegro and the Adriatic sea. From there you can reach the beach around a 10-15min walk, and you… read more can also explore beautiful nature such as cliffs, and waterfalls in around a 20/30 min walks. The area in September is super calm although it gets packed during high season in the summer. The teachers create a safe space and they pour their hearts in their classes and workshops. I really enjoyed the morning yoga sessions overlooking the bay. I especially loved the Yin Yoga/sound healing & Kundalini practice, they were so unique. The workshops are centered around wellness and self-care, they helped me to connect to myself as a woman, sometimes even pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone, which eventually feels completely rewarding. The food is just incredible, it offers a varied vegan menu and it is sourced locally. Every day is themed, so I was always amazed by the creative meals. Our group was diverse and we connected extremely well, which also contributes immensely to the experience. I also want to highlight the fact that Mahakala’s core lives by sustainable principles, which for me personally is very important. This retreat is extremely nourishing, healing and loving, it rather feels like a whole journey. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a break, connect to their female self or is just curious and open-minded to… The Mahakala temple is a hidden gem nestled between the mountains of Montenegro and the Adriatic sea. From there you can reach the beach around a 10-15min walk, and you can also explore beautiful nature such as cliffs, and waterfalls in around a 20/30 min walks. The area in September is super calm although it gets packed during high season in the summer.
The teachers create a safe space and they pour their hearts in their classes and workshops. I really enjoyed the morning yoga sessions overlooking the bay. I especially loved the Yin Yoga/sound healing & Kundalini practice, they were so unique.
The workshops are centered around wellness and self-care, they helped me to connect to myself as a woman, sometimes even pushed me a bit out of my comfort zone, which eventually feels completely rewarding.
The food is just incredible, it offers a varied vegan menu and it is sourced locally. Every day is themed, so I was always amazed by the creative meals.
Our group was diverse and we connected extremely well, which also contributes immensely to the experience.
I also want to highlight the fact that Mahakala’s core lives by sustainable principles, which for me personally is very important.
This retreat is extremely nourishing, healing and loving, it rather feels like a whole journey. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a break, connect to their female self or is just curious and open-minded to explore themselves and try new things.
I can only say good things honestly, thank you so much guys for making it possible! More

  I had such an amazing time at the Wild Women’s retreat at Mahakala! The team around Marijana was so nice and helped the whole group opening up and share their… read more feelings. I can not put into words how magical everyone, also the guests, were. Thank you again so much for this beautiful stay 🙂

  I expected a lot after reading the reviews and it makes me a bit sad to have to say that I was disappointed. The program was different than… read more expected – in a full week we had 4 yoga classes (that we even had to insist on), a few qi gong classes and the rest of the “workshops” were a tour of the house (?!), basic meditations, talks on random topics, a walk to the forest just next to the house and a very simple fire ceremony. There was no context or intention given to these activities, so it just felt like a random selection of things to do. The very first yoga class we had was extremely disappointing – not well structured, not well led. Not the quality of teaching you would expect at a yoga retreat. The staff seemed to be disengaged, even rude at some points, and did not really seem to care much about us guests. It just felt like everything was done half-heartedly, without any real intention or passion. The facilitators seemed burned out and annoyed to have to lead yet another group – not the best energy to spread at a yoga retreat. You could feel that many guests caught on to that vibe whenever the facilitators were around and were not able to fully enjoy their time here. I liked the boat trip though, enjoyed a wonderful masaage and had a great time hanging… I expected a lot after reading the reviews and it makes me a bit sad to have to say that I was disappointed.

The program was different than expected – in a full week we had 4 yoga classes (that we even had to insist on), a few qi gong classes and the rest of the “workshops” were a tour of the house (?!), basic meditations, talks on random topics, a walk to the forest just next to the house and a very simple fire ceremony. There was no context or intention given to these activities, so it just felt like a random selection of things to do. The very first yoga class we had was extremely disappointing – not well structured, not well led. Not the quality of teaching you would expect at a yoga retreat.

