The Elements of Healing in Ashtanga Yoga
Purple Valley Tenerife Retreat, April 12-26 2025
With Petri Räisänen and Tamara Ashley
The traditional Ashtanga Yoga method was always meant to be adapted to the practitioners individual needs and conditions. So the Ashtanga asana sequences are the ground from which we can build our own personal practice based on our unique bodies, ages, identities, mind types, injuries and traumas.
At the The Elements of Healing in Ashtanga Yoga Retreat you will be accepted as you are and be encouraged to follow the traditional method with kindness, healing therapies, care and love.
We are inviting everyone the opportunity to enjoy the practice, movement, spiritual growth and great company in beautiful Tenerife.
Our hope is to open us all up to more diversity (which is required for a healthy yoga community), more safety (which makes everything to bloom) and more happiness (which is the essence of an individual and collective yoga process) wherever we are in our personal yoga evolution.
Purple Valley Goa has been running an European Purple Valley Retreats in Tenerife, Canary Islands. The resort is an amazing combination of all different artistic houses and buildings just few minutes away from the famous hotels and beaches, but in a completely peaceful environment. The shala is beautiful and the meals amazingly tasty. Sounds great. Yes it is!
In this part of Tenerife (Playa Paraiso, Adeje) the sun is shining almost every day and the temperature is higher than in other parts of the island. There is summer all around the year. The trips to the beaches and mountains are amazing. Full pleasure!
Tamara Ashley will be assisting Petri and teaching a Tibetan Buddhist meditations and traditions in the evenings. Please, check a new schedule with Tamara’s classes and her bio from the end of the page.
You are kindly welcomed!
Petri Räisänen and Tamara Ashley
Petri’s sons made a garland in 2023 retreat Petri and Tamara in 2024
Retreat schedule
Each week consists of 5 morning Mysore classes, 1 Led Primary or Intermediate Series class and 4 afternoon workshops and evening meditations.
Week 1 April 12-19 2025
The Elements of Healing in Ashtanga Yoga
Saturday 12.4
14:00-18:00 Arriving to the resort
18:00 Retreat opening discussion, schedule, introduction
19:00 Dinner
Sunday 13.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 Discussion on your personal practice and accessibility in Ashtanga Yoga; What is your need? Ashtanga Yoga as you are.
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner
20:00-20:45 The 5 elements of nature in the healing process – introduction (Tamara)
Monday 14.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00-15:00 The body in meditation practice: A Buddhist Perspective (Tamara)
15:00-17:00 A practitioner-centered approach to Ashtanga asana and adjustments
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner
20:00-20:45 Refuge in the earth element meditation (Tamara)
Tuesday 15.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day
Wednesday 16.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00-17:00 Primary and Intermediate series techniques and adjustments
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
20:00-20:45 Refuge in the air and space elements meditation (Tamara)
Thursday 17.4
06:00 Led class Intermediate series
08:00 Led class Primary series
15:00-17:30 Touching the Energy body: Energy healing techniques
17:45-18:15 Self Healing Meditation (guided)
Friday 18.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day
Saturday 19.4
7:00-8:00 Pranayama
8:00-8:15 Gratitude to the elements meditation (outside) Tamara
8:15-9:00 1st Week Closing circle
Week 2 April 19-26 2025
14:00-18:00 Arriving to the resort
18:00 Retreat opening discussion, schedule, introduction
19:00 Dinner
Sunday 21.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
15:00-17:00 Discussion on your personal practice and accessibility in Ashtanga Yoga; Using the tools; walls, blocks and belts in the practice
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner
20:00-20:45 Healing relaxation meditation (Tamara)
Monday 22.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00 -15:00 Healing through form, energy and light in Buddhist Meditation Practice (Tamara)
15:00-17:00 A practitioner-centered approach to Ashtanga asana and adjustments (different than in week 1)
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
18:30 Dinner
20:00-20:45 Healing with form meditation (Tamara)
Tuesday 23.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day
Wednesday 24.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
14:00-17:00 Primary and Intermediate series techniques and adjustments (different than in week 1)
17:15-18:15 Pranayama, Meditation, Chanting
20:00-20:45 Healing with light meditation (Tamara)
Thursday 25.4
06:00 Led class Intermediate series
08:00 Led class Primary series
15:00-17:15 Yoga philosophy: Yoga sutra chapter 3-4, Sinddhis and Kaivalya. The final transformation.
17:30-18:15 Healing with energy meditation (Tamara)
Friday 26.4
06:00 or 7:30 Mysore style (two groups)
Free Day
Saturday 27.4
7:00-8:00 Pranayama
8:00-8:15 Gratitude to the elements meditation (outside) Tamara
8:15-9:00 2nd Week Closing circle
The pool at the resort Trips to the mountains
Tamara Ashley Bio:
Ashtanga yoga is Tamara’s passion and path to healing, peace, and wellbeing. As a dancer, bodyworker, and somatic practitioner, she brings over 25 years of movement knowledge and teaching to her work. She studies with Petri Raisanen and Juha Javainainen. She also studied with Oksana Gorkina, Manju Jois, Sharath Jois, Eddie Stern, David Swenson and Tim Feldman. Tamara is a practicing Buddhist in the Tibetan tradition and her teaching is informed by her meditation practice, contemplative movement and experiential enquiries into the nature of the mind. Her route into Buddhist meditation came through dance improvisation trainings with her teacher Nancy Stark Smith, who skilfully aligned many of the Tibetan Buddhist teachings with dance improvisation practice. Tamara maintains a body based somatic approach to meditation. Her studies in ashtanga yoga have strengthened and added to the practice, giving a deeper understanding of the body mind, energy, and the healing process. Petri has been an important teacher in helping Tamara understand how to work with the subtle energies of the body and mind, as well as helping her refine her sensing and healing skills. This background also informs her teaching in that she holds the space in a quiet and peaceful way that promotes the introspective inner sensing aspects of practice.
A seven headed Cobra shaped rock by te beach down from the resort
Photo by Petri 2023
