The weekend starts on Friday afternoon. Check-in is possible until 16:00 and rooms are available from 14:00, so you can arrive early and settle in. At 16:30 there is an introduction to the weekend and to mindfulness, dinner at 18:30, then relaxation exercises and meditation at 20:00 before the day winds down at 21:30.

Saturday is the fullest day. It begins at 07:00 with breath and body exercises and meditation, followed by breakfast at 08:15. The morning workshop from 09:15 covers mindfulness, beliefs and conditioning, and inner-child parts. Lunch is at 12:30, then free time from 13:30 for walks, rest or an optional coaching session. At 16:00 there is a guided tour of the monastery with historical context and an insight into the Benedictine way of life (optional, around CHF 12 per person, sign up in the morning). Relaxation exercises at 17:30, dinner at 19:00, and the evening is free.

Sunday closes the weekend: breath and body work and meditation at 07:00, breakfast at 08:15, free time from 09:00 for reflection, rest or coaching, a closing session at 11:00 called "My new stress-free life", lunch at 12:30 and individual departure from around 13:30. Guests can also attend the monks' choir prayers — Vigil at 06:00 and Laudes at 07:30 on Sundays and feast days, Midday prayer at 12:00, Vespers at 18:00 and Compline at 20:00.

What separates this from a generic yoga weekend is the combination of a structured stress workshop with the setting. The house is directly beside the monastery, the valley is quiet, and the programme leaves real gaps rather than filling every hour. The teaching is Hatha yoga in the tradition of Krishnamacharya — TKV Desikachar and A.G. Mohan — with Viniyoga-style adaptation, deliberate use of breath and logically built sequences.

Stefan Geisse leads the retreat. He is a yoga teacher, yoga therapist, psychological counsellor, Ayurvedic nutrition adviser and certified health coach. He came to this work after a career as a manager in international corporations and a brain haemorrhage shortly before his 40th birthday. His training includes yoga therapy with Remo Rittiner (300 hours, following IAYT guidelines), Ayurveda yoga teacher training with Remo Rittiner (250 hours), holistic health and nutrition (European Academy for Ayurveda, 180 hours) and psychological Ayurveda counselling (REAA, 200 hours).

Engelberg sits at roughly 1,000 m among the peaks of central Switzerland, in the Obwalden part of the region. The area gives you mountain scenery, quiet and plenty of walking routes straight from the door. The St. Josefshaus has a large yoga room, lounge and sitting rooms, a garden or terrace, a restaurant serving regional food, a bar with local wines and drinks, a lift, wifi throughout, and free parking at the building.

What's included

- Seminar fee (yoga sessions and workshop) - Full vegetarian board: breakfast, lunch and dinner - Two nights' accommodation - Room with private shower and WC - Use of the yoga room, lounge and sitting rooms - Wifi throughout the house - Free parking at the accommodation

What's not included

- Travel to and from Engelberg - Monastery tour (around CHF 12 per person, optional) - Individual stress coaching - Ayurvedic constitution analysis and consultation - Work with the inner child - Drinks from the bar - Travel insurance

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