Emerge from Within – Retreat

8 – 14 May 2024 | Mafra, Portugal

 

Join Mie and myself for this week-long retreat to fully nourish all aspects of yourself – your body, mind and spirit. In a safe and loving community, discover how a yoga practice, as well as various nourishing rituals and techniques can help you to reconnect to your own inner self. Leave motivated and empowered to lead a life of authenticity, fullness, and grace.

We’re offering a space to connect again ~ connect with ourselves, connect with other beings, connect with the world of nature again. To connect with the more hidden parts of ourselves, the ones that are never really gone, but shielded and kept safe for later times when safety allows for vulnerability. These hidden parts know best what we truly long for and how we really want to engage with the world. When we are connected to our depths, then what is within us can emerge more fully and more graciously.

We will guide you through various techniques and rituals, drawing from Yogic and other wisdom traditions, to help you rediscover your own inner wisdom in a safe space and with the support of a loving community.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Experience a holistic healing week with deep yoga, delicious wholesome meals, wild nature, and beautiful culture
  • The venue: Shanti Space: quietly cocooned in nature, beautiful, sacred retreat center created with love and dedication, ideal to deepen your yoga practice
  • Opportunity to deepen your yoga practice with two experienced and certified yoga teachers, Mie and Franzi
  • All meals prepared fresh by a local natural chef, specially planned for this special week

The Yoga

There are two practices and a special workshop daily. Morning practice is focused on connecting movement and breath to awaken your energy and move it through your body. Authentic and creative practice will include mantra, meditation, purifying breathing practices and well-rounded body movement.

Evening yoga sessions are designed to bring you back into the present moment and to help you release deep-seated tension in your muscles and tissues. You will be able to surrender and relax with a yin/restorative practice, which will help to activate meridians along the whole body and balance the flow of energy. This session will help you to calm the nervous system, find stillness and invite positive energy towards the end of the day. Both practices will end with deep full body relaxation and sound healing.

The practice is open- level at beautiful and spacious yoga Shalas. A Hillside Yoga Deck has a phenomenal view of the magical valley. The dappled light from the surrounding pines creates ample shade and a sense of being held by the surrounding natural environment. The Garden Shala is a large converted Victorian Greenhouse overlooking the apple orchard, one feels contained yet amongst the beautiful garden. Take your practice to a deeper level through mindful vinyasa flow yoga approach, breathing techniques, and powerful meditations.

Sample daily schedule

7:30 – 8:00 am:         Warm drinks and snacks

8:00 – 9:45 am:         Guided Asana and Pranayama practice

10:15 -11:30 am:         Breakfast/Brunch

Free Time

3:00 – 4:30 pm:           Workshops *

5:30 – 6:30 pm:           Chanting/Meditation/Philosophy/Yoga Nidra

6:30 – 8:00 pm:           Dinner

* no afternoon programs on 12 May Sunday afternoon

While we invite all participants to join all classes and workshops, we understand if you need more time to relax and recharge on your own.

Meet Mie

I am thrilled to be offering this retreat together with Mie, my dear friend and amazing Yoga teacher and practitioner. Mie has studied and practiced yoga with various teachers and practiced different styles, while growing up in Japan, and living and working in Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, the United States, England and Germany.

Mie teaches Vinyasa Flow, a flowing, dynamic form of yoga. In her class she strives to encourage practitioners to explore and experience a special combination of asanas (postures), choreography, pranayama (breathing techniques), sound and philosophy in a safe, non-competitive environment.

For Mie, yoga practice on the mat is a sacred space where she can shed my shielding exterior and connect to herself in a deep, authentic hearing way, in the here and now. She feels passionate about sharing this joy of practicing yoga, this sacred, peaceful and soul space where we can uncover and connect to our full potential within.

She strongly feels that yoga practice is for everyone, regardless of age, physical conditions, social-economic status. She does her very best to make the sequence accessible to practitioners of all levels, where we can be equally comfortable and challenged in our own boundaries.

Get to know Mie

The Shanti Space

The Shanti Space is a beautiful Quinta set in a forest bordering a national park. Quietly cocooned in nature, our neighbours are an Iberian Wolf Sanctuary, the Tapada de Mafra National Park where many animals like deer, wild boar and owls also reside. As a retreat venue it is an utterly unique and tranquil place. The Shanti Space offers the compelling blend of comfort, space, convenience, creative freedom, and calm; the perfect canvas.

For Yogis the Shanti Space offers two unique practice spaces: a spacious garden Shala, flooded with light and surrounded by greenery and a wooden Yoga deck in between the trees where Yogis can reconnect to nature on a deeper level.

Shanti Space was created by our friends Jessica & Jack Weaver, who poured their hearts and souls into crafting the sanctuary. Down to Earth yogis and healing artists with a soft spot for gardening, wholesome food and making music, they and their team support the retreat and regenerate project of the lands surrounding it. Mie met Jessica and Jack in February 2022 at her Zanzibar retreat and is thrilled for this magical collaboration.

