Our Italian yoga retreat was so good last summer that we are going back this spring and I cannot wait. (I am still dreaming about the best ravioli of my life.) We'll be headed to Bolzano, which is located in northern Italy, set in a valley among hilly vineyards. The area is beautiful, and is the perfect place to either relax and restore, or go out and explore. With plenty of free afternoons, you'll be able to lounge by the pool or go out with your new yoga friends for an Italian coffee! Bolzano is a city in the South Tyrol province of northern Italy set in a valley with windy roads, ancient castles, endless vineyards and vast orchards. There is much to see and do in the area from hiking the dolomites, taking the gondola up to Renon for lunch, swimming at Lake Garda, exploring castles, touring some of the most gorgeous vineyards or just taking in the sights and sounds of the city in a classic pizza or gelato shop in the town’s center, Walther Platz. We chose Bolzano because we have connections in the area. Connections in the area means we're able to arrange wine tastings, tours and so much more!
Gelato to go, please!
This retreat is Namaslay themed, which means each yoga class and workshop will be designed with a specific focus from my book Namaslay. This is the retreat to come to if you're:
- ready to grow your practice
- we'll learn how to build overall strength to help give you a more solid foundation for your practice
- we'll dive into inversions and arm balances to get out of our comfort zones and try new things
- we'll explore the niyamas on and off the mat
- ready to start living on purpose
- we'll explore how to connect what we need to our yoga practice
- we'll explore how to take the lessons of yoga off the mat so that you can live your best life
- ready for some self-inquiry
- we are all dealing with something. This is the chance to sift through the stuff, the baggage, the junk we carry around and discard what's holding us back. This can be tough and this can be scary, but no worries. You're in a safe space with us.
Arm balance practice
The Property:
We've booked a luxe boutique hotel that overlooks the city and surrounding mountains. This upscale hotel is surrounded by vineyards where you can enjoy panoramic views of the Dolomite Mountains. It's a family-run hotel that offers a home-like atmosphere, spacious and modern accommodations, and gourmet cuisine. The hotel is only a short walk from downtown Bolzano. In a city that combines Alpine, Mediterranean and urban lifestyles, there's always something to do or explore.
Vinyard in Bolzano
The hotel also offers a beautiful pool and an incredible Finnish sauna or the steam room, with almost 100% humidity and temperatures of up to 55°C. In the infrared sauna your body can soak up energy directly from the active heat radiation at an average temperature of 50°C, while the ice shower offers a tinglingly fresh way to cool down.
Accommodations: All rooms have modern furnishings and are equipped with a bath or shower, hair dryer, air conditioning, safe, mini-bar, satellite TV, telephone, internet access, WiFi and a desk.
From your balcony you have a unique view of the unending expanse of the surrounding mountain landscape. The hotel’s quiet location gives guests the freedom to relax and soak up the peace of nature.
Room Amenities: Air Conditioning, Mini-Bar, TV (150 channels), Hairdryer, Room Service, Internet/WiFi, iPhone/iPad Docking station, Safe in each room
The Details
- Where: Bolzano, Italy. We'll stay at a gorgeous, family-run, boutique hotel that overlooks the quaint little town of Bolzano, Italy.
- When: April 5, 2017 - April 11, 2017
- Why: Because you deserve it.
- What's included: 10 carefully designed yoga classes and workshops, 6 night accommodation in your room of choice, daily breakfast buffet, daily four course dinner, swag bag.
- What's not included: airfare, transfers to/from the hotel, lunches, travel insurance, one to one session with Candace (optional)
The Yoga Program
April 5, 2017
4:00pm - Arrive after 4pm and check in, unpack, get settled.
6:30pm - 7:30pm - Evening hip opening yoga and guided mantra meditation class.
Often, people find that they hold a lot of emotion in the hips. It's not uncommon to feel irritable, angry, or sad while doing a hip opening practice. That's ok. This is just the beginning of us diving in, digging deep, and becoming more self aware.
8:00pm - Four course dinner.
April 6, 2017
7:15am - 8:45am - Core of the Matter Workshop
The core tells us everything. When you're anxious, you feel it in your belly. When you're nervous, you get butterflies. When you're sad, you feel it in your gut. The core, therefore, needs our attention. We'll start with a guided mantra meditation and then begin to awaken the core. We'll build strength as we work through a dynamic sequence, and then we will shift our focus to using the core in our power vinyasa practice.
9:15am - American breakfast
10am - 5:30pm - Free time
6:00pm - 7:00pm - Blindfold Yoga Practice
This is an opportunity to go inward, and try something totally different. This is an opportunity to test yourself, trust yourself, and realize that you already have everything you need. This slow flow practice is nourishing and transformative.
7:30pm - Four course dinner.
April 7, 2017
7:45am - 9:00am - Strength Building Arm Balance Workshop, Part 1
This workshop will start with a powerful flow to awaken the entire body. Then, we will focus on the foundations for the following inversions:
- headstand
- crow pose
- side crow
- 8 angle pose
- titibasana
- forearm stand
9:30am - American style breakfast
10am - 5:30pm - Free time
6pm - 7pm - Gentle stretch and yoga nidra meditation
Yoga nidra meditation is excellent for people dealing with stress and minor physical pain. It is helpful to completely relax the mind. They say that one yoga nidra session is the equivalent to four hours of sleep, so you should "awake" feeling calm, rested and rejuvenated.
7:30pm - Four course dinner.
