Align Retreat

Sutra House, Basel

Thursday the 22nd of January
to Sunday the 25th of January 2026

4 days/3 nights

FULLY BOOKED (Thank you!!!)
Missed out? Sign up for the wait-list. We will contact you in case of any cancellations.

Theme: Self-compassion

We live in a competitive culture, surrounded by constant stimulus that encourages comparison and can leave us feeling lesser than, and always aware of those who are more attractive, successful, or intelligent than us. At times we might be able to raise our self esteem and hold onto a sense of positivity about ourselves, but it tends to be short lived. Our sense of self worth is forever going up and down in relation to our latest successes or perceived failures. There is a more compelling way to move forward than the path of judgement and self criticism. Many experts suggest shifting our focus away from self-esteem towards a more effective path to happiness: self compassion. The research shows us that people who can develop self compassion towards their feelings and imperfections are able to nurture a greater sense of wellbeing than those who repeatedly judge themselves.

“Self-compassion just means applying the same standard of compassion to yourself as you already do to others.”
- Nic Wignall

Building a better relationship with ourselves starts with treating ourselves in a kinder and more respectable way. That includes taming that innner critic which thrives on giving us a hard time and keeping us stuck in that familiar negative spiral. Developing a habit of being more gentle and compassionate with yourself frees up time and energy to focus on things that allow you to feel pride in your achievements. This leads to a positive upward spiral of quietening down that inner critic and feeling much better about ourselves. Managing ourselves better can only come with an increased understanding, and it’s very hard to understand ourselves if we are often attacking ourselves. So - let’s get curious, learn to be less combative and treat ourselves as we would a good friend. A little gentleness and compassion can go a long way, especially when turned inwards.

Using empirical research, practical exercises, and drawing on the work of Dr. Kristin Neff—the world's expert on self-compassion— Bella will focus on changing and healing negative emotional patterns, and quietening that inner critical voice so that we can feel happier and healthier in our lives.

“You have to care about yourself before you can really care about other people. If you are continually judging and criticizing yourself while trying to be kind to others, you are drawing artificial boundaries and distinctions that only lead to feelings of separation and isolation….…………. By giving ourselves unconditional kindness and comfort while embracing the human experience, difficult as it is, we avoid destructive patterns of fear, negativity, and isolation. “

- Kristin Neff

(More details below)

Price:
4 days/3 nights
Incl a rich brekkie/brunch and
a great 3-course dinner (all meals vegetarian)

+ all day fruit, nuts, tea

Finish Sauna, Pool, usage of all and any props.

And more...

Single room: 885 CHF/pp

Double room: 785 CHF/pp
Triple room: 685 CHF/pp
(for a triple room please sign up with a group of three people)

Want to join or have questions?

Take a tour of the site - browse through this slideshow

The retreat: A nurturing and nourishing environment

On this retreat, Bella & Hanne will create a nurturing and nourishing environment to explore, get curious and reflect on the best ways to counteract self-criticism, to understand it, have compassion for it, and then replace it with a kinder response. We will spend some time recognisinng moments of suffering and movinng towards acceptance of these moments and bringing kindndess to ourselves. Our process will include group daily yoga practises, discussions, reflective exercises, heart opening practises and lots of space to breathe, reflect and unwind.

The body work, the yoga, will provide us with an invaluable chance to ground ourselves, become more heart centred, and root our new knowledge and learning.

Expect a fun, dynamic and inspiring atmosphere where we will encourage one another to observe, understand, deepen and align in both body, heart and mind.

We will meet twice a day over the course of the long weekend to practise morning yoga and also engage in afternoon workshops and meditation, as well as sharing meal times. They’ll be plenty of time for yourself too, with no crammed schedules.

Retreat Outline

(The schedule may be subject to change.)

THURSDAY

From 14:00 Arrival and check in

16:30 PM Introduction and welcome - setting an intention and anchoring in. Short yoga practice to arrive and move into the body.

7.00 PM – Dinner - Vegetarian three course menu

FRIDAY 

There will be tea, nuts, dried fruits and fresh fruits available before the yoga practice

07:55 – 08:25 Morning Pranayama Practice (optional) - Hanne

08:30 - 10.00 am Friday Morning Yoga Session – Hanne

10.15 am Brunch

4 - 5.30 pm Friday afternoon Session - Bella - What gets in the way of self compassion and what are its benefits. Moving towards a new way of being. How to be more heart centred, including a mindfulness self compassion practise.

6 pm Dinner - Vegetarian three course menu

8:30 pm – Meditation - Hanne (optional to attend)

Evening quiet is encouraged until after Yoga the next morning

SATURDAY

There will be tea, nuts, dried fruits and fresh fruits available before the yoga practice

07:55 – 08:25 Morning Pranayama Practice (optional) - Hanne

08:30 - 10.00 am Friday Morning Yoga Session – Hanne

10.15 am Brunch

4 - 5.30pm Afternoon Session – Bella.
How to practise self compassion - Acknowledging and validating painful emotions, using constructive comparison, reminding ourselves of our values and acting assertively to become more than our feelings.

