Ashtanga Yoga Retreat “Into the Wild Bulgaria” with Zornitsa Zaykova & Mihaela Kavdanska (Mika)
20–28 June 2026
Gudevitsa Village, Bulgaria — Future Now Community Center
Here comes the event for the most anticipated summer retreat! 🌲🔥
With great joy, we invite you for the fifth year in a row to a truly wild mountain adventure — with Zornitsa and our special guest, Mihaela Kavdanska – Ashtanga teacher and media artist.
We will be leading the retreat together and can’t wait to share this magic with you!
🌄 Where are we going?
At the end of June, we head into the Rhodope Mountains, to the tiny village of Gudevitsa— a place far away from noise, technology, and city rush.
Together with Mika and Zornitsa, we will dive into intensive Mysore-style practices, in-depth Ashtanga workshops, japa meditation sessions, pranayama, philosophy talks, and meaningful time in nature.
We’ll be in the wild!
Forest walks, mountain hikes, meeting deer on the trails, climbing, gathering around the campfire for sharing and singing at night…
This is a retreat to deepen your yoga practice and your connection to the natural world.
Gudevitsa is a place that transforms you — and if you’ve been there, you know why. ❤️
✅ Open to all levels! Beginners are warmly welcome!
🏡 Where?
Bulgaria, Gudevitsa village, Training Center “Nature School”
In the divine Rhodope mountain, where mystery and reality meet, we enrich the process of personal development and learning inspired by nature!
“Nature school” is located among breathtaking views in a building more than 100 years old, the old school in nearly abandoned village Gudevica, surrounded by
beautiful nature, high in the Rhodopy Mountains. The center is dedicated to sustainable development and the connection with nature. It has an accommodation house built of wood, stone and clay, a spacious practice hall and a close-knit community spirit. This flexible environment in which you can lie, play, sing and laugh during the program is unique and activates all the senses. And through the windows, the mountains and forests peek out!
There are a lot of nature phenomenon around: Springs of Arda River, Uhlovica and
Golubovica caves, Peak Kom and also natural reserves. Today in the village lives only 18 people.
The place is VERY RURAL AND REMOTE.
So you have to be prepared to live very close to the nature, in a small community very far from the city civilization!!!! It will be perfect if you like outdoors and country life.
🧘♂️ About us:
Mihaela Kavdanska (Mika)
Inspired by Yoga, arts, and science, Mika (Mihaela Kavdanska) works as a certified Yoga teacher with over 20 years of personal practice and more than a decade of teaching experience across different Yoga styles. She shares her practice and knowledge in different formats: group classes, workshops, retreats, yoga & art guided experiences, as well as private Yoga coaching sessions.
Mihaela Kavdanska holds a 500 E-RYT Yoga Alliance International certification in Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Yin & Restorative Yoga, Pranayama, Yoga Nidra, Mantra Chanting, and Meditation. She received authorisation Level 1 for teaching Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga after attending the Teacher Training Course with Yoga Acharya Vijaya Kumar in Mysore, India. She studied and regularly returned to practice with her teachers in Mysore, India.
Over the years, Mika attended numerous courses, workshops and retreats with experienced Yoga teachers from different generations, sharing their knowledge in Ashtanga Vinyasa and Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Yoga Therapy and Yoga philosophy.
Mika’s first encounter with Vipassana meditation, as taught by S.N. Goenka, took place in 2008 and remains a part of her practice to this day.
Since the late 90’s Mihaela Kavdanska has been working in the field of Media and Performance Art as a visual artist, creative director, cultural manager and producer, researcher and teacher, co-founder of art collectives, creative studio, NGOs, festivals. Her numerous personal and collaborative projects have been awarded and shown in various museums, galleries, public spaces, theatres and festivals in Europe, USA and Asia.
Her last project the atha.raum is a series of site-specific, immersive, participatory, guided experiences that merge contemplative practices drawn from the Arts, Neuroscience, Yoga and diverse cultural traditions. This project is co-created in collaboration with invited sound artists and the participants. More information and image material can be found on @atha.raum and at atha.raum.
Zornitsa Zaykova
Zornitsa discovered yoga in early childhood and has practiced ever since, making it an essential part of her life and personal growth. After years of teaching Sivananda yoga, she found her true path in Ashtanga yoga in 2011 and has been devoted to the traditional method ever since.
In 2017 she founded Tristana Ashtanga Yoga Sofia, where she runs a daily Mysore program, guided classes, workshops, and retreats, nurturing a close community grounded in authentic practice.
Zornitsa’s path has been deeply shaped by her long-term studies with David Robson, with whom she completed a teacher training in Zagreb in 2019. She continues her studies under the mentorship of Marque Garaux (Authorized Level 2), and has also practiced with Vijay Kumar and Vinay Kumar in Mysore, India — experiences that have further enriched her understanding of strength, breath, and balance in the practice.
She is al
so passionate about women’s health, pregnancy, and postpartum yoga, and continues to explore how yoga supports well-being through all stages of life. A preschool teacher by profession, she integrates her knowledge of movement, play, and learning in her work with children and families.
🗓️ Dates
20 – 28 June 2026
Check-in: Saturday, 20 June (afternoon) – Program starts after 18:00
Check-out: Sunday, 28 June (by 12:00)
🔥 What’s included in the program?
* Daily Ashtanga Yoga Mysore-style practice
* Led Primary Series class
* Ashtanga workshops
* Mantra chanting
* Yoga philosophy, Q&A
* Breathwork and meditation practices
* Creative sessions and group activities
* Mountain hikes and nature immersion
✅The practices are also suitable for absolute beginners! No yoga experience necessary!
🇬🇧 Translation from English to Bulgarian will be provided when needed.
📋 What’s included in the retreat fee?
* 8 nights accommodation in shared spaces
* 2 meals per day (brunch & dinner)
* Vegetarian, local, eco-friendly, and delicious food
* Fruit, tea, coffee available during the day
💸 Price
Early bird (until 31 March): 720 EUR
Regular price (after 31 March): 770 EUR
🚙✈️The transport costs are not included. There are cheap flights fo Sofia, Bulgaria. We will help you with the transport from the airport and we will organise a shared trip to Gudevitsa. We can also help you with a place to stay in Sofia if needed.
The free spots for the event are limited.
⚠️Link for registration: CLICK
✉️For additional information about terms, conditions and registration, contact us by private message or by email at tristanayoga@yahoo.com.
