Space for Me
with Mandy Thomas & Diana Rose
Thurs Nov 20th - Sunday Nov 23rd 2025
Hotel Balance, Valais, Switzerland
Take some precious time for yourself in stunning Valais:
How would it feel to take a few days away from the demands of daily life …. time off from thinking, planning, organising, providing, caring and managing your own and others’ needs; and instead take some time just for you?
How would it feel to arrive in stunning location, with like-minded people ready to laugh, play and explore without having to take any decisions … apart from which delicious activity you might consider next?
We invite you to step back from daily life and turn your attention to yourself. Revel in 3 days not in charge of anything or anyone and use this precious time to explore your yoga practice, enjoy fresh alpine air and reflect on what matters to you. Alongside daily yoga you can hike, dip, sauna, massage or simply pause & rest. Nourished by organic food prepared with love, this stunning family-run oasis offers the chance to pamper yourself thoroughly.
Gift yourself time to breathe, move, laugh, reflect and restore.
What participants say ….
This was a transformative experience for me – the wonderful balance of physical exercise, relaxation, mental focus. I have built awareness of my strength, flexibility, emotions & feelings and the breath-work really helped me find a sense of calm and clear my mind. I was fully present for this 3.5 days!
Participant Oct 24
It was so comforting to have space for the importance of safety in the yoga and within the group which was cultivated by the kind, gentle & respectful way of teaching and giving options. Even though I wasn’t able to do certain poses I felt encouraged yet not forced which is really important to me
Participant May 25
I appreciated the clear, precise yet extremely flexible instructions - the encouragement to explore what’s right for me, not trying to perform or excel but experiencing what I need and want. Being centred and grounded requires setting boundaries.
Participant Oct 24
I loved the mixture of calmness and being social; time for myself but still lots of stimulation with a lovely group. Beautiful guided walks but not being forced to do anything and the freedom to take time for myself. I was a bit worried about the longer yoga classes but actually I really loved them!
Participant Oct 24
This retreat offers time to rest, play & laugh with like-minded people
Nestled in village above Martigny, overlooking the breathtaking Valais, Ricky & Roland and the Hotel Balance team have more than 40 years experience creating the perfect setting to retreat from the demands of daily life. They think of everything so you barely need to think at all. With easy access to beautiful hikes, a natural cold pool, sauna, massage, home-cooked vegetarian organic food (plus teas, beers & wines) and the most inviting Yoga Studio, you naturally slow down to a pace where nourishing yourself becomes the priority; exactly which delicious option to choose next becomes the only decision you need to make!
A carefully crafted programme - find what you need
With early morning Meditation, morning Vinyasa and evening or bedtime Yin, you have the time, techniques and encouragement to explore a variety of yogic tools and find what works for you. We recommend joining all of these sessions to maximise your experience but the weekend is yours to join in or step back as you need.
The afternoons give you space to explore local hikes, play in the cold pool (experienced cold dippers help those who want to try, or simply watch the fun unfold), sweat it out in the sauna, book a massage, or just take time to pause, read a book or nap.
The real magic is not written in the schedule. Bringing together interesting people from different nationalities and backgrounds to a practice that promotes self-discovery and reflection delivers its own special magic. The retreat could also be called ‘Fresh air & friendship’ or ‘Smiles, Slippers & Savasana’. Wherever you are in your yoga journey, join us to weave some magic of your own.
Spaces are limited and all levels of experience welcome.
We’d love you (& your friends!) to join us 🙏🏻
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Thurs 20th-Sunday 23rd Nov 2025
Thursday
13.30 onwards Arrivals* & Check-in
14.30 Local Hike
16.00 Tea & Dessert
17.00 Opening Circle & Gentle Vinyasa
19.15 Dinner
21.00 Bedtime Yin
*staggered arrivals to suit your schedule - arrive when you can!
Friday
7.30 Meditation
8.00 Breakfast
10.00 Morning Vinyasa
12.30 Lunch
14.00 Local Hike/Free
16.00 Tea & Dessert
16.30 Cold Pool/Sauna/Free
19.15 Dinner
20.30 Bedtime Yin
Saturday
7.30 Meditation
8.00 Breakfast
10.00 Morning Vinyasa
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Walk/Free /Cold Pool/Sauna
16.00 Tea & Dessert
17.00 Yin Yoga
18.30 Apero
19.15 Dinner
21.00 Evening Circle
Sunday
7.30 Meditation
8.00 Breakfast
9.00 Check-out
9.15 Vinyasa & Endings
12.30 Lunch
13.30 Depart*
*can flex to train times
Price starts from CHF 955, dependent on room choice (scroll down)
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Ricky, Roland and their team have been hosting retreats for over 40 years. Their incredible location - at 1,500m, facing the Valais and surrounded by a breathtaking landscape - provides the perfect backdrop to disconnect and recharge, in characterful rooms of various sizes and outlooks.
