5 Ways to Find Your Inner Balance
1. Digital detox | Hotel Berghof | Pfunds
The charming Hotel Berghof in Pfunds invites guests to switch off – literally! Its cosy rooms have been designed so there is no mobile phone reception. In fact, that doesn’t really matter as the Digital Detox motto here means you have to hand in any phones, tablets and laptops at reception when you arrive. The hotel team will even get rid of the TV in your room if you ask them! With all distractions discarded, you have plenty of time to enjoy the solid pine beds, fantastic views and delicious food such as the lamb stew cooked by the owner Toni himself.
2. Meditation and silence in a religious setting | Stift Stams monastery
You don’t have to be religious to be moved by the beauty of the Stift Stams, a Cistercian monastery around half an hour west of Innsbruck. Visitors are welcome to book a stay here, including – on request – meditation and other spiritual exercises. However, we wouldn’t recommend fasting – the bread baked by Brother Franz is famous throughout the region!
3. Working the wood | Tischlerei Felder workshop | Steinach am Brenner
There are few things as satisfying as making something with your hands. And if the thing you make is useful to you in everyday life and filly the room with the sweet smell of pine, that’s even better! The carpentry workshop run by Nikolaus Felder in Steinach am Brenner offers courses in a range of woodworking skills like restoration and carving. Nikolaus himself is a specialist in traditional woodworking – so your handmade stool should last a few years.
4. Marvel at the stars | Kaunertal Valley
Sometimes it‘s good to put things in perspective – and what better way to remind yourself of your place in the universe than by casting your eyes to the skies on one of the many winter walking trails in the Kaunertal Valley. This remote valley in the west of Tirol has almost zero light pollution, giving visitors the chance to admire the night sky in all its glory. You won’t see as many stars when the Moon is large, but a moonlight walk is a magical experience in its own right.
5. Yoga in the snow | Hotel Aufatmen | Leutasch
The Hotel Aufatmen, which literally translates as Hotel Exhale, is a special location in Leutasch inviting guests to get back to nature. Highlights include lots of natural wood, a spacious and light yoga room, a cosy reading room and a natural swimming pool open in summer. During the winter months there is a special programme with lots of yoga and outdoor activities in the snow – for example, a multi-day yoga retreat in December with the catchy name “Namasté im Schnee”.