Yoga for Optimal Wellbeing: A Transformative 7-Day Retreat

January 2024 — Chiang Mai, Thailand (exact dates TBA)

“Transformative”, you say? What might that look like?

What if in seven days you were able to

• Develop better patterns of movement in your yoga practice that translate directly to improving your life off the mat
• Learn to move from the breath to integrate body and mind for greater wellbeing, confidence, and joy
• Explore what you want and need from yoga and learn to fine-tune your practice to actually meet those needs
• Generate a concrete framework for a personal practice based on your unique abilities and needs
• Begin to turn your yoga into a daily habit that sticks

Join Gernot’s yoga retreat intensive and learn how to increase your physical and mental wellbeing. Explore the finer points of yoga and Thailand’s gorgeous mountains in the company of like-minded people. Learn how to disrupt the stress response and how to activate the relaxation response through asana practice, breath work, and meditation. But most importantly, learn how to generate joy in your practice regardless of your circumstances, so that you can make your practice as beneficial as it can be.

Gernot Huber has been teaching yoga full time since 2009, and has been practicing yoga since 1996. Gernot has taught yoga retreats and workshops in Europe, America, and Asia. Click here to learn more about Gernot’s teaching style.

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Location: The Chiang Dao Nest, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand

The Nest is a boutique eco resort with 2 separate properties 700m apart at the foot of stunning Chiang Dao Mountain. The Nest has two restaurants that feature some of the best food in Northern Thailand. The resort is 75km north of Chiang Mai and has been our favorite getaway in Northern Thailand for over 10 years. Enjoy nature walks, excellent birding, sacred caves, and local temples all within walking distance of the resort.

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Daily Schedule

Each day I will lead an asana practice from 9:30 to 12:30 (with tea break), and a meditation and pranayama practice from 15:30 to 17:00.

The retreat schedule allows for in-depth yoga explorations, but leaves plenty of time to explore the local hiking trails, temples, villages, caves, and hot springs. You can, of course, also simply relax by the pool and make friends with like-minded yogis in the midst of stunning tropical mountain scenery.

On one afternoon of the retreat we will take a trip to a beautiful local hot spring. This excursion is included in the price of the retreat. 

Enjoy Some of Northern Thailand’s Best Food

The Nest 1 has a highly regarded European restaurant. The Nest 2  has an equally outstanding Thai restaurant. Both restaurants have vegan, vegetarian, seafood, and meat options. Dinners are included in the price of the retreat: Most nights we will have family-style Thai dinners (with plenty of vegan and pescatarian options) at Nest 2, with one or two dinners at the European restaurant. One night we will visit a different local restaurant, probably Japanese.

For breakfast and lunch you can eat at The Nest or any of several other resorts within walking distance. You can also eat at nearby street stalls serving simple but delicious Thai food. I recommend eating a light breakfast at 8 am, so that you can digest your food before the morning practice. Breakfast and lunch entrees at The Nest are 100-200THB ($3-6; we receive a 10% discount on all restaurant food and beverages). Please budget 1800-3600THB ($60-120) for those meals and beverages for 7 days. If you are planning on eating at the less fancy Thai restaurants in the village, you can budget less.

Accommodations

We will be staying at the Nest 2 property and will walk 700m to Nest 1 for the yoga sessions. Choose between standard and deluxe cottages, single or double occupancy. All cottages have private bathrooms with hot showers and a porch or balcony. Deluxe cottages have a separate living room with fridge, TV, and coffee/tea. (The resort has a hot and cold drinking water dispenser accessible around the clock, so you can still make your 6 am tea even if you didn’t snag one of the deluxe cottages.) Deluxe cottages have either one or two bedrooms, each with its own private bath.

There are 4 deluxe cottages and 4 standard ones. 3 standard cottages have a queen bed; one has 2 twin beds. The 2-bedroom deluxe cottages have one bedroom with queen bed, and one bedroom with 2 twin beds. If you are booking a 1-bedroom deluxe cottage, you can choose 1 queen bed or 2 twin beds. If you are coming with a partner or friend who is not participating in the retreat, book a cottage for one person and your friend stays with you for free. There is an additional charge for food for the second person if they want to join the group dinners.

An extra bed for a third person (child) is 395THB per night.

Attending Online

You can also choose to attend the retreat online. All yoga, pranayama, and meditation sessions will be recorded, and all attendees will get lifetime access to the recordings. Online attendees will also receive a 90 minute private video session after the retreat ends to answer your questions, check alignment, etc.

