Two-week Ashtanga Retreat in Nepal with Joey Miles & Rachel Woolhouse

For the first time in Nepal, join Joey Miles for an extraordinary retreat into the Ashtanga yoga practice.

For the first time in Nepal, join Joey Miles and Rachel Woolhouse for an extraordinary retreat into the Ashtanga yoga practice. 

Hosted in a spectacular and welcoming Buddhist monastery nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas, the retreat brings together practices, teachings, people and places to create an incomparably inspiring opportunity to deepen your relationship to the practice and your self.

Asana practice will be complemented with technique discussions, optional morning meditation with the monks, Dharma philosophy, visits/hikes to some of the great pilgrimage points nearby, and plenty of time for quiet contemplation and joyful connection with like-minded others.

The retreat is an opportunity to adjust your pace and perspective, to slow down, to experience life more fully through mindfulness, and to feel supported in your practice by dedicated teachers, by the sacredness of the place and by teaching in the complementary philosophies of Yoga and Buddhist Dharma.

This is our only retreat this year to be offered over two weeks – a chance to truly nourish your personal journey by immersing deeply into your practice in one of the world’s most unique settings.

Those able to join only one week have the option to sign up to either of the weeks: Joey Miles and Rachel Woolhouse will structure the teaching in a way that all are included.

Places will be allocated first-come first-served, and we highly recommend you apply early in order to have your first choice of option.

Retreat summary

Amongst the energy of the Himalayas and by one of the most sacred sites in Tibetan Buddhism, join Joey and Rachel for a very special immersion into the Ashtanga practice.

The retreat will provide an opportunity to gain the benefits of the powerful and effective practice of Ashtanga Yoga, away from the pressures of daily life. The course will combine daily Mysore-style Ashtanga practice with sitting meditation, pranayama, restorative yoga and technique workshops to allow you to gain greater clarity and confidence in practice.

Philosophy and theory will be woven into the afternoon workshops, to give a broader perspective on yoga practice and shed light on how the practice works and how we can best integrate it into our lives. Joey and Rachel will teach Mysore-style on six days in the mornings. There will be three afternoon workshops each week, plus optional opportunities to experience more of this extraordinary location throughout the retreat. One day of rest will be between the two weeks.

Who it is aimed at

All levels are welcome but you must have a regular Ashtanga practice and be comfortable in a Mysore class setting. 

Joey Miles 

Joey Miles came to yoga after a mis-spent youth pursuing the circus, martial arts and physical theatre, becoming an assistant to Hamish Hendry at Astanga Yoga London.  During this time he studied annually with his Guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois in Mysore and in 2004 was authorised to teach the Primary Series. From 2005-8 he taught the daily Mysore program at Triyoga, Primrose Hill, London.

In 2006 Joey began practicing Iyengar Yoga with Alaric Newcombe.  The attention to alignment, precision and subtle detail has greatly influenced his practice, teaching and perception. In 2009 Joey set up and continues to run Yorkshire’s first 5 day a week Mysore program: Ashtanga Yoga Leeds. He has since been given Authorisation level 2 (blessing to teach the intermediate series) by Sharath Jois.

Grounded and approachable, Joey’s ‘common sense’ approach stems from his deep respect for the practice, combined with experimental knowledge of alignment and anatomy. Joey brings fresh eyes to your practice, giving guidance on how to make the sequence work for you. His pragmatism, humour and caring nature will leave you feeling inspired and deeply connected with your practice.

Rachel Woolhouse

In 2010 Rachel began practising Ashtanga yoga with Level 2 Authorised teacher Paul Kleesmaa, and upon her return to Leeds she began daily practice with Joey Miles.

She has since travelled to Mysore, India on four occasions to study with Sharath at the KPJAYI, the source of the Ashtanga method.

Rachel has been certified to teach by the British Wheel of Yoga and Yoga Alliance, having completed a two-year alignment focused Hatha Yoga training at Triyoga London. She trained as an assistant in Joey’s Mysore-style classes from 2013 – 2017 and now teaches weekly Mysore-style classes at their home studio as well as teaching together with Joey in Leeds.

Since her first yoga class, Rachel became aware of the powerful effect of yoga practice on her mental state and feels an immense gratitude for this practice, which has changed her life. It is this feeling of gratitude that motivates Rachel to teach.

The venue

For Tibetan Buddhists, the hills of Pharping where we immerse for our retreat together is considered as sacred as Bodhgaya in India, as it is where is where the second buddha Guru Padmasambhava (“Guru Rinpoche”) attained the state of enlightenment, before going on to establish Buddhism in Tibet.

The monastery which is our home during the retreat makes important contributions to the preservation and sharing of the Buddhist teachings, and our stay there helps to fund education for the many young monks from remote areas of Nepal. The lovely guest accommodation has spacious and modern rooms, comfortable beds for deep and refreshing sleeps, all with attached bathrooms. The yoga space overlooks the rice paddies of the Kathmandu valley, and – when the weather is clear – gives us stunning views of the sunrise over the Himalayas.

It is the perfect place to go within and study.

Accommodation is on a twin-share basis, and the retreat fee includes a delicious, vegetarian and substantial brunch and wonderful healthy dinner each day. 

Course fee

The fee for the two weeks is 215,000 Nepali Rupees. At the time of writing, this equates to approx GBP £1,450. Payment details will be sent to you on confirmation of your place.

The fee includes: return transfer from central Kathmandu to the monastery in a comfortable private bus, lovely twin-share accommodation (13 nights), all your delicious vegetarian meals, world-class teaching from Joey Miles and Rachel Woolhouse, trips during the retreat.

For those joining us just for one week (either week, 7 days/6 nights), the fee is 115,000 – at the time of writing, approx £775. The weeks will run 16-22 Mar, and 23-29 Mar.

Next steps

Simply complete the Registration Form and we’ll help you from there.

On securing your place with a deposit, we will also send you the retreat welcome pack, full of information to help you plan your visit.

Book this course