Living Yoga Retreat | Spring 2025
RECHARGE IN THE REDWOODS
A NORTHERN CALIFORNIA YOGA RETREAT
Experience the essence of Yoga through practices that go beyond the mat. This retreat offers a unique opportunity to deepen your understanding of Yoga through practical, real-life experiences that balance science and spirituality.
This retreat features daily asana (posture) classes, inviting you to explore a variety of yoga styles and traditions. You are free to choose among different offerings each day. All classes are led by highly experienced yoga practitioners who bring expertise and perspectives to ensure a rich and diverse experience. Some notable teachers leading this retreat include Hannah Muse and Sidney Nicol.
In addition to daily asana classes, this retreat provides a well-rounded schedule to nourish your body, mind, and spirit. Begin each morning with a peaceful pranayama (breathing techniques) practice and a meditation session to set your intention for the day. Wind down in the evening with kirtan (devotional singing), a heartfelt practice that uplifts and inspires. Between sessions, explore the serene hiking trails or take personal time to relax, reflect, and recharge in the tranquil environment. This retreat is designed to provide a harmonious balance of activity and rest, fully immersing you in the experience.
The Living Yoga Retreat takes place in Northern California and is conveniently close to Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz, Monterey, and the Bay Area. With stunning views of Monterey Bay, it features hundreds of miles of hiking trails winding through serene meadows and majestic redwood forests.
Our Campus
The Environment
Northern California
Overlooking Monterey Bay
The Mount Madonna campus is centrally located in California, with close proximity to Silicon Valley, Santa Cruz, and Monterey, and near to the greater San Francisco Bay Area.
The property features miles of beautiful walking or jogging trails through redwood forests and serene meadows with magical sunset viewing points and clear skies for stargazing.
Basic Schedule
| Wednesday, April 23 | |
| 3:00 - 5:30pm | Registration | 5:15 - 6:15pm | Dinner | 6:00 - 7:00pm | Arati (ceremony of light) | 7:15 - 8:45pm | Opening Circle |
| Thursday - Saturday, April 24 - 26 | 5:30 - 6:30am | Shat karma (purification methods) | 6:00 - 7:00am | Arati | 7:15 - 8:30am | Sadhana (breathing and meditation) | 8:45 - 10:00am | Asana (postures) | 10:00 - 11:00am | Brunch | 11:00am - 1:30pm | Personal time | 1:30 - 3:00pm | Theme Presentations | 3:30 - 5:00pm | Afternoon asana or sadhana | 5:15 - 6:15pm | Dinner | 6:00pm | Arati | 7:15 - 8:45pm | Thurs & Fri: Kirtan and Restorative Asana | 6:45 - 8:45pm | Sat: Dance Party! |
| Sunday, April 27 | 6:00 - 7:00am | Arati | 7:15 - 8:30am | Sadhana | 8:30 - 10:00am | Sunday Satsang & Closing Circle | 10:00 - 11:00am | Brunch | 11:00am - 12:00pm | Check out of accommodations |
Rates & What's Included
Details & Useful Information
LIVING YOGA RETREAT RATES INCLUDING ALL NIGHTS
Adults
Tuition $395 + accommodations & meals. Rates are per person, and are inclusive for all days of the retreat. Rates stated here apply to this retreat only; other retreat and program accommodations pricing may differ. Please note: no unaccompanied minors.
Rates: Retreat rates depend on your choice of accommodations and include meals, registration fees, and access to the Mount Madonna campus.
Arrival & Departure: Plan to arrive and check-in between 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm. Check out is at noon; however, you may stay for lunch following the program closing.
Reservations: Retreats must be booked a minimum of 48 hours in advance.
Meals: Two vegetarian meals are served during retreats, including brunch and dinner. Breads, spreads, and a tea bar are also available between meals.
Accommodations & Meals
Make the Mountain Home
Guest Rooms
Single, Double, or Triple
These tasteful hotel style rooms, some with ensuite bathrooms, are located in our Conference Center, where there is wifi, two lovely courtyards with expansive views in which you may read and relax, and a full tea bar available at all times in the conference wing of the building. Rooms that don’t have en-suite bathrooms have access to nearby shared bathrooms and showers (private while in use). All beds are singles. There are no phones or TVs in any of our rooms. Prices are based on stated occupancy.
Rustic Cabins
Single or Double
Our simple rustic cabins are located in the Oaks Campground. They are a short 10-minute walk uphill from the Conference Center, but have a feeling of being more remote. Cabins sleep two people and feature electricity and heat but no wi-fi or indoor plumbing. All beds are singles. A separate shower house is nearby, containing private showers and dressing rooms, and flush toilets. If this sounds a bit rustic, please consider booking a room in the Conference Center. Prices are based on stated occupancy.
Yurts
Single or Double
Located in the Oaks Campground, a 10-minute walk up the hill from the Conference Center, our yurts sleep 2 people and have electricity and heat, but no plumbing and no wi-fi. A yurt is a cozy, circular space provided by a wood structure and canvas walls. Each yurt is situated on a wooden platform, and is outfitted with a comfortable queen- or twin-size beds, linens, towels, warm comforters and blankets. A separate bathhouse with private flush toilets and shower rooms is nearby. The yurts are a short distance from the associated parking area. Note that high levels of rainfall November – April may affect yurt accessibility (walking path is available year-around).
Camping
Bring your own tent
Developed campsites are available for people who wish to bring their own tent. Sites offer access to showers and flush toilets. Although camping is usually available year-round, please be aware that we can receive significant amounts of rain from November through May.
Own Vehicle
Parking Space
Regular size parking spaces are available for your van, camper or other vehicle. There is no access to electricity. Showers and restrooms are available in campgrounds and Center buildings. Prices are based on stated occupancy.
Commuting
Drive yourself
Commute from off-campus each day and attend the full program, including all meals and activities.
Presenters
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Anand Brian DarsieBA (Music), E-RYT 500, RCYTUniting his passions for music, yoga, spirituality, community, and worship, Anand brings a unique perspective to his practice and teaching. He is a resident at Mount Madonna and a lead organizer of Mount Madonna’s yoga retreats and Yoga Teacher Trainings. Anand seeks to promote body intelligence through asana, pranayama, and meditation. Enthusiastic, encouraging, creative, and compassionate, Anand inspires students of all ages through ancient methods delivered with contemporary scientific understanding and a playful, dynamic spirit.
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Ryan BellBFA, YTT 200Ryan Bell received a degree in film at the California Institute of the Arts and then went on to study jazz in Iowa. While there, he founded the first yoga studio in Creston, Iowa. After the completion of his studies, his internal compass settled on Berlin where he toured as a musician across the festival circuit in Europe. Ryan found his second home at Mount Madonna where he received his 200 hour yoga teacher training accreditation, interned twice with the YTT program, and became a member of the satsang. Ryan currently works as a content strategist and creative director, and has had the great pleasure of collaborating with some of the world’s biggest YouTubers and musicians. When he’s not creating, Ryan can be found practicing yoga asana and meditation, and dreaming up models for arts education and communities. Some of his aspirations through teaching are to inspire regular practice, create community, stimulate health, and encourage empathy.
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Hannah MuseE-RYT 500, RPYT, AHCHannah Muse is an internationally-renowned teacher of yoga, meditation, mysticism, and philosophy. A mother, priestess and mythologist, Hannah is known for her deep devotion and for masterfully curating retreats and trainings that imbue the practitioner with a greater sense of possibility, compassion and connectedness. A devoted student and practitioner for two decades, she has been guiding folks to discover our shared humanity and inherent divinity for 14 years.
Hannah teaches at the Esalen Institute, as Director of Awake Heart Teacher Trainings, and Lead Teacher of Mount Madonna Center’s Prenatal Training. She has been a featured facilitator in dozens of other trainings, festivals and conferences around the world. Hannah has trained extensively with masters in various traditions including Raja Yoga and Nondual Śaiva Tantra. Her most influential teachers are Baba Hari Dass, her root teacher in the Yoga tradition, and her Buddhist-lineage teachers including Tara Brach, whom Hannah completed training with over seven years ago. She bows in deep gratitude to all of her teachers, too many to name here, each a profound gift on the path.
In addition to her fulfilling teaching life, Hannah (whose background is in social and ecological advocacy) serves as President of the nonprofit Yoga for All Movement, an organization that shares yoga and mindfulness with thousands of people each year in jails, recovery centers, juvenile halls and other historically underserved communities.
When she’s not leading devotional pilgrimages to India, service and yoga trips to Guatemala, and mythical retreats in Greece, you can find Hannah in her happy places: delightfully guiding meditation twice each week in a global online sangha, hiking with her daughter, practicing asana with her husband (whom she met on spiritual pilgrimage in Tamil Nadu, India), dancing wildly, or meditating quietly.
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Sidney NicolCMT, YTT 200Sidney Nico is impassioned to share the transformative power of therapeutic touch through the fusion of Thai Massage, Yoga asana and Qigong. Her journey as an educator has brought her to prestigious institutions like Stanford University, as well as private and public events, and numerous yoga studios across the Bay Area. With a wealth of experience, her dedication to healing led her to become a certified Massage Therapist in 1999, marking the beginning of her journey into the realm of holistic wellness. Sidney is a seasoned practitioner in the art of Hatha Yoga, having obtained her certification from Mount Madonna Center in 2003. Her interest in Thai Massage was ignited in 2006 during her immersive training at the revered Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. For deeper understanding and refined skills, she pursued studies and apprenticeships at Twin Lakes College of Healing Arts and Spirit Winds School of Thai Massage.
With expertise and dedication, Sidney continues to empower individuals on their path to well-being, offering harmonious and playfully led teachings of ancient healing traditions and modern practices.
