Yoga Heaven in Portugal
11 - 17 October 2020
Join us for a heavenly week in the Algarve, a holiday full of lightness and pleasure for body and soul. Soak in the sun and bathe in the beguiling scent of orange blossom, and be spoilt by the bountiful plantbased creations conceived of Christine and Florian. Feel rejuvenated by the energising and relaxing yoga classes of Susanne, and rediscover your inner calm through meditation and the rebalancing effects of Thai massage with Paul.
We invite you to a very special place: Casa Terra - a luxurious and refined perma-culture estate offering individual, boutique-style apartment houses to spoil our guests. It is the perfect place to dive into bliss - or the crystal clear waters of the pool, the natural swimming lake, or the nearby sea.
The Setting
Casa Terra is a luxurious eco retreat in one of the most sought after areas of the Portuguese Algarve, near a nature reserve and beautiful, unspoilt beaches.
There is a main house and five annexes that accommodate the bedrooms, all en-suite and with their own private terrace, as well as daily housekeeping service. To compliment the pretty landscaped gardens Casa Terra has a pool and a swimming lake, terraces for lounging, and a yoga shala; plenty of spaces for relaxation, as well as energy work.
The Natural Reserve of the Ria Formosa is only 10 min away. It is home to some of Europe's most beautiful white, sandy beaches. For outings there are restaurants and bars or wilderness and privacy. There are many choices of activities in the area, for anyone who wants to move beyond the 3-4 hours of yoga each day: hikes in the hills, outings to the beach, swimming or watersports, or gliding along the Ria in a boat to the visit the white sandy beaches.
Only 4 km away there is Tavira considered by tourist guides to be one of the best preserved and most charming cities in the Algarve. With its 27 churches, flowing river and peaked tiled roof tops it makes a lovely spot for shopping, walking and exploring.
The Programme
We have put a programme together to soothe your soul, balance your mind, and re-energise your body. Away from the stresses of daily life and surrounded by beautiful nature and architecture we hope you will experience an inspirational and rebalancing holiday.
Susanne will be teaching energising, as well as grounding and therapeutic yoga classes, covering vinyasa, hatha, restorative, somatic, yin and mindfulness practices. Together with Paul we will also engage with Yoga Nidra (yogic sleep), meditation and partnerwork for anyone who’d like to join. The yoga sessions will be suitable for all levels of practitioner.
Christine, our certified plant-based chef, is known for cooking up the most amazing feasts together with partner Florian. They will be serving up scrumptious brunches, inspired dinners and snacks or treats along the way. They have a passion for delicious, vegan and vegetarian food that tastes and looks beautiful and leaves you feeling satisfied and nourished.
In addition to the daily programme, Paul will be will be on hand for healing and rebalancing Nuad Boran Thai Bodywork treatments (also know as Thai Yoga Massage), which can be booked separately. Aimed at opening up energy channels and bringing wellbeing to body and mind, this ancient healing system employs a combination of acupressure, gentle stretching and applied yoga.
Overview
YOGA & MEDITATION:
6 morning meditations on the jetti of the swimming lake
6 morning yoga classes
5 afternoon workshop sessions
6 good night practices
All yoga equipment (mats, meditation cushion, etc.) provided
Open Air Yoga Shala set in the gardens amongst the orange grove or indoor room with underfloor heating
CATERING
6 plant-based brunches made from local and organic foods
5 plant-based dinners made from local and organic foods
Fruit, tea, coffee, flavoured water and snacks throughout the day
Plant-based and with consideration of allergies and food intolerances (please let us know before the retreat)
ACCOMMODATION:
6 nights in boutique style and individually designed twin or double rooms, all with private terrace and all ensuite (and all with lovely Bali-style indoor/outdoor showers)
Daily housekeeping service for your rooms and every detail is attended to
Beautiful architecture and design in landscaped gardens, in eco retreat based on the principles of permaculture
Swimming pool offering beautiful sea views; the water from the pool is chlorine free and kept clean by a natural process of reverse osmosis and UV, which respects the PH of the skin
For the more daring there is also a natural swimmimg lake (30mx40m) for refreshing swims amongst the frogs
Plenty of relaxation areas
Wifi
ADDITIONAL ACTIVTIES
Wonderful and revitalizing Nuad Boran Thai Bodywork treatments with Paul
Private 1:1 yoga sessions with Susanne to deepen your practice or explore specific questions
Cooking class with Christine
Walking along the beautiful sandy beaches, soaking up the sun
Hikes in the hills, enjoying nature
Gliding along the Ria in a boat
Enjoying the local cafes
Exploring the beautiful coastal town of Tavira (10 minutes by car)
A dinner with the whole group in a local restaurant – you can join this social outing or spend the evening in any other way you like
Horseback riding, golf, and water sports are also available in the area
Simply enjoying the beautiful lightness of being
We speak both English and German.
