New Year’s Retreat
28 December, 2025 – 2 January, 2026
Sornetan, Jura Region, Switzerland
Transformative Beginnings: A Journey Into the New Year
Rituals. Breathwork. Tantra Yoga. Community. Celebration.
The days in-between the years are the perfect moment to take a break, to pause. And from that space, to consciously look back at what was. To express whatever emerges, be it gratitude, joy, grief, or anger. To feel. To let go. And then, to look ahead, at what is to come. To invite into our lives what makes us feel alive and fills us with purpose.
Find the power of deep relaxation and connect to the wisdom of your own body in Kaula Tantra Yoga. And let our powerful breathwork practices guide you into feeling and transforming what is alive in you. Accompanied by nature connection, meditation, dancing, singing, and sharing in the group. All weaved together, creating a choreography where intensity and expression alternate with silence and stillness, where the doing and the not doing dance together effortlessly. Opening to a deep connection to yourself and existence.
A collaboration between Fully Alive and Durga’s Tiger School. Led by Carmen Iten and Christian Marti, accompanied by guest teachers.
We have not opened the registration yet – simply write to us at contact@fullyalive.ch if you want to be kept in the loop.
Kaula Tantra Yoga
The retreat is built around our core practice: Kaula Tantra Yoga. This is a 2.5-hour yoga sequence that comes from an ancient lineage and is based on the teachings of Bhagavan Shanmuka Anantha Natha. Different to other styles of yoga, this series is practiced in a slow and flowing manner to build patience and awareness. Each asana is held gently for a period of time to allow you to relax into the posture. This way, you can find your own unique way of expressing the asanas without pressure of competing or ‘performing perfectly’.
Tantra Yoga facilitators approach students as whole human beings and discourage ‘isolating’ or forcing muscles. Their priority is to hold a space of acceptance and love, with only little guidance where necessary.
Our yoga practice is gentle and accessible for everybody – no prior yoga experience required. At the same time, this practice might open a new dimension of yoga for you, even if you have years of experience. And even if the length of the series might intimidate you: The practice is open for all level of fitness.
Breathwork
In this retreat, we will place a special focus on working with our breath – and we will breathe together every day. While shorter practices may contain breath meditations, pranayama, and relaxation and resourcing exercises, two longer sessions are based on BioDynamic Breathwork and Trauma Release System (BBTRS).
During a BBTRS session will guide you into an experience of deep connection to your body and exploration of your feelings by using conscious connected breath, movement, sound, and touch. The intention is to support your body’s natural process for releasing mental, emotional, and physical blockages stored in the body – opening the way for feelings of aliveness, self love, and deep relaxation. Throughout the session, you are invited and supported to stay present and connected to your body and felt sense. Through this embodiment, emotional charge can lose its intensity, empowering you to consciously feel what is alive in you, with love and acceptance. Through this, we access our innate power for healing and transformation.
Nature
Nature is our ultimate teacher, and it is always around us, in us. It is in connection with nature that we experience the magic of life in a very tangible way. That we experience a deep belonging to existence: We are nature, too. In this immersion, we will include nature connection in many parts of the program. Depending on the weather and group flow, this will range from self-guided nature connection exercises to outdoor group practices and hikes.
Connection and Community
The foundation of everything we do is a deep connection to ourselves. We guide you to connect to your core, your essence, and to explore what is there when you drop the stories, the “shoulds” and “musts”. And through this, deepen the trust in your inner wisdom.
It is from there that we connect to the group. To share from our heart, to be seen as who we truly are, to witness others doing the same, holds deep power. Together, we will explore this connection to the group heart in many ways, creating a space of trust built on authenticity and vulnerability. A space where everything is welcome.
Come onto a deep journey within yourself.
Programm
Breathwork, Kaula Tantra Yoga and Nature Connection will be complemented with the following practices:
Meditation: We practice active meditations, using movement, our voice and/or visualization to dive deep into a meditative state.
Cacao Ceremony: In this ritual space, we will connect to the medicine of raw cacao. Cacao has a heart-opening quality and thus supports us in connecting more deeply to ourselves and the group. When we dive into dance, breathwork, or nature immersion from that space, we can fully explore the magic of the moment.
Forum and Talking Stick: We will use these communication tools where suitable to support the group process - allowing us to show ourselves fully, with everything that is alive in the present moment, and to grow together as a group.
Singing Circle: By sharing songs in a circle, we invite joy, we celebrate life, and we connect to our inner vibration. We will explore songs and mantras from different traditions.
Dance: We love to dance. It is one of the best ways we know to connect to our aliveness. Be it to warm up before yoga, or to celebrate life together. No worries if you “cannot dance” – this is simply about intuitively moving your body in any way that feels good.
Partner Yoga: In this practice, we will support each other to dive deeper into relaxation during parts of the Kaula Tantra Yoga series – by assisting deep stretches and holding space. This is a playful, fun space, and at the same time might be one of the most relaxing experiences you ever had.
We will flow with the weather and the group to define exactly when each part of the retreat happens. A typical daily flow may look like this:
07:00 – 08:00: Morning Practice
08:15 – 11:00: Morning Session
11:15 – 14:00: Brunch & Nature Connection
14:30 – 17:30: Afternoon Session
18:00 – 20:00: Dinner & Break
20:00 – 21:00: Evening Session
At any point you have the opportunity to skip parts of the program if you need more time to yourself.
The Venue
This residential retreat experience takes place in a seminar center in Sornetan, in the Jura region of Switzerland. We will live together and share meals, creating a tribal, family spirit. Our group will be small, with a maximum of 16 participants. There is enough space for you to take a breath on your own in case you desire. There are double and single rooms available. All rooms are equipped with a sink, bathrooms are shared. Bedding and towels are included. For socializing or relaxing outside your room, there is a small lounge area at your disposal, as well as the dining hall. The overall standard of the retreat center is simple, personal, and comfortable.