April 8, 2017
7:45am - 9am - Strength Building Arm Balance Workshop, Part 2
In this workshop, we will focus on building strength through the upper body as we continue our inversion exploration. The focus, this time around, will be handstands. We'll play with handstand holds, various ways to get into handstand, and lots more. You should leave feeling confident that you know what to safely do in order to grow your handstand practice.
9:30am - American style breakfast.
10am - 5:30pm - Free time
6pm - 7pm - No-Mat Creative Flow
Time to get out of our comfort zone again! We are going to be doing a no-mat creative flow yoga class. This isn't your typical class. Expect to transform your practice to be more like a dance. Trust yourself, express yourself, and let yourself go as you sink into this gloriously different style of yoga.
7:30pm - Four course dinner.
April 9, 2017
7:45am - 9am - Banana SPLIT Class
Ok! It's time to open up those hips as we make like a banana and learn to SPLIT. Bring a pair of socks so you can safely learn to slide into both front splits and straddles. This will likely be uncomfortable, but honestly, all the best things are, when you first give them a try.
9:30am - American style breakfast.
10am - 5:30pm - Opportunities for 1 to 1 yoga consult with Candace.
Is there a specific pose you're working on that you need help with? This afternoon you'll have the opportunity to add on a 30 - 60 minute private lesson with Candace to address your needs.
6pm - 7pm Manifest Gratitude Practice
This slow flow vinyasa practice will encourage you to let gratitude be your driving force. You'll learn to move from a place of intuition, without fear, and with the deepest gratitude for and understanding of your body, soul and mind.
8pm - Four course dinner and goodbyes, as some people may be leaving first thing on the 10th.
April 10, 2017
7:45am - 9:00am - Power vinyasa flow
In this class, we'll put together everything we've learned this week
9:30am - American style breakfast.
10am - 6:30pm - Opportunities for 1 to 1 yoga consult with Candace.
Is there a specific pose you're working on that you need help with? This afternoon you'll have the opportunity to add on a 30 - 60 minute private lesson with Candace to address your needs.
7pm - Four course dinner and goodbyes, as some people may be leaving first thing on the 11th
April 11, 2017
8am - Breakfast and goodbyes :( All good things must come to an end
Pricing and Accommodations
Deluxe King
Deluxe King Room Description: The deluxe rooms are on the southern side of the property and offer gorgeous mountain views. The room is spacious at 301 sqft and perfect for couples or a pair of friends. Book your room!
- Single Occupancy: $2,348USD
- Double Occupancy: $1,979USD per person
Superior Room
Superior Double Room Description: The Superior rooms are on the southern side of the property and offers gorgeous mountain views. The room is 279 sqft. Book your spot now!
- Single Occupancy: $1,975USD
- Double Occupancy: $1,795USD per person
Garden Double Room Description: The Garden rooms are on the northern side of the property. The room is 279 sqft. Book your spot now!
- Single Occupancy: $1,935USD
- Double Occupancy: $1,735USD per person.
Logistics
Once you've booked your trip with us, we will direct you to a private forum where you can chat with others who are coming and arrange to travel together via train, or rent a car together. Alternatively, we can help book a shuttle service.
Airports: Our choice would be an airport with direct flight to Milan or Munich.
Munich is 3.5 hours away, but there are some border controls at Brenner, so it could take a bit longer. Milan is also about 3.5 hours away.
Innsbruck airport or Verona airport are also good choices if you connect from London, Frankfurt or Vienna.
Train: One of the best ways to get to Bolzano is by train. The station is only a few minutes on foot from the central Walther square. For information about connections to Germany, please visit the British railway website. After your arrival in Germany, the DB/ÖBB EuroCity trains will carry you conveniently and comfortably from Munich to Bolzano. These modern trains, operated in partnership by the German and Austrian railways, run along this line 5 times a day. The journey time is approximately 4 hours. There is no need to switch trains at the Brennero (Brenner) Pass and advance booking of trains is not necessary. Trilingual staff members will attend to your needs. Tickets may be booked online or bought at train ticket offices throughout Italy.
A word about YBC Retreats
Our retreats are laid back, good times with awesome people. There's no one to impress, nothing to prove, and everything to share. There's no expectation that you have to be at a certain place in your practice. We encourage you to honor how you feel on any given day. Bring a sense of humor and an open heart, and prepare yourself for the best time! Book your spot now!
Terms and Conditions
$350 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot. The deposit is non-refundable but is transferrable. The remaining payment is due 30 days prior to the start of the retreat. No reimbursement will be granted in case of early departure. We accept no liability for loss, damage, injury or illness, which may occur during the retreat or traveling to or from the retreat. All students are strongly recommended to have their own travel insurance to cover any loss or injury, including repatriation if necessary. It is advisable to take out travel insurance in the event that you have to cancel due to unforeseen circumstances. We reserve the right to make any changes to our program, accommodation, courses or teachers. Alternative arrangements are offered to the best of our ability but if not taken up, we do not accept responsibility for any costs incurred, including airfare. Students who have chosen a single room will not quality for any discount regardless of whether another student happens to be alone in a 'shared' room. We take every step to ensure that students are not stretched beyond the limit of their capabilities. We ask that you speak up if you have any particular pre-existing injury or illness that is relevant. We advise that you always listen to your body, and if you are feeling any pain or illness during the class that you stop and rest. Due to the acrobatic nature of this yoga retreat, the yoga program is not safe for pregnant women.