The ultimate wellness therapies and retreats in Wales

Whether it's practising yoga on a mindfulness retreat, or experiencing the tranquillity of stand up paddleboarding, Wales’ diverse and striking landscape is the ideal place to recharge and rebalance your inner world. 

Polarity Therapy is all about energy-balancing - tuning into your energy flows and working out where there are blockages. Practitioners use a combination of bodywork, counselling, therapeutic exercise and nutrition. Swansea natives Rex and Alaea Beynon are Registered Polarity Practitioners with 30 years’ experience in the healing arts.

Their Seren Retreat is set within 23 acres of ancient woodland close to the lovely Gower Peninsula. The couple work will work with you to help achieve physical, emotional, mental and spiritual happiness. The treatments are supported by relaxing yoga and nutritional guidance to help maintain a healthy lifestyle, all with the added bonus of nearby clifftop views and revitalising sea air.

You can try other holistic therapies at She-Lin Centre for Alternative Health in Borth, Ceredigion, or read on for five easy ways to practice mindfulness in Wales.

If you need a break from everyday life to rest and de-stress, an all inclusive yoga retreat in Wales can help re-charge your batteries. 

Based near the Black Mountain in Carmarthenshire, Stables Wellbeing holds regular retreats in beautiful, calming surroundings. Long weekend retreat themes include 'Embrace Yourself' and 'Time to Thrive Yoga & Pilates' for inner-self wellbeing work. More active weekends include yoga, guided walks to connect with nature, and stand-up paddleboarding.

Old Lan Farmhouse in Whitland, Pembrokeshire hosts a wide range of retreat options, from bootcamp fitness weekends, men only retreats, wine tasting, and yoga and meditation chill out breaks. 

And you can combine stargazing, storytelling and foraging with yoga followed by blissful sleep in a cosy yurt-style tent on one of several different wellness breaks offered by Adventure Tours UK.

Many people find spending time with animals is immensely therapeutic. Of course the vast open spaces and national parks of Wales offer wonderful opportunities for taking the dog for a scamper or hacking across hilltops on horseback, but how about this for something a little unusual? You can walk with donkeys in the tranquil Mid Wales woods with Dyfi Donkeys, take part in an Amazing Alpaca Encounter in Monmouthshire, or head to Alpaca my Boots in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons).

Read more: Animal encounters in Wales.

Strange as it sounds to immerse yourself in a barrel full of warm, seaweedy water, the folk at Halen Môn on Anglesey believe it's a great way to relax and rejuvenate while taking in the impressive views of the Menai Strait. The outdoor Wild Seaweed Baths by Halen Môn use local, cleaned seaweed and pure water left over from their salt processing. The relaxing warm water releases the minerals and oils in the seaweed. This traditional bathing technique was popular during Victorian times - apparently it's very restorative for all sorts of ailments!

If the thought of blissful relaxation sounds right up your street, try one of our Ten favourite spa hotels in Wales.

Can trees talk to us? The Centre for Alternative Technology near Machynlleth was promoting sustainable living decades before concerns about global warming came so dramatically into focus. There are seven acres of eco-friendly ideas in action here to explore including organic vegetable growing, sustainable building and using renewable energy in the home.

But for those of us on a quest for deeper renewal by getting back to nature there's a range of unusual short courses - some quite practical, others more esoteric. Social Forestry is a great example. You can relax by learning how woodland management and crafting promote wellbeing and a sense of fulfilment. If you stop and listen a moment perhaps you'll feel the unique energies that ancient trees seem to have deep inside them? 

Discover 12 eco-friendly places to visit in Wales.

Find more treats from the search results below, or use our search to find a well being retreat in Wales.