Haṃsa Free School of Hatha Yoga

In the Vedas and ancient Indian epics, the word yoga first appears in a concrete, martial sense, referring to the act of “yoking” horses to a chariot before a battle. Yoga is literally the yoke — the element that binds warrior, chariot, and horse into a single directed movement.
Over time, this imagery is gradually internalized. The outer journey becomes an inner path of concentration and awareness. To be yoga-yukta shifts from being yoked to a physical chariot to being yoked to the practice of yoga itself: gathering the senses, steadying the mind, and directing one’s energy toward a chosen path.
Under an auspicious Sagittarius Full Moon — associated with expansion, clarity, and the search for truth — this workshop explores yoga as a practice of direction, focus, and inner alignment, the art of consciously aiming one’s energy toward a life expressing one’s deepest values.

Through movement, breath, and reflection, we will explore:

– A grounded, dynamic yoga flow inspired by the symbolism of the archer and the chariot, rooted in the Mahābhārata and the Upaniṣads
– Breath and concentration practices to steady the mind
– Meditation, inquiry, and journaling around intention and dharma
– A simple full moon ritual

Open to all levels.

Register here.

This retreat is an invitation to slow down and reconnect with the ground beneath you. In a house nestled between forest and lake, and held by the steady unfolding of nature in early June, we will explore the energy of Muladhara Chakra through Hatha Yoga and Somatic Experiencing–informed practices focused on sensing and nervous-system regulation.

Practices are accessible to mixed levels and offered with variations, allowing each participant to move at their own pace and within their own capacity. Alongside movement and breath, time will be spent outdoors—walking in the forest, resting by the lake, and orienting to the sensory richness of the season.

Silence, warmth, nourishing food, and simple embodied daily rituals create a supportive container where the body can soften while staying connected to the vitality of early summer, allowing space for integration, reflection, and simply being.

This retreat is especially supportive for those seeking:
– Grounding and stabilization
– Recovery from stress, overwhelm, or disconnection
– A trauma-sensitive approach to yoga and embodiment
– A gentle return to body awareness

All sessions are offered in both German (Nike) and English (Amanda).
Open to FLINTA*-only, all levels of practice — no experience needed.

The retreat includes:
– 4 hours of daily yoga (morning & afternoon sessions)
– Meditative walks through the forest, swims in the lake, and sauna time
– Somatic Experiencing informed meditations
– Vegan/vegetarian self-made meals (brunch + dinner)
– Accommodation in a double room or tent

Arrival: Monday, June 1, 3 pm
Departure: Thursday, June 4, 11 am

Participation fee (include food, accommodation and yoga practice):
– Tent 365€
– Double Room 415€

Want to come along? Sign up here and we’ll be in touch soon.

If you’re curious to explore the subtle body through chakra-themed yoga and already have some yoga experience, this Hatha B course in the Chakra Series might speak to you.

We’ll meet weekly for an intermediate 90’+ Hatha Yoga practice combining asana, pranayama, short meditations, and inspirations for self-inquiry.

The last chapter of our journey through the inner rainbow now brings us to the upper chakras, Ajna and Sahasrara — the centres of perception, insight, inner silence, and expanded consciousness. Ajna, the “third eye”, relates to the mind’s capacity to discern, observe, imagine, and perceive beyond habitual patterns, while Sahasrara points toward spacious awareness, stillness, and spiritual connection.

Together, these upper chakras invite us to refine attention, calm mental dispersion, and cultivate a steadier relationship with thought, intuition, and presence — allowing perception to become clearer, quieter, and less conditioned by reactivity and noise.

You can expect meditative, spacious Hatha and Hatha Flow practices that emphasise balance, vertical alignment, nervous system regulation, and subtle awareness. Alongside asana and pranayama, we’ll explore visualisation practices, mana mudras, concentration techniques, mantras, and moments of intentional silence designed to support clarity, focus, and inner stillness.

Register here or write at: amanda@thisisyoga.org

This 3-week morning intensive will give you a strong experiential base to integrate the yogic art of breathing in your practice and experience its powerful effects in terms of enhanced vitality, physical well-being, emotional resilience, mental clarity, concentration, connection with the subconscious mind and expansion of consciousness.

The course includes 3 weeks of sattvic cleanse, optional and depending on experience (more info below).

Register here, or write at amanda@thisisyoga.org

Week 1
– Asanas for pranayama
– Breath awareness and basic pranayamas: abdominal, thoracic and clavicular breathing, full yogic breath
– Pranayamas to expand the capacity of the lungs
– Exercises to relax and strengthen the diaphragm
– Dynamic pranayamas, part 1
– Root lock (mula bandha) and throat lock (jalandhara bandha)

Week 2
– Dynamic pranayamas, part 2
– Energising pranayamas
– Diaphragm lock (uddyiana bandha)
– Breath retention (kumbhaka): introduction

Week 3
– Pranayamas with kumbhaka and bandhas
– Pranayama in the asana practice
– Pranayamas for meditation

This intensive course is included in our 100h Pranayama Teacher Training.

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SATTVIC CLEANSE
There is the option to join Amanda and other group members on a 3-week sattvic cleanse, which include the practice of shatkarmans (yogic cleansing techniques), good sleep hygiene, outdoor time, sattvic diet and fasting.

Sattva is in Samkhya philosophy one of the three qualities or tendencies of manifestation, translated as “pure”. Sattvic food is food that is life-giving, purifies one’s existence, gives strength, health, happiness, and empowers virtues such as ahimsa (non-violence) and daya (compassion). That means local and seasonal vegan food, a diet based on ripe fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and nuts and seeds in reasonable quantities. No sugar, sweets or chocolate, salt, pepper, alcohol or fizzy drinks, no black or green tea, coffee, strong spices, garlic, onion, and of course no processed food of any kind.

A sattvic diet has a strong detoxifying effect but it means more than that. It challenges our consuming and eating patterns, develops mindful eating, compassion for other beings and the planet, and stimulates creativity!

An introductory text with all important guidelines will be sent upon registration.