A week of yoga practice, nourishment and island ease with Jules Jenkinson. Mornings begin on the mat: a long, deep practice that builds capacity and drops you into flow. Then the day is yours: swim in the lake, have a siesta, explore the land, book a massage, or find a quiet corner with a book.
Afternoons come back together for a second practice, slower, more spacious, a chance to unwind and integrate. Evenings are quiet or not, depending on what you need.
Sri Lanka holds it all: the warmth, the ease, the opportunity to be without distraction from the outside world. A grounding yoga retreat with space to simply enjoy being somewhere beautiful in nature.
Jules grew up in the Australian outback, then the cultural sprawl of Melbourne, and spent her childhood with a quality that has never quite left her: a genuine curiosity about the world and everything living in it.
She has been practising yoga for more than twenty years. Her first teacher training came in 2012, a 350-hour immersion in Amrit Yoga, and she began teaching the following year. From there her studies widened, moving through Jivamukti, Hatha and Yin before she found her way to Prana Flow Yoga and a close working relationship with global teacher Shiva Rea, whose teacher trainings and retreats she assisted in Nosara, Costa Rica and Sydney.
She is certified by Yoga Alliance as an E-RYT 500 lead trainer and continuing education provider, and also holds qualifications as a Yoga Nidra teacher, massage therapist, Level 2 Reiki practitioner and tantric meditation practitioner.
At Ulpotha
Sri Lanka became her home in 2020, and the island’s energy has shaped much of what she does now. She went on to own and run a boutique yoga and surf retreat hotel on the south coast, before co-founding One Bhakthi, a school of yoga and wellness in the village of Kathaluwa, where she leads 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings.
Afternoons
Afternoon sessions are slower and more restorative. Gentle movement leads into longer held, passive shapes, allowing the body time to soften and release. Attention stays with breath and sensation, supporting deeper layers of connective tissue and encouraging rest and nervous system settling.
What you'll experience with Jules
Students tend to say that Jules is less about technique and more about presence: a quality of being met where you are, without performance, without hierarchy.
In pictures
9 photos
Visiting therapist
Yuji Kuwamizu
Yuji, a therapist based in the tranquil hot-spring haven of Kagoshima, Japan, has mastered a unique treatment style.
Yuji utilizes the CS60, a cutting-edge device developed in Japan, symbolizing the forefront of cellular health. Representing 'Cell Smooth 60 trillion', the CS60 is designed to activate countless cells, enhancing blood and lymph circulation, and revitalizing the body's inner workings. Known for regulating the body's bioelectric current, it also activates mitochondria, fostering cellular rejuvenation and overall vitality.
Yuji masterfully combines his expertise in the CS60 with traditional healing arts which he has been practicing for many years such as Myo-fascial Release, Reflexology, Shiatsu, Meridian Massage, and Reiki, creating a holistic healing experience. In Ulpotha he will also integrate CS60 into an offering of Thai massage therapies for those who wish.
He excels in creating bespoke therapeutic experiences, intuitively aligning with each client's unique physical and emotional landscape.
Resident therapist
Dilani Kandegama
Dilani brings 24 years of massage therapy experience to Ulpotha, with professional qualifications in deep-tissue and relaxation massage, as well as foot reflexology. She works at a physiotherapy clinic in Colombo, where she delivers therapeutic massage and supports patient rehabilitation programmes.
Before that, she spent nine years as a sports centre therapist at Hilton Colombo Residencies, working with guests from across the world. She currently also provides prenatal and postnatal massage support and works as a personal therapist for diplomats based in Sri Lanka.
Dilani believes every body tells its own story. She takes time to understand what each guest needs before they get onto the table, and shapes every session around that.
Who is here
Who you’ll practise with
Practicalities
What a stay includes
- Two weeks, Sunday to Sunday.
- One week is possible: pick your dates on the booking page.
- Your hut, daily yoga (usually two classes) and all meals are covered.
- Ayurveda and transfers are the only extras.