This weekend immersion is a call to action for all Yoga lovers, learners, and educators to come together in community to create space in our minds, hearts, and spirits. By getting away from your usual routine, and out of the walls of your daily practice you have the chance to truly focus on the gifts of embodying the nuances of a transformative Yoga practice.

Sonder® is thrilled to curate a weekend of inquiry and experience with one of Yoga’s most respected leaders as our guest teacher, Leslie Kaminoff. You will have the opportunity for personal reflection and discovery on the lovely 400 acres of the Himalayan Institute’s grounds; and you will be in community with the leaders of Sonder Studios as they have created an opportunity to dive deep into some of the most subtle aspects of Yoga — the breath, the movement of prana, and the beauty of bandhas.

The Himalayan Institute’s LOTUS STUDIO is ours for the weekend, and there are many opportunities outside of the learning studio too.

1. Daily Meditation at the Sri Vidya Shrine
2. Daily Yoga Classes led by Himalayan Institute Faculty
3. Whole Foods Plant-Based Meals cooked with love by the Himalayan Kitchen
4. Campfire, Moka Origins Tour, or perhaps you’d prefer some downtime on your own
5. Wellness Services can be booked separately (we suggest booking Friday or Sunday afternoon) https://himalayaninstitute.org/wellness-retreats/purerejuv-wellness-center/

Schedule of Events

Friday, October 30

• 4:00 PM – Check In begins
• 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM: Yoga class (Himalayan Faculty)
• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dinner
• 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM: Sonder® Sangha: Campfire + Conversation led by Megan Twining

Welcome to our community of Yoga lovers, learners, and educators. There is nothing like being live and in person with others from around the globe who are interested in preserving what matters most and exploring the possibilities of where we can expand when we are supported. Let us gather around the fire on a crisp autumn evening to be together to ignite that truth which dwells within.

Saturday, October 31

• 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM: Meditation (The Shrine)
• 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM: Breakfast
• 8:00 AM – 9:50 AM Lotus Studio: Leslie Kaminoff: Fundamentals of Breath-Centered Yoga

Yoga practice in the tradition of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar exhibits many distinctive principles and practices not found in other Hatha Yoga lineages. Details of breath sequencing, coordination with movement and spinal action are some of the subjects we will explore in this highly interactive, experiential, and informative session.

Leslie will introduce these breath-centered teachings from a historical, methodological, and anatomical perspective. He will also illuminate his underlying teaching methodology to create a dynamic learning environment that balances the safe space of inquiry with the challenging structure of technique.

• 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Moka Origins Chocolate & Coffee Factory Tour
• 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Lunch
• 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM Lotus Studio: Leslie Kaminoff: Breath and Spine: A 3-Dimensional Perspective

This session takes a deep dive into the anatomy of breath cueing in asana practice. Historically, inhaling is linked to spinal extension (back-bending) and exhaling to spinal flexion (forward-bending). While these standard cues are an ideal way to introduce the idea of connecting breath to movement, there are other possibilities. This workshop presents techniques and inquiries to explore some of those possibilities, opening the breath and spine to new dimensions of freedom, while highlighting the unique nature of individual experience in yoga practice.

• 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM: Yoga class (Himalayan Faculty)
• 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM: Dinner
• 7:30 PM – 8:00 PM: Lotus Studio: Sonder® Meditation Integration led by Allie Lehnhardt

This evening mindfulness meditation is intended as a time to integrate what you’ve explored throughout the day. Resting with the breath and the quiet intelligence of the body, we will return to simple awareness and the subtle movement within. A steady, grounded close to the day.

Sunday, November 1

• 6:00 AM – 7:00 AM: Meditation (The Shrine)
• 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM: Yoga class (Himalayan Faculty)
• 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM: Breakfast
• 8:45 AM – Check out of your room
• 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM: Leslie Kaminoff: Demystifying the Bandhas

The popularity of vinyasa-based yoga practice has created a wide interest in the theory and practice of Mula, Uddiyana, and Jalandhara Bandha — the “yogic locks.” In this workshop, Leslie applies his unique, experiential approach to clarify and, above all, simplify the practical, anatomical basis of these powerful, yet often misunderstood, tools.

An organizing principle of Krishnamacharya’s yoga involves energetic opening of the central channel of our body, the Sushumna Nadi. Leslie’s anatomical perspective refers to this as “vertical axis integration.” This unique perspective on Kapalabhati practice will provide access to our internal spaces, concluding with a meditation derived from Krishnamacharya’s perspective on Prana, Apana, Kundalini, and Agni.