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Ashtanga Yoga Intensive Week
Dharma for the Heart: Cultivating Qualities of the Heart through Mindfulness and Meditation
(title courtesy of EBMC/ East Bay Meditation Center)
A Five Day Workshop with Wambui Njuguna
April 15 – 19, 2025
Yoga Roots Odeceixe, Portugal
Join Wambui Njuguna for a five day workshop intensive at Yoga Roots Odeceixe, Portugal. The shala is located in the middle of the picturesque and peaceful village on R. Estr. Nacional 1, 8670-320 Odeceixe, Portugal. You cannot miss it (Google maps).
Please read more about Odeceixe and around,
accommodation, markets, food, how to get there
and activities in Algarve
Praia de Odeceixe Yoga Roots Odeceixe
Registration, Payment, Class options, Schedule and Questions:
All registrations, questions and further info through yogarootsodeceixe@gmail.com
To secure your registration, please pay the workshop to the Yoga Roots Odeceixe bank account. The bank codes and information about the payments and payment options you will find from the end of this site.
1. Full program
2. ”Only” Morning practice
3. Morning practice with some of your chosen drop-in afternoon classes
4. Weekend program
5. Separate drop-in classes
Trauma-Informed Guided Class = Each morning, you have the option to join in a soft, slow, gentle quarter primary series with Wambui. This option is suitable for beginners, those with mobility concerns and /or recovering from injury; or those who wish to gain the benefit of the Ashtanga Yoga practice but through a trauma-informed framework.
Pranayama = Light, simple and beneficial breathing exercises for a deeper understanding about the breath and energy work.
Afternoon Sessions = Discussions, dharma talks and guided meditation practices
NOTE: Some of the afternoon classes, especially Pranayamas can be held outdoors, if the weather is suitable!
Yoga Shala Odeeixe (before the renovation) “Chai park” next to the Yoga Shala
THE SCHEDULE
April 15-19, 2025
Tuesday 15th
Guided Trauma-Informed Yoga: 8-9:15am
11:15-12:15 Welcome Circle workshop opening with Wambui; Getting to know one another + creating safety in the practice
Tea break
12:30-14:00 Dharma for the Heart: Cultivating Qualities of the Heart through Mindfulness and Meditation Intro
Wednesday 16th
Guided Trauma-Informed Yoga: 8-9:15am
11:15-12:15 Trauma-Informed Pranayama
Tea break
12:30-14:00 Dharma for the Heart: Cultivating Qualities of the Heart through Mindfulness and Meditation: Loving Kindness Practice with Maitri (Unconditional Friendliness)
Thursday 17th
Guided Trauma-Informed Yoga: 8-9:15am
Free afternoon
Friday 18th
Ashtanga Yoga Led Class through an accessible, trauma informed lens: 8am – 9:30am
11:15-12:15 Pranayama + Meditation with Wambui: Comfortable, simple and easy pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditations. Tea break
12:30-14:00 Dharma for the Heart: Cultivating Qualities of the Heart through Mindfulness and Meditation: Loving Kindness Practice with Karuna (Compassion)
Saturday 19th
Guided Trauma-Informed Yoga: 8-9:15am
11:15-12:15 Pranayama + Meditation with Wambui: Comfortable, simple and easy pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditations.
Tea break
12:30-14:00 Dharma for the Heart: Cultivating Qualities of the Heart through Mindfulness and Meditation: Loving Kindness Practice with Mudita (Sympathetic Joy) + Upeksha (Equanimity)
14:15-14:45 Workshop closing circle
Yoga Shala Odeceixe:
The shala is located in the middle of the Odeceixe village on R. Estr. Nacional 1, 8670-320 Odeceixe, Portugal. You cannot miss it (Google maps)
We have all gender dressing rooms and toilet, but we recommend you come to the shala with your practice clothes on. There is no shower at the shala. As the village is very small, it is easy to walk to the shala wearing your practice clothes and take shower after the practice at your guest house or other type of accommodation.
Yoga Shala Odeceixe has wooden floor. Yoga mats and blocks are available. Anyhow we recommend bringing your own mats to keep good hygiene and make sure that you have a mat which you like.
Next to the yoga shala there is a mini market, bakery and our Chai park where you can sit under the local “holy” tree and sip your well deserved Chai tea (or herbal tea). The village’s coffee shops and restaurants are just around the corner for the breakfast, hang outs and meals.
Treatments
Petri and Wambui are offering treatments during the workshop. Wambui is giving Chavutti Thirumal (massage by foot press) treatments and Petri is giving Energy healing / bone setting treatments. Please let us know if you are interested and we can book a time.
Small Yoga Shop downstairs by the office we are selling local natural products.
Physical Adjustments and Informed Consent: Touch can be healing and it can harm. A cultural of ongoing informed consent is practiced throughout this workshop.
Our Big Why:
We believe the practice of yoga can heal the world, both on and off the mat. We also understand yoga to contain wisdom for both individual self- transformation and collective, societal progress. In this spirit, we are survivor-centric and survivor-oriented, and abuse, sexual assault, and discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. This is a caste protected space and we do not subscribe to casteist beliefs or practices. We recognize our aspiration for our yoga spaces to feel welcoming and warm for anyone who wishes to take practice. We continually contemplate how we can make our yoga spaces braver and more accessible to all, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, caste, sexual identity, class, age, nationality, immigrant status, disability etc. Our workshop follows braver space guidelines.
