The Beauty of Ashtanga

The traditional Ashtanga Yoga method was always meant to be adapted to the practitioners individual needs and conditions. The Ashtanga asana sequences are the ground from which we can build our own personal practice based on our unique bodies, ages, identities, mind types, injuries and traumas. 

At the Beauty of Ashtanga Yoga Retreat you will be accepted as you are and be encouraged to follow the traditional method with kindness, care and love.

I’m inviting everyone the opportunity to enjoy the practice, movement, spiritual growth and great company in beautiful Tenerife.  

My hope is to open us all up to more diversity (which is required for a healthy yoga community), more safety (which makes everything to bloom) and more happiness (which is the essence of an individual and collective yoga process) wherever we are in our personal yoga evolution.

This retreat is open for all levels of practitioners – from beginners to advanced.

Retreat schedule

Each week consists of 5 morning Mysore classes, 1 guided class and 4 afternoon workshops. 

Saturday 23.3
14:00-18:00 Arriving to the resort
18:00 Retreat opening discussion, schedule, introduction
19:00 Dinner 

Sunday 24.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 Discussion on your personal practice and accessibility in Ashtanga Yoga; What is your need? The Beauty of Ashtanga Yoga
17:00-18:00 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner 

Monday 25.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 A practitioner-centered approach to Ashtanga asana and adjustments  
17:00-18:00  Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner 

Tuesday 26.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day 

Wednesday 27.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00-17:00 Primary and Intermediate series techniques and adjustments
17:00-18:00 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting

Thursday 28.3
06:00 Led class Intermediate series
08:00 Led class Primary series
15:00-17:30 Touching the Prana: Energy healing techniques
17:30-18:15 Self Healing Meditation (guided)

Friday 29.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day

Saturday 30.4
7:00-8:00 Pranayama
8:00-9:00 Closing circle

Saturday 30.3
14:00-18:00 Arriving to the resort
18:00 Retreat opening discussion, schedule, introduction
19:00 Dinner 

Sunday 31.3
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 Discussion on your personal practice and accessibility in Ashtanga Yoga; Using the tools; walls, blocks and belts in the practice  
17:00-18:00 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner 

Monday 1.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 A practitioner-centered approach to Ashtanga asana and adjustments (different than in week 1) 17:00-18:00  Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner 

Tuesday 2.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day 

Wednesday 3.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00-17:00 Primary and Intermediate series techniques and adjustments (different than in week 1)
17:00-18:00 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting

Thursday 4.4
06:00 Led class Intermediate series
08:00 Led class Primary series
15:00-17:30 Yoga philosophy: Yoga sutra chapter 3-4, Sinddhis and Kaivalya. The final transformation.  
17:30-18:15 The earth and sky meditation (guided)

Friday 5.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day

Saturday 6.4
7:00-8:00 Pranayama
8:00-9:00 Closing circle

Teacher

Petri Raisanen
Petri Räisänen (born August 13, 1967) is an internationally renowned and respected Ashtanga yoga teacher. Petri started practicing Ashtanga yoga in 1989 and teaching in 1991. He is the co-owner and director of Astanga Yoga Helsinki, Finland (established in 1997). Petri lives in Helsinki, Finland with his wife Wambui Njuguna-Räisänen and their two sons Sesam and Sumu. He has been a regular practitioner in Mysore India since 1996 and has received a teacher authorisation from K. Pattabhi Jois and Sharath Rangaswamy (Jois) in 2001. 

Throughout his yogic path Petri has studied with many Ashtanga yoga instructors such as Derek Ireland, Radha Warrell, Lino Miele, Gwendoline Hunt, Eddie Stern, R. Sharath Jois and K. Pattabhi Jois. Petri focuses on integrating healing and therapy with yoga, meeting the student’s individual needs and guiding them throughout  their progress.His friendly, relaxed behaviour and intuitive perception gives an open, energetic and meditative atmosphere to his classes. Petri’s teaching gives you an opportunity to experience the wholeness of the practice, and his teachings aims to lead to an experience of deep concentration (pratyahara) and meditation (dhyana).

Petri has been written two books on the subjects of Ashtanga Yoga. First one “Ashtanga Yoga- In the tradition of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois” was first published in Swedish in 2005 and in English in 2013. The intermediate series book “Nadi Shodhana” was released in Finnish in 2008 and English in 2017. Both books are written from the interviews with K. Pattabhi Jois and R.Sharath Jois. They illustrate uniquely the Primary and Intermediate series practice, benefits and tradition as it is taught in Mysore, India. 