6 pm Dinner

8:30 pm Heart centred meditation with Bella (optional to attend)

Evening quiet is encouraged until after Yoga the next morning

SUNDAY

There will be tea, nuts, dried fruits and fresh fruits available before the yoga practice

07:25 – 07:55 Morning Pranayama Practice (optional) – Hanne
08:00 - 09:15 Sunday Morning Yoga Session – Hanne
09:15 Brunch and time to pack up

10:30 -11:30 am Bella - final reflections and good bye

12:00 Latest Check Out

Good to know + What is included

Arrival on Thursday the 23rd of January from 14.00 PM
Sunday departure by 12:00 noon.
All Hatha/Vinyasa Yoga and pranayama sessions
Different Meditation Sessions
2 x Workshop Afternoons
Breakfast and Dinner - all meals are vegetarian
Tea, water, dried fruits & nuts are available to
participants free of charge throughout the day.
(Other refreshments from the snack bar, including coffee, soft
drinks are available and will be charged separately)
Bed linen and towls are included
Accommodation in either a single or shared room
Yoga Room, fully stocked with all the tools needed to work (no need to bring your own mat/props)
Sky-Lit Meditation Room under the roof with large open views to the east and west for sunrise and sunset.
Large Gathering/Salon Room for group meals and discussions with Fireplace and beautiful open views to south and west
Terrace with small infinity pool and natural pond.
Finnish Dry Sauna
Turkish Steam Sauna
Library for Contemplation, Study and Research
Surrounding Garden

Special diets

Please let us know if you have special needs/preferences for your diet when you sign up.

What to bring

Except from your most cosy sweater, most-beloved yoga pants and the obvious please pack these things in your bag for the retreat:

Your own house shoes
Note book and pens
An open mind :-)

Where?
Sutra House
Rütiring 36 and 36a
4125 Riehen, Switzerland

Website

About Sutra House:

A Space for Meditation, Yoga, Nutrition, Therapy and Healing Arts.

Set into a forested hillside near above the Rhine valley and village of Riehen, Switzeland - A sanctuary where one can re-connect to the inner life. Sutra House is designed as an architecture and spiritual space for contemplation & connection, nourishing the body & mind.

We created this vision of Sutra House for many reasons, but they all share a similar thread — promoting an integrated, meaningful and healthy relationship to our life. The various types of Inner-work happening here - art, food, yoga, insight, meditation, therapy and contemplation - all provide insights into the things that shape and create our life - exploring the “nature of things”. Learning offers us new tools to make our shifts in our life and within our community. Cultivating an attitude of community allows us to stay present to our environment, challenging our lives with a compassionate response.

Bella and Hanne

Bella Glover, a British trained Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist and founder of beingwell, studied psychological approaches to the mind that give us tools to change the way our brain works, boost self esteem, increase resilience and build on strengths. My training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy opened up a world of potential and possibility for understanding why we think and act the way we do.

Bella also trained in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Hanne Mogensen, a Danish trained vinyasa, yin and aerial yoga teacher and founder of FlowFabrik Studio, is fascinated by flow. How can we create more flow in our day to day life? What small changes can the individual make in his/her way of moving, breathing, being, doing which will have magnificient influence on the overall state of being? Hanne teaches yoga classes which are powerful, soft, empowering and reflective. Since January 2024, Hanne has also been a lecturer in mindfulness at the Swiss Distance-Learning University of Applied Sciences (FFHS).

Want to join or have questions?

Cancellation policy:

Cancellation 3 months or more before retreat-start: Full Refund

Cancellation less than 3 months before retreat start: Refund of 70 % of full price will be issued

Cancellation less than 2 months before retreat start: Refund of 50 % of the full price will be issued

Cancellation less than 6 weeks before retreat start: No refund

If the hotel or retreat hosts should have to cancel the retreat (incl the event of lock-down or if a retreat host gets sick) then a full refund or a retreat at a later date will be offered to the participants

If a participant needs to cancel (FX due to a positive Covid-test, sickness or injury), we can not offer a refund (except the ones written above).
A Travel Insurance of the participant would often cover some of if not all of the lost expenses. Therefore we recommend you to consider getting a travel insurance.

Liability and insurance
The customer shall be liable for negligent or intentional damage to the inventory or furnishings of the Sutra House. The retreat participant is also liable for his/her own equipment. Insurance is the responsibility of the retreat participant.
The Sutra House accepts no liability for the use of unattended cloakrooms.

The responsibility for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the participants and mental well-being of the participants themselves. By signing up for this event you accept the AGBs of FlowFabrik. See here.

Note

For reasons of better readability, this text has been written in masculine and feminine written form. All
all references to persons apply equally to all genders and non-genders.