This week will be an honest and non-dogmatic overview of the Ashtanga method in a truly supportive and safe space for a week.
ADAM KEEN
ASHTANGA YOGA FOR ALL WITH ADAM KEEN
30 August – 06 September 2025
Description of the retreat
Originally Ashtanga yoga was taught without being formulaic and rigid and was accessible to all students. This is the traditional way that Adam teaches. You will learn how the general principles of this style are actually what’s important, and that often they need to be suited to an individual so as that they actually work.
This week will be an honest and non-dogmatic overview of the Ashtanga method in a truly supportive and safe space for a week.
You can expect:
A friendly and inclusive group with a range of ages and abilities.
To make new discoveries in your practice.
Delicious and nutritious meals.
To make new friends and engage with a support group.
To have lots of laughs.
Time to explore this stunning region of Puglia.
To return with renewed enthusiasm and energy for your practice.
Weekly Schedule
Weekly Schedule (subject to change)
Meals
10.30 am: Brunch
7.00 pm: Dinner
Yoga
6.30 am: Morning Class
9.00 am: Workshops (4 days)
6.00 pm: Meditation, breathwork, chat
6.30-8.30, Sunday to Thursday: Ashtanga Assisted Self-Practice
A self-practice class with verbal instruction and light physical assistance rather than the typical ‘Mysore’ adjustments. Adam offers directions for you to experience asanas in a comfortable and stable way in your body. He does not believe in forcing people into postures and focuses on safe and non-intrusive assistance. The class follows the traditional Ashtanga yoga sequences and series, however it’s OK if you need practice sheets, props or to modify asanas to suit your own needs.
7.00-9.00, Friday: Led Primary with Instructions
This unique led class features both the vinyasa count as well as fundamental cues for each
posture. Everyone will be made to feel welcome and safe in participating in this class, with options given regarding variations so everyone can do their version of the whole of the Primary series. There is no perfect or ‘traditional’ way we must do the postures.
9.00-10.30: Asana Workshop (Sun, Mon, Tues, Thurs)
Monday: Mobility v Flexibility
Yoga is about mobility, not flexibility. Flexibility is what happens when you stretch using your ligaments and tendons (that should keep the joints stable, instead). Mobility is a more skillful way of moving, or ‘mapping’ the muscles to work most effectively in unison.
Tuesday: Arm Balances
Building up from the basics with some technique essentials, we will then have a go at some of the more advanced arm-balances in a way that everyone can enjoy and experience the exhilaration of taking our weight into our own hands – quite literally!
Wednesday: Common Injuries, How to Prevent and Manage Them
We will discuss common injuries of the knees, lower back, and shoulders along with others,
to find out why they happen, how to protect ourselves against them, and/or, how to rehab ourselves if they’ve already occurred by working with our practice (rather than stopping altogether).
Thursday: Backbends to Front Stretches
There is a way to approach backbends which immediately makes them less scary. Namely, to consider that you are not bending your back, rather lengthening through the whole of the front of your body. A lot may change when considering them from a different angle and with a few extra tips.
Ask for any
further info
Salento
The YIS retreat centre is located in Zollino, in the heart of the Salento. Twenty minutes from both coasts and from cultural centres such as Lecce, Otranto and Gallipoli.
Our yoga retreats are also an opportunity to get together, share good moments, pamper yourself and enjoy the beauty of the Salento in a peaceful environment. Give yourself an energetic recharge through vegan and vegetarian organic food, eco-sustainable tourism and relaxation in our spaces.
Our staff are at your disposal for the entire duration of the retreat to advise you about the must–see places in the Salento, organise excursions, guided tours, gastronomic tours, transfers, rentals and anything else to make your stay enjoyable.
For all information, call +39 0836 600284 or send an email to info@yogainsalento.com.
Book this retreat now
The Location
Our retreats take place at Agricola Samadhi, a unique organic farmhouse because it proposes something more than just recreation.
In this charming oasis, the lifestyle revolves around well being: you can combine your stay with a SPA, Ayurvedic consultations and treatments, and a wide range of massages and more.
You can regain your well being through a variety of top–level yoga classes. There is also a SPA Healing Centre and the HQ of YIS, Yoga In Salento, a European leader in yoga retreats, for years a favourite destination of the best internationally renowned teachers in the world.
An energy recharge and psycho–physical well being will be the most precious gifts of your stay that you’ll take home with you, together with the new friendships you’ve made during the retreat.
BOOK YOUR STAY
7 nights
6 brunches
7 vegetarian dinners
1 breakfast
double, single or shared rooms
A very wide swimming pool and beautiful gardens
Spa Healing Center. Treatments and massages on request
Adam has been a yoga practitioner since 1999 and has taught Ashtanga yoga internationally for over twenty years. His style is open, non-dogmatic and eclectic while remaining rooted in an appreciation of the benefits of the method of ashtanga as he learnt it in Mysore, India.
In 2012 he completed the Advanced A sequence with Sharath and was authorized to teach. Adam meets all students where they are, hopefully, with humour, kindness and inspiration, holding a safe and supportive space for personal inquiry. He is also the co-founder of Keen on Yoga and the Keen on Yoga podcast with his wife Theresa.
Feel free to ask for any further info
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