IN-PERSON with Swami Ramananda, Claudia Bartsch & Mirabai Warkulwiz

December 10, 5:30pm–December 13, 12:30pm | Commonweal Retreat Center, Bolinas.
$795 Single room | $725 Early bird, exp. 11/19/2026
$670 Shared room (price per person) | $600 Early bird, exp. 11/19/2026  – Advanced registration required

As the holiday season approaches, we invite you to step away from the busyness and demands of December and enter a spacious time of rest, reflection, and renewal. This 4-day retreat offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and rediscover the natural sense of balance and peace that dwells at the heart of our being as our truest nature.

Through meditation, Yoga practices, intentional silence, rest, and reflection, we will gently calm the mind, come more fully into the present, and deepen our connection with the unchanging spiritual presence within. In the midst of the holiday season, this retreat can offer a precious pause—a time to listen inwardly, nourish the heart, and reconnect with what is most meaningful.

Join Swami Ramananda, Claudia Bartsch, and Mirabai Warkulwiz for an in-person 4-day retreat that includes Yoga classes for all levels of practice, inspiring workshops, meditation, evening programs, healthy vegetarian meals, and spacious free time for walking, resting, reading, or simply being in nature.

The spacious practice of silence, from Thursday evening until Sunday morning, invites us to turn inward, cultivate a deeper sense of peace, and renew our commitment to living with greater awareness, compassion, and courage. As the retreat falls during the holiday season, including the final day of Hanukkah, we welcome this time of quiet reflection as an opportunity to honor the light within and around us.

We are blessed once again to gather at Commonweal Retreat Center in Bolinas, surrounded by the natural beauty of the ocean and land. Located on sacred Native American grounds, Commonweal provides a peaceful setting for contemplation, practice, and renewal. The combination of Yoga, meditation, silence, nourishing food, and time in nature offers an opportunity to gently release the accumulated stimulation of daily life and restore body, mind, and spirit.

Come as you are, and give yourself the gift of a few days to pause, breathe, listen, and reconnect with the peace that is always within.

Early registration recommended.

Swami Ramananda, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a highly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, with over 45 years of dedicated practice. A certified Yoga therapist and founding board member of Yoga Alliance, Ramananda is known for his compassionate presence, deep wisdom, and ability to translate the timeless teachings of Yoga into accessible tools for everyday life. He offers practical methods for transforming life’s challenges into pathways toward inner freedom and realizing one’s full potential. Ramananda leads teacher training programs at all levels—beginner, intermediate, and advanced—in San Francisco, and presents workshops and retreats throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America. He co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program with Swami Vidyananda and has trained numerous Yoga teachers to serve in hospitals, corporations, and other professional settings. In addition, he has taught mind-body wellness programs across a range of communities. A co-founder of the Spiritual Action Initiative (SAI), Ramananda brings together individuals committed to social justice, environmental healing, and spiritual activism. His warmth, insight, and gentle humor have inspired and uplifted countless students on the path of Yoga.

Originally from Germany, Claudia Bartsch, PRYT, C-IAYT, has been studying and teaching yoga for over 25 years. With more than 2,000 hours of formal training, she brings a strong foundation in the classical traditions of yoga together with innovative, therapeutic approaches. Certified as a Yoga Therapist in 2016, she is deeply dedicated to facilitating holistic healing. In her work, she specializes in supporting individuals navigating mental, emotional, or physical challenges by adapting yoga practices to meet their unique conditions and needs. In addition, she is a Certified Stress Management Educator, empowering individuals to cultivate resilience and inner calm through mindful, evidence-informed practices. She also holds certifications as a Shiatsu and Reiki Practitioner, modalities that complement the integrative, body-centered approach she brings to her work. To further deepen her understanding of cognitive and mental health, she became a Brain Longevity Specialist through the Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation in 2022. Her approach weaves together ancient wisdom and modern science to support balance, healing, and authentic well-being.

Mirabai Warkulwiz planted her yoga and meditation roots in San Francisco at the Sivananda Center in 1998. Amazed at her healing of a back injury and many other positive life changes, she became yoga certified through 200-hour teacher training programs both at the Integral Yoga Institute in 2004, and at the Greenpath Ashtanga Studio in 2005. In July 2008 she completed another 170 hour Intermediate Teacher Training program in Asana and Pranayama through the Integral Yoga Institute in Virginia. She is attuned to Reiki Level 1, studies Aryuveda, is a dancer, and enjoys being in communion with nature. She invites all of her yoga students to transcend physical, emotional, and mental blocks to experience more spaciousness, comfort, happiness, clarity, and inner peace. As a Kirtan musician (Mirabai and Friends Kirtan Band) Mirabai leads Kirtan around the Bay Area, and enjoys implementing chanting, sound, and music into class.