MIMI KUO-DEEMER
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Paella and Presence: A Yoga, Meditation & Qigong Retreat
Suryalila Retreat Centre (Andalucia, Spain)

with Mimi Kuo-Deemer and Margi Young
(Daoist Flow Retreats Ltd.)
October 30 – November 6, 2021 (Sat - Sat)

​PLEASE NOTE: this retreat has been cancelled


register and book here
Mimi and Margi are teaming up once again to teach a week-long yoga and meditation retreat at Suryalila, a stunning retreat centre nestled in the foothills of Sierra de Grazelema, with breathtaking views of rolling hills, fields of sunflowers and lakes. The days will gentle and invigorating practices, three delicious meals, and of course time for a daily siesta!

Margi and Mimi will teach their signature style of yoga, which consists of alignment-based flow with intelligent sequencing and a healthy dose of relaxation. There will also be Buddhist, Yogic and Daoist philosophy woven into the teachings, revealing how the richness of ancient traditions can be incorporated into our contemporary lives. 
​A retreat with Mimi and Margi is a delight from start to finish. You can tell they are old friends because the laughter flows easily and their teaching styles dovetail perfectly. Mimi brings her unique blend of Qigong and Vinyasa yoga; Margi brings wonderful mantras and poems, and gives some of the best alignment instruction you will ever receive. They also attract lovely people to their retreats –  from twenty-somethings to retirees, from yogi veterans to newbies, from Californians to Chinese.  Making new friends and sharing experiences will be one of the highlights of your break, as will the mouth-wateringly delicious food! I returned from my retreat with a richer, subtler understanding of yoga and the confidence to start a home-practice.  And I find that even a year on, I am still carrying Mimi and Margi’s teaching in my body and spirit. – Simon Watts, BBC Radio reporter
Highlights:
  • Wake with Qigong followed by meditation.
  • Morning active practice, with possibilities for all levels of experience.
  • Leisurely afternoons, where you can swim in the pool, nap, stroll or go for a longer walk through the nearby hills.
  • Late afternoon practices will be gentle and may include restorative yoga, meditation, pranayama (breath work) dharma talks, discussion, and inquiry.
  • We will be practicing in the Om Dome which has been called, “the most magnificent Yoga Hall in Europe.”
  • Amazing vegetarian and mostly home grown cuisine. There are also chickens on the premise who generously supply the centre with eggs!
  • Fresh fruit, tea, coffee, drinking water always available.
  • Enjoy a mid week “day off” from formal practice. Visit nearby Spanish towns, hike to a waterfall, or take a long snooze by the pool.​
  • Practice with an international group of beings with common intentions. Group size 30-45.
‘Mimi and Margi are an international fusion of excitement and grounding, enthusiasm and entertainment. They created a simply wonderful retreat’. – Wayne Moser, photographer. ​
The Cuisine
The vegetarian meals are a sumptuous banquet for the eyes and mouth. Suryalila grows as much of their own food as possible on their permaculture farmland. 

All dietary restrictions will be honored.
“Suryalila is a magical spot – you feel the deep peace the moment you arrive, and after one night, you never want to leave again.” – Martin D. Clark, editor OM Yoga and Lifestyle Magazine
Facilities and Activities

  • Salt-water swimming pool.
  • Deep tissue and Thai massages are available and can be booked on arrival and payable in euros directly to the therapist. 
  • Juice Bar with cold pressed juices and smoothies can be purchased. 
  • Shakti Boutique (Suryalila's shop for clothes, books, gifts, organic products, travel essentials and snacks).
  • Nearby walking trails and excursions (mid-week you will have a day off where you can walk to a waterfall or visit an Andalucian village/town). Please note, this cost is not included in the retreat price. ​
Getting to Suryalila: 
Arrival day is Saturday, Oct 30, 2020.

There are three options for traveling to Suryalila:

Airport transfers: Suryalila offers to arrange airport transfers to meet you at the airport and bring you directly to the centre. Costs per transfer to and from the airports are:
  • 70 Euros for a pickup from Jerez (50 min drive);
  • 90 Euros from Seville (1 hour); and
  • 150 Euros from Malaga (2 hours 45 min).
Details will be arranged closer to the time of the retreat, but every effort will be made to group you with others so that you can share costs. 