Balance has been at the forefront of the ‘Bio Hotel’ brand in Switzerland since their inception, and take huge care over everything they use, produce and provide, including the attitude of their staff who cherish guests as they cherish the building -lovingly cared for with a myriad of thoughtful creative touches.
Wellness begins with the amazing Bio Pool, naturally purified through biological filtration to be totally chlorine and ozone free. Both beautiful to to look and an active treatment for your skin, the pool becomes a key character in the life of our retreats. Whether it’s jumping in before breakfast, gathering to chat or finding time to sit quietly and admire the surrounding 4000m peaks, it is a special part of the experience. Add a delicious sauna, beautiful indoor & outdoor spaces and immediate access to forest & waterfall hikes and you have the perfect backdrop to create your weekend as you want it to be. The staff also offer a wide variety of therapeutic massages that can be booked in advance. Why wouldn’t you!
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It’s always all about the food !
Hotel Balance believe ‘we are what we eat’ and offer 100% organic, vegetarian, macrobiotic home-cooked food. They nurture their own herb & vegetable garden as well as locally sourcing products such as honey, tisane (herbal teas) and biological wine & beer.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are generous multi-course buffets. For a fully vegan, gluten free or raw menu add a CHF36 surcharge. Freshly ground coffee, tea, tisanes and herbs are freely available to guests all day and we enjoy ‘tea & dessert’ each afternoon.
Arriving to each lovingly prepared healthy & delicious meal is a key part of the self-pampering on offer - nourish yourself inside and out with no work on your part!
What participants say ….
I LOVED the rhythm of the programme: starting early, ending late but with great variety and space in it - the flow of the days was fabulous. Bedtime yin is amazing and the long Savasanas just wonderful. Mandy & Diana are yoga role models to me
Participant Oct 24
I enjoyed having time to go deep. To explore new poses with support. I loved the flexibility in the programme – no pressure to join the additional activities just calm acceptance and honesty in all the classes with the emphasis on ‘space for me’. The essential oils were also very powerful – a new experience for me.
Participant Oct 24
The whole retreat felt EFFORTLESS … nothing seemed contrived or forced …. You both brought beautiful energy and grace to the whole experience. I have grown so much, Thank you for making space for me to grow.
Participant May 25
After this retreat I’ll prioritise yoga more often, add Kirtan Kriya to my morning practice, and look for more pleasure, joy & laughter in my life. I really haven’t laughed as much as I did this weekend in a long time. Thank you a million!
Participant May 25
Your hosts - Mandy & Diana
Founder of SimplyYoga in Commungy CH, Mandy has been teaching for 10 years and practicing for more than 35. She’s fascinated by the myriad of yogic tools that help us understand ourselves and live healthier & happier lives. She increasingly focusses on yoga for functional movement & healthy aging and loves that retreats offer the time and space to explore deeply and help people find things they didn’t know work for them. Bring your slippers, your sense of humour and be ready to play!
Diana trained in Ashtanga Vinyasa & Yin yoga in 2013/14 and has been teaching around work and family ever since. She discovered the healing qualities of yoga when unwell, and appreciates its benefits on many levels. As a teacher she loves to share the precious balance the practice offers amidst our hectic modern lives. On our retreats Diana is the Yin to Mandy’s Yang and leads the yummy bedtime yin!
Mandy & Diana met in 2016 and vowed to one day host a retreat based on joyful yoga, outdoor play and wearing slippers. The magic formula returns for a 3rd time!
What makes this Retreat special?
Journey deeper into your Practice
Wherever you are in your yoga practice we help you journey a little further. A thoughtfully structured programme offers practices & techniques to discover tools that work for you in the long term. We lead you through a variety of physical & energetic focal points, meditation styles, changes of pace (from gentle & dynamic Vinyasa to blissfully quietening Yin), breath-work, essential oils and fun challenges, towards deep, satisfying Savasanas for profound rest & restoration. Regular 1-hour yoga classes often miss the more subtle layers of practice and we savour the space and time to explore them.
We teach real yoga for real people (no ‘leg behind head’ stuff here!) and support healthy functional movement for the long term. Whether you’re new to Yoga or have been practicing for years you will experiment, notice and reflect on what you find.