Mental Health Disclaimer:
Yoga can be an effective and beneficial tool for reaching a more peaceful state of mind, managing stress better and getting physically well. Our workshops and retreats are designed for people with normal physical and mental conditions. If you are on medication, are currently taking (or have taken) therapy and/or counseling, or have any known mental condition(s) that would in any way hinder your participation in a workshop or retreat, please inform us, as well as your doctor/therapist before registering. We do not provide any specialist therapy or counseling at our workshops/retreats who would be able to help, should the need arise. If a student’s behaviour causes disruption for other workshop participants and the teachers, he or she will be requested to stop participating in the workshop and to seek appropriate help. In such a situation, we do not offer refunds, but are available to provide any documents necessary for insurance claims.
Workshop Fees: (including 23% vat)
Full workshop April 15-19 with 4 Mornings, Friday’s Led class and all afternoon sessions 300 €/week
Weekend April 18-19 with 1 Primary series Led Class and 1 Guided morning class & afternoon sessions 140€
Single classes (Mysore or Led), possible if there will be space in the shala 35 €
Single classes (Afternoon Techniques), possible if there will be space in the shala 50€
Single class (Lectures), possible if there will be space in the shala 25€
Single class (Pranayama or Meditation), possible if there will be space in the shala 20€
Workshop opening and closing on Tuesday and Sunday Free of change
Cancellation policy:
In case of cancellation the payment is not refundable after April 1st 2025. Before April 1st 2025, a full refund (minus 20€ for management costs) is given. Please email your bank account number for the refund if needed.
Shala / Workshop discounts*
Local Students with a 10 x practice card to Yoga Roots ODX – 50% from the original workshop price
Local Odeceixe Portuguese citizens – 40%
Portuguese citizens – 30%
Disabled Practitioners – 30%
BIPOC, Caste-oppressed Practitioners – 15%
LGBTQIA2S+ – 15%
Single parents – 15%
Portuguese Residents – 15%
Students (15 – 30), Parents on leave (up to 18 months) & Retired (65+) – 15%
For the students with a low income we are offering a Volunteer exchange option (below).
*When registering, please send us proof of your discount (ie. student or disability card). Otherwise, we use the honor system and invite you to be transparent with us regarding your reason for a discounted tier.
Voluntary help at the fruit tree garden, herbal garden or park. Voluntary workshop exchange option for 2-3 students per workshop. Please ask more if you are interested.
Why discounts?
We believe the practice of yoga can heal the world, both on and off the mat. We have witnessed the wisdom contained within the tradition of yoga for both individual self- transformation and collective, societal progress. In this spirit, we recognize our aspiration for our yoga spaces to feel welcoming and warm for anyone who wishes to take practice. We continually contemplate how we can make our yoga spaces safer, welcome and more accessible to all, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, caste, sexual identity, class, age, nationality, immigrant status, disability etc.
One way we aspire to live by our yogic ideals is around economic accessibility. Yoga should not be a luxury only for those who can afford it. Yoga must be made accessible, both economically and culturally, for those who most need it. Based on our individual social locations and whether these identities are proximal to, or distant from, power and privilege, we recognise that institutionalized oppression, visible and invisible, recognizable or hidden, affects how some people are seen, heard and valued in society. How some are afforded rest and ease and others are not.
How some can breath with peace.
And how, for others, their breath gets stolen from them, both literally and figuratively.
We wish to balance the scales.
Starting with our circle of influence in our yoga space.
If you identify as more than one on the list above, please choose the tier that is most essential for you to tend to. We recognize that some of you may embody multiple, intersecting identities of marginalization, and would be eligible for multiple discounts. We also acknowledge that there are several more intersections not mentioned that require care and equity. While we aim to extend as much community care out, we must also protect our energy output and ensure our livelihood and needs as a family are also honored.
For those who embody social locations close(r) to societal privilege and power, this is an invitation to be in active solidarity with others who move through society differently than you. We are sensitive to the fact that life is hard for us all. Being human is hard. However, there are many experiences that are facilitated for one based on any number of factors, and having privilege often means that we don’t need to notice the ways structures are set up in our favor. We invite you to pay the full price with a generous spirit. Equity, meaning everyone getting what they need, for those who have enjoyed privilege might sometimes feel like oppression.
In this moment, breathe, slow down and tend to yourself with care and honest accountability.
Fannie Lou Hamer is known to have said, “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.” We are all needed to get where we need to be, as an inter-species. Let’s start embodying this interdependence and interconnection with one another.
Side by side.
Both on and off the yoga mat.
May all beings get what they need to be well, cared for and tended to.
May our actions bring us one step closer to making it so.
Payment Options:
1. Bank transfer (most recommended)
Account details:
To:
Yoga Roots Odeceixe, LDA
Bank: Credito Agricola
NIB: 0045 7021 40370695571 12
IBAN: PT50 0045 7021 4037 0695 5711 2
BIC/SWIFT: CCCMPTPL
Message:
Odeceixe April 15-19 2025, Your Name and what you are paying..Full program/Only Mornings/Weekend etc.
2. Cash payment to Petri or Wambui before the first Yoga class
3. Low cost international transfer
Low fees transfers about 3€ each transfer (please add that to the final amount)
Some students has been using this transfer and the commission is much lower than in PayPa or Bank transfer from outside the Europe..especially if you are paying from the US or Asia.
Message:
Odeceixe April 15-19 2025, Your Name and what you are paying (ie Full program/Only Mornings/Weekend etc).
All questions and information: email yogarootsodeceixe@gmail.com
Looking forward to spend a beautiful time in Portugal
With love from Yoga Roots Odeceixe, your pink healing nest in the seaside village of Odeceixe
Yoga Roots Odeceixe, LDA
Rua da Estrada Nacional, n°1,
Odeceixe, 8670-320, Portugal
Tax code (NIF) 517368803 (Portugal)