Reith bei Kitzbühel, Tyrol, Austria. On a mountain slope not far from Kitzbühel, a resort town best known for skiing, stands a yoga retreat house. This is not a hotel with a yoga programme added on. It is a training centre run directly by the Sivananda Yoga organisation, founded in 1957 by Swami Vishnudevananda. Guest rooms have no television or Wi-Fi, and two vegetarian meals are served each day. Guests do not devise their own daily routine during their stay. The timetable is already set.
Experience a day that begins with meditation at six in the morning and ends with evening satsang
The daily timetable published on the official website runs as follows. Morning meditation takes place from 6am to 7.30am, with mantra chanting and a short lecture. The first yoga class runs from 8am to 9.30am, covering asanas, pranayama and deep relaxation. The middle of the day is left free. A second yoga class follows from 4pm to 5.30pm. From 8pm to 9.30pm, there is satsang: meditation, mantra chanting and a lecture, ending with a ritual of light known as arati.
In weeks with good weather, some sessions are replaced by silent walking meditation. The official information says this takes place several times a week. Time spent walking in silence along Alpine meadows and forest paths takes the place of indoor meditation. This daily pattern, with two meditation sessions and two asana classes, runs year-round at the retreat house in Reith.
The practice is based on the five principles promoted by Sivananda Yoga: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking and meditation. That is why asanas, pranayama, relaxation, vegetarian food and meditation all feature in the daily routine. Classes are led by teachers who have completed an internationally recognised Sivananda Yoga teacher training course. The organisation’s lineage runs from Swami Sivananda (1887–1963) to his disciple, Swami Vishnudevananda (1927–1993).
The official website lists five elements in the daily programme: asanas and pranayama, meditation, deep relaxation, mantras and the study of yoga philosophy. That is why short lectures are included in the morning and evening sessions. Rather than simply repeating the practice, the programme also gives participants a chance to learn where it comes from and what it is intended to achieve. For anyone who has encountered yoga only as exercise, this may feel like a different approach.
Can someone who has never tried yoga stay here?
Yes. The official website says that teaching is tailored to beginners, experienced practitioners and advanced students. Among the weekly themes is a dedicated beginners’ course, while introductory yoga workshops offer gentle yoga and meditation for newcomers. The minimum stay is two nights. On arrival day, the programme begins with a yoga class at 4pm.
Nearly 20 weekly themes rotate through the programme. They include meditation experiences, breathing practice, developing asanas, spinal health, positive thinking, a yogic lifestyle, yoga and mountain hiking, and winter sports and yoga. Seasonal events include kirtan retreats, an All Saints’ retreat, Christmas and New Year retreats, and spiritual retreats. A meditation retreat has recently been added, giving those who want to explore meditation in greater depth another option.
The packing list also gives a sense of what to expect. Guests are advised to bring a non-slip yoga mat or wool mat, a blanket, a meditation cushion and a meditation shawl. Participants are asked to avoid coffee and black tea, meat and fish, eggs, onions and garlic, alcohol, and tobacco during their stay. These requirements reflect the dietary principles of yoga. They may feel restrictive to anyone looking for a few relaxed days away, but could provide a helpful structure for those wanting to change their whole routine for a week.
The retreat house is also a centre for teacher training, hinting at the depth of its programme. The official website lists yoga teacher training and advanced courses, a sadhana intensive, continuing education courses and an academy. In other words, the same building hosts both holidaymakers and those working towards becoming teachers. For people who want to familiarise themselves with the routine in advance, online programmes are also available, including live drop-in classes, group meditation and pranayama courses.
Stay in rooms designed to reduce electromagnetic radiation, with a small sauna and an organic hotel across the road
Accommodation and meals are provided by a partner hotel across the road. It holds organic certification, the EU Ecolabel and an Austrian culinary award. Guest rooms have solid wood floors, health mattresses and, in most cases, balconies. None has a television or Wi-Fi; the official information says this is a deliberate choice to reduce electromagnetic radiation. In addition to single and double rooms, there are shared rooms for eight guests, one for women and one for men, as well as a women-only dormitory. There is no men-only dormitory. If the hotel is full, guests stay at a nearby guesthouse and use the main building for meals, the yoga hall and sauna.
There are three yoga halls. The small wellness area has a Finnish sauna and a low-temperature sauna. The hotel uses green electricity, pellet heating and solar hot water. Meals are based on ingredients from organic farms, supplemented with fruit and berries grown by the hotel. Vegan and gluten-free alternatives are available, but gluten-free bread is not provided, and the hotel warns that cross-contamination is possible. It also notes that it cannot accommodate every individual dietary preference.
The view from the window changes in autumn. The official website highlights the Tyrolean Alps at this time of year, when the meadows change colour and the first snow settles on the ridgelines. As winter sets in, themed weeks combining yoga and winter sports offer the chance to walk across snowy landscapes or ski during the day, then meditate in the morning and evening.
For a course in late November, high in the mountains at 1,334 metres
The organisation runs courses in several locations beyond Tyrol. Its 2026 schedule lists a course in Mittersill, in the Hohe Tauern, from 26 October to 8 November, and one in Fie, Tyrol, from 22 November to 3 December. Courses are also scheduled in Málaga, Spain, from 4 to 8 December, and in Rudraprayag in the Indian Himalayas from 21 October to 19 November.
The setting for the course in Fie is particularly striking. It takes place at an eco-friendly mountain hotel 1,334 metres above sea level, above the Inn Valley, with views of the Karwendel range and the Zillertal glaciers. The daily routine is as follows. The day begins at 6am, followed at 6.30am by silent meditation and mantras. From 8.30am to 10am there are asanas and breathing exercises. An organic vegetarian brunch is served at 10.30am. From 11.30am until 4pm, free time includes walks, occasional lectures, sauna sessions and treatments. Asanas and breathing exercises resume from 4pm to 5.30pm. A vegetarian buffet dinner is served at 6pm. At 7.30pm, there is silent meditation, mantras and reading. Silence begins at 10pm. Meditation and asana sessions are compulsory, while the afternoon lecture is optional. Guest rooms have no television or wireless internet, and smoking is prohibited throughout the property.
The organisation’s work extends beyond Tyrol. Its official website lists a yoga yatra and retreats in India, as well as an event marking the centenary of Swami Vishnudevananda’s birth. Within Austria, it also runs courses in Bad Hofgastein. For anyone wondering where to go next after a week in Tyrol, there are already several options to choose from.
Let go of planning and settle into the rhythm of a community of practice
This is a good fit for anyone wanting to set aside a week of their trip to bring their body, breathing and diet into balance all at once. It may also suit those who find it easier to follow a set routine, or who are drawn to walking in silence along Alpine trails. It is less about expecting hotel-style service and more about giving yourself over to the rhythm of a community of practice.
As autumn deepens on the Tyrolean mountainside, the day begins with meditation at 6am and unfolds with silent walks across Alpine meadows. If you are travelling to the Alps anyway, matching your day to the rhythm of the mountains, rather than simply looking at them, might leave a deeper impression.
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