The seminar center can be reached with public transport (bus stop: Sornetan). Parking spots are available for free. On weekends, there is no public transport to Sornetan, therefore we are offering a free shuttle from Moutier at around 16:35. If you want to arrive before or after this time, you will have to arrange your own transport for this last leg of the journey. Also, we will send the link to a table for rideshare coordination to all participants before the start of the retreat.
Food
We will have two main meals a day: Brunch at 11:15 and Dinner at 18:00. There will be a snack bar (nuts, fruit, tea, pleasant surprises) available all day. All food will be vegan, organic, and prepared with love by our chef.
Dates and Time
Start: Sunday, December 28, 2024, at 18:00 (check-in from 16:30)
End: Friday, January 2, 2025, at 12:00 after brunch
We start together with dinner on Sunday, followed by an opening circle. On Friday, we will have a closing circle and a good-bye brunch before departure. Please make sure that you arrive at the venue with enough time to settle in, so that you can fully participate from the start. And we ask you to be part of the closing circle, ending this journey together as a group.
The first meal will be dinner on Sunday, the last meal brunch on Friday.
Language
The retreat will be guided in English. German translation on the side is possible, please talk to us about this if you feel the need.
A space where all of you is welcome.
Investment
Price per person in a twin room (shared bathroom): 1100 CHF
Price per person in a single room (shared bathroom): 1400 CHF
Package for two persons in a double room with a queen size bed (shared bathroom): 2100 CHF
This price is all-inclusive, with around 6 to 9 hours of retreat program per day, lodging for five nights, two organic vegan meals per day and an all-day snack bar.
Talk to us if this price keeps you from participating. We will find a way together.
The registration for this retreat is not open yet. If you want to be kept in the loop, get in touch with us via email contact@fullyalive.ch.
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About your guides
We are guides on a journey, and you may choose to travel with us for a while. But ultimately, only you know what is right for you, what feels good in your body, what you need. At any moment, we will support you in your sovereignty.
We are Carmen and Christian, part of the worldwide team of Durga’s Tiger School teachers and holding point for activities in Switzerland. Together, we co-founded and taught at Kaula Tantra Yoga Zürich.We hold space for joyful transformation through soft power – inviting gentleness and self-love into the process of diving deep into our inner worlds, our shadows, and our light. We act from a place of loving kindness, with authenticity and vulnerability. Our core mission is to support you to find your own truth, and to live that truth in your actions. We follow our curiosity for what makes us and others come alive, and how to truly nourish body and soul.
Carmen
Carmen has a passion for challenging herself and others to move beyond their comfort zone, letting curiosity and love guide the way. In this retreat she brings together her experiences in Yoga, Tantra, intentional communities and art as well as her own deep connection to nature. She received her teacher training at Durga’s Tiger School® in Ecuador, Switzerland and Germany and is a certified YA RYT-500 teacher. She also co-founded a conscious community near Zürich, integrating personal development into daily co-living.
Christian
Christian creates experiences that connect people to their inner wisdom, their magic, and their personal power – based on his own journey in Tantra, Yoga, breathwork, music, dance, bodywork, and writing. He received his YA RYT-500 certification from Durga’s Tiger School® in Ecuador and is part of the school faculty both in Ecuador and Europe. Christian is a co-organizer of the Wild Love festival in Switzerland, a bodyworker and a breathwork facilitator.
Explore what makes you come fully alive.
About Durgas Tiger School
This retreat is based on the teachings of Durga’s Tiger School in Ecuador. Our core offering is a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training, based on Tantra, Yoga, Arts and Shamanism. In 2021, we have brought this training to Switzerland for the very first time. In a small, beautiful, intimate group of courageous souls, we have spent three weeks in the mountain world of Guarda, diving deep into personal power and magic. Now, we are thrilled to offer retreats based on what we do in the teacher training, but solely focused on experience. Find out more on durgas-tiger-school.com.
A Word on Tantra
We teach Kaula Tantra Yoga, and Durga’s Tiger School (where a lot of our teachings originate) is a tantric school. In the west, the word Tantra is strongly associated with sex. So we want to create clarity around that topic: We celebrate sexual energy as life force and we strive to express ourselves and be in the world as who we really are – and we are sexual beings. However, during this retreat, our focus is not on sexuality. Classes do not involve nudity or sexual contact.
Let’s celebrate life together.
What to Bring
Yoga mat
Meditation cushion (unless you are comfortable sitting directly on the mat)
Yoga belt or some kind of strap
A blanket for yoga
Blindfold
Comfortable clothes for yoga and movement (make sure to pack layers, it may be cool at night; bring a warm pair of socks)
Outdoor clothes (according to weather forecast)
Toiletries
Water bottle
Towels and bedsheets are provided. If you do not have any of the items listed or cannot bring it along, reach out to us, we will find a solution.
Cancellation Policy
You secure your spot with an upfront payment of the full price. In case of cancellation by us, you will receive a full refund. In case you have to cancel your participation, this policy applies.
Cancellation more than 60 days before the start of the event: You will receive a refund of 80% of what you paid.
Cancellation more than 30 and less than 60 days before the start of the event: You will receive a refund of 50% of what you paid.
Cancellation more than 7 and less than 30 days before the start of the event: You will receive a refund of 30% of what you paid.
Cancellation less than 7 days before the start of the event: You will not receive a refund.
If you can provide a replacement, i.e. someone who is willing to take your spot for the same conditions, you will receive a full refund irrespective of timing.
We recommend cancellation insurance (“Seminar-Rücktrittsversicherung”). Please note our disclaimer with contraindications; if any of them apply to you, please get in touch with us.