Yoga Immersions with Yogakirtee (Lucille Meyer) & Yogasarita (Kathy Schwager) — YOGA, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama, TRE, Meditation & more.
Our Approach to Wellbeing
We are living through a profound polycrisis. Across the world, and particularly within our communities here in South Africa, people are navigating not only mental and emotional distress, but also the realities of poverty, unemployment, inequality, violence and social fragmentation.
Mental health is often spoken about as an individual concern — as something located within the person. Yet our wellbeing is shaped by the environments, relationships and circumstances in which we live. We therefore recognise that advocating for wellbeing requires attention not only to the individual, but also to the social and collective conditions that affect us.
From a Yogic and Ayurvedic perspective, wellbeing is understood through the concept of Swastha — being established in a state of greater balance and connection within oneself. Swastha can be understood as an invitation to come home to ourselves: to develop a deeper relationship with our bodies, minds, emotions, inner ecosystem and sense of self.
Wellbeing is not about being permanently calm, positive or free from difficulty. It is a process of developing greater awareness, choice, connection, resilience and self-compassion, in ways that honour each person's unique circumstances and pace. We understand that there is no single pathway to healing.
Through practices such as Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Meditation, Self-Study and Service, we offer opportunities to pause, notice and listen to what is happening within us. These practices can support a greater sense of presence, connection and freedom in our lives today.
Our approach to wellbeing is therefore an invitation to reconnect, restore and rediscover:
- Reconnect — with ourselves, with others and with the world around us.
- Restore — balance between body, mind and spirit, and a sense of safety and steadiness, in ways that are meaningful to each person.
- Rediscover — the inner and relational resources that support us to live with greater choice, connection and possibility.
We also recognise that healing and wellbeing do not happen in isolation. They are nurtured through safe and supportive relationships, community, belonging and meaningful social change.
Our Offerings
Yogakirtee (Lucille Meyer) and Yogasarita (Kathy Schwager) are excited to offer a range of immersions, which can be tailored to your group or purpose.
Yoga Immersions for more harmonious living
An immersion of Asana practice, Pranayama, Yoga Nidra and Meditation, with an exploration of moving from auto-pilot to awareness and compassion — shifting us from Doing to Being — as we navigate this time of polycrisis, polarisation and grief.
Half-day · full-day · weekend retreatsThe Polyvagal Theory & Nervous System Reset
Knowledge sessions on polyvagal theory, alongside Hatha Yoga, Pranayama and Yoga Nidra.
Half-day or full-day sessions
Tension, Stress & Trauma Release Exercise (TRE)
An overview of TRE and the polyvagal theory, nervous-system regulation and flexibility, and TRE practice.
Half-day, augmented with 5 practice sessions over 6 weeksYoga & Addiction
A programme for those who wish to strengthen their recovery, including yoga practices in support of the 12-step recovery process.
6-week programmeLeadership Immersion
Leading from the Heart — through knowledge sessions, somatic practices and reflective enquiry.
3½ hours · half-day or full-day sessionsOur programmes can be adapted for corporates, civil-society organisations, communities and individuals. Additional support is available through one-to-one mentorship and coaching.
Meet Your Facilitators
Yogakirtee — Lucille Meyer
Lucille was introduced to Yoga when serving as a political detainee in South Africa in 1985. Since 2000 she has been immersed in the practice and study of Yoga as a path to wholesomeness.
A certified Integral Yoga Therapy teacher, Lucille completed the 200- and 500-hour training in the Sivananda tradition (from Ananda Kutir Ashram) and has been teaching since 2006.
Her Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Swami Pragyamurti of the London Satyananda Centre opened the door to a deeper exploration of the Satyananda tradition. This led to further studies in Prana Vidya, Ajapa Dharana and Chakra Sadhana at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger and Rikhiapeeth in India.
She has also completed:
- 20 hours of Trauma Sensitive Yoga
- Mindfulness Training with Dr Cathy-Mae Karelse and Dr Rob Nairn
- Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy
- Politics of Trauma with Staci Haines
- Embodied transformation in polarisation, grief and overwhelm
- Yoga for 12-Step Recovery Peer Support Training (Part One)
- Trauma-informed care for children who have experienced abuse
She is a TRE provider (Stress, Tension & Trauma Release) and is currently training to become a TRE Trainer, with additional training in working with the Fascia, and TRE with children. She holds an M.Ed., an M.Phil. in Management Coaching, an MBA and a Doctorate in Education, and is a Senior Trainer for Gender Equity and Reconciliation International (GERI).
Yogasarita — Kathy Schwager
A certified Integral Yoga Therapy teacher, Kathy completed the 200- and 500-hour training in the Sivananda tradition (from Ananda Kutir Ashram) and has been teaching since 2005. She has taught yoga therapy from her studio in Claremont, Cape Town for over two decades, working with individuals and groups as well as at Crescent Clinic and Valkenberg Hospital, alongside people navigating depression, eating disorders and substance abuse. She uses yoga as the bridge between mind and body, through the vehicle of the breath, to support the natural process of healing.
Her Yoga Nidra Teacher Training with Swami Pragyamurti of the London Satyananda Centre opened the door to a deeper exploration of the Satyananda tradition. This led to further studies in Prana Vidya, Ajapa Dharana and Chakra Sadhana at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger and Rikhiapeeth in India.
She has also completed:
- Mindfulness and Insight training with Rob Nairn of the Kagyu Samye Dzong Buddhist Centre, Cape Town
- Professional Level MYYO Practitioner from Ananda Sanga, Somerset West
- YIN Training from The Wellness Connection, Cape Town