Experience Glens, Lochs, Isles & Moors

You’re invited to immerse yourself in the heart of the Scottish Highlands – from the natural beauty to the rich culture of the people. Experience a bit of everything on this amazing AdZENture, from awe-inspiring glen treks to the mystical lochs and isles …enjoy a balance of adventure and Scottish culture at its finest!

Our AdZENture covers so many aspects of the Highlands…because we just couldn’t leave anything out! For that reason, we will enjoy two AMAZING and unique stays over the duration of our week in Scotland. Experience the magic and the grandeur of the mountains, glens and moors at our first accommodation, nestled at the base of its very own Glen Loy. We will spend the first 3 nights of our retreat in luxurious cabins near Spean Bridge which provides the perfect base for our mountainous adventures.

Our last 4 nights, will be spent on the coast near the famous town of Oban in our very own, private castle set on a 5,000 acre estate. Enjoy amazing views of Loch Etive and the mountains beyond, 30 acres of beautiful gardens for walks and sunrise yoga as well as every amenity you’d wish for your castle stay!

Gioconda Parker is a world-renowned yoga instuctor and has been guiding her students in the practice for nearly 20 years. She is a 500ERYT, she has completed her Master’s Degree in Spiritual Psychology as well as the three year training program in Somatic Experiencing. Gia has traveled the world to study the practice as well as lead other practitioners in international retreats.

She teaches Vinyasa Yoga, Yin Yoga and Partnered Thai Massage, meditation and pranayama, the foundations of Ayurveda, and is well studied in the Yoga Sutras and other significant yogic texts. In addition, she has studied world religions, has been trained as a life coach, and completed a year-long energy healing course. She’s an eternal student, and has found that learning supports her continued passion for teaching and mentoring. She loves sharing what she knows, learning what her students know, and having the opportunity to invest in her students with the same loving care her teachers invested in her.

Besides yoga, Gia loves movement, travel, hiking and the outdoors. Her love of travel and yoga was a natural fit, and she enjoys leading yoga retreats around the world – come join her for her second AdZENture…this time in Scotland!

Sarah Montross is a world-renowned 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500, YAECP) and has practiced and studied yoga since 2002. She has been teaching since 2007. She received her 200-hour certification from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center and her 500-hour certification from Yogamaya, both in New York City.

She believes that teaching yoga is a sacred service and she is committed to bringing the ancient yoga philosophy forward into modern life through relatable language. She has a knack for sharp, specific cues that are designed to move students forward in their practice at their own pace. In her classes, alignment serves a structure in which to settle the mind rather than a constraint. She also likes to laugh, so you can count on lots of jokes, some of which are less successful than others.

Besides yoga, Sarah loves travel, hiking and the outdoors. Her love of travel and yoga was a natural fit, and she enjoys leading yoga retreats around the world – come join her for her first AdZENture in Scotland! We are so happy to have her join our team of AdZENturers!

Richard is a national park ranger team leader based in the Peak District National Park in England where he has been working for almost 40 years. His day job consists of him telling his team how wonderful, charismatic and talented they all are, which is entirely true. Working with such a wonderful team rarely feels like work, although the challenges of assisting in managing and educating visitors to one of Europe’s busiest national parks are considerable. He tries to do his job with a smile on his face, something that he almost always manages unless someone decides to have a BBQ on moorland in summer.

A lifelong Scotland visitor, he’s summited around 160 of Scotland’s 282 ‘Munros’ (mountains in Scotland with a height of over 3000 feet) and has been walking and clambering the Scottish hills since the 1980s. His most recent visit included winter ascents of Stob na Bróige and Creag Bhán in Glencoe, where the views, like the chill, were breathtaking. Richard believes his soul lives in the Highlands, although he’d like to join it more often by buying a house there, so far he’s only managed to purchase a kilt and too many bottles of the wonderful Scottish Single Malt—usually from the magical isle of Islay.

He’s been lucky enough to explore mountain ranges around the world, including Nepal, Bolivia, India, Indonesia and Chile, and spent many of his recent vacations in the wonderful Apuan Alps of Tuscany in Italy, trying to find his way to the summit of mountains and descending via refugios and wine. In his spare time Richard is a writer, working for mostly American companies and (in)famous in many gaming circles for his work which can be found across all good bookselling platforms. He’s written 2 novels and lives in a wonderful cottage with a walled garden in the Derbyshire hills where street names like Roughpiece Lane and Bent Lane are considered entirely normal. The smallholding he keeps with his fabulous, glamorous wife Alison (to whom he has been married since 1847) is a full time job in itself, looking after their horses, ducks, chickens, cat and dogs—especially his beloved Scottish Deerhound, Thai, who in truth does very little but sleep and follow people around who have bacon.
Richard cannot play the bagpipes.

A veteran leader of hundreds of organized walks, he cannot wait to share his beloved Highlands with you all.

Our first accommodation is a group of luxury cabins set at the base of Glen Loy in the heart of the Highlands. The property is comprised of two, 2-bedroom cabins and one, 3-bedroom cabin for our guests. Your hosts will also be staying on the property in a separate accommodation where we will enjoy a special, cultural meal by professionally-trained chefs with special guests providing an insight to the local culture.

Our private castle is situated on a 50-acre estate with breathtaking views of the lochs and mountains in the distance! With over 30-acres of garden and forest on the estate, we will enjoy daily yoga on the grounds as well as hikes with plenty of opportunities for solitude and time to reflect. Enjoy home-cooked meals in the formal dining room, a game of pool in the billiard room and a restful night’s sleep in one of the 9 comfortable rooms in the castle.