Fill Your Cup - A Katonah® Yoga Retreat

January 15th - January 18th, 2026 • Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

A new year, same you—better tools.
This intimate winter retreat is designed to fill your cup and help you build a toolbox for the year ahead.

Winter isn’t just a season—it’s the soil for what’s next. How we spend it shapes how we emerge into spring.

Set at the heartful NONNA Hof, just a few hours from Berlin, this is the very first Katonah Yoga & Traditional Chinese Medicine retreat in Europe —a rare opportunity to drop into deep practice, nourishing food, and seasonal alignment.

What is Katonah Yoga?

Katonah Yoga is a syncretic practice rooted in Hatha Yoga, Taoist theory, geometry, and metaphor.

Your host, Sarah Isabel, has been immersed in Katonah for the past 10 years—a decade of folding, breathing, mapping, and studying with some of Katonah Yoga’s leading voices.

This retreat offers 10 bankable hours toward your official Katonah Yoga certification.

You’ll move, breathe, imagine—and practice using the body as a house, the breath as a broom, and the mind as a tool for reorientation.

A woman with long light brown hair, wearing a light-colored shirt and gray pants, is kneeling and placing sticky notes on a wooden post in a room with wooden floors and white walls.
People painting on a large canvas using brushes and hands, with cups of green and pink paint on the table.
sarah schwarz yoga teacher katonah yoga retreat.jpg
Table decorated for a celebration with candles and various dishes of food, with a cat sitting on a shelf in the background.
retreat community workshop january yoga mindfulness.jpg
A platter of assorted fresh fruits including mango, watermelon, blueberries, grapes, figs, and raspberries, with bowls of granola, sugar, and a creamy dip nearby.
Women painting at a long table in a well-lit room with wood accents.

Retreat Flow

  • Arrival & Ground

    Thursday, January 15th

    Arrival & Opening

    Welcome dinner with grounding, mineral-rich foods

    Movement Class: Restore & Root

  • Root & Rise

    Friday, January 16th

    Morning Katonah Yoga

    Meditation

    Sauna

    Energizing breathwork

  • Expand & Breathe

    Saturday, January 17th

    Morning Katonah Yoga

    Pranayama Workshop

    Nature Excursion

    Game & Art Night

  • Transition & Close

    Sunday, January 18th

    Closing Movement Practice

    Shared Table Brunch

    Integration & Gentle Return

Seasonal Nourishment by Kati from Introvert.Berlin

A woman is pouring caramel sauce onto whipped cream appetizers at a food stall or restaurant. There are several whipped cream topped desserts on the table, with a squeeze bottle nearby.

Wild fermented soda & welcome aperitivo

Root-based snacks & adaptogenic shots

Dinner: Vegetable broth, roasted winter vegetables, fermented slaw

Herbal digestive tea to close the day

Landing & Grounding

A bowl of pumpkin soup garnished with corn on the cob and crumbled cheese, placed on a woven placemat on a marble table, with a spoon and a wooden tray with ginger and greens nearby.

Restore the Root

Creamy porridge, poached fruit, and rye bread

Lentils, roasted roots, fermented tartare

Sea buckthorn compotes, Jerusalem artichoke soup

Blue Lotus evening tea to wind down

A round table with a white tablecloth holds various items: a small plate of radishes with greens, a bowl of assorted crackers, a bowl of green and dark red grapes, a bowl of chocolate truffles, a bowl of berries or cherries, a slice of chocolate-iced cake on a silver tray, and three glasses of white wine. There are also small lit yellow candle holders and an additional empty small dish.

Inner Strength & Flow

Muesli, buckwheat bread, adaptogenic “coffee”

Barley risotto, smoked beetroot chips, savory muffins

Baked pear tartlets, soft polenta & cabbage wraps

Warming herbal teas to nourish the nervous system

A pavlova meringue cake topped with whipped cream and sliced persimmons on a white plate.

Gently Re-entry & Connection

Slow shared brunch

Warm breads, smoked carrot “lox”, beet pâté

Roasted winter slaw, baked persimmons

Pine citrus infusions & digestive tonics for a grounded goodbye

Empty attic room with wooden floor, two gray yoga mats on the floor, large open balcony doors revealing a grassy field and trees, and a small window at the top.

Retreat location

NONNA Hof • Dorfstraße 38, 17379 Altwigshagen OT Wietstock

An idyllically situated farm with a large natural property not far from the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The name NONNA, Italian for grandmother, is not chosen by chance. It symbolizes a familial place where you feel sheltered and cared for. A personal space where you can do whatever you desire. Whether it's rolling out you yoga mat, enjoying time in community, strolling through the beautiful nature, or simply turning your face to the sun and taking a deep breath.

A white farmhouse with a red roof and green shutters next to a wooden barn with solar panels on the roof, surrounded by grass and trees in fall.

Getting to NONNA Hof

Travel from Berlin is simple and scenic—by train, car, or shuttle.

Public transport total travel time: 2–3 hours

By train:
Take the RE3 from Berlin to Ducherow station.
From there, NONNA Hof is just:

    • 10 minutes by car

    • ~30 minutes by bike

Shuttle service available from Ducherow (optional – book ahead)

By car: ~2 hours from Berlin

 
A cozy attic bedroom with two single beds with white bedding, wooden beams, and hardwood floors. There are two skylight windows in the sloped ceiling, a small table with a lamp, and a side table with a vase holding a plant.
A rustic dining room with a large wooden table, surrounded by chairs, a vase of flowers as centerpiece, and a cozy sitting area with a beige couch and black pillows. Exposed wooden beams and a brick oven are visible in the background.
Sunlight coming through a window illuminates a simple bedroom with three beds, white bedding, a striped rug, a small plant in a white vase, and wooden ceiling beams.
White house with a red tile roof, black shutters, and tall leafless trees in the front yard against a clear blue sky.
A cozy bedroom with a sloped ceiling, two skylight windows, a wooden bed frame with white bedding, a small bedside table with a candle, and wooden floorboards.
Open kitchen with brick walls, wooden beams, black cabinets, a vintage stove, and white tiled floors, illuminated by natural light from two windows.

