Molly McLaughlin - Awake Nature
with Molly McLaughlin
RetreatsThere is an intelligence that moves through all of life. You can see it in the way a body knows how to heal, in the way the mind returns to clarity once it can rest, and in the way nature continually finds balance and harmony. Every person, like every aspect of nature, carries a brilliant and distinctly unique design while being inextricably woven into the whole.
In this retreat, the glorious nature that is Ulpotha is not just a scenic backdrop. It is the teacher, the healer, and the guide. The villagers are an inseparable part of the ecosystem, and their way of life exemplifies the magic of this place. This retreat works with that same intelligence and healing power of nature, which very much exists within you.
Morning classes are energising and nourishing, combining alignment-based hatha yoga and vinyasa flow, with elements of dance. Each class includes a dedicated practice of pranayama and meditation to expand the life-force energy and center the mind.
Evening sessions are for softening and letting go, combining yin and restorative yoga with yoga nidra, mantra, and meditation. These rejuvenating practices create space for stillness, and invite you to reawaken to the ease, joy, and wholeness that is your natural state.
While each session is carefully guided, the invitation is to honor your own inner wisdom. Teachings from Yoga, Ayurveda, and Tantra are offered throughout, not as doctrine but as something to meet through your own direct awareness and lived experience. You will come to know yourself more deeply, and how the elements dance within you and all around you.
Without electricity, schedules, or the constant pull of technology, life simply returns to the rhythms of nature. This retreat is an opportunity to restore balance, reconnect to your true nature, and rediscover your innate capacity to heal, thrive, and live in harmony.
Molly Irene Mclaughlin
What's included:
Accommodation at Ulpotha is on a twin-sharing basis in comfortable, beautifully designed adobe huts open to the surrounding nature.
Yoga is offered every day, usually with two classes. The schedule varies depending on the teacher, the guests, and Ulpotha’s magic.
There is no yoga on Thursday afternoons or Sunday mornings.
A yoga-friendly breakfast and two sumptuous organic vegetarian meals, plus snacks, juices, and teas.
Transport for 1 excursion (half or full day) per week to nearby cultural heritage sites (entrance fees not included).
Indulge in a relaxing free massage per week from one of our visiting massage therapists. (Summer 2026 only - from the winter season, free weekly massages are only available to past guests).
What's not included:
Transport to and from Ulpotha
Travel insurance is not included and is recommended.
Ayurveda treatments are not included in the price; please see prices on our booking page.
A Typical day at Ulpotha:
All times are indicative, as is this description of a day in Ulpotha. There's no regimented or obligatory schedule as such. You're free to do precisely as you wish.
07:00 - 07:30: Tea and Fruit
07:30 - 09:00: Yoga
After yoga: Breakfast (available from 7 onwards for those not practising yoga)
From 10 onwards: Massages/Ayurveda/Swimming/Relaxing/Reading
12:30: Lunch
After Lunch: Massages/Ayurveda or a siesta; alternatively, go for bicycle rides, swim, read or explorative walks
16:00 - 17:00: Tea and Snacks
17:00 - 18:30 Yoga/Meditation/Sunset Walks/Relaxing
19:00 onwards: Dinner by Firelight
Your Teachers & Therapists
Molly McLaughlin
Yoga TeacherIntroduced to yoga and meditation at a young age, Molly Irene McLaughlin has been a lifelong student of the wisdom traditions and healing arts. Based on the Big Island of Hawai‘i, she has been teaching since 2009, sharing yoga classes, workshops, retreats, and teacher trainings locally and internationally.
Molly’s teaching is rooted in extensive study with master teachers in India and the United States, drawing from traditions including Hatha, Tantra, Vinyasa, Yoga Therapy, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. Her classes weave together mindful movement, meditation, breathwork, and philosophy, inviting students to reconnect with their inner wisdom and true nature.
Also an Ayurvedic Practitioner and Licensed Massage Therapist Molly brings an extensive understanding of physical and energetic anatomy into her teaching. Inspired by dance, martial arts, and a deep connection with nature, her approach is both grounding and expansive, encouraging each person to feel at home in their body, connected to source, and free to be themselves.
Yuji Kuwamizu
Visiting TherapistYuji, a therapist based in the tranquil hot-spring haven of Kagoshima, Japan, has mastered a unique treatment style.
