Pilates & Dance with... Mark Wuest
20. - 30. November 2026
Mark Wuest is a dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher based in Zurich with a long-standing international career. Raised in the United States, he began his journey as a competitive swimmer and later worked as a professional dancer and choreographer. For more than 40 years, he has been dedicated to bodywork, yoga, and Pilates, sharing this extensive experience through his diverse teaching. In November, he will offering Pilates classes and dance specials at Hotel Schwarzschmied.
Mark Wuest is a dancer, choreographer, and yoga teacher based in Zurich with a long-standing international career. Raised in the United States, he began his journey as a competitive swimmer and later worked as a professional dancer and choreographer. For more than 40 years, he has been dedicated to bodywork, yoga, and Pilates, sharing this extensive experience through his diverse teaching. In November, he will offering Pilates classes and dance specials at Hotel Schwarzschmied.
What role do Pilates and dance play in your life?
Movement and body awareness have always been important themes in my life. Pilates, dance, and yoga bring these elements together, sometimes with a focus on building strength, sometimes on improving posture, increasing flexibility, or simply enjoying movement. Over time, this passion has become my vocation.
What would you most like to pass on to your students?
We are creatures of habit, and we can use that to our advantage. Good posture, efficient movement, healthy breathing - all of this can be learned and applied. With enough practice, it eventually becomes smooth and automatic, turning into a healthy habit. I want to help my students develop a positive relationship with their bodies: it is a wonderful thing to be in your own body. Instead of stress and disappointment, we should see our body as our home - a place where we can feel comfortable and at ease.
What would you describe as the core of your philosophy?
A small amount of effort can lead to very meaningful results. We are always in our bodies, so how we feel within them truly matters. With the right kind of movement and a bit of focused awareness, we can create significant change and have a profound impact on our lives.
What role do Pilates and dance play in your life?
Movement and body awareness have always been important themes in my life. Pilates, dance, and yoga bring these elements together, sometimes with a focus on building strength, sometimes on improving posture, increasing flexibility, or simply enjoying movement. Over time, this passion has become my vocation.
What would you most like to pass on to your students?
We are creatures of habit, and we can use that to our advantage. Good posture, efficient movement, healthy breathing - all of this can be learned and applied. With enough practice, it eventually becomes smooth and automatic, turning into a healthy habit. I want to help my students develop a positive relationship with their bodies: it is a wonderful thing to be in your own body. Instead of stress and disappointment, we should see our body as our home - a place where we can feel comfortable and at ease.
What would you describe as the core of your philosophy?
A small amount of effort can lead to very meaningful results. We are always in our bodies, so how we feel within them truly matters. With the right kind of movement and a bit of focused awareness, we can create significant change and have a profound impact on our lives.
Workshops & Specials
22 & 29 November 2026: Dance-Special
90 minutes of music and movement: We begin with a gentle warm-up, followed by exercises that focus on posture, coordination, and expression. Shorter and longer step sequences guide you playfully through different qualities of movement, before a small, clearly guided improvisation opens space for your own expression. The session concludes with a relaxing warm-down. Inspired by ballet, modern, contemporary, and Latin dance - mindful, stress-free, and with a sense of lightness.
90 minutes of music and movement: We begin with a gentle warm-up, followed by exercises that focus on posture, coordination, and expression. Shorter and longer step sequences guide you playfully through different qualities of movement, before a small, clearly guided improvisation opens space for your own expression. The session concludes with a relaxing warm-down. Inspired by ballet, modern, contemporary, and Latin dance - mindful, stress-free, and with a sense of lightness.
Yoga Teacher in Residence
We regularly welcome a diverse range of talented yoga teachers who lead our open classes at Hotel Schwarzschmied and spend time with us as Yoga Teachers in Residence. Each of them brings their own unique style and expertise, offering our guests a rich and inspiring yoga experience. Look forward to a varied time of wellbeing and relaxation.
Read more
We regularly welcome a diverse range of talented yoga teachers who lead our open classes at Hotel Schwarzschmied and spend time with us as Yoga Teachers in Residence. Each of them brings their own unique style and expertise, offering our guests a rich and inspiring yoga experience. Look forward to a varied time of wellbeing and relaxation.
Read more
Upcoming Retreats
Inside Flow is a symbiosis of breath, movement and music. In this popular class format, you move fluently on beat to modern music and learn step by step a yoga choreography.
Inside Flow is derived from Vinyasa Flow Yoga, with the synchronization of breath and movement at its core. A constant flow, without beginning, without end. The individual asanas fade into the background, while transitions and flowing movements take center stage. Music becomes an essential part, giving heart and expression to the practice.
