Australia Annual Gathering & Teacher Mentoring Programme

Thursday 16th – Monday 20th January
Springbrook Retreat, Queensland

Join Mark, Rosalind & friends for a transformative yoga, connection, and personal growth at our Heart of Yoga Retreat & 2025 Mentorship

In a world full of commodified "yoga" and the proliferation of brands and styles, how do we make sure we keep the heart in Yoga? How do we practice and teach in ways that respect and recognise each individual as the unique expression of life that they are? What are the practical tools that can help us feel our own intrinsic joy, freedom, and authority, and share this?

Investigate these questions together with a collective holding decades of experience of practice and of helping people find the right yoga for them. Explore how Yoga is not just a physical workout, a collection of information, or a "spiritual" workout towards a future, better version of ourselves—rather, it is each person's direct participation in the nurturing force of reality, as it is appearing as you and everything else. 

Learn from one of the few Western teachers who cultivated a long-standing sadhana relationship with TKV Desikachar, whose legacy of down-to-earth practicality, ordinariness, non-religiousity, and real human relationships we continue. Align your Yoga and teaching with the precise principles of breath from Desikachar’s father, T. Krishnamacharya, “the grandfather of modern yoga” and teacher of Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois.

3–5 day Heart of Yoga Retreat

Start your year off with a five-day retreat in the green mountains of Springbrook, where you will deepen your embodied understanding of the fundamental principles of practice, alongside a community of practitioners.

Themes of the retreat:

  • Receptivity, the missing link from society and most yoga. How do we make sure our Yoga is more than a workout? How do we ensure it flows outwards into our daily life and relationships? Making sure the yin is balanced with the yang.

  • “In the world not of the world” – how can yoga help us not get lost in reactivity towards all that is ugly and stupid in the human world?

  • Mind and body as one: feeling the postures from the inside. Adjusting our practice, asana, breath and energy to meet ourselves where we are, based on direct experience. Interoception. Yoga that allows the mind to find rest.

  • Bandha: the key to a supported and effective practice. Bandha is Bhakti.

  • Sound: Sound, mantra, chanting as tools to integrate into our asana-pranayama daily practice

  • Enjoy Nature and Connection: Swims, scenic walks, nourishing meals, and the company of good-hearted sincere individuals from a wide range of backgrounds.

Cost

Note these prices are in Australian dollars

Standard (After Dec 1) AUD $325 per night (minimum 2 nights)
Includes all programs, accomodation and meals.

Join us for all 4 nights (Thursday to Monday) if you can, otherwise come for just Thursday-Sunday or Friday-Sunday. Not possible to join from Sunday onward.

Ongoing Year-long Sadhana Mentorship - 2025

NOTE DATES ARE 16–20th not 21st

The Sadhana Mentorship program embodies the true essence of yoga teacher training—an ongoing, transformative journey of personal development, supported by the guidance of dedicated and knowledgeable teachers. This program offers a unique opportunity to learn from one of the few Western practitioners who has cultivated a deep Sadhana relationship with Sir TKV Desikachar, enriching your journey with invaluable insights and teachings.

The Initiation Retreat
Kick off your journey in January 2025 with a five-day in-person initiation retreat that will lay the groundwork for this transformative experience.

Ongoing Sadhana Mentorship
Throughout 2025, mentees will receive continuous support through various levels of personalized 40-day Sadhana practices, along with ongoing training assistance. The program includes one-on-one meetings with Mark, Rosalind, and senior Heart of Yoga teachers, providing tailored guidance and deeper study based on individual needs.

Mentees will also have monthly opportunities to connect online with a global network of Heart of Yoga teachers and trainers, allowing for collaborative practice and teaching development.

Additionally, participants will enjoy significant discounts on future in-person teacher trainings in Mexico, Bali, and New Zealand. The program is designed with a monthly payment plan, making it accessible for all.

Cost

The program is designed to be accessible through a monthly payment plan
Note these prices are in Australian dollars

  • Upfront: AUD $1100 (includes the Retreat with teachings, food and accommodation)

  • Monthly ongoing Feb - November: AUD $350/month

  • Teacher training accreditation (if applicable): 300hr