ABOUT US
GET TO KNOW OUR HISTORY
Casa Marterena: Our Story & Philosophy
After living across several continents and learning from diverse teachers, cultures, and traditions, we felt a deep calling to create a place devoted to rest and awareness — a safe space where you can reconnect with yourself.
In 2015, we fulfilled this dream by opening the Pyrenees Yoga & Meditation Retreat Center in our historic home, Casa-Palacio Marterena. Located in the heart of the Navarrese Pyrenees, nearly 800 years of continuous family presence in this house have left deep roots that we are honored to share with you.
A Sanctuary in Nature Our retreats offer a unique blend of yoga, meditation, and nature immersion. You will have the privilege of practicing in the Selva de Irati, the second-largest beech forest in Europe — an extraordinary natural cathedral for “forest bathing” and silence.
Comfort & Nourishment Rest is sacred here. Accommodation is provided in our fully renovated house featuring double or single rooms, each with a private bathroom to ensure your privacy. Our cuisine is an essential part of the healing process: traditional, vegetarian, and gluten-free. Inspired by the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda and prepared with seasonal ingredients, our menus are designed to ground you and provide balanced energy. (Guests with allergies or intolerances are kindly asked to contact us before booking).
Gratitude We are deeply grateful to have been part of the beautiful journeys of more than 2,000 people who have stayed at Casa Marterena. Your presence enriches us as much as we hope our retreats enrich you.
We welcome you in English, French, and Basque.
ECOLOGICAL GARDEN
Many people are willing to nurture and feed on organic products, but there are also many myths and misunderstandings. Therefore we invite you to treat our garden as if it’s yours.
Behind our project there is much more than culture; it is a philosophy of life, a way of living from the earth, a way and to understand our relationship with nature’s blessings. With this space, we want to do our part to protect the planet, and you can do your part too.
A garden can be understood as an ecosystem where there are many different plants growing at their own pace, with different colors, shapes, and needs according to each season, but each and every one of them plays a unique and necessary function. In the same way, we believe that you, our guests, are fulfilling a vital role. Therefore, thank you in advance for your visit. You help us improve and do it better every day. Whether you’re helping as a gardener or sitting down to eat, you are always welcome and your presence blesses us.
We want to nourish you with many things, including organic products and knowledge. If you want, we can assist you in the development of your own organic garden. Moreover, we want to share with you our commitment to more conscious eating.
Our Methodology: Where Western Psychology Meets Eastern Wisdom
At Casa Marterena, we do not view Yoga as a physical workout, but as a therapeutic pathway to deep healing. Our approach is unique in the Pyrenees because it bridges two essential worlds: the evidence-based science of Psychology and the ancient discipline of Sadhana.
We know you arrive with a busy schedule and an exhausted mind. Therefore, our methodology is designed to gently switch off the noise and guide you back to your body safely:
- Hatha Yoga & Alignment: A slow, mindful practice that respects your anatomy. We use conscious movement to dissolve the tension held in your nervous system.
- Yoga Nidra (Yogic Sleep): The ultimate tool for deep rest. We guide your brainwaves from a state of “alert & anxiety” to a state of profound restoration.
- Meditation & Silence: No dogmas, no complexity. We simply teach you how to listen to the silence of the Irati Forest and, more importantly, how to listen to yourself without judgment.
You do not need prior experience or flexibility; you only need the permission to pause.
JON KEPA
Organization and professor:
Yoga:
Hatha Yoga teacher for Alboran and GFU. Ashtanga Yoga by International Association of Yoga Teachers Sadhana.
Psychology:
Transpersonal therapist by the Spanish School of Transpersonal Psychology, Gestalt therapist by Ananda Psychotherapy, Trained in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) by IPH and Systemic Therapy Psicogestalt. Graduated in Psychology from Saint Louis University (Missouri – USA).
Therapies:
Usui Reiki Master