Practise yoga at our beautiful shala in the orange grove.
You don’t have to bend like a pretzel to practise yoga & meditation with us in Portugal's beautiful Algarve. We welcome all levels, and for the most part, there will always be people who are making their first moves or honing early skills during their stay. And if you are a seasoned yogi... well, we design our classes to invite you to go deeper into your practice too.
Know it’s no accident that we’re called SOUL & Surf. When we first set up our retreat in Kerala we were terrified of being stuck with a load of meat-heads talking macho surf s%*t all day long so we tried to put them off by making our website pink and putting soulful stuff to the forefront of what we do. For us it’s more than just being Soul Surfers, it’s the balancing of all things soulful with the surfing that defines our attitude.
All of which is to say that if surfing’s not your thing you can still have a full week or two of yoga and pampering therapies with us in Portugal and leave feeling invigorated, inspired and ready to take on the world again.
Yoga & Meditation In The Algarve
Between March and November* we offer daily group classes and also private one to one sessions - perfect if you’re a total newbie and want to nail the basics or just need a bit of extra help to master a specific pose. Just like our limbs (hopefully), we’re keeping things loose when it comes to our schedule.
Class times and types will depend on when we get out in the surf, but know that we’ll be offering sessions everyday, and will give you plenty of notice to get in gear. You might be waking up with the sun and getting those salutations in early, or stretching out at sunset.
And because music is really important to us we also make sure we bend and breathe whilst listening to some seriously good tunes – all in the beautiful surroundings of the South Western Algarve, Portugal.
*If you are staying with us outside of these months, we can organise yoga sessions with a little bit of advance notice.
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Covid
That paragraph.
It goes without saying, though, that in our yoga space we will be taking cleanliness even more seriously than usual. The space will be cleaned thoroughly between each session to ensure it is compliant with hygiene and cleaning requirements for the prevention and control of Covid-19. And if you wish to, you can read even more about our Covid policies here.
Our Yoga Styles
(for yoga pricing, see What's Included for Portugal...)
Flow Yoga
Our flow sessions will be physically energising, working with the breath and the movements in harmony to build heat in the body and getting to grips with the asana practice (physical postures). Our classes will include various traditional yoga techniques to help you connect with the true essence of yoga aiming to leave you feeling invigorated and uplifted.
Yin Yoga
Yin Yoga is a quiet and simple practice, but not necessarily an easy one. This style of yoga works deeply into our body. It targets our deepest tissues, our connective tissues — ligaments, joints, bones, and the deep fascial networks of our body — rather than the muscles. The perfect balance for surf/travel/vinyasa tired bodies. If one of our Yin teachers is unavailable, we’ll switch things up and be offering a restorative slow-flow class, so you’ll still be getting your chilled out yoga vibes.
Photography by Katie Rae.
One To One Yoga
Private classes are a great way to take your practice to the next level or focus on a particular aspect of your yoga practice. Whether it’s your first yoga experience or you're a seasoned practitioner who wants to develop the finer details of each asana, one to one classes give you the time to deepen your practice. Discuss what you want to achieve with your yoga teacher before the class.
Pranayama
While yoga asana (postures) sort out our bodies, yoga pranayama (breathwork) sorts out our minds. And respiratory system. And cardiovascular system. And lymphatic system. Actually everything. During these classes you will be guided through specific breathing exercises to channel your 'prana' (or life force), rejuvenating, stilling and uplifting your mind. Plus it's really great for lung capacity, which is kinda handy when you surf. You can even check out an example of our work if you'd like...
Meditation
More of us are turning to meditation to help calm and still the mind to cope with being permanently 'on'. Though sometimes thought to be boring or difficult, our meditation class will guide you through accessible techniques to help calm and organise your thoughts and help explore a mindful approach to your day. Meditation is not separate to Yoga - it is part of the bigger picture. If you think you are too brain-busy to meditate then you are probably the person that needs it the most.
Who would benefit from our classes?
Both totally new and experienced yogis. Students will be able to work to their own capabilities and take what they want from the classes.
What you will take home?
If you're a beginner, a basic understanding of the fundamentals of a hatha-based yoga practice. Upon finishing your stay you will have established a set of postures that you can put together into your own sequence that suits your lifestyle at home. You will also have the tools to start a meditation and pranayama practice using breathing techniques.
If you're a seasoned yogi, expect to have picked up a new perspective to your practice - and perhaps even some new 'challenge' asana to refine too. Whoever you are though you can definitely expect to take home a relaxed, rejuvenated and revitalised body and mind.
And you can even take us home with you too if you fancy - via our on demand yoga subscription, At Home.
Find Out More
Check out what's included for Portugal for more info on yoga classes and pricing. And maybe click that little Read More below for a bit of background on our teachers...
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Your Yoga Teachers
Natalie
Nat is a yoga instructor with over 10 years of experience teaching in yoga surf retreats across the globe. Having trained in Quantum Yoga - dynamic vinyasa to balance the Ayurvedic doshas - she advocates the use of conscious breathwork and movement to work with prana reflectively, creating harmony in the individual body-mind system.
As a surfer she turns to yin yoga to connect to the meditative and stress releasing aspects of asana practice. And as a teacher she works with both ends of the yin/yang spectrum to create a range of classes aimed at restoring balance – nurturing awareness and experiencing more freedom in the body, mind and emotions.
Rachel
Rach has been a student of yoga for 15 years and a yoga teacher for eight. In that time she has trained in and taught Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, Restorative Yoga, Yin and Functional Movement. She has also studied and practiced Qi Gong and Meditation and is currently studying for an advanced teacher training which will enable her to teach yoga to professional athletes and in a rehabilitation setting.
From all these different styles gathered over the years, she has settled somewhere in between and now teaches a mixture of everything depending on the needs of the students in front of her. As a surfer she knows what being in the water a lot does to your body and tailors her yoga classes to both prepare you and put you back together again.
Prepare yourself and put yourself back together again with our yoga sessions.