Buses: Take a bus to Villamartin, and Suryalila can pick you up from there for 10 Euros. Buses are cheap and relatively reliable. You can check times here: http://www.damas-sa.es/index.php/rutas-y-horarios/

Car rental: As Suryalila guests, the car rental company Sixt car hire offers 10% discount if you rent a car with them. To benefit of the discount, click here.


From London and the UK: 
We recommend booking a flight that arrives at before 2pm. For returns, we recommend a flight that leaves anytime after 2 pm.  Check www.easyjet.com,  expedia.co.uk, or cheapflights.co.uk. 
​
Suggested Flights: 
Departs Sat 30 Oct 2021, from London Gatwick to Seville: 
BA 2798 departing 8:20  - Arr 12:10

Returning Sat 6 Nov 2021, from Seville to London Gatwick
BA2799, Dep 13:05 - Arr 14:45

From the US (San Francisco, New York, Chicago): 
There are direct flights from several US cities (JFK, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas) to Malaga and Barcelona. Alternatively you can fly to Paris, Frankfurt or London and connect to Seville.  Please note that because of the time change you will need to leave the US on Oct 29th to arrive in Spain on the 30th. Good websites to check for flights are expedia.com, kayak.com and cheapflights.com. ​​
Enter Travel Details Here
“Mimi and Margi have a unique way of teaching which is both rigorous and compassionate, serious and then at times full of happy laughter. It is profoundly healing.” – Catherine Karnow,
​National Geographic photographer

About Mimi and Margi
Mimi Kuo-Deemer and Margi Young have joined together to practice and teach yoga, dive deep into spiritual teachings and appreciate life for 16 years. Combined they have over 35 years of teaching experience!  They both offer alignment and breath-based vinyasa flow as well as meditation and restorative yoga. They have also been certified by the Mindfulness Training Institute to teach mindfulness. Mimi is a qigong lover and adores beginning days with this enlivening practice. They have co-taught in Italy, Mexico, London, New York and Spain, and have honed the art of co-teaching which they offer with infectious joy. This is the sixth retreat they are offering as a team. 

‘Mimi and Margi are utter magic!’ – Laura Shipsey,
​yoga and primary school teacher
​
Mimi is a senior teacher at triyoga, where she leads classes, immersions and teacher trainings. She champions meditation as the answer to just about all of life's most pressing questions. Her two main teachers in the yoga world, Erich Schiffmann and Donna Farhi, continually humble her with the idea that yoga is the art of living, listening, and learning to embody a deeply spiritual tradition. In 2002, Mimi co-founded Yoga Yard, Beijing’s first and leading yoga studio, which she co-directed for seven years. She now lives in Oxford, and teaches classes, workshops, retreats and teacher trainings in the UK and internationally. She is the author of two books: Qigong and the Tai Chi Axis: Nourishing Practices for Body, Mind and Spirit (Orion Spring 2018), and Xiu Yang: Self-cultivation for a Happier, Healthier and Balanced Life (Orion Spring 2019). She has also released many videos and programmes for New Shoot Pictures, and is a regular a contributor on the online yoga and wellness site MovementforModernLife.com. For more information please visit her website, www.mkdeemer.com.
Margi was named as one of America’s 100 most influential yoga teachers by Sonima on line publication. She has been teaching yoga since she left the dance world in New York City in 2000. She was trained and spent her first 10 years of teaching at Cyndi Lee's OM Yoga Center where she ended up leading many teacher trainings and heading the restorative department of this prestigious studio.  She has also studied prenatal yoga at Integral, and her restorative training is from Judith Lasater. Currently she is studying yoga for the pelvic floor with Leslie Howard and cranio sacral therapy with Ellen Mossman. She has recently contributed her writing to two of Linda Sparrow’s books, Yoga At Home: Inspiration for Creating Your Own Home Practice and YogaMama: The Practitioner's Guide to Prenatal Yoga. She travels the world teaching yoga and is on the staff of Awakened Life School of Yoga where she leads teacher trainings in Bali. She also has on-line classes on www.yogaanytime.com.  For more information, please visit her website  www.downtowndog.com.
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“Retreats with Mimi and Margi are experiences I’ll always treasure. They have an ease and camaraderie together that translates to a joyous sense of vitality both on and off the mat. Their enthusiasm was infectious, and I found the retreat to be a perfect combination of calming and energizing. There was always space for reflection and contemplation, but also plenty of time for laughter, feasting, and celebration.” – Susanna Beacom