Petri started studying the Finnish Folk-healing tradition called Jäsenkorjaus (Bone-setting), with the Finnish healing masters in 1990. In addition, he learned energy healing and cupping. He also studied Swedish massage, Naturopathy, Natural Cosmetics, Reiki, Reflexology and Hawaiian (Kahuna) Shamanism. His broad knowledge in various bodywork systems and healing is deeply integrated in his teaching of ashtanga yoga. 

Practical details about the retreat center

Currently the internet at the retreat is not reliable. If you are dependent on internet for work, we ask you to bring your own data on your phone, to which you can connect your laptop, if needed. Phones work very well. There is also a cafe 10 minutes from the retreat with good internet, however, it is a busy cafe and not very suitable for work. 

Finca Naranjas (previously Cristoforo) , our retreat centre is a very simple yet beautiful place, built by an architect named Denis Devaris, who had an intention to create a meeting point for Spiritual seekers. Built slowly over 30 years using volcanic rocks from the island, the rooms are all unique with their own distinct personalities featuring beautiful details and personal touches. Given the nature of these types of buildings, imperfection is to be expected with a plumbing system not quite up to modern standards! However, set right into the land with a wonderfully lush garden, Cristoforo really is an oasis in South Tenerife. When packing for your retreat, make sure you add warmer clothes. From December till March the mornings and evenings can be quite chilly. The rooms are not heated, but are equipped with cozy duvets and hot water bottles for the beds.

The closest beach is 20 min by walk from Cristoforo in Callo Salvaje. We now have a free shuttle bus service to the closest beaches.

The meals
The food served at the retreat will be mainly vegan and completely vegetarian, prepared freshly everyday by our wonderful retreat chefs. We try were possible to use local and organic products. We sometimes use eggs or dairy in the kitchen. If you have food allergies/sensitivities, please let us know. Gluten free options are available. We have a self service tea & coffee station for guest use and try to provide fruit for snacking during the day.
You have the option to enjoy your food either inside or outside in the beautiful garden.

The practice
Maximum number of students is 25.

Practice will take place inside the beautiful wooden garden Shala. Savasana is usually taken outside to make space in the Shala, especially during full retreats and occasionally afternoon workshops will take place outside. Make sure you pack warm practice clothes for Savasana.

Arrival day and check out. 
The rooms are available after 3pm. The retreat starts with an introduction meeting at 5pm, followed by dinner at 6.30pm. All students should aim to arrive for the introduction meeting. The first practice is on Sunday morning and the last practice is on Friday in the morning. The check out is on Saturday at 9am.

Accommodation

Below you will see the available accommodation with prices.

Premium rooms
The premium rooms are the largest rooms at the retreat. These rooms have attached indoor bathrooms.
Shared: 1250 GBP
Currently available week 1: Danae 1
Currently available week 2: Casa Blanca

Single:  1550 GBP
Currently available week 1: Casita 1, Casita 2, Palmera
Currently available week 2: Casita 1, Casita 2

Standard
The standard rooms are smaller than the premium rooms. These rooms have attached, indoor bathrooms.
Shared: 1050 GBP
Currently available week 1: Sold out!
Currently available week 2: Ficus (1 female spot available), 5 Peldanos

Single: 1350 GBP
Currently available week 1: Sold out!
Currently available week 2: La Granja 1, La Granja 2

Budget
The budget rooms are the smallest rooms at the retreat. Some of the rooms share bathrooms, a few of them are outdoors bathrooms. In a few of the rooms there may have disturbance from the road.
Shared: 900 GBP
Currently available week 1: Fuente 2, Pino de Oro
Currently available week 2: Fuente 2, Pino de Oro, Bella Dormiente

Single: 1200 GBP
Currently available week 1: Sold out!
Currently available week 2: Fuente 1

Dormitory (3 persons sharing)
The dormitory is a spacious room for 3 persons. It has an attached bathroom. 
Shared: 780 GBP
Currently available week 1: Sold Out!
Currently available week 2: Danae 2

The accommodation price is all-inclusive (includes accommodation, all meals and yoga). There is an option to pay a deposit of 50% of the full amount to secure your place. The deposit is non-refundable and the balance must be paid at least 4 weeks prior to the start date.

Please note that we have a limited amount of single rooms for this retreat. Before booking a single room confirm availability with us on info@yogagoa.com.

To book this retreat, follow the link below and complete the form to make your payment. 

Book this retreat

To book this retreat, complete the form on our Make A Payment page