Winter School, Purple Valley
The Field of Yoga: Two Weeks of Practice, Community and Self-Discovery.
This special Winter School gathering will take place from January 30th–February 13th.
If you are looking for a yoga holiday, this is not the place. If you would like to explore more deeply what yoga really is, within a living field of practice, inquiry, and authentic connection with like-minded others, then you may feel at home here.
While daily yoga practice forms the backbone of this retreat, it is not primarily about postures. It is about deepening inquiry within the living field we create when we intentionally come together.
For two weeks we gather as a community committed to practice, presence, authentic connection, and self-inquiry. Together we create a field.
A space in which to question old assumptions and encounter ourselves and one another just as we are, without the need to perform. A field of open possibility.
The daily rhythm of traditional Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga and Vedic chanting forms the foundation. The container. Yet what emerges within that container is often the real gift.
Meaningful connections.
Moments of insight.
The peeling away of layers.
A sense of belonging.
A deeper connection to ourselves, to one another, and to life itself.
Together we create a field of shared intention and exploration. A space in which practice, inquiry, relationship, humour, celebration, and community begin to support one another. It is our being together as a unique collection of individuals that creates this powerful field of possibility.
Not something that can be taught. Not something that can be planned.
But something that naturally emerges when people come together with sincerity, curiosity, and a willingness to be real.
In a world increasingly characterised by distraction, speed, and superficial connection, we create a nourishing and protective space that supports both our own unfolding and the unfolding of others who are equally interested in what it means to live well, love well, and wake up to life.
The foundation: Practice
Each morning begins with traditional Mysore-style Ashtanga Yoga practice followed by Vedic chanting. These practices provide the foundation for everything else. Together they create a stable ground from which deeper exploration can unfold.
Following the tradition of Patanjali, this retreat approaches yoga less as a sequence of postures to be mastered and more as an opening into a living inquiry of experience itself.
We move: From achievement to awareness.
From performance to presence.
From mastering the practice to allowing the practice to reveal something about ourselves.
Ultimately, we move toward the timeless question: Who am I?
Drawing inspiration from the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and the contemplative traditions of India, we approach this question not as a philosophical puzzle but as a living exploration. Through guided inquiry, contemplative exercises, journaling, and group dialogue, participants are invited into a deeper encounter with themselves and with life.
We discover ourselves through relationship. We are together on this journey, supporting one another in our growth and inquiry. We are alone, and yet we are in community.
Underpinning the workshops is inspiration drawn from the work of Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, a practical way of bringing awareness into communication and connection. We will explore tools for cultivating empathy, authenticity, presence, and consciousness in relation to ourselves and each other. The field itself becomes relational. A field that allows openness with others to coexist alongside one's own inner exploration. We discover that relationship is not separate from spiritual practice.
It is spiritual practice. It is yoga.
A Self-Inquiry Retreat Experience
During the middle weekend of our time together we enter the culmination of our journey: a one-and-a-half-day Self-Inquiry Retreat Experience inspired by the Enlightenment Intensive process developed by Charles Berner.
Drawing upon Berner's pioneering work, this immersive process combines contemplation and authentic communication in a carefully structured format designed to support a direct encounter with who we truly are. Working with inquiry partners, participants engage repeatedly with the question:
Who am I?
This process is an invitation to encounter ourselves and reality with greater openness, honesty, and immediacy. No particular experience is promised. Yet profound insights often emerge when sincere inquiry unfolds within a supportive field of practice, presence, and authentic human connection.
Daily Schedule
7am Mysore style practice
9.30am-10.30am Group meeting and Vedic Chanting
3.15pm-4pm "Home group" meeting
4pm-6pm Workshop Session. (There will be some days with a 'free' afternoon)
Self-Inquiry Intensive Day
6:00am – Wake
6:15am – 7:00am – Self-Inquiry Dyad 1
7:00am – 7:15am – Tea Break
7:15am – 8:00am – Self-Inquiry Dyad 2
8:00am – 8:45am – Breakfast
8:45am – 9:00am – Sitting Contemplation
9:00am – 9:45am – Self-Inquiry Dyad 3
9:45am – 10:15am – Walking Contemplation
10:15am – 11:00am – Self-Inquiry Dyad 4
11:00am – 12:00pm – Lunch
12:00pm – 12:45pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 5
12:50pm – 1:35pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 6
1:40pm – 2:25pm – Lecture / Teaching Session
2:30pm – 2:50pm – Sitting Contemplation
3:00pm – 3:45pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 7
3:45pm – 4:00pm – Snack Break
4:00pm – 5:15pm – Rest
5:15pm – 6:00pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 8
6:00pm – 6:45pm – Dinner
6:45pm – 7:30pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 9
7:35pm – 8:20pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 10
8:20pm – 9:00pm – Walking Contemplation
9:00pm – 9:15pm – Snack Break
9:15pm – 10:00pm – Self-Inquiry Dyad 11
10:00pm – Retire
Community
In many ways, the greatest gift of this retreat will not be found in any single workshop, practice, or exercise. It will be found in the people. The unique collection of individuals with whom you will share these two weeks.
Many participants arrive hoping to deepen their yoga practice. They leave with something they never expected:
A community.
Held with Care
This retreat will be facilitated by Luke Jordan and supported by Silvia Di Renzo and Mercedes Parellada. Together we aim to cultivate an environment that balances depth with lightness, sincerity with playfulness, and profound inquiry with genuine human warmth.
There will be meaningful conversations. There will be moments of silence. There will be challenge. There will be discovery. And there will also be laughter, friendship, celebration, and joy. Because the deepest spiritual work is not separate from life.
It is life.
Is This Retreat For You?
This retreat is not for everyone. If your primary interest is learning advanced postures or refining technique, there are many wonderful retreats dedicated to that. This retreat is for those who feel called by something deeper.
If you are looking for more than a yoga retreat—if you are looking for practice, friendship, inquiry, community, and a deeper encounter with yourself—we would be delighted to welcome you.
Bookings and contribution
This Winter School is hosted by Purple Valley Yoga.
For all bookings, room requests, and practical enquiries please contact Purple Valley directly via their website or by email.
