Last week I spent seven full days cooking for a yoga group of 10+ people in Kaş — one of the most beautiful spots along the Antalya coast — surrounded by stone villas, in the shade of olive trees, right at the edge of the deep blue sea. From morning meditations to sunset dinner tables, it was a week filled with the freshest, most flavourful and most nourishing food I could give.
This piece was written to share how beautiful an experience it is to cook for yoga camps — to nourish body and soul at the same time. I wanted to inspire yoga groups, retreat organisers, and everyone who has ever wondered: "can food itself be part of the meditation?"
On the first morning of the camp I walked into the kitchen at 6:30 — everything was quiet. Just birdsong and the faint sound of waves. As I set the tables, I laid mustard-yellow runners over the white tablecloths and placed a large vase of fresh white flowers in the centre. With the stone walls, the olive trees and the calm of the pool, the kitchen became something like an open-air meditation corner.
As I set the breakfast table, one thought was with me: these people will be practising yoga all week, cleansing their bodies and minds. I need to give them the cleanest, most alive energy I can.
I believe food at yoga camps needs two essential qualities:
- Light but satisfying
- High-energy and easy to digest
So I built the whole menu around these principles.
The full tables in the photos are a direct reflection of that energy. Fresh grape clusters, dates, green olives, pomegranate salads, lentil salad, yoghurt-based sauces and fragrant flowers… Every plate was like a small prayer of gratitude.
Preparing food for a yoga group became its own mindfulness practice for me too. The sound of the knife, the scent of the vegetables, the rhythmic chopping, the pots dancing over the flame… Inside the kitchen, I was completely present in the moment.
"What I'm doing right now is helping these people be more aware, more energised and more at peace for a whole week" — that thought was a tremendous motivation.
The guests felt it too. Many said: "I didn't feel heavy all week", "My energy stayed high the whole time", "The food felt like medicine." Those words were the greatest reward for me.
Over those 7 days:
- Every morning, we prepared breakfast fresh
- Every meal, we used the finest seasonal ingredients
- Every evening, we set tables full of gratitude
- And most importantly: we built a beautiful bridge between food and yoga
Food is not just fuel. In yoga camps especially, food is energy transfer, healing and connection. What you put into your body directly shapes your mind and soul too.
If you're organising a yoga retreat or will be joining a camp soon, remember this: the energy of the kitchen shapes the whole camp. Food prepared with freshness, love and care is just as important as meditation and asanas.
This camp was so much more than cooking for me. I came away with new friendships, beautiful memories, and the awareness that "I can cook the way I do yoga."
If you organise yoga camps and are looking for support in the kitchen, or if you'd simply like to try recipes like these — I'll see you at the next camp.
Namaste and enjoy your meal. 🧘♀️🍋
See also: Eating Right at a Yoga Retreat · Meal Prep for Athletes in Kaş · Private Chef at Your Villa in Kaş