Visit Shanti Space Website

The Food

The food will be prepared by the wonderful Amabile Kolenda, who is originally from Brazil but calling Portugal home for the past six years. She has been passionately working in functional gastronomy since 2013, wearing different hats from being a retreat chef to conducting culinary workshops, consulting for restaurants and as a content creator. Amabile also already had a creative culinary studio in Lisbon called UNA Create, and collaborated writing the first book about functional gastronomy in Portugal called “Cozinha Funcional” in 2022.
Amabile is forever curious and always in study mode when it comes to different culinary styles and ancient medicinal practices.
What truly moves her is the simplicity of natural ingredients and the infinite possibilities they offer in terms of flavors and textures. During retreats, her goal is not just to fill plates, but to nourish souls. Seeing participants feel well-fed, satisfied, and happy is her ultimate reward and makes her feel connected to the greater human experience.

Find out more about Amabile on @amabilekolenda. 

Our venue is a hidden sanctuary in the widely untouched wilderness of Portugal.

  • Conveniently close to Lisbon Airport (app. 40 minutes by car/Uber)
  • Within a stone throw away from the picturesque town of Mafra, be prepared to find yourself star gazing at night in the middle of the woods.
  • The woods surrounding us are always inviting for short and long walks.
  • A short ride (app. 20 minutes) to the warm and sandy beaches Ericeira and Carvoeira, with breathtaking rock formations and turquoise water.
  • Ericeira is a fishermen’s village and a World Class Surfing Reserve that provides waves and surf spots for all levels within a very short distance. Ericeira was distinguished in 2011 as the first World Surfing Reserve in Europe.
  • Nearby towns of Lisbon and Sintra offer historical monuments and the UNESCO heritage site

Optional Activities Include:

  • UNESCO site Sintra
  • Ericiera Surf Beach / Town
  • Mafra Palace
  • Iberian Wolf Sanctuary
  • SUP yoga
  • Surfing
  • Swimming
  • Healing Therapies: Acupuncture + consultation / biodynamic craniosacral therapy / energy & sound healing / holistic healing, deep tissue massage

What’s Included?

  • 6 nights accommodation at Shanti Space, a sanctuary quietly cocooned in nature neighbouring Tapada de Mafra National Park
  • Brunch, 2x snacks and dinner with fresh, locally sourced ingredients specially cooked by a local chef
  • Drinking water and tea all day
  • Daily yoga sessions with Mie and Franzi covering all aspects of a wholesome Yoga practice and including lots of assistance and adjustments since Mie and Franzi will always conduct sessions together
  • Daily guided Mediation and Pranayama (breathing techniques)
  • Mantra chanting / Kirtan
  • Asana Clinic (ask any questions about asanas and beyond and receive private adjustments)
  • Interactive talks on how Yogic philosophy can help guide our lives
  • Special workshops
  • Cacao Ceremony
  • Opening & closing circle: Opening circle, arrival yoga flow & welcome dinner / closing circle with a fire ceremony and celebration dinner
  • One month free Flow with Mie online livestream subscription

 

What’s not included?

  • Flights & local transportations
  • Insurance
  • Drinks apart from water and tea
  • Optional activities & spa treatments

 

Everyone is warmly invited to join, regardless of their level of experience. All you need to bring is an open heart and free spirit and an eagerness to discover something new.

Options and prices

Early bird is valid until 31 January 2024; prices are in Euros.

Single with ensuite Early Bird:

1530 Early Bird / 1620 Regular

Single with shared bathroom:

1490 Early Bird / 1580 Regular

Twin with ensuite:

1420 Early Bird / 1505 Regular

Twin with shared bathroom:

1245 Early Bird / 1315 Regular

Bunk Bed Quadruple with shared bathroom:

1140 Early Bird / 1210 Regular

Single Bell Tent with shared bathroom:

1375 Early Bird / 1455 Regular

Twin Bell Tent with shared bathroom:

1130 Early Bird / 1195 Regular

What last years participants say:

„There are not enough words to describe my overwhelmed feelings and incredible experience at Mie’s and Franzi’s yoga retreat in Portugal. Next to being located in a wonderful spot of our earth, I felt fully welcomed, accepted, supported and connected from the first day on. The yoga sessions, talks, music, community and meditation offered me space and time to finally connect with myself – something I had been longing for a very long time. This trip was a journey to myself and I feel that each and everyone of our group went home richer than he/she came to Portugal.:) Thank both of you so much – I am very greatful for having had the opportunity to dive more deeply into yoga, meditation and the way to a calm and peaceful way of living. I hope to be able to join another of your retreats!“ – P.F.

 
„Franzi & Me are both very dedicated and warm yoga teachers who hold space and at the same time enjoy a good laugh. I felt home.“ – N.D.
 
„A perfect week of slowing down, yet staying active, of mindfulness, great company and plenty of laughter with two very empathic and highly skilled Yoga-Teachers. Thank you :)“ – L.O.
 
„I felt fully safe and was able to slow down and connect to what really matters in life, of course it took me some days to really come down and let my nervous system relax. The practice / teaching was perfect to me, very well thought of and with so much determination, I felt that. And I really appreciated how the teachers took care of my limited shoulder availability and. I loved loved loved being outside in nature so much! Food was filled with love! And I loved to feel the groups energy to connect more and more throughout the week.“ – A.K.“