About Julia
Your retreat leader
Leading international trips since 2001.
I founded Julia Ingersoll Retreats in 2012 to bring together my passions for yoga, cycling, art, culture and travel and share them with small groups of people who are also curious travelers seeking more than just another vacation.
My affinity for travel came naturally. I was a free-range child of arty intellectual academics with wanderlust who encouraged my brother and me to believe we could do or become whatever we wanted. So I did!
We lived in Paris when I was a child, and spent our summers traveling all over the Mediterranean, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Croatia (then Yugoslavia) and Greece in our VW van, long before that was a “thing”. We lived for a year in Morocco, by the sea in a traditional earthen house. We eventually returned to the US, moving to California where I went to high school. In Colorado I got my BA in Philosophy, but I abandoned my plans for a Ph.D to pursue competitive mountain biking. I competed internationally for the US national cycling team and then as a pro, for almost a decade. During that time I was able to meet fascinating people and explore many amazing places, including the Himalayas, Bali, the Greek Islands, India and Turkey, and became an avowed Italophile.
When I retired as a professional athlete, I studied oil painting and figure drawing at the Florence Academy of Art. I lived in Tuscany for nine years, working successfully as an artist and leading dozens of group cycling tours. I traveled extensively in Europe and my love and knowledge of Italian and Greek life and culture deepened.
I am fluent in French and Italian languages and pretty good in Greek. I speak a little Balinese. I continue to spend several months a year in Europe leading trips, exploring, and painting, and some time each year in Bali where I have co-founded a non-profit foundation for youth education. I am on the faculty of Esalen Institute and live in Big Sur, California. I would love to be managed by a cat, but that would curtail my travels.
Julia’s Yoga
30 Years of Practice
RYT- 500 Certified Teacher
I began meditating in childhood and was introduced to active yoga practice early in my bike-racing career. Yoga has been a passion and way of life ever since. One of my great joys is sharing yoga with others.
My personal practice has been steady and evolving over nearly 30 years. I continue my study and practice with great teachers. This keeps me current with the teaching and theory in yoga, biomechanics and functional movement, benefitting me and my students.
I believe that yoga can transform and heal us, allowing us to experience life with more ease, joy and clarity. My personal experience of the power of yoga to support and optimize all aspects of my life—health, energy, creativity, personal connection to a sense of the divine—fuels my passion for teaching.
My teaching style emphasizes personalized alignment to honor the innate intelligence of the body, and offers playful challenge to help each student discover their own power, intuition, and courage. Always, the safety and comfort of each student is foremost, respecting any physical limitations or conditions. My classes and perspective are influenced by many years of in-depth study with master teachers in diverse lineages of yoga: Anusara, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Iyengar. Teachers include Richard Freeman, Noah Mazé, Thomas Fortel, Annie Carpenter; and ongoing study with my dear mentor Desirée Rumbaugh.
Our Retreats
When you attend one of my retreats, you will arrive in a special place. You’ll be in a setting of great natural beauty and authentic culture, and be lovingly cared for by genuine local people who are passionate about their traditions, their land, and who love what they do. Their passion is contagious! Expect to indulge in the best local food traditions and great wines, exploring artisan culture and learning from the best. Getting under the surface and into the essence of a place allows our experiences to make a deep impression, and not just pass us by. I will provide inspiration so you awaken to the possibility of joy, freedom and wonder within your own life.
Each retreat has a balance of physical, cultural, and rejuvenating activities; and is imbued with deep local knowledge and learning that I will share with you. I seek out hidden gems and places with great character. Every restaurant, winery, artisan; each place we visit, is somewhere I love for its heartful people and special qualities.
You’ll feel nourished, intrigued, joyful, relaxed, adventurous, and completely welcome. Drink in the simple beauty of life. Your retreat is not just an everyday vacation, but a life-enhancing adventure inspiring you to embrace the best version of yourself.
Many people who come on a retreat return again and again for the joy of another adventure and new discoveries – and to join friends made on past trips. Click to read what other travelers have to say.