A typical day follows a set rhythm. Yin yoga runs from 06:30 to 08:00, then 30 minutes of pranayama and meditation. After that comes an hour of journaling. You get a set of questions to work with each day, rather than a blank page. Breakfast is at 09:30. At 11:00 the group heads out for a guided forest walk or a nature meditation in the Eifel National Park. Back at the venue there is time for personal reflection or philosophy study, then lunch at 13:30.

Afternoons start with an hour off. At 16:15 there is a Yoga Philosophy workshop, followed by a 90-minute Hatha class from 17:30 to 19:00 and dinner at 19:00. That gives you two full asana classes a day: one slow and passive (Yin), one active and strength-building (traditional Hatha). The school notes that the timetable can shift with the weather, the location and teacher availability.

What sets this apart from a typical yoga holiday is that it's run by a teacher-training school. Anandam has been registered with Yoga Alliance since 2017 as an RYS 200 and RYS 300 school, and it runs 50-hour Yin, Yoga Nidra, 200-hour and 300-hour trainings at this same venue. The retreat price includes study materials and a certificate. The philosophy sessions are structured workshops on the Eight Limbs of Yoga, not a short talk before dinner.

The two teachers cover different ground. Sandeep Atri comes from the Rishi Atri lineage and specialises in Ashtanga Vinyasa and arm balances. Katharina Austermann holds a doctorate and focuses on anatomy and Yin yoga. Former students say she can answer just about any question on how a pose affects the body. They are a couple, and guests often say the week feels like staying with friends.

Heimbach sits inside the Eifel National Park in North Rhine-Westphalia. The park is mixed beech forest, river valleys and reservoirs. It's a quiet, small town and a good base for forest walks. Getting there is easy: Cologne and Aachen are about an hour away, Düsseldorf about 1.5 hours, Brussels about 2.5 hours and Amsterdam about 3.5 hours. Cologne (CGN) and Düsseldorf (DUS) are the nearest airports.

At the end of the week there is a closing circle. Guests are asked to bring white clothes for the opening and closing circles, which gives you an idea of the tone: traditional and rooted in Indian yoga, but relaxed and friendly rather than strict.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation (shared twin or private room) - Breakfast, lunch and dinner every day - Daily Yin Yoga class - Daily Hatha Yoga class - Daily pranayama and meditation - Guided journaling with daily prompts - Yoga Philosophy workshops on the Eight Limbs of Yoga - Guided forest walks and forest bathing in the Eifel National Park - Study materials - Certificate - Wi-Fi access - Pickup from Heimbach (Eifel) train station

What's not included

- Flights to Cologne or Düsseldorf - Train tickets to Heimbach - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Meals or drinks outside the retreat programme