 Cost, Rooms and Payment Information.

Deposit of £300 pounds sterling to reserve.

Dorm Room (4 beds all female, shared bathrooms) - SPACE available 
£1025 
 
Triple Share Yurt – three twin beds, shared outdoor bathroom - ONE SPACE available 
Three twin beds sharing, £1035 per person 

Regular Yurt – twin beds, shared outdoor bathroom - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  
As single, £1230 
As two sharing, £1075 per person 

Large Yurt – one double bed and one fold out couch. Shared outdoor bathroom - ONE YURT available 
As single, £1325 
As two sharing, £1075 per person 

Eco Casa Double or Twin – eco-friendly rooms in shared straw bale house. Shared outdoor bathrooms  - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  ​
As single, £1325 
As two sharing, £1075 per person 


Standard Room – twin beds, shared house, shared bath with 2-3 people: - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  
As singles: £1535 
As two sharing, £1175 per person

Superior Room – one king bed, shared house, shared bathroom: - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  
As single, £1585 
As couple sharing, £1275 per person 


Deluxe Standard Room – one king bed, shared house, private bathroom: - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  
As single, £1635 
As couple sharing, £1375 per person 


Deluxe Ensuite Room  – one king bed, shared home with ensuite bathroom: - FULLY BOOKED -waitlist  ​
​As single, £1685 
As couple sharing, £1475 per person 

Deluxe Suite Room – one king bed, shared home with extra living room and ensuite bathroom: 
- FULLY BOOKED -waitlist
​As single, £1785 
As couple sharing, £1575 per person 
 


Payments: 
A non-refundable deposit of £300  is required with this booking form to secure your place.  Full payment is due by August 15, 2021. If booking within six weeks of start date payment in full will be required upon booking.

Payment can be made by check or bank transfer. ROOMS AVAILABLE ON FIRST COME BASIS. PLEASE INDICATE PREFERENCE FOR ROOM, AND WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO MEET YOUR REQUEST, BUT CANNOT GUARANTEE YOUR ROOM TYPE IS AVAILABLE. Cost includes 7 nights accommodation and all yoga and meditation, qigong, meals. It does not include therapies, excursion costs or transportation to/from Suryalila. 


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Register and book here
After you submit your registration form, you will receive an email from Mimi within five days to confirm your interest. If you do NOT receive this, please check your junk mail folders. An invoice will then be sent to you for the deposit to confirm your room. Thank you! 
The content on this site is copyright of Mimi Kuo-Deemer. 
Website design by Mimi Kuo-Deemer.

​Privacy Policy
​

Mimi Kuo-Deemer is a trading name, and provides yoga, qigong and mindfulness meditation classes. 
​Daoist Flow Retreats Ltd.  provides retreats and residential courses under the umbrella of Mimi Kuo-Deemer. 
Daoist Flow Trainings provides training in qigong, yoga and mindfulness under the umbrella of Mimi Kuo-Deemer.
​

All rights reserved. 


  • home
  • classes
    • Self-paced Courses
  • event calendar
  • retreats
    • Retreats: Frequently asked questions
    • UK July 2023
    • Cotswolds April 2023
    • France Aug 2023
  • teacher training
    • daoist flow yoga teacher training
    • Qigong Five Elements Training >
      • Feedback Oct 2022 Training
    • Qigong Teacher Mentorship
  • books and videos
  • about
    • about mimi
    • contact
    • testimonials
    • community
    • blog
    • photography >
      • gallery
    • in the media