The staff seemed to be disengaged, even rude at some points, and did not really seem to care much about us guests. It just felt like everything was done half-heartedly, without any real intention or passion. The facilitators seemed burned out and annoyed to have to lead yet another group – not the best energy to spread at a yoga retreat. You could feel that many guests caught on to that vibe whenever the facilitators were around and were not able to fully enjoy their time here.
I liked the boat trip though, enjoyed a wonderful masaage and had a great time hanging out and connecting with the fellow guests. The location itself is nice as well, a short walk to the beach and quiet. The food was great, healthy, fresh and with lots of variety.

Mahakala was not what I hoped and expected it to be in terms of yoga, the vibe and the activities offered. I’ve been to some other retreats in Europe before and Mahakala is way overpriced for what it actually offers.
I really wanted to love this place, but did not have a great experience here. More

  I am still exuding sunshine and happiness after returning from this beautiful retreat!! I booked Mahakala’s detox week with the intention of relaxing and loading up on healthy food after… read more a stressful and unhealthy summer. What I didn’t expect was how much more this retreat would be! First of all, the food is AMAZINGby far the best vegan food I’ve ever eatenfresh, diverse, tasty, organic, locally sourced from the garden and nearby small-scale organic farmers, and prepared with so much love! Every day there was a huge variety to choose fromthe Phô soup being my absolute favorite. The main difficulty was trying not to overeat with so much deliciousness to choose from. Our yoga teacher Guilia poured two decades of experience into her two daily classes (on the rooftop in the morning and in the yoga shala in the eve), plus the sound baths before bed were amazing! Add to that Ferhat and Leon‘s full body massages, the infrared sauna, outdoor baths, the acupuncture and personalized treatments with Dr. Lemm, and the ocean down the road in terms of wellness, it was a dream. Without even intending to, I had arrived in exactly the right place to heal both my mind and body after a couple of tough years. Dr Lemm gave me a detailed list of tests I can have done by my doctor at home and was extremely helpful in pointing me in the right direction about where… I am still exuding sunshine and happiness after returning from this beautiful retreat!! I booked Mahakala’s detox week with the intention of relaxing and loading up on healthy food after a stressful and unhealthy summer. What I didn’t expect was how much more this retreat would be!
First of all, the food is AMAZINGby far the best vegan food I’ve ever eatenfresh, diverse, tasty, organic, locally sourced from the garden and nearby small-scale organic farmers, and prepared with so much love! Every day there was a huge variety to choose fromthe Phô soup being my absolute favorite. The main difficulty was trying not to overeat with so much deliciousness to choose from.

Our yoga teacher Guilia poured two decades of experience into her two daily classes (on the rooftop in the morning and in the yoga shala in the eve), plus the sound baths before bed were amazing! Add to that Ferhat and Leon‘s full body massages, the infrared sauna, outdoor baths, the acupuncture and personalized treatments with Dr. Lemm, and the ocean down the road in terms of wellness, it was a dream. Without even intending to, I had arrived in exactly the right place to heal both my mind and body after a couple of tough years.

Dr Lemm gave me a detailed list of tests I can have done by my doctor at home and was extremely helpful in pointing me in the right direction about where some of my symptoms might be coming from. In general Mahakala felt particularly warm and familial thanks the presence of Dr Lemm and her daughter, who run the retreat together and are inspiring to watch as a team.

The atmosphere they created alongside the rest of the staff was so welcoming, loving, and familial that I watched eleven initially reserved and quiet guests from different countries and backgrounds feel so comfortable after a few days, that people opened up in ways I wouldn’t have thought possibly in such a short time. That is the magic of the place and what sets it apart from other retreats in my mind: the loving and accepting atmosphere that transmits to the guests and lets everyone drop the anxieties, stress, and emotional discomfort they came with and find back to themselves.

