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Health and Wellness Retreats in Portugal/
Health and Wellness Retreats in Mafra/
Teaching From Within: Yoga Retreat for Yoga Teachers
Teaching From Within: Yoga Retreat for Yoga Teachers
September 30 - October 5, 2025
Mafra, Portugal
5 nights, 6 days
18 person retreat
Highlights
This is more than a retreat. It’s a 25-hour advanced YTT module — disguised as five days of rest, reconnection, and depth.
“Teaching from Within” is where Yin meets meridian theory, anatomy and functional movement, fascia meets emotion, and learning meets stillness.
The Shanti Space is a Portuguese quinta nestled deep in nature, next to a Wolf Sanctuary and 15 minutes from the untamed Atlantic coast
Daily Vinyasa (Yang) and Yin (Stillness) practices
Daily workshops blending fascia, meridian theory, sequencing, and emotional depth
25 hours Advanced Yin and TCM YTT module that can count toward a 300hr pathway
This is for the yoga teacher who wants to move beyond just teaching poses
The opportunity to be the one who receives — to learn, reflect, and reconnect with your own body, breath, and rhythm
Details
Designed for yoga teachers who want to go beyond just teaching poses, “Teaching from Within” is where Yin meets meridian theory, fascia meets emotion, and learning meets stillness. Over five immersive days, you’ll move, rest, and learn — in a setting that invites you to slow down and truly receive. We’ll explore how your inner landscape — your nervous system, your organs, your energy — shapes the way you teach, cue, sequence, and hold space. You’ll earn 25 hours of advanced continuing education, but you’ll leave with so much more than a certificate. You’ll leave with clarity. Creativity. A renewed connection to your body and your “why.” This is for the yoga teacher who’s ready to: * Go deeper into Yin and Anatomy * Understand the emotional body through Traditional Chinese Medicine * Sequence with more purpose and presence * Teach with more feeling — and less performance * And finally… feel like a student again Tucked beside a peaceful wolf sanctuary and just a short 15-minute ride from the Atlantic’s raw, untamed coastline, The Shanti Space is a Portuguese quinta nestled deep in nature. Set within a national park, the land is surrounded by fruit trees, ancient cork oaks, grapevines, and a stream that winds along the garden’s edge. You might spot deer at dawn or hear the wolves call at night — subtle reminders that you’re not just near nature, you’re held by it. This is your place to slow down, study deeply, and breathe more fully. To disconnect from the everyday, and replenish your energy, reconnect to your practice, reignite your curiosity and your passion. As a Teacher and a student. The energy here is grounding and quietly powerful. Let Portugal hold you, so you can return home clear, inspired, and ready to teach from a place that feels true. Each day will be connected with a continuous theme, which means we dive really deep into one core theme for the day, regardless of what part of the day we are in. Bringing together the learning through experiential movement or stillness, and then connecting through theory. Core themes we cover: * Jing, Qi and Shen: The Deeper Energetics: What it means to support vitality (Jing), movement and flow (Qi), and spirit (Shen) in your own practice and your students’ experience * Fascia, Emotions and the Subtle Body: How fascia interweaves with emotional holding. The link between myofascial release, emotional expression, and nervous system health * Anatomy and the Meridian Lines: Tracing seasonal meridians through movement and shape. Where energetic and anatomical lines intersect — and why it matters for cueing, compression, and release * Teaching and Space-Holding as Healing: The energetics of the room, your voice, your nervous system, the art of setting safe, transformative space. Moving beyond words into presence * Sequencing From Within: Theme-building that balances East and West. Practical layering of meridian theory, breath, emotion, and anatomical function. How to make every cue an invitation to feeling, not just form Our venue is deliberately chosen to be immersed in nature, inviting a sense of s l o w living and learning. Yet close enough to the ocean to feel the sand between your toes in your free afternoons to explore. The perfect blend of ocean and nature.
Venue
The Shanti Space
4.5 ★ 69 Reviews
Nestled in a beautiful woodland valley, only half an hour from Lisbon and fifteen minutes from Ericeira beach, The Shanti Space is a nourishing family-run sanctuary for retreat, to rest and restore well-being whilst bathed in the loving embrace of nature.
Free Wifi
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Pool
Garden
Spa
Towels
Housekeeping
Restaurant
Free Parking
Accommodation
Spacious Dormitory with Shared Bathroom
8-person shared room
$1,755 USD / person
Double Occupancy with Shared Bathroom
4 Spots Left
2-person shared room
$2,030 USD / person
Double Occupancy with Private Bathroom
4 Spots Left
2-person shared room
$2,170 USD / person
Single Occupancy with Shared Bathroom
1 Room Left
Private room for 1
$2,300 USD total
Single Occupancy with Ensuite Bathroom
1 Room Left
Private room for 1
$2,600 USD total
1 / 5
Rooms are styled with traditional Portuguese simplicity — soft linens, natural textures, and space to retreat between practices. Whether journaling in the stillness or simply resting, your room becomes a sanctuary. All prices above are per person for the entire retreat and all inclusive.
Meals
Meals provided
Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner
Diets catered
Vegan · Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Gluten-free · Organic
Tantalize your taste buds with the most incredible meals made with love. The food on our retreat is designed to nourish and revitalise you from the inside out. One of the top feedbacks from our 2024 retreat guests was around the incredible quality and organic nature of each and every meal shared with us. Every vegetable and decoration iis sourced locally on a daily basis to keep things fresh and as healthy as it can be for you! Allow yourself to be nourished and indulged in a healthy way with the most zesty, flavorful plant-based and nutrient-rich cuisines. We promise you will feel rejuvenated!
Testimonials
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Host
Caroline Layzell
Devon, UK
Caroline is an international yoga teacher and mentor with over 14 years of experience empowering yoga teachers to enhance their teaching skills and elevate their students' experience. Specializing in ...
Certified Yoga Instructor
Accreditation has been verified
1 language
English
Teaching for 4 years
Joined Insight Timer in Aug 2021
What's Included
5 nights accommodation in a traditional Portuguese quinta (private or shared)
Daily Vinyasa (Yang) and Yin (Stillness) practices
Daily workshops blending fascia, meridian theory, sequencing, and emotional depth
25 hours advanced Yin and TCM YTT module that can count toward a 300hr pathway
A detailed manual with anatomical maps, themes, meridian theory & teaching tools
All meals at venue*: locally sourced, seasonal, plant-forward and lovingly prepared (*One evening meal is not included on a “free to explore” afternoon/evening)
A thoughtful gift bag
Uninterrupted time in nature and private use of our peaceful Portuguese venue
Not Included
Transfers (we’ll help you coordinate with others!)
Flights and travel insurance
Additional treatments (massage etc.)
FAQs
Cancellation policy
The remaining balance for the retreat is due 60 days prior to the start date. If this balance is paid earlier than these 60 days, you are eligible to cancel and receive a full refund of this remaining balance, provided you do so at least 60 days before the retreat begins.