We don’t take ourselves too seriously. My favourite teacher says ‘bring always the sense of humour’ and we believe that joy and laughter are assets in the yoga room - when you smile or laugh you ease a lot of facial muscles and that’s a great place to start!
A safe space with wonderful people
We create a safe, nurturing setting where you are free to join/not join, speak/not speak, push harder/back off, and encouraged to recognise the right decision for you at any moment. Our previous retreats quickly became beautiful spaces where women of different ages, nationalities and backgrounds reflected on their lives through the prism of a nurturing practice with its principles of self-discovery, non-violence, truth and loving kindness… and, erm, did we mention the slippers?
Yoga and so much more
We are blessed with a picture-book Alpine location, at 1,500m elevation with views of 4000m peaks. Surrounded by Swiss Chalets and cows with bells, you are immediately immersed in a rare peace. With access to gentle walks, physical hikes, breathtaking views, quiet indoor spaces, a beautiful natural cold-pool, a cosy sauna, high-quality massages and a studio with an incredible view, this exceptional venue creates the optimal backdrop for yoga, activities, friendship and relaxation. Do as much or as little as you wish to enjoy your weekend as you see fit.
The vegetarian, macrobiotic food is prepared and served with love. You are nourished, indulged and cared for with every mouthful of locally sourced organic produce. as pretty to look at as it is delicious. With fresh-ground coffee, herbs and tisanes offered all day, your needs are more than met. And you never have to clear up!
What participants say …..
I loved it all, especially the longer classes. I’m a life-long yogi and still want to advance more and I learned how important yoga is in my life and how I should do more! Oh we had so many giggles!!!
Participant Oct 24
I have such gratitude to have been able to recharge and make memories with old friends, the joy of the 3 days with all those giggles, and the connection with my heart and my body.
Participant Oct 24
Mandy I love the way you teach, your style, the clarity of instruction, explanations and connections to the body. And the name ‘Space for me’ really resonated.
Participant Oct 24
The pool was such a bonding event, it was at the pool and in the sauna that friendships have been made. Oh and the food was just so yum!!!
Participant Oct 24
Prices & Room preferences*
Single Rooms
Cosy & charming Single rooms either with a small private bathroom or a shared bathroom nearby on the corridor. Each room offers a unique colour-scheme and character.
Single Room with Shared Bathroom CHF 1065
Single Room with Private Bathroom CHF 1155
Twin, Triple & Quadruple Rooms
Spacious & charming Twin rooms either with a small private bathroom or shared bathroom nearby on the corridor. Triple & Quadruples all with small private bathroom. Each room offers a unique colour-scheme and character.
Twin Room with Shared Bathroom CHF 955 per person
Twin Room with Private Bathroom CHF1035 per person
Triple/Quadruple Room with Private Bathroom CHF 955 per person
Superior Rooms
Charming Superior rooms with additional space, delightful views and private Bathrooms, can be booked as Single, Double or Twin Occupancy. Each room with its own individual colour-scheme and character.
Contact Mandy for additional info on the Superior rooms available.
Superior rooms from CHF1190 per person
*Images are indicative and not necessarily the room you will be booking
Practicalities
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Situated in Salvan village in the mountains above Martigny, Hotel Balance is easily accessed by car or train from Geneva & Zurich
By Car: 1.45h from Geneva and 2.45h from Zurich with free parking available on site.
By Train: 2h.10 from Geneva and 3.30h from Zurich (with short connections to the airports) to local station Les Marécottes where we provide a shuttle (less than 5mins!).
For timetable, prices & tickets use SBB Mobile app or website
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The price includes:
3 nights accommodation
All meals (Thurs Tea to Sun Lunch) - vegetarian buffet with vegan/GF options (for fully vegan or GF food all weekend add a surcharge of 36CHF)
Coffee, tea, tisane all day
All yoga classes
All activities except massage
Parking or train pick-up
Wi-fi
Tourist Tax
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Not included in the price:
Massages (reserve directly with Hotel Balance)
Travel costs
Travel insurance
For a fully GF or Vegan diet, please reserve at time of booking with a 36CHF surcharge
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BOOKING:
To secure your place and room choice please pay in full via bank transfer
Once payment is received your booking confirmation and receipt of payment is emailed
Hotel Balance is an idiosyncratic property with many different rooms & prices (all beautiful!). If you need help to choose do email mandy@simplyyoga.life
CANCELLATIONS
Bookings cannot be cancelled or refunded unless the retreat does not go ahead (in which case you get a full refund)
Appropriate insurance is always recommended when making travel plans
Book your place
Send me your info and I’ll be in touch - can’t wait to hear from you!
