Garten- zonte:
yoga practice, retreats & certification courses
To form a complete spiritual practice, to create a path to healing, to create a state of mindfulness in every action.
Our multidisciplinary yoga classes, retreats and teacher certification programs provide a solid grounding in the theory and practice of yoga asana alignment, vinyasa flow, pranayama, sound healing and meditation. Weekly classes focus more on vinyasa flow, while retreats are more multidisciplinary. The certification curriculum emphasizes a comprehensive understanding of hand to hand asana within an environment that allows a full connection with nature and fellow yogis.
Current Practice Schedule ($10, mat and blocks provided): Monday / Wednesday / Friday @ 5pm
If you are a yoga instructor and would like to host a yoga retreat, please reach out to our team. We have a dedicated retreat space, kitchen and ocean view studio.
About the program
Program completion provides each student with a Yoga Alliance 200 hours certificate, which enables international yoga teaching accreditation.
The program is multidisciplinary and will cover the following practice areas: Yogic philosophy (8 limbs and the meaning of yoga), Vinyasa, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Hatha, Iyengar, Pranayama, Meditation, the Art of Teaching, Yoga Asana Alignment and Adjustments, Inversions and Arm Balances, Therapeutic Sessions, Kriyas Mantras, Anatomy & Physiology
About the rooms, menu & location
The private villas, Shamsy restaurant, yoga studio and Moroccan hammam of Garten Hotel in Playa El Zonte will host the participants in either a king suite, shared queen, or shared twin accommodation. Each villa has its own kitchen, garden, pool, roof terrace, indoor and outdoor showers, and is connected to the yoga practice area and our beautiful black sand beach. Food is included in the retreat and is provided from a special menu created by our executive chef that is locally sourced and includes herbs and spices from our organic garden.
El Salvador has done a great job in limiting the spread of COVID-19, being named a “safe travel destination” by the International Tourism Agency, while Garten Hotel has been certified by the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health for our strong biosecurity and sanitization protocols. A negative PCR test is currently required to enter the country, though the low number of cases means that life has returned to a sense of “normal” in a way that is therapeutic and enables interaction.
About the instructor
Imelda Yezbek will be guiding us through these magical weeks together. She is an international Yoga Teacher leading workshops and trainings in different parts of the world such as India, El Salvador, Israel and China. Yoga has been her full time passion since 2011.
She qualified as a Teacher Training 500 E-RYT certified teacher in India, in the Rishikesh foothills of the Himalayas, a country to which she has a strong spiritual bond, returning every year with her beloved teachers to follow as an eternal student. She immersed herself for 3 months in China to learn the healing properties of Taichi and Qi Gong in the mountains of Wudang, and counts 3,000 hours of Yoga Alliance certified teacher training.
She is excited to shepherd each student on this beautiful journey for the soul and the mind, helping helping all to discover their own style as Teacher.