Booking & Prices
Early bird price, if booked before 10th July 2020
Shared twin or double rooms
£1090 per person
Normal price, if booked on and after 10th July 2020
Shared twin or double rooms
£1190 per person
We continue our commitment to making retreats accessible to low income workers in the yoga and arts professions. As such, we are offering 1 room (2 places) at a fabulous 30% discount to yoga teachers, yoga teacher training students and freelance artists. This means a fabulous £850 instead of £1190 for this barefoot luxury immersion!
All prices are per person. Travel is not included.
Deposit to secure your place: £250
Final instalment is due on 15th Februar 2020
Payment in monthly instalments can be arranged.
Maximum number of participants is 12
Travel
Closest airport and railway station is Faro (30 min by car)
Flights and trains in the UK are available from from Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and London.
Car hire is available at very low cost and is a nice option if you like to be flexible and independent to travel further afield during afternoon rest periods.
For people who prefer not to hire a car you can book transfers, for example via suntransfer.com
Casa Terra is 10 minutes drive from the lovely town of Tavira.
Check-in: Sunday 11 October 2020 from 12noon
Check-out: Saturday 17 October 2020 by 11am
The Team
We are an Anglo-German family enterprise with a passion for yoga and good living. Our backgrounds range from dance, bodywork and medical professions to the arts and design. This complimentary mix shapes and underlines our approach to our retreats. As freelancing professionals we put our heart and soul into all we do. We bring our eye for detail and beauty, as well as high standards of professionalism to all aspects of the holidays we host, from the stunning locations, wonderfully creative superwholefood recipes, to inspiring yoga and bodywork practice and therapeutic massage treatments. We believe the surroundings are vitally important to how you will feel and relax and as such we choose spacious and generous venues that allow for privacy und retreat, as well as for socialising and communal living. We create a friendly atmosphere, and strive to provide a good balance between exercise and rest.
Susanne has an inclusive approach in her yoga teaching, which is not focused on ‘acrobatics’ but on holding a space in which everyone can thrive to their best level, whilst having fun along the way. She came to yoga through her background in professional dance and has trained and taught in a multitude of body practices for over 20 years, including somatic practices, Vinyasa Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga and most recently Yoga for Children. She teaches at Yoga Kula Leeds where her restorative workshops are repeated sell-out successes and at the dance conservatoire Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
Christine is our certified vegan chef whose love for vegan food started six years ago. Since then it has kind of taken over her life ;-) and she has immersed herself in all aspects of plant-based food, from fermentation to foraging edible wild plants. Florian is Christine’s partner (and Susanne’s brother) who shares her passion for gorgeous food and together they are known for cooking up the most fabulous feasts. In her daily life Christine works as a stylist and Florian is a renowned artist, both living in Munich, so their love for beauty and creativity is one of the foundations of all they do.
Paul is a certified yoga teacher and holistic therapist, radiographer and senior university lecturer. He recently left Higher Education behind to fully pursue his passion for complimentary medicine. He is a sought after Nuad Boran Thai Bodywork practitioner and teaches yin yoga and yoga for children. Paul has a keen interest in meditation and Eastern philosophy and is currently completing an MA in the traditions of yoga and meditation at SOAS in London.
A Typical Day
7.30-7.50 Yoga 1 - Mediation and ginger tea on the jetti at the swimming lake
8.00-9.30 Yoga 2 - Energising Flow Class & Pranayama
10.00-11.00 Brunch
11.00-17.00 Free time to lounge, walk, read, dip, meditate, play, or to book a heavenly massage bodywork treatment with Paul. On some afternoons we have activities like cooking courses and ‘yoga surgeries’. Light snacks are provided during the afternoon.
17.00-18.30 Yoga 3 – Workshops with specific focus (e.g. restorative yoga; somatic practice; yin yoga)
19.00-20.30 Dinner
21.00-21.30 Yoga 4 - Good night session with Yoga Nidra & Mindfulness Practices