The result is a flow, meditation in movement, where the body releases happiness hormones and you experience a flow state on the mat that can be addictive. If you enjoy moving to music and already have some yoga experience, Inside Flow is just right for you!
Program
Thursday
5:00 – 6:30 pm Welcome Class
Friday
8:00 – 9:30 am Align & Flow – Alignment for Vinyasa Flow
4:30 – 6:00 pm Inside Flow – A Yoga Choreography on Beat
Saturday
8:00 – 9:30 am Align & Flow – Alignment for Vinyasa Flow
4:30 – 6:00 pm Inside Flow – A Yoga Choreography on Beat
Sunday
9:00 – 10:00 am Inside Flow – A Yoga Choreography on Beat
- for yogis with first experience -
- Vinyasa Yoga, Inside Flow -
- 3 nights at Hotel Schwarzschmied
- Breakfast at “La Fucina”
- Lunch or dinner in our Slow Food restaurants “La Fucina” or Bistro “Luce” (for an extra charge)
- Yoga equipment (mat, meditation cushion, yoga blocks) provided free of charge
- Grander water available throughout the hotel
- Mobility card for unlimited use of all public transport
Anna is an Inside Flow Senior Teacher and lives in Frankfurt. She travels as a trainer for Inside Yoga and Inside Flow throughout the German-speaking region as well as internationally. Her yoga classes come straight from the heart – she gently guides you through dynamic flows that allow you to sensitively feel into your body, tune your heartbeat to the beat of the music, and bring body awareness, thoughts, and emotions together. Her intention is to help you deepen the connection to your body and get to know yourself a little better.
Valid until 20. September 2026
This retreat invites you to immerse yourself in a world of mindfulness and inner peace – far from the fast pace of everyday life. Strengthened from within, you’ll return home with a renewed sense of balance, clarity, and vitality.
Together with Timo, you’ll learn to recognize your own strengths and use them intentionally for your well-being. Discover how to face challenges with confidence while staying connected to yourself. Step by step, you learn to release external pressure and fall back into your own natural rhythm – supported by breath, movement, and stillness.
A place to breathe. A moment just for you. A gift to your well-being.
Watch the video with Timo Wahl.
Programm
Sunday
Introductory class
Monday - Thursday
8:00 AM morning yoga session
5:00 PM relaxing evening yoga session
Friday
8:00 AM morning yoga session
– suitable for all levels –
– Hatha Vinyasa Yoga –
- 5 nights at Hotel Schwarzschmied
- Breakfast at “La Fucina”
- Lunch or dinner at our Slow Food restaurants “La Fucina” or Bistro “Luce” (at an extra charge)
- Yoga equipment (mat, meditation cushion, yoga blocks) provided free of charge
- Grander water throughout the hotel
- Mobility Card for unlimited use of all public transport
Timo Wahl discovered his love for yoga in 1998. He first studied Hatha Yoga in the tradition of Swami Sivananda and B.K.S. Iyengar, and later devoted himself intensively to Vinyasa Yoga. He completed training and advanced education with some of the world’s most renowned yoga teachers. He is not only a certified yoga teacher but also trains others. In his teaching, he draws on his extensive anatomical knowledge gained through his studies in sports science. He is especially known for his training programs in anatomy and alignment.
20. - 25. September 2026
The Subtle Motion Retreat is a short retreat that invites you to discover the power of gentle, conscious movement and targeted breathwork. In just two intensive days, you will experience how subtle impulses in body and breath can regulate your nervous system, foster presence and inner clarity, and give you a deep sense of self-connection.
This is not about classical yoga poses or performance, but about a therapeutically grounded practice tailored to your body and your needs. Every movement, every breath becomes an invitation to feel yourself more deeply, to find calm, and to gently bring your system back into balance.
Program
2 therapeutic breathwork & yoga sessions in the morning (90 min each)
2 therapeutic breathwork & yoga sessions in the evening (90 min each)
Welcome & Closing Circle for shared arrival and integration
– all levels –
– breathwork, yoga, therapy –
- 2 nights at Hotel Schwarzschmied
- Breakfast at "La Fucina" restaurant
- Lunch or Dinner at our slow food restaurants "La Fucina" or Bistro "Luce" (for an extra charge)
- Yoga equipment (yoga mat, pillow, yoga blocks) provided free of charge
- Grander water in the entire house
- Mobilcard for usage of public transport
As yoga and meditation teacher with a therapeutic and trauma-sensitive focus, Anja cares deeply about supporting people in a holistic way. She weaves together her expertise in yoga and mindfulness coaching with her background in sports science and naturopathy. For more than ten years, she has been guiding individuals and groups in movement. Since 2015, she has been integrating this extensive experience into her yoga classes, and since 2018 she has also been training students in yoga teacher trainings, particularly in anatomy and embodiment.