I left feeling like a completely different personhappier, shinier, freer, and completely well in my own skin. And judging by the happy faces and tearful goodbyes, I wasn’t alone in feeling like that. Had someone told I could feel that way in just one week, I wouldn’t have believed it.even 3 weeks of vacation in exotic places usually don’t make me feeling anything like that. This place is a gem and I can truly recommend it to anyone who needs to press pause for a bit and find their inner strength again. If I ever feel down and tired again, I won’t hesitate, this is where I’m going. More

  It’s hard to summarise my experience here at Mahakala. I’ve never been in an environment where I can so quickly and easily be myself, and be so open with people… read more I have just met. The teachers are so knowledgeable and the staff are so attentive, I felt really looked after for the entirety of my time here, at the same time as feeling part of a community. We were all there together.
The classes and workshops are a mix of both wellness and self healing, and traditional yoga, which created space to let go, but also learn, and the food was delicious, with a different theme every night, and completely vegan. I also felt great after getting used to the intermittent fasting.
Would thoroughly recommend to anyone wanting to release and exist alongside beautiful people.
Thank you Mahakala this was unforgettable x More

  I was hugely disappointed by this trip. The retreat had 20 holidaymakers…this felt far too large to logistically handle. As a consequence of it being so larye everything involved queueing…queuing… read more to enter the yoga studio, queuing to leave the yoga studio, queuing 30 minutes for the two meals every day. What was hugely frustrating though was the fact the yoga classes were so rammed – you couldn't relax…every session involved being hit by someone closely packed in next to you! The yoga classes were few and far between most labelled yoga were essentially "alterative therapy" practice like free movement dance, screaming up and down on the spot etc etc. Speaking to a lot of the other guests the feeling of being a "bit cheated" was common. The teachers were very young and there were no older teachers that provided grounding, corrections or general life experience to the classes. The food was plentiful but after 3 days it became incredibly "samey" and most people just filled up as 1. You paid for it and 2. The feeling of hunger from fasting was tough. On the final day half the guests became ill alongside volunteers as well. Although traceability is hard to prove I couldn't help but think the lack of modern day disinfectants (they always used diluted soap, lemon or vinegar) in cleaning plates/ kitchenware and general areas where food is prepared could be a contributory factor. Regardless I was terribly… I was hugely disappointed by this trip. The retreat had 20 holidaymakers…this felt far too large to logistically handle. As a consequence of it being so larye everything involved queueing…queuing to enter the yoga studio, queuing to leave the yoga studio, queuing 30 minutes for the two meals every day. What was hugely frustrating though was the fact the yoga classes were so rammed – you couldn’t relax…every session involved being hit by someone closely packed in next to you!

The yoga classes were few and far between most labelled yoga were essentially "alterative therapy" practice like free movement dance, screaming up and down on the spot etc etc. Speaking to a lot of the other guests the feeling of being a "bit cheated" was common. The teachers were very young and there were no older teachers that provided grounding, corrections or general life experience to the classes.

The food was plentiful but after 3 days it became incredibly "samey" and most people just filled up as 1. You paid for it and 2. The feeling of hunger from fasting was tough.

On the final day half the guests became ill alongside volunteers as well. Although traceability is hard to prove I couldn’t help but think the lack of modern day disinfectants (they always used diluted soap, lemon or vinegar) in cleaning plates/ kitchenware and general areas where food is prepared could be a contributory factor. Regardless I was terribly sick, scarily so, and not one member of staff during that late afternoon or evening called on any of us to check we were okay. I would also say that this was kind of a regular occurrence…most staff are volunteers and appear transient in working at this retreat it was evident no training or customer service had been provided to many.

For such price position the value in classes (both style and quality) and the sheer lack of actual yoga alongside customer service is enough for two stars. The sickness was just the icing on the cake.

