Alpine Yoga & Hiking Week at Biohotel Grafenast, Tyrol

The daily structure on this retreat doesn't change much from day to day, and that's the point. You're up at 6am. At 6:30am there's silent meditation and mantra chanting in the meditation room — a simple, clean space with a red wooden floor. From 8:30 to 10am you practise asanas and pranayama. Brunch is at 10:30am, a vegetarian organic buffet. From 11:30am to 4pm you're free: walk, hike, sit in the sauna, book a massage, or attend the occasional afternoon lecture (optional). At 4pm there's a second asana and pranayama session, ending at 5:30pm, followed by the evening buffet at 6pm. At 7:30pm it's back to silent meditation and mantras, sometimes with reading. Silence begins at 10pm.

The yoga taught here is Sivananda yoga — a classical Hatha style built around 12 core postures, sun salutations, breathing exercises and relaxation. The classes are described as gentle, suitable for building both physical and mental strength without being strenuous. The morning and afternoon classes are compulsory if you're on the programme; the afternoon lecture is optional. Meditation and chanting bookend the day, and there's a contemplative group atmosphere rather than a bootcamp one.

What makes this different from a standard yoga retreat is the setting and the hotel. Grafenast is a genuine organic hotel — all-wood furniture, spelt pillows, larkwood floors, designed sleep systems, no televisions in the rooms, and WLAN only in a limited part of the chimney lounge. The spa includes a forest sauna set among the trees with panoramic valley views, a relaxation room with loungers, and treatments ranging from classical massage and foot reflexology to lymphatic drainage, Ayurvedic face massage and original hammam. Two meals a day are served buffet-style according to yogic principles — vegetarian, no onion or garlic, no coffee or black tea. Herbal tea and water are available all day.

The hotel hosts several different themed weeks through the year, all run by the Sivananda Yoga Retreat House: Yoga – Wellness and Relaxation (22 Nov – 3 Dec 2026), Active Relaxation and Stress Reduction (22 – 27 Nov 2026), Yoga and Mountain Magic (22 – 27 Nov 2026), Serenity through Positive Thinking (27 – 29 Nov 2026), and Meditation – Experiencing Inner Balance (29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026). Similar dates run in 2027: 24 April – 2 May and 19 – 28 November.

Getting there: the hotel is in Pill, above Schwaz in the Silver Region Karwendel, about 40 minutes east of Innsbruck by road. The nearest airports are Innsbruck and Munich. Trails leave from the door — the Path of the Senses with its 19 outdoor artworks, the stream hike through the Pillertal to Piller Waterfall, and the walk to the Loassattel at 1,675m in the Tux Alps. Snowshoe hikes are offered in winter.

What's included

- Daily Sivananda Hatha yoga classes (morning and afternoon) - Silent meditation and mantra sessions twice daily - Organic vegetarian brunch buffet daily - Organic vegetarian evening buffet daily - Herbal tea and water available all day - Accommodation at the Biohotel Grafenast (paid directly to the hotel) - Occasional afternoon lectures (optional) - Daily group walks or hikes on the Yoga and Mountain Magic programme - Access to the forest sauna and relaxation room

What's not included

- Transport to and from Pill, Tyrol - Airport transfers - Visitor's tax of €2.60 per day (paid on location) - Massages and other wellness treatments - Ayurveda and hammam treatments - Private forest sauna bookings - Cancellation protection (€65 per person for a two-week stay) - Travel insurance - Personal expenses