Every so often, the in-house Mandali Experience takes on a more playful form, opening into a week of celebration. This retreat is created for guests who want to go deeper into the journey and enjoy a broader variety of classes and experiences.

Alongside the daily yoga, meditation, and QiGong practice, this special edition welcomes Maurits Hofman and Yoran Hensel, who will facilitate five days of workshops. The programme includes Traditional Lakota Sweatlodges, a Fire Ceremony, Breathwork Journeys, and Singing Circles. It is a meaningful invitation to connect more deeply with yourself, with the elements, with ancestry and roots, and with our shared humanity. Together, the group is guided toward a warm sense of homecoming and inner remembrance.

This retreat includes twice-daily guided meditations, twice-daily yoga or QiGong, a daily special workshop such as a Breathwork Journey, Sweatlodge, or Singing Circle, access to the Body Care Centre with pool, jacuzzi, sauna, and steam room, and delicious freshly prepared vegetarian meals. It is designed as a joyful, heart-opening experience, allowing each participant to shape the journey according to their own needs and participate in as much or as little of the programme as they wish.

Ceremonies & Rituals with Maurits

The Sweatlodge is a sacred chamber of transformation, known as Inipi in the Lakota tradition. It is a space where prayer becomes breath and the Great Mystery is felt rather than explained. Surrounded by heated stones, darkness, song, and ancient rhythm, participants are invited to release what no longer belongs. The heat is not presented as a challenge, but as a remembrance that calls us back to humility, surrender, and kinship with all living things.

The Singing Circle with Maurits is rooted in voice, resonance, and prayer. Inspired by Lakota values such as honesty (WoWičake) and devotion (WoČekiye), this circle is not about singing perfectly, but about showing up truthfully. Drum, guitar, voice, and silence come together as one shared language. Ancient Lakota, Seneca, Chumash, and other tribal songs passed down through generations are sung in a way that restores connection and allows voice to become medicine again.

The Fire Ceremony is a ritual of honoring endings and welcoming renewal. In the open air, participants gather with night and prayer to offer what feels heavy or unfinished. The flames are held as a symbol of healing, guiding change with quiet strength and trust in the unseen forces that shape us.

Arrival & Welcoming

Guests will be welcomed together in an Opening Circle at 15:30 on Sunday, where they will meet the teachers and fellow participants and receive an introduction to the programme and workshops.

From there, the experience is designed to follow your own rhythm. You may join a morning class, rest, reflect, enjoy the Body Care Centre, or simply meditate with the view. Each day offers space to reconnect with what it means, personally, to come home to yourself.

The Mandali Experience Special begins at 3 PM, with check-in available from 2 PM. This retreat will be held in English.

INCLUDED

5 nights accommodation
3 vegetarian meals a day, plus tea time & snacks
Daily guided meditations
Daily yoga or QiGong
Daily special workshop
Welcoming & closing meetings
Access to Body Care Centre facilities (sauna, steam room, pool, jacuzzi)

NOT INCLUDED

Flights to/from Malpensa International Airport
Transfers to/from Mandali Retreat Centre
Massage and therapies at the Body Care Centre

Fire ceremony in Italy