Overall I was reticent about posting this review as I appear in the minority, yet factually I know that most people that shared this week retreat with me felt the same…short changed. I can only assume that people tend to not write negative reviews about independents and that is why any criticism is so sparce against this retreat. I would warn anyone from coming here and not to be dazzled by the inspirational Instagram account. More

  I booked Apartment 2, with a private room, kitchen and a terrace. It is shared with another person, as there's a second double bed (sofa bed) in the kitchen area.… read more It turns out that there's no wardrobe for the second person and it's expected that the wardrobe in the private room is shared. I didn't realise this. On arrival, I was told that 3 people had been booked into the apartment instead of 2, by mistake. They suggested 2 people share the sofa bed. The other 2 other guests weren't comfortable with this. The centre then suggested bringing up a mattress for someone to sleep on. No one was happy with that either. They then asked another guest who had booked the private basic room if one of us could share with her. She said yes but she didn't feel like she had a choice. I ended up offering to move to the shared room. I didn't see another option and the staff at the centre were very apologetic but didn't come up with a reasonable solution. They said they couldn't move a single bed to the apartment because of health and safety reasons. It felt like they were expecting us to solve this. I then felt pressured to move. During dinner, one staff member interrupted a discussion I was having to give me the new room key. Later when I got up with my plate to go to the… I booked Apartment 2, with a private room, kitchen and a terrace. It is shared with another person, as there’s a second double bed (sofa bed) in the kitchen area. It turns out that there’s no wardrobe for the second person and it’s expected that the wardrobe in the private room is shared. I didn’t realise this.

On arrival, I was told that 3 people had been booked into the apartment instead of 2, by mistake. They suggested 2 people share the sofa bed. The other 2 other guests weren’t comfortable with this. The centre then suggested bringing up a mattress for someone to sleep on. No one was happy with that either.

They then asked another guest who had booked the private basic room if one of us could share with her. She said yes but she didn’t feel like she had a choice. I ended up offering to move to the shared room. I didn’t see another option and the staff at the centre were very apologetic but didn’t come up with a reasonable solution. They said they couldn’t move a single bed to the apartment because of health and safety reasons. It felt like they were expecting us to solve this.

I then felt pressured to move. During dinner, one staff member interrupted a discussion I was having to give me the new room key. Later when I got up with my plate to go to the kitchen she stopped me and asked if she could guide me to my new room. I asked her to please just let me be as I was still eating and highlighted that I felt pressured.

I moved my stuff to the new room. I wasn’t given a towel initially and had to ask for one. There wasn’t enough cupboard space for the two of us and there was nowhere to hang our stuff to dry.

I was surprised that there were about 18 other guests on the retreat. I wasn’t expecting so many people and I felt a bit overwhelmed. It felt less personal and more commercial. This is fine but I think it’s important for the centre to be transparent about this.

Other factors that added to me feeling overwhelmed were that the centre encouraged going caffeine free and explained that if we did want coffee we had to ideally get it between certain times and pay for it. There was also no sugar on site.

The centre encouraged a 16-hour fast and only provided two meals, one at 9:30 and one at 17:00. The food was all vegan and being vegan myself I was excited about this. I was mostly unimpressed by the food except on the Italian-themed night. That food was delicious!

On day 2, one of the staff members came to talk to me. I explained I felt overwhelmed by everything. She was sympathetic and then asked if I had the key to the apartment that I had moved away from. It felt a bit like they didn’t really care.

It was strange to learn that most of the staff members running the yoga classes, workshops etc had only been there for a few weeks or a couple of months and were leaving soon. It seemed to be a revolving door of teachers coming in and going out. The mother and daughter who founded the retreat weren’t there.

The beach was a 10 to 15-minute walk down a steep hill. There was rubbish lying around along the route. There was a market along a route where I managed to purchase coffee, soya milk and snacks.

I decided to change my flight to go home on Wednesday instead of Sunday. For me, the retreat hadn’t been what I was expecting. I wish I had known some of these things before booking as I perhaps wouldn’t have picked this one.

The positives for me were swimming in the ocean. The beach didn’t have sand though and instead had a mixture of pebbles and rocks. It was a bit difficult to walk on. The water was beautifully clear and I could easily see fish! Just a heads up that to hire a sunbed and umbrella it is between 10 and 15 euros per day.

I thoroughly enjoyed the yin yoga class, and trying aerial yoga was a cool experience.

The meditation element of some of the workshops was lovely and I enjoyed making a dream board. I found the journal prompts helpful and I enjoyed the theme days.

