Registrations are now open!
Facilitators: Sarah and Guka
Dates: 24-28 February 2027
Location: Yoga Nest Zürich Zentrum, Münstergasse 20, Niederdorf
Certificate: 50hr Sound Meditation Training Certificate, Yoga Alliance YACEP-eligible
Register: send us an email!
Pricing
Full fee: 1'790 CHF
Early bird: 1490 CHF, until September 15, 2026 (save CHF 300)
Deposit: 300 CHF to secure a spot; remaining balance available via payment plan
THE ART OF LISTENING, SOUND & FACILITATION
“Let silence speak to you about the secrets of the universe." Rumi
For Sarah and Guka, working with sound has never been about filling every moment or playing as many instruments as possible. Quite the opposite. Their approach has grown from years of personal practice, facilitating different sound journeys, and a shared curiosity about what happens when we really begin to listen.
Sound can be deeply felt. It can support meditation, rest, awareness as well as your overall emotional, energetic and physical state of being. There is fascinating science behind sound, vibration, resonance, and the nervous system. At the same time, there is an experience that cannot always be explained only through theory. Especially because every journey is individual. How you perceive one sound might be completely different from another person in the same room.
This training brings those worlds together.
Over five immersive days, you will explore the science and art of sound, learn to work mainly with Tibetan singing bowls, to integrate additional instruments into your sequence, practise extensively, and develop the skills to create and facilitate sound experiences for groups and individuals.
But this is not only training in how to play instruments. It is a training in how to listen, how to choose when to play and when not to, how to build a journey, and how to hold space responsibly through sound, silence and your presence.
OUR APPROACH
The training moves between science, technique, experience, intuition and facilitation.
You will learn the foundations of sound and explore what current research can tell us about resonance, brainwave states and the nervous system. Alongside this, we will look at traditional yogic frameworks such as the chakras and koshas, always making a clear distinction between scientific knowledge, traditional teachings and personal experience.
And then we practise, because sound cannot be learned from a manual alone. You need time to hear the instruments, play them, feel their differences, experiment, listen to others, receive sound yourself and gradually discover how you can work with it.
One of the central principles throughout the training will be something Sarah and Guka both return to again and again: Less can be more. Not every moment needs another sound, another instrument.Silence and spaciousness are part of the practice too.
Underlying all of this is an attitude we ask you to bring, and one we try to model ourselves: stay a student. The science of sound meditation and its effects is still developing, and we hold what we teach with that in mind: curious and open rather than fixed, ready to be corrected as understanding grows. This is a practice of humility as much as skill: facilitating well means staying aware of what you don't yet know, and remembering that you are never only the one giving sound but your intention, your presence and your energy, too.
WHAT YOU WILL EXPLORE
Foundations & science of sound
What sound meditation is, and how it differs from music. Sound as vibration, intention, presence, listening and stillness; preparing yourself and the space before facilitating. The science behind it: frequency, wavelength, amplitude, resonance and acoustics; how vibration travels; brainwave states, entrainment and the nervous system; and a look at current research on sound and its applications along with the limits of what that research actually supports including contraindications and how to speak about sound without exaggerated medical or healing claims.
The art of sound
Rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, texture, layering, pacing and transitions. Deep listening and intuitive playing, and how to move between a planned structure and responding to what you hear and feel in the moment.
Instruments & technique
We will work primarily with Tibetan singing bowls.
Throughout the training you will get the chance to also explore
Crystal bowls
Gongs
Tingsha, chimes, bells and other supporting instruments
There will be a deeper exploration of Tibetan singing bowls, including their history, qualities, different types and sizes, striking and singing techniques, positioning and care.
Some instruments are easy to incorporate alongside the bowls, and you will also learn about the purpose and effect of combining instruments; others, like gongs and crystal bowls, have their own unique characteristics and playing techniques that go beyond the scope of this training and would call for further, dedicated training.
All instruments needed during the training will be provided. You do not need to own or bring instruments to participate.
The body & resonance
How vibration may be experienced physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically, and how different people can experience exactly the same sound very differently. We will also explore yogic frameworks including the chakras, koshas and subtle body, not as scientific facts, but as traditional frameworks through which sound and human experience have been understood.
Building a sound meditation
How do you move from knowing how to play an instrument to creating a complete experience? We will explore preparation, intention, opening a session, instrument selection, sequencing, pacing, intensity, transitions, silence, reading the room, closing, integration and aftercare. You will learn practical frameworks that you can later adapt to your own way of facilitating.
