YÁNG SHĒNG
(養生)
TEACHINGS FROM THE
NOURISHMENT OF LIFE TRADTITION
- 50HRS
Portugal, 25 April - May 2, 2026
NURTURE. NOURISH. YOUR LIFE.
Our time together will be a deep dive into the heart of my teaching method - integrating practices around jing (physical), qi (e-motion) and shen (psycho-spiritual).
The true integration of these 3 Treasures - not just understanding them separately - but experiencing how Taoist medicine and philosophy (yangsheng 養生) can empower and enrich your life in a world which challenges so much.
Your body and mind, if you will work with them, are incredibly intelligent - optimising everything in your experience... if you can unlock the secrets to let it heal.
In our modern world, too often we look to drugs and surgery to fix our broken bodies and minds. This retreat provides a different way - practical, non-mystical alchemy, daily practices and keys that open you to chronic wellness (not chronic sickness).
NOTE:
This program is in no way is a rejection of allopathic, mainstream medicine which has a huge place in our lives. It is simply a reframing of its place in our lives, teaching you to become your own primary healthcare provider.
early bird ends on
00
DAYS
00
HOURS
00
MINS
00
SECS
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
One payment
Payment Plan
TWIN SHARE
One payment
Payment 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.
Accreditation
Receive a full 50hrs of
YA Accreditation either as part of our 300hr program, or as a part of your continuing education credits.
PROGRAM PREREQUISITE
This program is not entry-level. It requires a fundamental understanding of yin yoga, tcm 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 Qigong Foundations Program.
This event can be a 50hr module in my Blackmat Yogi 500hr TT program, 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 by filling out the contact form at the bottom of this page.
WHAT YOU GET
Full access to course materials, including:
• ONE YEAR ACCESS: to all course material
• LEARN: 6 lectures on the theory & practice of yáng shēng.
• PRACTICE: 6 soothing Yin & 6 Qi Gong group practices.
• STUDY: A manual & all presentation slides.
Dhugal Time
It is not just a course. Pick my brains and draw on my yoga, tcm and meditation experience gained from years of teaching, open clinic and personal practice.
New But Old
Our practices are a new take on time-old practices of mindfulness, yin yoga, qigong & yang sheng theory.
CURRICULUM OVERVIEW
There is no better time to dive into our physical & mental health, our spiritual wellbeing... Feel deeply who we are.
Traditional Practices, Philosophy and Meditation are too often dismissed or over-mystified or irrelevant. But really, all 3 (particularly together) are age-old, time-tested strategies for contextualising our lives so that we may live more contentedly, more healthily and more open heartedly... with less effort.
We consider the beautiful absurdity of life: in our frantic quest to "fix" ourselves, we've forgotten that we're not actually broken. We're often trying so hard to be perfect that we've missed the exquisite imperfection that makes us human.
In our time we'll explore the Three Treasures together: jing (your physical vitality), qi (your e-motional flow), and shen (your spiritual radiance).
精 jing (physical health),
氣 qi (emotional, energetic health), &
神 shen (psychological, mental, spiritual health).
- QiGong for Qi Cultivation - learn what Qi flow feels like, how and where it flows in your own body and mind through applied functional Qigong.
- Yin Yoga for Physical Release - Working with the fascia deep, long held poses
- Meditation for Shen Balance - Building on simple awareness in silence
- Herbal Wisdom for Daily Life - Food as medicine, simple formulas, seasonal eating
- Gua Sha for Self-Treatment - Practical accessible tools for simple principles of prevention of pain and resolution of pain by ameliorating Qi flow.
NOTE: This program is one of several 50hr modules. You may take one or all.
DAILY SCHEDULE
25 April - Arrival Day
Check in from 15:00
18:00 Course & Venue Introduction
19:30 Dinner
26 April - 1 May
7:30 - 8:00 Meditation
8:00 - 9:30 Breakfast
9:30 - 12:30 Lecture & Practicum
12:30 - 16:30 Lunch & Free Time
16:30 - 19:00 Practicum & Asana Practices
19:00 Dinner
May 2 - Departure Day
9:00 Yin Yoga Practice
10:00 Breakfast & Check-Out
CHECK IN & 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 centre (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.
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.
GOT A QUESTION?
Just Ask.
