Ashtanga Yoga Retreat at Purple Valley Tenerife with Isabella

The week will look at how a regular yoga practice can help find balance for body mind and spirit. The daily morning classes will be Mysore style with physical and verbal adjustments and advice. Before morning class Isabella offers a shorter mindful meditation, pranayama and chanting to prepare for the asana practice. Afternoon workshops will explore how different aspects of the eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga may play a role for our physical and mental well-being and lay a foundation for a sustainable, long term practice. Each afternoon session will end with a guided relaxation. The retreat is beneficial both to seasoned practitioners of Ashtanga yoga as well as beginners.

Dates: 18-25 January 2025

Venue: Purple Valley Yoga Centre Tenerife

Prices & Booking: ALL information about the retreat venue, accommodation, prices and booking please consult the Purple Valley website - retreat description 

Questions: If you have questions regarding the yoga tuition, please first read the detailed programme below. You are are also welcome to contact us by email. For any other questions regarding the retreat please check the Purple Valley Tenerife website and get more details about the retreat there.

Daily programme

The week will feature mysore style self practice sessions/ led classes. Each afternoon class will include either asana technique or lecture and discussion on a yoga philosophy theme. Afternoons are ended with a guided relaxation and shorter meditation or breathing exercise. The schedule below is an outline of what to expect but we reserve the right to alter the content and themes of the classes to suit the group and the practitioners present.

Morning class
Sunday - Saturday
7.30-8:15 Mindful meditation, pranayama & chanting
8:30-10:30 Mysore class

Afternoon class
Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 16-18.00
Guided Relaxation Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 18-18:30

Workshop themes:

Workshop 1: Breath & Bandha
In his class we (re)connect to our breath and explore how it influences our well-being. We delve deeper into the morning pranayama exercises and lay the foundation for the morning practice throughout the week. The aim is to help participants improve the relationship to their breath, to learn how to self-regulate and to gain a deeper understanding of the role of the breath in their yoga practice and daily life. We also look at the importance of bandha and what this means for our breath as well as asana practice.

Workshop 2: Grounded and stable
This class looks at how to create a good foundation for a stable and sustainable practice; how to be grounded and steady on our feet and in our head. We look at the importance of the sun salutations and standing sequence in Ashtanga yoga; how we use our feet and legs is fundamental to laying a good foundation for what will come. We also look at how mastering the standing postures lay the foundation for more difficult postures ahead.

Workshop 3: Spaciousness in body, mind and breath
The pressures and stresses of life may make us feel cornered or trapped. Uncomfortable asana or fear of making certain shapes with the body may cause tension and compression. In this class we look at how to create space in our movements, in our breath and in our mind. We particularly look at making space for the spine and its natural curves and how to practice in order to prevent future pain or injury.

Workshop 4: The yoga of action
What is the purpose of yoga? Why do we practice? How is our physical practice related to how we live “off the mat”? Kriya yoga - Tapas, Swadhyaya, Ishvarapranidhana – tells us how to practice. The eight limbs of Ashtanga lay out the method, but the first and second limbs - Yama and Niyama - often end up in the shadow of the third and fourth limbs (asana and pranayama). In this class we discuss how we can interpret the five Yama and Niyama and how to mindfully include them into our daily lives.