Working with groups & individuals
The principles of facilitating group sound sessions as well as working 1:1. We will explore how the experience changes depending on the setting, how to communicate with participants and how to respond intuitively while maintaining clear structure and boundaries.
Ethics, safety & responsibility
An essential part of working with sound. We will cover contraindications and precautions, volume and intensity, instrument placement, working around the body, consent, boundaries, scope of practice, client communication, strong emotional responses and understanding when something falls outside your role as a facilitator.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
This is an experiential training. Throughout the five days you will move gradually from listening and observing into technique, experimentation, partner work, individual sessions, small-group practice and eventually facilitating complete sound experiences.
There will be space for:
instrument technique
intuitive playing
listening practices
personal sound practice
partner work
1:1 sessions
small-group facilitation
group sound meditations
peer feedback
individual feedback from Sarah & Guka
reflection and integration
receiving
The intention is for you to understand the foundations well enough to begin finding your own relationship with sound and your own way of facilitation.
WHO IS THIS TRAINING FOR?
This training is for anyone curious about working with or wanting to learn more about sound, whether you are beginning from zero or already incorporating sound into what you do. You don't need to be a musician, and you don't need a background in yoga, meditation or bodywork.
It may particularly speak to:
yoga teachers
meditation and breathwork teachers
movement teachers
facilitators and space holders
people already working with sound who want to deepen their knowledge
anyone drawn to sound meditation and wanting to learn how to facilitate it responsibly
You do not need to be a yoga teacher to join. Previous experience with instruments is also not required. It's also for you if you simply love sound meditation and want to start using instruments at home, or you just want to understand sound more deeply without any intention of offering it in a studio or professional setting.
Because the group is limited to 10 participants, Sarah and Guka will have time to work closely with each person, offer feedback and create plenty of space for everyone to actually practise with the instruments.
WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE
The training includes:
50-hour Sound Meditation Training: five days of in-person learning,practicing, giving and receiving
use of all instruments throughout the training
a comprehensive sound meditation training manual created by Sarah & Guka
practical frameworks for creating your own sessions
Yoga Nest certification upon successful completion
Yoga Alliance Continuing Education hours for eligible registered yoga teachers
Opportunity to meet again two months after the training for Q&A, reflection and reconnecting with your training cohort
YOUR TRAINING MANUAL
Sarah & Guka are creating a complete manual especially for this training. It will bring together the theory, science, instruments, techniques, safety principles and facilitation frameworks covered throughout the five days, alongside practical resources you can return to when beginning to create your own sessions.
The intention is for it to become much more than something you read during the training, it should be a resource you continue working with afterwards.
CERTIFICATION
This is a 50-hour Yoga Alliance Continuing Education training (YACEP). Registered yoga teachers may count eligible training hours toward their Yoga Alliance Continuing Education requirements.
Participants who successfully complete the training requirements will receive a 50hr Sound Meditation Training certificate from Yoga Nest. Certification requirements and the final practicum details will be shared before the training.
A SMALL GROUP BY CHOICE
There will be only 10 places in this training. Keeping the group small is an intentional part of how this training has been created.
YOUR INVESTMENT
Early Bird · CHF 1,490 until 15 September 2026
Regular · CHF 1,790 // Payment plans are available.
Scholarship
One scholarship place will be available for this training. If you feel strongly drawn to the training but the financial investment makes participation difficult, please reach out to Yoga Nest and tell us a little about yourself and why you would like to join.
I would love to join this training!
Please contact us via email: info@theyoganest.ch,to receive detailed information about this training and everything you need to know to join us:)
This training is an invitation to do exactly that: to become curious about sound, understand it more deeply, practise it with your own hands and learn how to share it with others with intention, responsibility and care.
Sarah
“Your soul is your home. Return to it often.” – Rumi
Sarah is a passionate Yin Yoga Teacher and Sound Practitioner who creates immersive experiences using gongs, crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, as well as other sound instruments. With a strong belief in the importance of a holistic approach to well-being, she combines the power of sound to help individuals reconnect with themselves and find balance. Her background in Sustainability Consulting and working in the Non-Profit sector, has enriched her understanding of interconnectedness and the importance of creating positive, impactful experiences for individuals and communities.
