Underworld - A Somatic Shadow Journey into Connection and Aliveness
November 28th - November 30th, 2025 • Berlin-Wedding
Alchemizing shame, trauma and taboo into unapologetic aliveness
What if the parts of you you've been taught to hide, your fear, your rage, your grief, your hunger, weren’t problems to fix, but portals to power, tenderness, and belonging?
UNDERWORLD is a 2.5-day immersive journey where we transform shame into expression, trauma into connection, and taboo into truth. Through carefully held rituals, somatic practices, and relational alchemy, we welcome what has been exiled back into the wholeness of who we are.
What this workshop offers:
Shadow Alchemy – Practice turning internalized shame, fear, or suppression into gold—by listening to what these energies truly need, not what they’ve been judged to be.
Relational Somatics – Experience yourself in the eyes, hearts, and bodies of others through paired breathwork, witnessing rituals, and embodied boundary practices.
Primal Play & Emotional Expression – Release stuck energy in playful, consensual, ritual containers that honor the body’s natural language of sound, movement, and sensation.
Trauma-Informed Integration – We honor your capacity. You will not be pushed. Every invitation is consent-based, rooted in safety, and led by the intelligence of your body.
Sacred Group Ritual – We gather in collective rites that allow us to be seen, felt, and celebrated in our aliveness—including the messy, awkward, powerful parts we usually hide.
Schedule
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Friday Evening
Opening the Space
We begin with playful movement, sound, and games to meet one another with openness. From there, we explore how our instincts keep us safe and bring aliveness. We explore how the shadow lives in our body and in small groups, we reflect on questions like “The last thing I want you to know about me is…” and “How I am holding myself back…”.
The evening closes with dance and circle sharing, creating a safe container of trust to enter the shadow and the body more fully.
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Saturday
Embodiment, Somatic Relational Shadow Work & The Temple
We begin with grounding practices to awaken presence and release tension, followed by partner and group explorations into somatic connection, honoring both our yearning and hesitation of connection. Circle work and demonstrations bring shadow, consent, and relational dynamics into integrating experiences. Towards the afternoon the focus is on non-verbal co-regulation.
In the evening, we open the Temple—an intentional ritual playground with stations for all flavors of life, such as shadow reveals, embodied connections, sensuality, grief, rage, and wildness—where participants can safely explore and expand with guidance and clear agreements.
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Sunday
Integration & Closing
We open with joyful movement, laughter practice, and embodied explorations of boundaries and sensuality. Partner and group exercises invite us into authentic sharing, deep listening, and the courage to be seen.
Powerful moments emerge in Circle, where participants are witnessed in their truths, from grief and rage to forgiveness and self-acceptance. With skillful facilitation, even strong emotions become gateways to deeper connection and release.
We complete with relational practices, closing circle, and a harvest of insights to carry back into life.
What you’ll receive
Tools to alchemise shame, trauma and taboo into relational strength and embodied truth
A deeper sense of belonging to yourself and to others
Practices to build somatic trust and safety in connection
Opportunities to express the parts of you you’ve hidden or feared
A felt experience of being held, celebrated, and witnessed
A renewed capacity for play, intimacy, and authentic expression
Who this is for
This is for the ones who want to stop hiding.
Who feel the call to aliveness, not as something to achieve, but something to remember.
You may feel drawn if you're ready to:
Reclaim your power without posturing
Let go of old narratives and trust your embodied truth
Soften into real connection without collapsing
Turn toward discomfort with presence, not performance
Feel the joy of being seen—messy, honest, whole
Seasonal Nourishment by Kati from Introvert.Berlin
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
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
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
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
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.
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
What’s included
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Investment
Triple Room: 833€
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.
Double Room: 892€
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.
Ready to book?
Get ready to drop into deep practice, enjoy nourishing food, and find seasonal alignment.
Meet your host
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.
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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.
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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.
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We have a max of 14 spots available but depending on room arrangement it could be less
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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.
