About Us
"Rotem’s" is part of a dream coming true, little by little every day.
We invite you to be part of it.
"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom-tree; and he requested for himself that he might die; and said: 'It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers. ‘And he lay down and slept under a broom-tree; and, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him: 'Arise and eat." 1 Kings Chapter 19
We are Rotem and Rotem, we met during our army service in Southern Israel, not far from Pharan. Here we chose to build our home.
Young and brave, we left to tour the world. We were introduced to new cultures and climates. We stayed in modest, interesting and inspiring places.
We started to get to know ourselves better, learning to recognize the voice of our heart amongst all the other voices, to choose our path out of the endless options. We also started practicing Yoga and building with mud.
Slowly, our dream started taking shape - a place of our own, where we would offer hospitality to people from all over the world, a place to put down roots, evolve, grow together, that will be intertwined with our way of life.
The years passed and each of our personal developments continued - Rotem (Ratner) in the path of Yoga and Rotem (Koren) in natural building - these were merged into a joint dream - fantasy turned reality.
Today, we live on the moshav with our three children, we continue to build on and to nurture our site.
Now, that we have settled down, we welcome people here. We continue to learn and develop through independent studying and collaborations with other professionals.
Rotem’s is part of a dream coming true little by little every day.
We invite you to be part of it.
"This practice becomes well-grounded when continued with reverent devotion and without interruption over a long period of time"
(Patanjali Yoga Sutras)
Rotem Ratner
A senior Yoga instructor, owner of Desert Spirit Yoga studio, has been walking the path of Yoga for over 20 years. Leader of group, individual and workshops practices
I live in moshav Pharan, in the the Arava desert. Happily married to Rotem and mother to Lia, Naomi and Oded.
I was born and raised on the moshav.
In my youth I practiced different forms of sports. I used to be a professional gymnast and later danced and took part in different sports.
When I was first exposed to Yoga, during my travels in India, it felt natural and familiar.
The magic around the new hobby intensified the more I understood that Yoga is a lot more than just physical workout.
Yoga is a way of life for me.
I have been practicing since 1997 and teaching since 2002.
Waking up early in the morning, laying out the mat, closing my eyes, checking in on my well-being. Starting to open my body, soul and heart. Sitting in silence and meeting myself and anything that comes up. No matter if I am tired, painfully restless or nervous is it all part of the practice.
“This practice is puts down roots when done correctly with persistence and overtime” (Pantajali)
My practice had grown and changed with me. I have met wonderful teachers from different traditions that have influenced me and who I am grateful to. From Hata Yoga in India, Ashtanga Vinyasa with Gili and Miri Haruvi and Shimon Ben Avi, to Yoga Therapy with Gil Zolberg, Vijanana with Orit San Gopta and Noga Barkai, Kundalini Yoga with Sarit Maor and Yoga for Pregnancy Women’s with Dana Dovrat Lavie, womens Yoga with Mira Artzi Padan and Vini Yoga with Gila Zion.
There is a constant exchange between the practice on the mat and practice in everyday life and a striving for balance and peacefulness.
For me, Yoga is an inner quest, bringing me together with my deepest layers. By peeling away the subordinate, the essence is revealed. With reduction and introversion there is more focus, quiet and clarity. It is a wonderful way to cleanse and improve - be better human beings. Live in a world with less fear, sadness and depression, and more love, health and self-acceptance.
From deeply listening to our bodies needs daily – a precision and creativity is comes into being.
Rotem Koren
Rotem specializes in building with earth and natural materials. He researches and experiments with traditional techniques and their place amongst conventional building methods and is a leader in the field of natural building in Israel.
In Between unique projects, he lectures and leads workshops in the field as well as hands on activities for nonprofessional, bringing the participants closer to earth and mater.
I have been living in Pharan since 2005.
Happily married to Rotem and father to Lia, Naomi and Oded.
I formerly worked with wood and owned a company for professional woodwork, decks, parquet flooring and pergolas.
I have 20-year experience in the field of natural building with earth, specializing in strawbale. I studied at the canelo project with Bill & Athena Steen in Arizona and have been trained and qualified by the EU NGO ArTUR in Slovakiya.
I have built over 15 homes and advised families while building their own homes (owner builder) as well as guiding social-educational mud building projects around the country. I can integrate and build bridges between the modern conventional building world and that of traditional natural building.
I spent my childhood in “Kedma”, a youth village founded by my parents.
I discovered the world of building after years in wood construction and working with hardwood floors - but something was still incomplete.
My search led me to the U.S.A. where a magical door opened into traditional building, specifically straw bales.
Building with earth is a craft that involves manual labor but also requires teamwork and mutual assistance. A combination that is exciting and powerful. I am motivated by love of people and material and the process that happens between them.
Today, I focus on teaching, advising and accompanying building processes as well as Finishing coat based on earth and whitewash.