What’s included

  • 3 nights accommodation at NONNA Hof – a family-run retreat house full of history, character, and natural beauty.

    About NONNA Hof
    NONNA Hof has a rich past and a warm, welcoming soul. Originally built in 1934 as a traditional farmhouse with its own cow stable and barn, the property has been lovingly transformed over the decades. When the local farming cooperative (LPG) emerged in the 1960s, the stable was no longer needed for animals and was seamlessly integrated into the farmhouse.

    In the late 1990s, the new owners carefully modernized the house: adding windows to flood the rooms with light, installing heating for comfort, and converting the former stable into additional living spaces.

    What makes NONNA Hof truly special is the surrounding land. The family planted a small forest, along with fruit trees and berry bushes, creating a vibrant natural oasis that continues to define the charm of the property today.

    NONNA Hof is still family-run, carrying forward its history while offering a warm, personal atmosphere—an ideal setting for rest, practice, and reconnection during your retreat.

  • Guided by Sarah, who has been immersed in Katonah Yoga for over a decade—studying and practicing with some of its leading voices including Abbie Galvin (her weekly teacher), as well as Ty Watson, Antonia Lingemann, and many more—you’ll experience a rich and inspiring daily practice.

    This retreat also offers 10 bankable hours toward your official Katonah Yoga certification.
    Together we’ll move, breathe, imagine, and explore the metaphors of the practice: the body as a house, the breath as a teacher, and the mind as a tool for orientation and reorientation.

  • On Saturday, you’ll be guided through a full Katonah-style breathwork session designed to organize your breath, expand lung capacity, and soothe your nervous system. Together, we’ll dive into the anatomy of the breath, learn how to set up the frame for effective practice, and explore ways to integrate breathwork into your home routine.

    This dedicated practice builds resilience, presence, and a deeper connection to yourself—tools you can carry with you long after the retreat.

  • This retreat also offers 10 bankable hours toward your official Katonah Yoga® certification. To pursue the Katonah Yoga® teacher certification, you must already hold a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT). Once you have that foundation, you can accumulate Katonah-specific training hours (such as the ones from this retreat) toward certification.

  • Curated by Chef Kati from Softer.Servings, our retreat menu is deeply rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and thoughtfully aligned with the Water element. Every dish is designed to nourish your body, support your practice, and harmonize with the season.

    Each day you’ll enjoy:

    • Adaptogenic tonics & herbal teas to balance and restore

    • Ferments, broths & mineral-rich warming dishes to ground and strengthen

    • Root vegetables & seasonal grains for deep nourishment

    • Soft endings and digestive elixirs to soothe and complete each meal

    This way of eating is both healing and delicious, offering a true taste of TCM wisdom on your plate.

  • One evening, we’ll gather for a gentle sauna session designed to support the body’s natural rhythm of release and renewal — participation is, of course, entirely optional.

    The warmth of the sauna softens the muscles after practice, encourages circulation, and helps the nervous system settle into deep rest. Between rounds, you’ll step into the cool winter air, sip herbal infusions, and feel the contrast — heat and cold, expansion and contraction — as a living expression of balance.

    This shared ritual offers a moment to integrate the day’s practice, clear the mind, and return to yourself with ease and calm.

  • Beyond our yoga practice and meals, the retreat also leaves space for rest and exploration. NONNA Hof’s expansive grounds and surrounding landscapes invite you to connect with nature in many ways:

    • Scenic hikes and walks through fields, forests, and quiet paths

    • Refreshing swims in nearby lakes or ponds, with easy access to the Baltic Sea or a lake within walking distance for a cold dip

    • Deep relaxation in the sauna to warm, restore, and rejuvenate

    These simple yet profound rituals complement the practice, giving your body and mind time to integrate, reset, and soften.

Indoor yoga class setup with mats, towels, and round cushions on a wooden floor.

Investment

  • You'll share the room with just two other person, either someone you're bringing to the retreat, or you'll forge new connections and likely leave as friends.

    €700.00

  • You'll share the room with just one other person, either someone you're bringing to the retreat or you'll forge new connections and likely leave as friends.

    €750.00

Meet your host

A young woman with long, wavy red hair sitting on a wooden floor in front of a cream-colored fabric backdrop. She is smiling, wearing a beige tank top, black leggings, and jewelry, with sunlight creating shadows on the floor.

Sarah Schwarz

Sarah is a Katonah yoga teacher who loves to combine explorative Asana, uplifting breathwork and meditation. She is passionate about combining various methods such as analogies, taoism and Chinese medicine.

Sarah believes the power of analogy allows the individual to use life experiences to define the personal and understand the collective.

  • You will need to organize your own transportation to NONNA. We recommend either train, car hire, taxi or once every one has signed up we will help link you all up so you can potentially car share. More information here.

  • Absolutely!!! This retreat is for all levels of yoga. No problem at all if you have never done yoga before – in fact what better way to begin.

  • We have a max of 14 spots available but depending on room arrangement it could be less

  • Really anything you would take on vacation. A good book, something to yoga, lounge, swim and dance in. We have all the yoga props so no need to bring a mat unless you want to.

FAQ

Ready to join?

Get in touch with us to save your spot for this retreat:

Group of women practicing yoga outdoors on a grassy field, sitting on yoga mats with eyes closed, in a meditation pose.