7 Days Affordable and Relaxing Yoga Retreat in Tabua, Portugal

Facilities

As an integral part of your stay at the Quinta da Figueirhina-holistic yoga center, you have the opportunity to take part in yoga sessions under the guidance of Tony Speirs who holds a teaching diploma from the British Wheel of Yoga and attended intensive Ashtanga Yoga teacher training with David Swenson, has studied in India at the Pattabhi Jois shala in Mysore, and has attended many workshops in the UK.

Whether you have never tried yoga before, are a novice or already proficient, you will be able to take part in the series of yoga sessions run each day. If you can breathe, you can learn and benefit from yoga.

Morning yoga

Morning yoga practice is based on the primary series of Ashtanga yoga. Even though this is done in a class setting, the practice is individual. Some people think you have to be very flexible and strong to do yoga classes, especially Ashtanga! This is a complete myth. For instance, you may be asked to do a forward bend, each person will be at a different stage, one person may have their hands on the floor, for another, it may be enough to place their hands on their thighs. It does not matter how deep you are in the posture, what matters is that you are in good alignment and focused on the breath.

The same is true for the sun salutations. At first, it can be demanding and you may not be able to do five in a row, so you do what you can, resting where necessary and joining in again when you can. All the practice asks is that you make the effort to go to your edge. You all start from where you are, practicing at your edge is demanding, working the muscles produces an internal heat that helps purify and detox the body. Because the practice never changes and the postures flow, it becomes the most meditative of practices. By focusing the mind on the breath and then linking the breath to the movement a unity between mind and body is established.

Evening yoga

Evening yoga practice is more like a traditional Hatha yoga class. You will look at individual postures, paying attention to good alignment, using modifications where necessary. One of the objectives will be to understand how to work in posture, learning principles that can be applied to any posture. You will look at other aspects of a yoga practice such as pranayama, the breathing exercises, philosophy which is important in developing an appropriate mindset for the practice, anatomy and physiology to help understand the physical processes involved in the postures.

Daily Schedule

• 08:00 - 10:00 Morning yoga session
• 10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
• Free time for leisure: you can read, take a walk, sleep or canoe.
• 14:00 - 15:00 Lunch
• Free time for leisure: you can read, take a walk, sleep or canoe.
• 17:00 - 19:00 Evening yoga session
• Dinner
• Free time: you can take a walk, enjoy the garden, visit the antique rural village close by for a glass of wine, or you can hang out with the group.

Quinta da Figueirhina, a farm of the little fig, sits in seven acres of farmland and woodlands on a hillside above the town of Tabua. The scenery is spectacular, the climate temperate and benign. The rivers Mondego and Alva have carved their way from rugged heights to lush valleys filled with trees.

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Full board meals are included in the price. At Quinta da Figueirhina, Yoga Retreat Portugal is working towards being largely self-sufficient for organic vegetables, fruits, beans, and salad. In the meantime, they source fresh and organic supplies from the plentiful, local produce which flourish in the temperate climate enjoyed year round. They have their own water mine for fresh water.

There are many different ideas about nutrition. So, in selecting what range of foods should be provided, Yoga Retreat Portugal needed to decide what principles should be applied. One of the main guiding principles was that the foods are as unprocessed as possible, from the production of the seed, through the growing and harvesting to the distribution and eventual preparation for eating.

Another principle was to use organic produce, locally grown, and in season. It is hoped that as much as possible will be grown here at the Quinta da Figueirhina yoga center, though this is still a little way away. The preparation of the meals is based on whole food and macrobiotic principles.

Special requirements can be catered for. Please let Yoga Retreat Portugal know about your special diet requirements.

When you are not taking the yoga classes or enjoying the wonderful food, there are lots of activities available locally and places of interest to visit. The Tabua area is famous for walking routes, horse and bike riding, canoeing, and other activities, with the local hire of equipment easily arranged. Further afield is Coimbra, the former capital of Portugal, one of the oldest university towns in the world, rich in architectural and archeological interest plus the shops and nightlife of a city.

• 2 yoga classes a day
• 6 nights accommodation
• Daily meals
• Drinks: tea, coffee, water
• Free Wi-Fi
• Transport between site and train or bus station at Santa Comba Dao

• Pick-up from the airport
• Anything else that is not mentioned in the what’s included section

Recommended Airports

• A reservation requires a deposit of 20% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.