Weather: What to Expect

Due to the Nest’s elevation of 600m (2000′) we tend to get a nice contrast between balmy days and crisp, cool mornings and evenings in January. Morning and evening temperatures can drop to 10-15 degrees centigrade (50-60 degrees Fahrenheit). I would suggest bringing a fleece or down jacket, fleece pants, a wool hat and wool socks to make sure you are comfortable. That said, also bring swim clothes for our hot springs excursion.

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What’s Included

• Accommodation for 6 nights
• 18 hours of asana practice
• 7.5 hours of meditation, pranayama, and discussion sessions
• Transportation from and to Chiang Mai’s Nimman neighborhood
• A trip to a local natural hot spring (if it is not open due to Covid, we will plan a hiking excursion)
• All dinners
• Mid-morning tea breaks
• Unlimited hot and cold drinking water available 24/7
• If you are booking a cottage for one, a second person who is not joining the retreat can stay with you for free (a 300THB charge per dinner will be applied if they want to join the group dinners)

What’s Not Included

Breakfast, lunch, and restaurant beverages other than water are not included. However, retreat participants receive a 10% discount on all food and beverages not included in the retreat. Budget a total of $40-80 (1200-2400THB) for breakfast, lunch, and beverages for 5 days.

Registration Fees

(I have tried to make this retreat as affordable as possible in times of Covid-19. If you cannot afford these rates, contact me about a scholarship option. Also see discounts below.)

Registration

• US$699 for 1 person in a private standard cottage (1 bedroom, 1 bath)
• US$1199 for 2 people in a private standard cottage (1 bedroom, 1 bath; one standard cottage with 2 twin beds available; if you prefer twin beds, please request them when booking, and book early.)
• US$879 for 1 person in a private deluxe cottage (1 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 living room)
• US$1379 for 2 people in a private deluxe cottage (1 bedroom, 1 bath, 1 living room, choose 1 queen bed or two twin beds)
• US$1999 for 3 people in a private deluxe cottage (2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 living room)
• US$2499 for 4 people in a private deluxe cottage (2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 living room, 1 queen bed and 2 twin beds)

Discounts

• Recruit a friend and get 10% off for each friend you recruit, up to a total of 30% off. If you are recruiting someone to share a room with you, the discount is already included in the double occupancy rates. Feel free to sign up now and recruit someone later. I will issue you a 10% refund for each friend you recruit once they have paid in full. Just send me an email with the names of friends you have recruited.
• If you have attended any retreat of mine before, you qualify for an additional 10% off. This can be combined with recruitment discounts up to a total of 30% off. Just request this when you register, and tell me which retreat you attended previously.

Payment Options

• In-Country Bank Transfer: If you have a bank account in Thailand, the US, EU, UK, Australia, or New Zealand, you can make an in-country transfer to my account without paying foreign transfer fees or credit card currency conversion fees. If you are in the US, you can also use PayPal’s “friends and family” payment option.
• Credit or Debit Card: If you prefer to pay by credit or debit card, please note that in your registration email. I do prefer that you pay via bank transfer so that I can offer this retreat as inexpensively as possible.

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Slideshow from previous retreats

Cancellations and Refunds

If we have to cancel the retreat for any reason, you will be issued a full refund.

If you need to cancel for any reason, you will receive a full refund if you cancel at least 31 days before retreat begin. Cancellations between 30 and 10 days before retreat begin will receive an 80% refund. Cancellations less than 10 days before retreat begin will receive a 50% refund.

If you are coming from outside of Chiang Mai province, and there is a last-minute change in government policy that prevents you from attending, you will be issued a full refund.

Covid Notice

Gernot has been fully vaccinated with the Pfizer Covid vaccine and boosted with Moderna. The entire resort staff is also fully vaccinated. We highly recommend that you get vaccinated at least 14 days before the start of the retreat, but we do not require vaccination.

The retreat includes a free but mandatory saliva Covid test which you will take upon arrival at the resort (or before entering the shuttle van if you are taking the shuttle). In the unlikely event that you test positive and cannot attend, you will receive a full refund.

If you are unable to attend because last-minute changes to government restrictions prevent you from attending, you will also receive a full refund.

Traveling to Thailand from Abroad: What you need to know

For the most up to date requirements, see the website of the Thai Embassy in D.C. 

Wait List

Space is limited to a maximum of 14 participants. If the retreat sells out, you can choose to be added to the waitlist by clicking here.

(If you use a web browser to send email, click here to register instead.)