Passionate about co-creation, she embraces the principle of sharing and receiving, and loves working with people to help them tap into their inner harmony. Her journey into sound meditation opened her eyes to the profound connection between everything through sound waves and frequencies. This path led her to a deep love for gongs and their powerful vibrations, even inspiring her to build her own gongs. For her, sound is a universal language that transcends words, guiding people through beautiful, transformative journeys. Originally from Germany, Sarah has lived in Indonesia, the US, and France. Now she embraces her new life in Switzerland, always excited to explore nature and new places. Serving the local community and being an active part of it by bringing her passion and experiences to her new home is very close to Sarah's heart.
Guka
Guka is the founder of Yoga Nest Zürich, a yoga teacher and facilitator of teacher trainings, workshops and retreats. She has been teaching since 2017, while her own relationship with yoga began more than 20 years ago in her hometown in Poland. Over the years, her curiosity has taken her through vinyasa, traditional hatha yoga, anatomy and mobility, breathwork, meditation, aerial yoga, sound and nervous system practices, as well as repeatedly to India, where she continues to study, practise and stay close to the roots and philosophy of yoga.
Sound found its way into Guka’s practice years ago and has since become an important part of both her personal practice and her teaching. She is fascinated by how sound can shift our attention, how vibration can be experienced through the whole body, and how listening itself can become a practice. Just as important to her is what happens when the sound stops. The relationship between sound and silence, between vibration, listening and stillness, is something she continues to explore and finds deeply nourishing.
Her approach to sound reflects the way she approaches yoga as a whole: with curiosity, care and a willingness to keep learning. Rather than filling every moment, she loves creating space to listen, notice and experience what is already there. Sharing this practice with others, and seeing how differently each person experiences it, is one of the reasons she continues to return to sound again and again.
CANCELLATION POLICY
Your place in the 50-Hour Sound Meditation Training is confirmed with a CHF 300 deposit. This deposit is non-refundable. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your place to another person, provided they meet the requirements of the training and the change is agreed with Yoga Nest. In this case, your deposit and any other payments already made can be transferred to the new participant.
Cancellations until 15 December 2026:
Any training fees already paid beyond the CHF 300 deposit will be refunded. The deposit remains non-refundable.
Cancellations after 15 December 2026:
After this date, the full training fee is due and unfortunately no refunds can be offered, including in cases of illness, changes to travel plans or other personal circumstances. If you find another suitable person to take your place and the transfer is agreed with Yoga Nest, your payments can be transferred to the new participant and you will not be required to pay any outstanding balance.
Cancellation by Yoga Nest:
If Yoga Nest has to cancel the training, all payments made towards the training, including the deposit, will be fully refunded.
We recommend arranging appropriate cancellation or travel insurance if needed, particularly to cover unexpected illness, travel disruptions or other circumstances that may prevent you from attending.
FAQ - hopefully most of your questions will find an answer below. Please contact us, if you have any additional ones!
Do I need to own instruments?
No. Instruments will be available throughout the training so that everyone has the opportunity to practise and become familiar with different sounds and techniques.
Do I need to be musical, or able to read notes?
No. This training doesn't require any musical background, ear training, or ability to read notation. What matters is your listening, presence and awareness and curiosity. The theory you need, we will build throughout the training.
Do I need previous experience with sound?
No. We will begin with the foundations and build progressively throughout the five days. Part of the training is completing a Sound Meditation Experience Journal, documenting 3–5 sound meditation experiences before or over the course of the training. This is to deepen your embodied awareness and understanding of sound by experiencing it as a receiver, not just a facilitator, and to build a personal reference point for your own future practice.
Do I need to be a yoga teacher?
No. The training is open beyond yoga teachers. If you already facilitate yoga, meditation, breathwork, movement or other practices, you will also learn how sound can be integrated into the work you already do.
Is there an exam?
Yes. Completion involves a written assignment, a sound meditation practice you facilitate for your co-learners, and your completed Sound Meditation Experience Journal.
Will I be able to facilitate sound meditations after the training?
The training is designed to give you the foundations, practical experience and facilitation tools to begin creating group and individual sound sessions responsibly. As with any practice, confidence and sensitivity continue to develop through experience after the training.
Is this a Yoga Alliance training?
The training offers Yoga Alliance Continuing Education hours through YACEP for eligible registered yoga teachers.
Is there a payment plan?
Yes. Please contact Yoga Nest and we can arrange payment in installments.
Is financial support available?
Yes. One scholarship place is available. Please contact us directly if you would like to apply.
How many people will participate?
A maximum of 10. Keeping the group small gives everyone considerably more time with the instruments, space for practice and personal feedback.