Yin Yoga with Sacred Ceremony
23-28 October 2026
come home to nature, come home to you
Guided by Stillness, Held in Ritual
This is a deeply grounding 6-day retreat inviting you to slow down, turn inward, and reconnect with yourself. Through the gentle stillness of Yin Yoga and the powerful ritual of the Sweat Lodge (Temazcal), participants are guided on a journey of reflection, release, and renewal. This retreat offers a supportive space to pause from everyday life and listen more closely to the wisdom within.
This retreat is as an invitation to step away from pressure, urgency, and constant doing — and return to a more natural rhythm within yourself. A space to deeply rest, reconnect with your body, and nourish yourself through gentleness, presence, ceremony, and nature.
With 15 years of teaching Yin Yoga, Lottie de Bruijn felt called to create a retreat that honours softness over striving and deep listening over productivity. Together we will explore practices designed to support healing, integration, and reconnection with the quieter parts of ourselves that are often overlooked in daily life.
Throughout the retreat we will work with the elements Fire Water Air Earth and their directions
What to Expect
This retreat is intentionally spacious and gently paced, allowing plenty of time to rest, reflect, integrate, and simply be in nature.
Each day includes Yin Yoga alongside nourishing experiences and ceremonies such as:
- Guided breathwork
- Sound bath
- Cacao ceremony
- Guided Temazcal (sweat lodge) ceremony
- Silent walks in nature
- Herbal walks
- Massage opportunities
- Mini vision quest experiences
The intention is not to fill every moment, but to create space for your nervous system to soften and your body to guide the rhythm of your experience.
If this will be your first sweat lodge experience and you have questions, please feel welcome to reach out to Lottie directly.
Structure of the Day
Each day will unfold slowly and intentionally, allowing you to move at a pace that feels connected to your body and inner rhythm
Mornings
- Gentle Yin Yoga
- Grounding practices
- Nourishing brunch
Afternoons
- Ceremonies and nature-based practices
- Element-themed workshops
- Time for rest, reflection, journalling, or massage
Evenings
- Shared dinners
- Quiet integration time
- Deep rest and spaciousness
This retreat honours presence over productivity, softness over striving, and restoration over constant activity.
About the Facilitator
Lottie de Bruijn is a Yin Yoga teacher, bodyworker, and fire keeper based in the West Algarve. She has been teaching Yin Yoga for almost 15 years and facilitates ceremonies and retreats in Portugal, Italy, Morocco, Costa Rica, and the Netherlands, including Cacao and Temazcal ceremonies. Her approach is warm, intuitive, and deeply grounded, creating spaces where people feel safe to soften, reconnect, and return to themselves. Alongside her ceremonial work, she is also a skilled massage therapist, supporting deep relaxation and embodied awareness.
Accommodation & Food
Our accommodation is simple, comfortable, and immersed in nature.
Our accommodation is simple, comfortable, and immersed in nature — designed to help you slow down, rest, and feel at home.
Guests stay in a mix of thoughtfully prepared spaces, including bell tents with comfortable beds, two cabins (Om Shanti – a studio, and Sunrise Lodge with two rooms and a kitchen), and The Shepherd’s Hut. The cabins and Shepherd’s Hut each have their own showers, while the bell tents share two outdoor showers. Across the land, we use eco-friendly compost toilets.
Accommodation is available on a shared or single basis, and spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please let us know your preference when booking, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
There is also a swimming pool, offering a refreshing place to cool off, relax, and enjoy the surroundings.
Food
Meals are vegetarian, nourishing, and prepared with care, using ingredients sourced mainly from local farmers’ markets, along with seasonal produce from our own garden wherever possible. We aim to use organic ingredients, and always offer vegan and gluten-free options.
We understand that everyone’s needs are different, and we’ll always do our best to be as flexible and accommodating as possible. If you are following a specific food program or your diet includes meat, you’re welcome to bring or purchase your own — we can stop in Monchique on arrival if needed, and we’ll provide fridge space so you can store and combine it with the meals we prepare.
Living Off-Grid
At Rural Escapes Portugal, we live in harmony with nature — and that’s part of the magic. Our centre is completely off-grid, using the sun for power and sustainable systems for water and waste.
You’ll find compost toilets and outdoor private showers, all clean, thoughtfully designed, and easy to use. Many guests arrive a little unsure — and leave saying it’s one of their favourite parts of the experience.
There’s something surprisingly grounding (and even joyful) about showering in a private shower with a view of the mountains and knowing your stay treads lightly on the earth.
This simple, natural way of living helps set the tone for the retreat: slower, more mindful, and gently connected to what really matters.
Your Investment
Included in Your Stay
- Shared or single accommodation
- Airport transfer
- Daily brunch, dinner & snacks
- Daily Yin Yoga
- Guided breathwork session
- Sound bath
- Cacao ceremony
- Guided sweat lodge ceremony
- Silent walks in nature
Payment plans are available. Please contact Lottie directly to book or enquire
Shared accommodation: €888
Early Bird (before June 1st): €789
Single accommodation: €1111
Early Bird (before June1st): €999
One supported place is available for €666 for someone experiencing financial difficulties.
.