The cliff walk was beautiful. I enjoyed walking through the forest and watching the sunset. The views were beautiful! More

  Amazing view to the Adriatic sea, nice and relaxing yoga, great food, nice people and an overall good vibe to help you relax, recharge and enjoy.

People were… read more great and did everything for us to feel good and welcome.

The yoga practice was calming, enjoyable and suited for everyone. A good way to taste a little bit of more styles and practices.

  I can not recommend Mahakala Center enough. This space is so nourishing and loving, you arrive and you feel immediately at home.

The food is amazing, the owners… read more Vesna and Marijana has a lot of wisdom to share about food, herbs and nourishment. This was very inspiring for me.

The yoga practice and the workshops invited me back home into my body and I got some well needed rest, yet a lot of new energy and inspiration. And the whole week with activities, free time, WS and classes unfolded perfectly.

It was truly a beautiful experience, which I am very thankful for.

Love, Emma

  This retreat was exactly what I needed. I cannot put into words how much I felt during the week.
So many wow-moments everyday.
So perfectly curated and well taught… read more Yoga lessons.
The warmest welcome, the hardest goodbye.

I cant wait to be back.
I love you Mahakala.
Thank you for feeling inner peace and pure happiness.

  We just can’t rate Mahakala highly enough! We were fortunate enough to participate in this exceptional yoga retreat late October/early November 2020 at the exceptional and thoughtfully constructed Mahakala… read more Yoga Centre, Montenegro.
Everyday we experienced personally rewarding yoga in a mixed ability class overlooking the bay, with the backdrop of mountains behind: breathtaking! We attended all of the varied workshops and become much more in touch with our inner spirits, (the self love workshop was revelational and we loved the sheer enjoyment of Estatic Dance at night around an open fire pit – one not to be missed). You’d imagine we couldn’t fit any more in, but there was a boat trip to a deserted beach; walks, wonderful massage and more! We stayed in very comfortable modern accommodation and everyday we were presented with a different gorgeous vegan buffet, prepared on site and sourced locally.
We’ve already booked to return next year!

  Mahakala is a place like no other. This hidden gem is located by the sea, sheltered by the mountains and lush forests. Eversince my arrival this sacred space felt like… read more home to me and I feel blessed to stay for longer than I expected. The people around are their most authentic, open selves, which makes it really easy to be yourself. The workshops & classes are deeply healing and contain more wisdom than I could possibly contain. The vegan food is prepared lovingly by the kitchen staff, that makes you feel like a part of the family soon. All in all this place stole my heart. End of story. thank you xx More

  Mahakala is a place like no other. This hidden gem is located by the sea, sheltered by the mountains and lush forests. Eversince my arrival this sacred space felt like… read more home to me and I feel blessed to stay for longer than I expected. The people around are their most authentic, open selves, which makes it really easy to be yourself. The workshops & classes are deeply healing and contain more wisdom than I could possibly contain. The vegan food is prepared lovingly by the kitchen staff, that makes you feel like a part of the family soon. All in all this place stole my heart. End of story. thank you xx

  I love the fact that the centre offers a holistic approach to yoga. It respects the spirituality and mindfulness associated to it. From the place itself, to the yoga lessons,… read more the workshops, the food and above all the people, everything transpires peace. It’s more than a retreat – it’s a journey.

I also highly appreciated that there was diversity in the guests – from all genders, ages and backgrounds that really made us grow as a community.

Our yoga teachers Rhiannon and Edita both created a safe space where we could be ourselves and learn together during our yoga sessions and meditation. The experience is also complemented by workshops around well-being and medicine through herbs that also enrich our connectivity to our body.

I enjoy that the place is genuine with genuine people and not surfing on yoga as a trend.

  Dear Mahakala,

I would like to thank you all for a truly unforgettable experience, this was arguably one of the best weeks I have ever head.

Both yoga… read more teachers (Edita and Rhiannon) are very attentive, knowledgable and shining examples of teaching and guidance to be followed. Both of them adopt a slightly different approach which was (generally agreed on in our group, that ranged from novices to well advanced yogis) ultimately received as perfect combination since we all were able to benefit from both. These teachers are just amazing! Thank you, guys.

