YOGA IMMERSION RETREAT

https://lumiereyoga.co.uk/yoga-immersion-retreat

Do you want to understand how and why you are moving your body and breathing the way you do during a yoga class?

Have you ever wondered how to integrate the physical aspect of your practice with the mental and spiritual elements of yoga?

Are you a regular practitioner who would like to delve deeper into your personal practice, without having to commit to or invest in a full Teacher Training?

Do you want to immerse in your Yoga studies in a beautiful space in the South of Portugal, taking things slowly and enjoying healthy, nutritional and home-made meals, cooked with ingredients from the garden?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, this retreat is for you. We aim to teach you the essential elements of yoga practice in a simple, down-to-earth and approachable way, to help you connect with your body, mind and soul.

Why did I decide to create this retreat?

I have been teaching in numerous Yoga Teacher Trainings for the past two years. What I noticed is that many people embark in such a training without ever intending to teach. They just want to understand what they are doing and deepen their connection with the practice, and some find that having to stand in front of a group to teach a class and take exams extremely stressful.

I also found that there aren’t many options aimed at these people. It is either a relaxing, laid-back yoga retreat or a full on, month-long Teacher Training. That was my inspiration: to design a combination of both and create a Yoga Immersion Retreat. It really is the best of both worlds: a shorter, more affordable option in a stunning location in nature, with lots of free time to explore and connect, combined with the topics that form the basis of a teacher training, to give you enough knowledge about all aspects of the practice so you can improve and develop further, without the pressure of exams and having to teach.

What are you getting in this retreat?

There will be two yoga classes a day, meditation and pranayama practices, lectures on philosophy, history of yoga and principles of alignment. We will also offer two relaxing, soothing candle-lit Yin Yoga classes just before bedtime.

BONUS! Each day, we will run mini-workshops, where participation is optional. If you want to go even deeper into your yoga immersion, these will be ideal as they will give you a more thorough insight into the subject covered. All the mini-workshops are included in the price of the retreat.

We will also have other healing therapies available to our guests, including Reiki, Massage, Sound Healing and more. Combining these modalities with twice-daily yoga classes will ensure a holistic approach to the whole programme.

Sample Timetable:

8am-9:30am – Yoga Practice+Meditation

10am-11am – Brunch

11am – 1:30pm – Free time

1:30pm – 2:30pm – Mini-workshop (optional)

3pm – 5pm – Lecture

5pm – 6:30pm – Yoga Practice

7pm-8pm – Dinner

Therapies available (not included):

Therapeutic Massage

Chi Nei Tsang (Abdominal Massage)

Reiki

Private Sound Healing Session

Private Rebirthing/Breathwork therapy

Private Yoga session

Private Ayurveda Consultation

The Venue

The retreat will be held in a beautiful space in Aveiro, just 50 minutes drive from Porto airport. We are teaming up with Sandy, the owner of the Swara Sanctuary Project, to give our guests the most relaxing, healthy and nurturing experience. Feed your body and soul with the Slow Living concept, eating tasty, fresh and nourishing meals coming straight from the garden. Spend your free time enjoying the garden, learning how to grow plants or visiting the nearby town of Aveiro.

About the teachers

Karen

After leaving her corporate job in London, Karen travelled to Thailand to complete her 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training. Her idea was to deepen her knowledge and her practice, but when she taught her very first class, she realised that she had finally found her true calling. Since her graduation in 2015, she has been teaching non-stop, mainly in Thailand where she is still living, and also in Malaysia, India and London.

Two years ago, Karen started teaching on Yoga Teacher Trainings in the same school where she completed hers, and now-a-days she’s been successfully leading trainings in Thailand, graduating over 100 students.

She travels to India whenever possible to focus on her personal studies in asana (she is an Ashtanga practitioner, having practiced with Authorised teachers since her first contact with this style in 2016) and Philosophy.

Karen teaches Vinyasa Flow, Hatha and Yin. Her classes combine deep awareness of breath and movement with clear and simple alignment instructions, with strong focus on mindfulness.

Gato

Four years ago, Gato decided to change his life and since then has been travelling around the world, choosing to connect with people, slowly exploring new places in a more organic, natural way than the usual tourist path.

In Africa he learnt to be satisfied with a minimalistic lifestyle, in South America he learnt to open his heart and connect with others and in Asia he deepened his knowledge on spiritual matters and became more peaceful.

When he was younger, Gato discovered that stretching his body whilst focusing on the breath made him more relaxed and happier, and he was always trying to convince his friends to do the same, but at the time, nobody was interested in “stretching”. A few years later, he realised that what he had been doing was actually Yoga. Since then, he deepened his practice in Hatha Yoga and went to India to complete his Teacher Training. This slow, intuitive start allows him to teach traditional Hatha Yoga from an experience-based knowledge, guiding students to relate to the practice in a unique, personal level, like he has done.

Giuliano

Starting his adult life working with Psychology and Art Therapy back in his native Rio de Janeiro, Giuliano started his exploration of the healing arts four years ago, during his travels around the world. He trained in Ayurveda in Kerala and Thai Massage in Chiang Mai. He studied Kundalini Yoga in Barcelona, practiced Rebirthing Therapy with Leonard Or in Greece and immersed in the breath work technique of Wim Hof with the man himself. He also studied Sound Healing and Pranayama in Rishikesh.

All this background allows him to approach his healing sessions in a holistic way, combining different therapies according to individual needs.

We speak English, Portuguese, French, Spanish and Italian.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKAGE

Two yoga classes a day

Philosophy and anatomy classes

Nourishing vegetarian brunch, dinner and light snacks

Mini-workshops on Asana, Pranayama, Meditation

ADDITIONAL THERAPIES OFFERED (CHARGED SEPARATELY)

Therapeutic massage

Reiki

Sound Healing

Rebirthing Therapy

Private yoga session

OPTIONS AND PRICES

Twin or triple room – EUR 660

Single room (Limited availability) – EUR 850

*Includes two vegetarian meals a day

*Not included in the price: flights, transfers, visas, extra therapies, excursions

HOW TO GET THERE

Aveiro is about 1 hour car ride and also 1 hour train ride from Porto. From the airport there is a metro that goes straight to Campanha train station, which connects to Aveiro. From the station, it would be approximately €10 for a taxi ride to the retreat venue or we can offer a pick up for half that amount. A taxi/Uber straight from the airport would cost around €60.