Last weekend was my lovely friend Bria’s yoga getaway weekend. She’s been hosting these retreats for a few years at a beautiful retreat house about an hour north of the city, and this was something like my 5th or 6th time tagging along! In addition to being an amazing yoga instructor (the best, in my opinion!), Bria has a real gift for creating a relaxing experience in just a short weekend’s time. We do some yoga, explore the property, check out a local apple orchard or vineyard, and eat healthy and satisfying meals. And there’s plenty of time to just hang around the house to read or relax.

Bria in Scorpio pose; Spoiler Alert: I do not look this awesome when I do yoga (photo via Bria Tavakoli)

Dave, our chef for the weekend, is a fantastic cook who is doing his culinary training right now. Obviously a yoga retreat requires tons of kale (literally, Dave brought a trash bag-sized bag of it) and it was delicious both as a cold salad for lunch and roasted with walnuts and currants at dinner time. He also prepped one of the best roasted chicken dishes I’ve ever tasted, which involved a coriander rub and a roast at high heat. The result was so crispy and juicy that some people thought he had fried it! But of course since we were all getting our health on, that was not the case.

My mom started coming on the retreats with me a few years ago, and now my younger sister has joined us as well. It has become a really special thing for us to do together, especially since we don’t see each other all the time. We had the best time just hanging out, catching up, and shopping for… jam? That’s right — I went away on a yoga retreat and came back with an abundance of homemade jam. There is a woman who sells jams and jellies at the property next door, and we are mildly obsessed with her.

Her company is called Coyote Kitchen, and she comes up with truly inventive flavors made from locally-sourced fruits, herbs, and products. This year, she had a strawberry-habanero jam that she suggested swirling into brownie batter before baking — YUM! I’m also really excited to break into the raspberry-pinot grigio jam with some cheese and crackers. We’ve come to find her during the same weekend over the past few years, and this year she brought along something special for us: candied tangerines preserved in vanilla bean syrup. She told me to cut up the tangerines to put in baked goods and then use the syrup for cocktails. I’ll update with the results when I give it a try!

I always find it a little difficult to re-enter reality after a weekend away on one of Bria’s retreats, but it also helps me to push the reset button and come back a little more focused and relaxed. I highly recommend checking out one of her retreats whether you’re an experienced yogi or a total beginner (she has one coming up in St. Lucia that I’m sure is going to be amazing!). At least I have enough jam to last me until the next one!