Bali Immersion 2026

A 5-day “Untraining” in the Heart of Yoga

Dear Friends,

I warmly invite you to Bali, to a very special yoga gathering in the sacred city of Ubud Bali. The heart of yoga in the heart of Bali, hosted by our friends at Swasti Eco Village, Nyuh Kuning.

We are invited into our own Heart, not a conceptual teaching but the age-old technologies of breath and movement that enable us to participate in Reality.

“Recognize that unlearning is the highest form of learning.” — Rumi

Spend five days immersed in Yoga transmission. The gathering is not in any one style or brand but the basic principles that help us all feel our own intrinsic joy, freedom, and authority.

This gathering is hosted in the gracious gardens of Swasti Eco Village, in the peaceful backstreets of Nyuh Kuning, away from the bustle and noise.

Our goal is that together we clarify our own Yoga into direct participation in the nurturing force of reality, as it is appearing as humans, animals, plants and everything else.

Mark shares the teachings of Yoga, as brought forth from the Indian tradition by the "teacher of the teachers," Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. He first met him and his son TKV Desikachar in 1973 and has dedicated his life to sharing their clarity.

The Yoga that came through in this way is not religious but is useful to all religions and belief systems, to actualise their beautiful ideals. If we have been inspired, we need something practical we can do to honour and nurture that inspiration, and integrate it into our bodies.

All bodies and backgrounds are welcome. We could call it “Advanced Yoga for Perfect Beginners.” Everyone’s practice will look different because we are all different.

If you have questions, email studio@heartofyoga.com or send a message on whatsapp to Rosalind at +64277159538.

This immersion offers:

• Krishnamacharya's basic principles of practice, restoring receptivity and sensitivity to asana (and life);

• Precise instruction in the breath: how to breathe as the heart and gently unfurl hidden aspects of ourselves.

• Asana (postures), pranayama (conscious breathing), meditation (natural stillness), and use of sound (Vedic chanting, Tantric mantra, and nyasa — placing sound in the body) as practical tools for each person's participation in Reality;

• Releasing stuck points and obstacles in our spiritual life that are stored in the body

• Individualised instruction to shape your own personal practice

• Clarity on the "social dynamic of disempowerment" that can exist in teaching situations. The teacher is no more than a friend, no less than friend, and must stay ordinary to not create weird circumstances and pitfalls for all.

• Heartfelt community, feeling our prior and indestructible unity;

• Deep relaxation and reset of the nervous system surrounded by beauty

Schedule:

Monday 23rd November: Check-in after 2:00pm
Gathering at 7:00pm

Tuesday 24th - Friday 27th November:

• guided morning practice

• breakfast (included for those on site, opt-in for those staying offsite)

• morning session: dialogues and practice, emergent to the group

• lunch at Swasti’s farm-to-table restaurant: 1:00pm

• afternoon session: dialogues and practice: 3:00pm-6:00pm

• Dinner is self-arranged- eat in the onsite restaurant or explore something local

Saturday 28th:

• guided morning practice

• breakfast as usual

• pack out of rooms, leave bags with front desk

• morning session & ceremony 10:00am-12:30pm

• final lunch meal together at 1:00pm

What is included:

• accommodation as chosen below

• daily farm to table buffet lunch

• breakfast if staying at Swasti

• all teachings, including 1:1 time as needed

• Balinese blessing ceremony

• immersive sound and mantra sessions for deep rest

What is not included:

• Airport transfers - we can arrange this with Swasti drivers however: 500,000 IDR per car, sharing is possible

• Dinner: opportunity to try local options and explore

• Any other optional extras (e.g. massage and other spa treatments onsite)

Accommodation Options

Staying offsite: total retreat cost $700.
Includes lunch but not breakfast

Non-participant partner or companion, double or twin:
Traditional Room: $270
Deluxe Room: $300
Cottage: $380
Includes breakfast and lunch

Studio supporting members since 1st December 2026 may take a 10% discount.

Schedule (flexible)

9am – 5pm daily in the shala, followed by dinner together each night

Morning and afternoon spontaneous sessions of teaching, discussion, practice with a one and a half hour lunch/rest break in the middle of the day. Approx 12.30pm.

Coffee breaks at morning and afternoon tea time.

Accreditation

This programme can be used for 35hrs CE credits with the Yoga Alliance

Recommended Reading

Prior to the course beginning, you may like to look into:

1. Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar

2. Yoga of Heart by Mark Whitwell

3. God and Sex: Now We Get Both by Mark Whitwell with Rosalind Atkinson and Andy Raba

FAQ

Is it the right gathering for me?

Some people who have resonated with these teachings in the past:

• sincere devotees of diverse traditions who are looking for a whole-body practice to enact their devotion within

• those who have been practicing in the heart of yoga already;

• those teaching yoga but feeling bored or confused or disillusioned within it;

• those looking for a gathering that is about transformative relationships and accurate practice, not information-gathering

• those who always sensed there is magic in yoga but haven’t been able to touch it yet

• those who found Desikachar’s The Heart of Yoga or Mark’s Yoga of Heart useful as a book

• those who have trained with students of Mark and would like to take the opportunity to “go to the source”

• Those who live in Bali and want a “top-up” of inspiration and clarity

How is it different from most other yoga retreats?

Yes, you can combine this retreat with our online 200 hour programme offered through 2027. Please email studio@heartofyoga.com for more details.

How is it different from most other yoga retreats?

We look back to the actual practice tradition brought through by Krishnamacharya that is mostly not available in the yoga industry. Once you taste the power of your own breath, you cannot go back.

You will not be cramming your head with endless knowledge. It is an experiential process for the whole body, allowing you to teach from the body’s intuition, not from the head’s knowledge.

We don’t presume to try and know better than each person’s natural bodily intelligence… what could know better than the force that grew you from a single cell, and presently beats your heart and moves your breath? So there is no gross adjustment, and no imposition of teacher knowledge over another person. We all share the breath practices through which each person can participate in the power and beauty of their own natural life. As such there is no hierarchy because each person is already the beauty of the natural world.

We usually host a very diverse group of ages, nationalities, and a pretty even balance of male and female. There is no one “type” of person drawn to study in the heart of Yoga, it tends to be those drawn to what is authentic and deep, and we come in all shapes and sizes.

The mood is fluid and responsive to the needs of the group.

This immersion is in traditional tantric hathayoga made uniquely relevant and accessible in modern life. It is not about information gathering. Yoga is in your entire embodiment or it is nowhere. We explore subtle anatomy as the movement of energy in the body, not body part anatomy from a western medical perspective. You won’t learn names of muscles, bones or detailed labels on the body from the outside (if you have a personal interest in this that’s totally fine). We will be considering how to share the precise practices that enable others to feel their own intrinsic intelligence, not trying to approximate that intelligence with mental knowledge.

Discussion will include relationships, sexuality and anything else in your life you wish to bring yogic understanding to. You can speak as much or as little as you like and be assured of being listened to with respect and love. This is a conversation, a two-way flow of information, not a broadcast or a lecture. It is not any kind of neo-tantric workshop or space. You will get the most out of it the more reading, questioning and exploration you bring with you. You are a co-creator of this course, not a consumer of it. It does not exist outside of your presence.

You can use this form for questions or registration enquiries: