meditate: letting go
(the heart sutra) - 50hrs
portugal, 27 April - May 4, 2025
let go . take up
this week will be a deep dive into the simplest, yet maybe most profound buddhist sutra, a direct teaching on the practice of self compassion.
the prajna Prajñā pāramitā hṛdaya sutra or "heart of the perfection of wisdom" sutra is maybe best known mantra in Asia.
i will share with you my taoist-zen take on this much-loved song, which like any song allows us to let go of our thinking mind and directly experience our vast human soul.
i will guide our group to directly experience a deep spaciousness, a vast awareness of all there is.
in our modern world, too often we look to drugs and surgery to fix our broken souls. this course provides a different way. your body and your heart are, if you will work with them, boundlessly intelligent . we do this through an awareness of what can be let go, and what we need.
early bird ends on
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3 early bird room options
full payment or payment plan (all prices in euro €)
Within the Main House, guests can choose from bedrooms available for single occupancy, a couple or twin sharing.
There are wooden Mountain Lodges, Suites, and River Cabins, each with their own unique distinctive features.
Rooms are available on a first come - first serve basis.
Garden Suite Rooms
Appointed with bedroom, bathroom and living room, all overlooking the valley and the vegetable garden. Suitable as a luxury single or luxury couple share.
SOLD OUT
Mountain Lodge Rooms
Featuring three single bedrooms around a shared living space. Guests can enjoy a cozy living room, a shared bathroom, and an outside veranda offering uninterrupted views of the premises.
Single Room w. Shared Living Space & Bathroom
One payment
Payment plan
River Cabin/Main House Rooms
By the D'Alijo river, or inside the main house.
Equipped with ensuite bathrooms. Ideal for single occupancy or twin share (or double).
single (ensuite) one payment
single (ensuite) one pay plan
twin share (ensuite) one payment
twin share (ensuite) pay plan
who is this for
this program is meant for anybody who has been practicing yoga for at least one year and has done yin yoga before.
this event can be a 50hr module in our blackmat yogi 600hr tt program (meditate part 2 - recognized by yoga alliance), or it can be a yogic indulgence (you have the option to miss the morning lectures if you don't want a certificate), a simple time to practice spent with good people, portuguese vibes and good food.
program prerequisite
this program is not entry-level. it requires a fundamental understanding of yin yoga, channel concepts and the theory of exercise. these are all offered. in our 200hr yin yoga & variable anatomy program. in addition, it is recommended that you have taken my qiology module I (yang channels).
this event can be a 50hr module in my blackmat yogi 500hr tt program (qiology: yin channels - recognized by yoga alliance), or it can be a yogic indulgence (you have the option to miss the morning lectures if you don't want a certificate), a simple time to practice spent with good people, portuguese vibes and good food.
if in doubt, please contact us.
what you get
Accreditation
Receive a full 50hrs of YA Accreditation either as part of our 300hr program, or as a part of your continuing education credits.
Dhugal Time
It is not just a course. Pick my brains and draw on my yoga and meditation experience gained from years of teaching and personal practice.
New But Old
Our practices are a new take on time-old practices of mindfulness, yin yoga & sutra theory.
curriculum overview
There is no better time to dive into our mental health, our spiritual health. Feel deeply who we are.
NOTE: This program is one of several 50hr meditation modules. You may take one or all. Other 50hr modules are:
The Science & The Ox
Who Are You (The NeiJingTu)?
Traditional Philosophy and Meditation is too often dismissed or over-mystified. But really, both meditation and philosophy are age-old strategies for contextualising our lives so that we may live more contentedly, more open heartedly, with less effort.
My 500hr program is a steady, powerful exploration of the 3-pillars of long-term health outlined in the classics of Chinese Medicine and Taoist psychology. These are so simple, that these are commonly overlooked by modern people:
精 jing (physical health),
氣 qi (emotional, energetic health), &
神 shen (psychological, mental, spiritual health).
We cover Qi & Jing overwhelmingly in our 200hr Foundation and 100hr Qiology Modules.
This program is all about Shen.
Taoist and Zen psychology proposes we can learn and feel more deeply who we are and become profoundly happy and content through the practice of stillness and study of what Zen buddhists and Taoist philosophers call WU.
By considering WU and practicing stillness, we become clear of that which we hold on to, that which holds us back, confuses us, separates us from the boundless peace within us.
We become clear on that we want to take up, keep, retain, have mould our lives and experiences of humanity.
This course offers life skills designed to give you mental healing and a slower, longer term view to a contented heart. You will also be able to teach this to others.
We study a Zen-Taoist take on the Heart Sutra and will apply Yin & Yang asana along with chanting & meditation.
this includes:
- Heart-Mind Theory
- Theory of WU
- Letting Go - Taking Up
- The Tao of Meditation: Walk/Sit...
- 6 Flavors of Yin: 6 different ways to practice Yin Yoga
- 6 QiGa Practices: Moving Qi in soft QiGong-Yoga Fusion
- Deep Breathing - The power of Chant
3 early bird room options
full payment or payment plan (all prices in euro €)
Within the Main House, guests can choose from bedrooms available for single occupancy, a couple or twin sharing.
There are wooden Mountain Lodges, Suites, and River Cabins, each with their own unique distinctive features.
Rooms are available on a first come - first serve basis.
Garden Suite Rooms
Appointed with bedroom, bathroom and living room, all overlooking the valley and the vegetable garden. Suitable as a luxury single or luxury couple share.
SOLD OUT
Mountain Lodge Rooms
Featuring three single bedrooms around a shared living space. Guests can enjoy a cozy living room, a shared bathroom, and an outside veranda offering uninterrupted views of the premises.
Single Room w. Shared Living Space & Bathroom
One payment
Payment plan
River Cabin/Main House Rooms
By the D'Alijo river, or inside the main house.
Equipped with ensuite bathrooms. Ideal for single occupancy or twin share (or double).
single (ensuite) one payment
single (ensuite) one pay plan
twin share (ensuite) one payment
twin share (ensuite) pay plan
early bird ends on
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DAYS
00
HOURS
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daily schedule
27 april - arrival day
check in from 15.00
18.00 course & venue introduction
19.30 dinner
28 april - 3 may
7.30 - 8.00 meditation
8.00 - 9.30 breakfast
9.30 - 12.30 lecture & practicum
12.30 - 16.30 lunch and free time
16.30 - 19.00 asana practices
19.00 dinner
may 4 - departure day
7.30 - 8.00 meditation
8.00 breakfast
check in and check out
on arrival day you can check in from 15.00 on, note that there is no food or lunch in the centre yet. check out is after breakfast on the last day.
prices
- include: six and half days of yoga, meditation, food and friendship
- exclude: flight tickets and transfer from/to retreat center (but we can help with that)
location - d'alijo retreats, northern portugal
d’alijo yoga retreat centre has a beautiful, fully equipped yoga studio overlooking the gardens and valley, a luxurious but cozy dining room, a beautiful pool, a large pond and much more.
the estate is remote, surrounded by nature. it has a couple of great hiking trails, which can lead you to rivers and waterfalls and natural pools. the closest town, cabeceiras de basto, is about 12 minutes by car. guimarães, a unesco listed beautiful city is just 25 minutes away. porto and braga are within one hour as well as an other unesco sites.
come look here: http://www.dalijoyogaretreats.com/accommodation-and-premises/
how to get there
there are no public transport options directly to the retreat centre. however, if you are not travelling by plane you can take a metro, bus or shuttle from porto city centre to porto airport and then join a shared transfer.
the nearest airport is PORTUGAL PORTO AIRPORT. transavia, easyJet, tap, vueling, klm & ryan air, all fly there.
transfer time to the d’alijo centre is 60 minutes by car from porto airport. transfers to and from the d’alijo centre are not included in the prices. we can arrange shared airport transfers to and from porto airport at about € 110 per car one way, maximum three persons. for bigger groups we can organise a bus.
a few weeks before the retreat we will ask you for your travel details and if you want to share travel to the centre. we will group you together so you can share costs. alternatively you can find cheap car rental options.
2024 graduation photo
3 early bird room options
full payment or payment plan (all prices in euro €)
Within the Main House, guests can choose from bedrooms available for single occupancy, a couple or twin sharing.
There are wooden Mountain Lodges, Suites, and River Cabins, each with their own unique distinctive features.
Rooms are available on a first come - first serve basis.
Garden Suite Rooms
Appointed with bedroom, bathroom and living room, all overlooking the valley and the vegetable garden. Suitable as a luxury single or luxury couple share.
SOLD OUT
Mountain Lodge Rooms
Featuring three single bedrooms around a shared living space. Guests can enjoy a cozy living room, a shared bathroom, and an outside veranda offering uninterrupted views of the premises.
Single Room w. Shared Living Space & Bathroom
One payment
Payment plan
River Cabin/Main House Rooms
By the D'Alijo river, or inside the main house.
Equipped with ensuite bathrooms. Ideal for single occupancy or twin share (or double).
single (ensuite) one payment
single (ensuite) one pay plan
twin share (ensuite) one payment
twin share (ensuite) pay plan
early bird ends on
00
DAYS
00
HOURS
00
MINS
00
SECS
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