Yin Women
This program was created for women who are looking for a place to truly rest and to connect their yoga practice to their feminine nature.
Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidrā, Mindfulness and Traditonal Chinese Medicine are the main elements of this 4 night retreat. A program for women who want to practice under the influences of Yin Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, creative Yoga Nidrā, Mantra and Nāda (sound).
This retreat design envisions a gentle rhythm, a good balance of dynamic but mostly restorative practices — the invitation is to savour the present, to reestablish energetic harmony, and connect with the body&nature´s wisdom.
There will be time to be with nature. Surrounded by forest and ocean, the setting itself supports this slowing down, inviting you to listen inward and return to what feels authentic.
Two guest teachers will develop special sessions dedicated to women´s health and wellbeing through the lenses of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Mindfulness.
4 - 8 July, 2025 at Palmas Lodge
a retreat day
8:00 Optional Meditation
8:30 Movement Yoga Class
10.00 Brunch
11.00 Free time
17.30 Yin Yoga & Nidra
19.00 Dinner
20.00 Evening Session or Rest
everyday practices
meditation
This is an optional practice. If you like the quiet mornings, come in silence to sit at the shala, a meditation introduction guidance will set space for 30 minutes meditation time.
morning class
Yoga classes journeying from dynamic movement and engagement into stillness - from Yang to Yin. Hatha Vinyasa classes with Iyengar inspiration and a functional approach — welcoming every body into the practice.
My intention is to weave together introspection and reflection, while also nurturing a deeper sense of connection and belonging for all.
evening class
In this practice, Yin Yoga meets the profound stillness of Yoga Nidra. With a functional approach, every posture invites you to soften, release, and listen deeply within.
This is a nourishing space to restore vitality, support feminine health, and replenish inner energy. Here, rest is resistance — a conscious reclaiming of time, presence, and power in a world that often asks us to move without pause.
special sessions & guest teachers
traditional chinese medicine
In this session, a specialist guest teacher will share some tools from Traditional Chinese Medicine to support women´s health. Self massage, acupressure points and meridians that support the cyclic nature of the feminine body.
mindfulness meditation
In this gentle and grounding session, Liz - mindfulness trainer, grief educator, coach and birth doula - offers space to pause and reconnect. Through mindful tools, reflection and presence, she supports you in finding clarity, calm and a kind way forward from whatever is present in your life.
An invitation to listen inwardly and take your next step with awareness and care.
sound yoga & meditative concert
Together with Guilherme Granato we guide you on a Nada Journey. Live soundscapes and a meditative concert. Sitar, electric and acoustic guitar, Indian harmonium and voice.
ocean class
A yin yoga class at the beach dedicated to the water element. Followed by a delicious picnic dinner with sunset over the ocean.
Today I’m flying low and I’m
not saying a word
I’m letting all the voodoos of ambition sleep.
The world goes on as it must,
the bees in the garden rumbling a little,
the fish leaping, the gnats getting eaten.
And so forth.
But I’m taking the day off.
Quiet as a feather.
I hardly move though really I’m traveling
a terrific distance.
Stillness. One of the doors
into the temple. _Mary Oliver
yin yoga for women
Yin Yoga is a practice that invites to pause and to return to presence. It offers a space to journey through the deeper layers of the body and to reconnect within.
Rooted in Taoist philosophy and grounded in the meridian system and the wisdom of the elements, Yin Yoga is a beautiful practice to replenish Qi, our vital energy, and to restore balance.
For women, it represents a natural return to the essence of receptivity (Yin) and a conscious step away from the performative way of moving on the yoga mat.
During this retreat, I will guide you through practices focused on meridians that support women’s health. These sessions will unfold into sequences of postures, slow fascia-focused movements, and acupressure points A profound exploration of body and energy, restoring natural flow, feminine vitality, and grounded presence.
yoga nidra
In this retreat, Yoga Nidrā is offered as practice of rest and remembrance — a return to inner rhythms and innate feminine power.
Nidra Shakti invites us to soften, to listen, and to be held. It is an exploration of consciousness through deep rest — where the body surrenders completely, and awareness drifts in the fertile space between wakefulness and dream.
For women, Yoga Nidrā becomes a sacred sanctuary — a space to heal through life’s transitions, reconnect with our cyclical wisdom, and honor the natural rhythms. It supports the awakening of intuition, creativity, and inner voice, offering gentle guidance into the subtle realms of feeling, knowing, and imagination.
Each session is a gentle descent into being — guided through body awareness, breath, and intention — allowing the nervous system to restore.
Yoga Nidrā reminds us that rest is not only stillness, but a profound act of self-reclamation throught conscious rest.
the team
I feel deeply blessed to work alongside this wonderful team of women. We first met while collaborating with Shaini on her beautifully designed retreats for Yogaion. Thank you, Shaini, for the meaningful legacy you’ve planted here in Portugal.
The success of those retreats, and the warm bond we formed remained, and we’re grateful to continue walking this path together, allowing our collaboration to remain open and ever-flourishing.
On the picture, from left to right:
Cata I am the main guide and designer of the retreat, holding the space and weaving the experience together. Ivana is renowned for her deeply restorative massages, she brings presence and healing to every touch. Liz is a mindfulness coach, dear friend, and wise companion. She is an important element whose gentle strength offer profound support to the group throughout the retreat. Xana and Ana, a remarkable culinary duo, food activists who celebrate local and seasonal produce, creating nourishing, delicious dishes infused with creativity, consciousness, and the magic of fermentation.
prices & rooms
shared triple room €690
shared double room €890
single room €1290
what´s included
- 4 nights accommodation
- 2 organic delicious meals a day + snacks
- always available: tea, water, coffee, seasonal fruit
- 4 meditation morning sessions
- 4 dynamic & functional yoga classes
- 4 restorative Yin yoga & Nidra yoga classes
- 1 Chinese Medicine workshop for women
- 1 Mindfulness session
- 1 Meditative concert
- welcome women circle and closure women circle
- 1 yoga nidra audio to take home
extra treats
I trully admire the work of the people I do this retreat with. These are some extra treats that you can add to your experience:
- massages with Ivana
- surf class with Salva
- acupuncture
- photoshoot with Odoya
the venue and the surroundings
Palmas Lodge is a country house between Aljezur and Lagos. It is nested in a welcoming native forest of old trees, 10 min away from wild beaches where the energy of the Atlantic is felt and "where the sun is present for at least 300 days of the year."
Here you will find the most beautiful wild beaches, and if you like to surf youll be at the right place.
At the property there is a beautiful shala with windows facing the forest, a place you won´t want to leave.
The sleeping rooms are simple and sweet en-suites. Triple, double or single options are available.
gallery: venue, rooms, surroundings, past retreats and food
sign up & contact
To sign up or to request more information
Kindly fill in the contact form and select your chosen room type. Please send me any questions or comments and I’ll respond within two working days.
A 50% deposit will be requested to confirm your booking. Refunds are available for cancellations made up to two months before the retreat date.