Bavarian Summer Yoga Retreat: Sunrise Pranayama to Sunset Meditation

The retreat runs six days and five nights, arriving Tuesday 21 July 2026 and checking out Sunday 26 July. Check-in is from 2:00pm on arrival day and check-out is 11:00am on departure day, hotel-style. Each full day has the same skeleton: a one-hour early meditation and pranayama session, breakfast (coffee and tea from 6:30), a two-hour mid-morning class blending vinyasa, pranayama and meditation, lunch, a free middle-of-the-day block for workshops and activities, a one-hour late afternoon yin or restorative class, dinner, and an evening programme of talks, meditation or satsang. You join as much or as little of it as you like — the schedule is an invitation, not a roll call.

What separates this from a generic summer yoga week is who's teaching it. Mark Stephens has led more than 75 yoga retreats and has been practising since 1991 and teaching since 1996. Yoga Journal called him "the teacher's teacher." He's the author of Teaching Yoga (now in its second edition), Yoga Sequencing, Yoga for Better Sleep and the forthcoming Breathing: The Art and Science of Pranayama. His background spans Ashtanga, Iyengar, Tantra and Yoga Therapy, and his asana teaching is step-by-step — which means beginners get a proper introduction while experienced students still get something to work on. He's trained thousands of yoga teachers worldwide.

The setting does a lot of the work. Seinz Wisdom Resort sits near Bad Kohlgrub, roughly 80 km south of Munich, in the Allgäu. Long summer days mean light until late, and the surrounding land is green fields, wildflowers and the foothills of the Ammergau Alps. The area mixes nature and culture: moorland walks, panoramic peaks, and further out the region's castles and monasteries. Bad Kohlgrub is a small village with its own train stations, so you don't need a car.

Food is exclusively vegan and vegetarian, freshly prepared every day, with carefully selected organic ingredients. Everything is included in the room-and-board package you pick — see the pricing section, because the retreat fee itself covers the teaching only.

If you want to extend, it's usually possible to book a room at Seinz for a few days before or after the retreat dates, subject to availability. Book early if you're planning that: July in Bavaria fills up.

What's included

- 6-day / 5-night yoga retreat programme - Daily 1-hour early morning meditation & pranayama - Daily 2-hour mid-morning vinyasa, pranayama and meditation class - Daily 1-hour late afternoon yin/restorative class - Evening programmes: talks, meditation, satsang - Teaching by Mark Stephens - Mid-day workshop and activity programme - Use of the resort's spaces and 24-hour self-service drinks bar

What's not included

- Room and board (booked separately, discounted with code "yoga retreat") - Travel to and from Bad Kohlgrub - Airport or train station transfers - Massages and spa treatments - Optional excursions - Personal expenses - Travel insurance