Namaste high above Innsbruck: yoga on the Nordkette mountain range

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in. If you look at the mighty rocky peaks of the Nordkette during yoga, you will hardly want to close your eyes. It's a different kind of natural tranquillity that grounds and connects you up here at almost 2,000 meters above sea level. Here and there a curious mountain chough flies past, every now and then a hiker comes along the path - otherwise silence reigns.

It's no secret that the Nordkette is a gigantic playground for young and old. From walkers, hikers and mountaineers, climbers, via ferrata climbers and mountain bikers to paragliders and hang-gliders, pretty much every sport of note can be found in the outdoor world on the Nordkette on good weather days. Even fringe sports such as XRaycer have their place here (and a small course behind the Seegrube). For some time now, the Mountain Base on the Seegrube has also been offering mountain yoga on Sundays - and that's exactly what I took a closer look at last Sunday.

The journey begins for me at the Löwenhaus in Innsbruck on the Hungerburgbahn. I love the view from the open station of the mountain I will soon be standing on. One more change to the Nordketten cable car and less than half an hour later I'm standing at 1,905 meters.

Arrive first. In addition to rental equipment for via ferrata, XRaycer and various courses, the Mountain Base also offers really good coffee. It comes from the Innsbruck coffee roaster Coffee Kult and tastes even better with a view of the city and the surrounding mountains than in the city.

Ideal for a cozy start to the Sunday. Many of the course participants already know each other and we chat a little before we set off. At the same time, there is also an outdoor training session at the base on this Sunday.

While the "normal" training group looks for a place at the foot of the park chairlift, we set off along the Perspective Trail in the direction of Langer Sattel. A few minutes later, we have reached the wooden platform. Similar to steps, there are enough places here for all participants. The mats we have brought with us cover the wide wooden beams, even if the gaps between the beams will be a bit of a challenge for me later on during some of the exercises. But maybe for others they just provide that special kick. After all, there are even said to be people who do yoga on wobbly SUP boards..

One thing is certain right from the start: the view today couldn't be more beautiful. A few remaining clouds are disappearing, the sun is coming out and, despite it being September, it quickly becomes pleasantly warm. My thermal leggings turn out to be completely overkill on this Sunday - maybe I'll get them out again in October. However, at almost 2,000 meters above sea level, even a light breeze can quickly cool the body down. So my motto is still "better too hot than sorry".

The hour is given a motto, and this Sunday it is gratitude. All you have to do is look straight ahead at Frau Hitt to feel the gratitude deep inside you. What a unique place, in what a unique city!

But it's best to see for yourself:

The perfectly guided class goes by in a flash and by the end I feel wonderfully relaxed and ready for a relaxing rest of the Sunday.

Franziska Herzog has been a yoga teacher since 2016 and is also a Tyrolean mountain hiking guide. Initially part-time and full-time since the beginning of the year. This gives her the perfect qualifications to lead groups into the mountains and introduce them to the world of yoga.

In fact, Franzi came to Innsbruck via the Karwendel and that's how it happened: After completing her bachelor's degree, she wanted to fulfill a dream and applied to several huts and mountain pastures. She finally ended up at the Pfeishütte in the Karwendel. "The summer up there was so incredibly beautiful that I moved straight to Innsbruck afterwards and worked there again the following year, " says Franzi, who has now lived in Tyrol for 5 years and in Götzens for 3.5 years. She originally comes from the Nuremberg area.

I take the opportunity to ask Franzi a few more questions.

I love walking from my front door to the Götzner Alm hike. When I'm looking for peace and quiet, I walk on towards Mutterer Alm to the so-called Hirschlacke. The small biotope below the alpine pasture is a place of tranquillity and closeness to nature for me.

I prefer to drink my coffee in the Meierei - the small café on the second floor of the Wagner's bookshop.

1) the Hungerburgbahn 2) the Wiltener Platzl (preferably when there is a market!) 3) the many small stores in Innsbruck's old town

In the fall, I prefer to hike in the Senderstal valley. From the Kemater Alm you can climb up to the Schaflegerkogel and from there over the ridge to the Salfeinssee hike. From there, the trail leads leisurely downhill back to the starting point. The round tour over a total of 4 mountain peaks takes around 6 to 7 hours and you will be rewarded with a wonderful view of the Kalkkögel.

If you would like to try yoga on the Nordkette, you can do so until mid-October 2020 - or from spring 2021! Registration (mandatory, as places are limited) online at www.mountain-base.at. Alternatively, Franziska(www.bergsinn.at) also teaches online via Zoom, in the room at the museum (Museumsstraße) and in Base Five.

Other yoga offers around Innsbruck am Berg can be found, for example, on Thursday evenings at Moni's Sundown Yoga on the Patscherkofel, once a month (June to September) by Marie Wolfram at the reservoir on the Muttereralm and also at the reservoir on the Rangger Köpfl (June-September) by Sara Centurioni.