Stefanie (an MD specialized in naturopathy) apparently knows almost everything there is to know about Traditional Chinese Medicine and all kinds of herbs around the world. Moreover, she was able to deliver interesting and valuable info in an easy-going fashion which was (and will be) beneficial for all the participants.

The whole staff was taking a great care of us in general – cliff walks, boat tours and did I mention the best vegan food I have ever had?

Rooms and other parts of Mahakala retreat center are clean and cosy with nice touches there and there (chic pieces of decoration, hammocks, etc.) that further improved the whole impression of this place. And the view of the sea – you really need to see for yourself.

The only downside was that the week had just passed way too quickly!

I can (and will) totally recommend! 10 out of 10.

  The best retreat I’ve been to. Stunning mountainous views coupled with a clear ocean around 10-15min walk away. The center has a wonderfully lit shala with a terrace where we… read more did yoga with magical views. Three aspects made this an unforgettable experience for me: 1) the yoga teachers, catering team and others were truly warm, caring and lovely people. 2) the yoga sessions were not just classes but wholesome experiences, with each day having a particular theme relating to mindfulness. I could feel my own progression both physically and mentally through the days 3) the experiences which I had during my stay at the centre, from gazing at the thousands of stars visible from the rooftop terrace; to going on an amazing boat trip to a private beach with clear warm waters; meaningful, heart warming, deep, fun and hilarious conversations with other guests and the team. Highly recommended. Thank you to the team.

  I am a yoga teacher at Mahakala Center. Ever since I encountered Mahakala Center on the internet about a year ago, I have been dreaming of teaching at this magical… read more place. And a year later, the friendly owners welcomed me as a part of the Mahakala family. This place really showed me how nice it is to be a part of a tribe, of a team of like-minded people who run this place, constantly cooperating to provide the best experience for all the guests. This is not just a yoga retreat, this is a place to restore your faith in humanity and in bright future of kindness and sustainability. It seems this place attracts only nice people who want to grow and connect and become even better people. The plant-based food served here is very tasty and lots of it are organic and from our Mahakala garden. Fresh figs are now in season and they are everywhere! The sea is clean and turquoise. The village of Buljarica is calm and perfect for a retreat. I am very blessed to be here. Thank you, Mahakala!

  A piece of heaven. I made a lot of yoga retreat in different countries but this one is one of my favorite. So peaceful and relax. I spent a lot… read more of time and naps in the lounge with the hamac seats 🙂
I practice yoga since 5 years and lately more regularly and the quality of the classes and professors are really good. They talks with kindness and wants to share there passion of yoga and philosophy you feel comfortable immediately. And oh my good the food… 2 local cookers just for us with elaborate vegan meals with everyday an different thematic.
Workshop with a lot different kind of things. Yoga, traditional Chinese medecine, essential oil are so nice.
Accommodation are really good, I shared a room with 2 roommates and he have enough space. And you sleep very well after a good day. Highly recommended, such an amazing place !

  Mahakala was the perfect place to find unity and de-stress from the craziness of the pandemic. After the borders opened I wanted to find a getaway where I could explore… read more as well as meet like minded people. Mahakala gave me this and so much more. It was my first time trying yoga and I fell in love with it. I have not felt calm like this in years! The instructors where magnificant and all of them taught me life lessons that i will remember forever. I especially loved the breathing workshop and the boat tour. Just thinking about the week I spend there makes me smile ear to ear. The laughter, the amazing vegan food, most amazing nature walks and of course all the loving staff! If you need a pause and to resign after this crazy corona stuff then this is the place to come. More

  Great place in all aspects. Warm peacefull atmosphere surraunded my stay. Very good yoga twice a day + other activities. Delicious vege food, which we ate together at the lovely… read more terass. Lovely rooms. Mine eas at 3rd floor. Excellent and super cute room. Yoga books, towels, drinking bottles to be borrowed. Great jaguzzi at the rooftop terrace. ️