In fewer than three hours you can exchange the hustle and bustle of London's Waterloo station for Baoli's converted boutique barn. It is enclosed in an elegant French-style courtyard of gravel and well tended plants set in the tranquil West Dorset countryside, a short drive from Crewkerne.

The long-weekend Balance Me break (Friday evening to Monday morning) centres around an impressive, light-filled living-and-dining space filled with Indian statues, Moroccan lamps, colourful cushions and luxurious rugs on shiny, concrete stone floors. Simple bedrooms, with all mod-cons, run off an adjoining corridor and a small pool and sauna are next door.

Beyond the barn you can marvel at the expansive hills and nature's surprises such as deer bounding across fields.

Aside from the stunning setting, the carefully structured programme of yoga, meditation, country walks and breathing techniques is nicely balanced with spare time for the use of facilities such as the garden hot tub and sun loungers.

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BACKGROUND

• Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch, Dorset

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Yoga sessions form the backbone of the retreat. They are led by the dynamic Michaela, a former marketing director from the Czech Republic who has practised yoga for eight years and was fully trained in the Ashram in India.This is her first venture into yoga retreats.

The day begins - as all sessions and meals do, following the sounding of Tibetan chimes - with a morning yoga session at 7am; we warm up with breathing techniques, exercises and a self-facial massage using a geranium aromatherapy balm, designed to wake the body up.

It works up to quite a tempo and includes the sun salutations, cobra and downward dog poses holding them with controlled breathing as well as several subtle and ingenious variations on the theme. The endless positional variations are mind-, not to mention, body-boggling.

It's a fantastic workout for the whole body enhancing balance, posture, strength, breathing, flexibility and relaxation. A one-hour personal consultation with Michaela, which is specifically tailored to my constitution, helps me with stretching and technique, which I later apply at home.

If the weather is kind there is outdoor yoga in a sheltered garden as well as a cool, refreshing morning yoga session in the swimming pool. These both added variation and it was surprising how much the water allowed greater lower-limb stability and balance.

Couple's yoga, aimed at tapping into another person's energy, was fun and interactive especially as yoga can sometimes feel rather isolating.

Although first timers and beginners might find themselves off the pace and slightly breathless, there is no pressure to keep up and you can go at your own pace. This approach ensures that the classes remain challenging but not too daunting. They not only stretch your muscles but also open your mind to a full range of yoga's possibilities and benefits.

If you've never meditated on chocolate before then I can heartily recommend it. By simply concentrating on the form, the shape, structure, flavour and texture (of a Green & Black's dark chocolate egg, in this case), we learnt the first lesson of meditation which is primarily to relax the brain and gain control of your thoughts. It was tough to stay awake during the evening fireside meditation sessions; the comforting cup of soya milk and honey chai that followed sent us off soundly for an early night.

Of course, you can meditate anywhere. For example, during a well earned rest on one of the "silent walks", where we were encouraged to "inhale... exhale" in tune with our steps, you can sit and meditate in "nature's amphitheatre", a curved hillside with terrific seaward views.

Healthy eating is an integral part of the weekend, too. All the cooking is done in-house by Michaela's partner, Jason. We were famished after a couple of hours of yoga before breakfast but the wait was well worth. The hearty brunch served at 10 am included fruit salad, muesli, lentil fritatta, dried fruit and coconut rice, goat's cheese salad, yoghurt and jams from local farms served with green tea and fresh vegetable juice.

Meals were informal, with a communal living feel (there were half a dozen of us, mostly from London) minus the effort of preparing food, cooking or having to do the dreaded washing up.

After all the yoga, fresh air and walking, a holistic Swedish massage left me revitalised and ready to climb any mountain, physical or metaphorical.

Using long, flowing strokes to relax strengthen and tone the muscles, the massage worked on improving blood circulation while calming the nerves and eliminating toxins from the body.

Samantha, a freelance massage therapist, from Streatham, has teamed up with Baoli and uses a treatment room with scented candles adjoining the main farm building, and a full range of aromatherapy oils.

Reiki, an ancient form of hands-on healing is also available. This works by opening the chakras, cleansing the body's energy channels and by working in harmony with the body's natural healing abilities. Nobody knows the extent of the human touch's capacity to heal and replenish. but one thing is for sure, it feels fantastic.

Baoli means refreshing fountain in Hindi and it lives up to the simplicity and beauty of its name.

NEED TO KNOW Baoli, Burggraff, West Axnoller, near Beaminster, Dorset DT8 3SH (0754 330 2820)

Baoli yoga detox, 28-31 August 2009 - a luxury wellness break at the Renaissance Trebesice castle in the Czech Republic; from £550 per person (flights not included)

For more details on breaks visit www.thebaoli.com

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