About the Farm

Our intention is to be self sustained, to grow our own food and grow yogis and healing practitioners, and to heal the earth and mankind through connection with nature, spirit, and the source of creation.

What We Offer at the Mystical Yoga Farm

Yoga Teacher Training Courses
SchoolYoga Institute offers 200 and 500 hour Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training programs regularly throughout the year. It is an immersion style training in which we teach Sadhana Yoga- The Yoga of Spiritual Practice- while giving you the opportunity to participate in conscious, self-sustaining, co-created community setting.

Apprentice Program is for individuals looking for in-depth involvement in a working spiritual community learning and experiencing mystical farming methods, yoga, healing arts, and spiritual practices. It varies in leth ranging from one week to six months.

Sustainable Living
Off the grid in a tranquil, care-free, and roadless forest, Finca de Yoga Mística is a living experiment in the practices of sustainable living. We seek to find balance, reconnecting humans with nature through revived techniques of rural living, delicately woven together with the most up-to-date and experimental appropriate technologies. Some projects recently completed include 7,000 litres of rainwater catchment, construction with locally available materials, passive solar shower, composting toilet, the design of passive solar multi-functional living spaces, and food-waste-composting. We have a small solar system for recharging appliances.

Rain Catchment: During the Guatemalan rainy season (May through October) we gather rain off of the tin roofs of our bungalows. We expect to collect enough rainwater for everyday use for showering, water plants, and for cooking in our community kitchen. Harvested rain water will be stored in a combination of holding ponds and fresh water tanks.

Renewable Material Construction: We have completed 3 wooden bungalows, a wood and glass Rancho (with dormitory for 8-10, kitchen, and cafeteria), a composting toilet, washhouse with hot shower (gas powered, looking for solar thermal alternatives in the meantime), a stone sauna (10 person capacity with cold shower outside for rinsing), and our yoga shala. Many buildings grow naturally on the farm, and others are as local, sustainable, and renewable as possible. Building materials we are currently experimenting with include: Wood, Bamboo, Canya, mud repel, and adobe. We invite innovative people with creative ideas to join us in our living experiment, contact us about your interest or expertise. We are also interested in stained glass work, sustainable tree house building, work with earth and clay, earthbag construction, construction using recycled materials and re-use of plastic in construction.

Passive Solar Shower: Harnessing the mid-day sun, we heat our shower water purely on the sun’s nurturing rays. Using a system of coiled black tubing we heat harvested rainwater for showering. We expect to have hot water for showers everyday from 10am to 4 pm.

Composting Toilet: Flushing toilets and inadequate sewage systems are the main source of pollution on Lake Atitlan, and a waste of rich nutrients. When collected properly composted human waste (just like cow or chicken manure) is a good source of nitrogen for trees even for fruit trees. In our composting toilet system we collect urine and human manure separately. This dry composting method minimizes odor often associated with the outhouses of old. When a composting toilet is full, it is “closed off” and left to compost for one to two years, then the rich fertilizer is safe to be removed and used to fertilize forest orchards and trees.

Passive Solar Multi-Functional Living Space: Following permaculture principles of Bill Mollison we are currently in the process of outlining our community needs into zones. The first zone starting from the hub of our living space. Our zone one includes our communal kitchen and dining space, yoga studio, and kitchen gardens including frequently harvested crops such as herbs, lettuces, and salad vegetables. We are currently in process with designing energy efficient living spaces, to be cool in the heat of the day and comfortable in the chill evenings, these structures will be the temple and heart of Finca de Yoga Mistica.

Solar Panel Electricity: We power our lights, computers, and cell phones with solar power. If you are interested to provide financial support and donate toward additional solar power projects please contact us at guatemala@schoolyogainstitute.com

Composting: As a learning tool, we will practice and experiment with some of the many different methods of composting for soil improvement. Our “laboratory” and experimental practice will draw from methods rooted in Biodynamics, Biointensive farming, Permaculture, and Vermaculture.

Mystical Farming

Mystical farming is our practice in integrating spiritual life into farming practices making personal connection to the land, the mother earth, the universe and the cosmos. Using the tools of intention, meditation and earth medicine practices we experience deep connection with Panchamama, and gratitude for the abundance provided to us. Our practice of Mystical Farming is and integration of favorable techniques from the philosophies of Permaculture, Biodynamics, traditional Mayan farming methods and our own practices channeled through meditation from the divine.

Permaculture Farming

Permaculture as we know it today is a philosophy developed in Australia by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. This philosophy is “consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food and energy for provisions of local needs.” Permaculture seeks to answer the question “Are there ways to live within nature’s limits while providing a secure future for our children and justice for everyone?”

The entire Permaculture movement is based on 12 principles:

• Observe and Interact
• Catch and Story Energy
• Obtain a Yield
• Apply Self-regulation and Accept Feedback
• Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
• Produce no Waste
• Design from Patterns to Details
• Integrate Rather than Segregate
• Use Small and Slow Solutions
• Use and Value Diversity
• Use Edges and Valuse the Marginal
• Creatively Use and Respond to Change

Biodynamic Farming

Rudolf Steiner was the founder of Anthroposophy in the late 1800’s early 1900’s. Anthroposophy is a modern science of the spirit which is a way of cognition leading to insight into spiritual realms. Anthroposophy then gave birth to Waldorf Education and Biodynamic Farming are just two of the many innovative philosophies developed by Steiner. “Biodynamics is a human service to the earth and its creatures, not just a method for increasing production of for providing healthy food.” It is a farming method integrating the energy of the cosmos, planting according to the pull of the moon, and putting energy into supporting the good in nature, as opposed to fighting the bad with chemicals and pesticides. It is living in nature and observing what happens to a carrot when planted on full moon as opposed to new moon, mid-day or early morning, and following the rhythms of ancient knowledge along with our own keen observations and first handed experiences. Lake Atitlan