If self-reflection comes better through a piece of clay, La Meridiana in Tuscany offers classes all year long, including a weeklong hand building course (€1,700 [$1,770] tuition) in March and a course on creating contemporary porcelain jewelry (€1,900 tuition) with Luca Tripaldi, a sculptor, in July.
Finding inner peace and meditation in a countryside setting is what the Sharpham Trust, in the English county of Devon, offers throughout the year with its three-day retreats. Through guided meditation, periods of silence and walks through the trust’s Capability Brown-designed parkland, the sessions would be an opportunity to start learning how to ground yourself or a chance to brush up your skills (prices start at £395 for single occupancy, which includes room and board).
Or if doing diet and detox as part of your yoga experience sounds ideal, the Dharana retreat in India’s Maharashtra state offers a five, seven or 14-day Art of Detox program that includes cupping, an infrared detoxifying sauna and a consultation with a nutrition expert, as well as all meals (starting at $850 a night).
Of course there also are lots of less expensive options that don’t require long-distance travel, such as a massage or a night at the movies, a concert or the theater.
Kevin O’Neill of Ann Arbor, Mich., the father of 3-year-old identical triplet girls, recently did that, driving 40 minutes into Detroit for an evening of sushi and a musical. “It was empowering,” he said.
Since his solo night out, he and his husband have talked about trying to carve out more time for each of them, and as a couple.
“It makes you a better parent,” he said, “it lets me come back to them and be fully charged again.”
