7 Day 40-Hour Spinal Health and Backbending Yoga Teacher Training in Coimbra, Portugal
Supportive Yoga Teacher Training Retreat in Portugal
A week focused on spinal health, backbending, and intelligent support. Through guided practice and workshops, you build strength, space, and awareness. Join as a standalone retreat or as a 40-hour module toward the 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training.
Meet the instructors
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Highlights
- Certificate of completion
- Early morning practice, workshops, and spacious time for rest and integration
- Daily guided yoga asana practice with a focus on the spine and backbending
- Progressive approach to building strength, mobility, and support
- Practical workshops exploring movement, structure, and integration
- Backbending is approached as a steady, supported process
- 6 nights accommodation
- Daily nourishing meals
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Types
7 days with instruction in English
Average daily hours of activity: 6
Accommodation
Facilities
- Hot tub / Jacuzzi
- Sauna
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Garden
Stay in a furnished canvas glamping tent (eco pods) among the trees in the off-grid eco lodge in Portugal. Comfortable, proper beds, quality linens, and soft lighting create a cozy yet nature-immersed experience. You will fall asleep to the sounds of the creek and wake up to the sounds of the birds. Guests have access to hot showers and shared eco-bathroom facilities nearby.
Program
Certifications
The course/hours count as Continuing Education hours for Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®) only.
This retreat balances structured practice with spacious time for rest and integration. While the focus is physical, it often reveals patterns of tension and holding, offering a more sustainable way of working in the body. Open to students and teachers alike, this retreat can be taken as a standalone experience or as part of a 300-hour therapeutic yoga teacher training.
What to expect
- Days that follow a steady rhythm of early morning practice, workshops, and spacious time for rest and integration
- Daily guided yoga asana practice with a focus on the spine and backbending
- Progressive approach to building strength, mobility, and support
- Practical workshops exploring movement, structure, and integration
- Backbending approached as a steady, supported process
- Decompression, restorative practices, and recovery
- Breathwork and subtle awareness woven throughout
- Time for rest, river, sauna, hot tub, and nature
- A calm, steady rhythm with space to integrate the work
No previous advanced practice or backbending experience is required.
Approach and environment
This retreat is held in a steady, supportive container, with a balance of structure and space. While not a silent retreat, periods of quiet are woven throughout the day, particularly in the mornings, to support the practice and set the tone for the day. Participants are encouraged to take space from phones and digital input where possible, allowing for deeper rest, focus, and integration. Guidance is offered throughout, with an emphasis on working at your own pace and within your own capacity.
This retreat may be supportive if you are:
- Looking to build a more supportive and sustainable relationship with a daily practice
- Curious about backbending beyond pushing into deeper shapes
- Experiencing tension, fatigue, or patterns of holding in the body
- Wanting to better understand how your body moves and responds
- Open to a slower, more attentive way of practicing Yoga
- Seeking both structure and space within a retreat setting
- Working towards your Advanced Therapeutic 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Ashley
Daily rhythm
Monday, August 3, 2026 – Arrival
- 15:00 - 17:00 Arrival and settling in
- Light snacks available
- 17:30 Opening circle - Introduction to the retreat and week ahead
- 18:30 Dinner
- 20:00 Gentle practice / restorative
Tuesday – Saturday
- 06:15 Morning yoga practice (meditation, asana, pranayama) A guided, progressive practice focused on spinal strength, mobility, and integration
- 08:30 Breakfast (Silence is held until the 10:00 workshop session)
- 10:00 Workshop session - Exploring movement, structure, and practical application, with yogic philosophy woven throughout
- 13:00 Lunch and self-study/integration time (rest, river, sauna, walking, integration, holistic treatments)
- 18:00 Dinner
- 20:00 Evening session (gentle movement, somatic work, restorative practice, Kirtan, Pranayama, or sharing)
Sunday – Closing
- 06:15 Final morning practice
- 08:30 Breakfast (Silence is lifted)
- 10:00 Closing circle
- 13:00 - 14:00 Light lunch and departure
Instructors
Ashley O'Connor
For 20 years I have found a sense of peace and healing through Yoga, and I'm humbled to share this practice and way of life. Through the process of building our retreat center together with my husband, and living an off-grid close-to-nature lifestyle, I’ve come to realize that natural living and yogic living go hand in hand. For me, nature is the ideal space to deepen one’s Yoga practice, and learn ways to both integrate Yoga and share it with others. The core principles of Off Grid Yoga School is to honor authentic Yoga to the highest respect; to apply Yogic ways to the Western way of life.
Location
The retreat location is tucked into a quiet river valley in Central Portugal, surrounded by forest, granite boulders, and two flowing rivers. This peaceful countryside setting offers true immersion in nature.
The retreat center includes an open-air yoga shala overlooking the forest, a private river beach, a chemical-free swimming pool, a wood-fired hot tub and wood-fired sauna, a clay mud bath, stand-up paddle boards for use, communal dining spaces, and quiet hammocks for rest. Nourishing vegetarian meals are prepared onsite and served mindfully, supporting deep rest and nervous system reset.
Food
All meals are included during the retreat.
Guests are served nourishing vegetarian meals prepared onsite with fresh, seasonal ingredients. The menu is simple, wholesome, and designed to support meditation, yoga practice, and nervous system regulation. Meals are shared in silence as part of the retreat experience. The team can adapt to all food needs. If you have specific dietary requirements (vegan, gluten-free, allergies), please inform them in advance so they can accommodate them where possible.
Tea, spring water, and coffee are available throughout the day.
- There are no shops within walking distance, so bringing any specialty items you may need is recommended.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Soda
- Detox juices
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Organic
- Whole food
- Yogic
Spa treatments
Bodywork and energy therapies
- Massage
- Reiki
- Reflexology
- Indian Head Massage
Pricing
- 30 minutes - 35 EUR
- 45 minutes - 45 EUR
- 60 minutes - 60 EUR
- 90 minutes - 80 EUR
What's included
- Certificate of completion
- All guided practices and workshops
- 6 nights accommodation
- All meals and refreshments during the retreat
- Use of shared facilities (sauna, natural pool, stand-up paddle boards)
- Support and mentorship pre- and post-retreat
What's not included
- Travel to and from Cara Creek (flights, airport transfers, train/bus tickets)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- Private 1:1 holistic treatments
- Personal snacks or specialty dietary items
- Additional night before or after the retreat
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Transfer available for additional US$ 233 per person
Francisco de Sá Carneiro Airport
109 km away from your destination
Transfer available for additional US$ 349 per person
Lisbon Portela Airport
209 km away from your destination
Arrival by airplane
As an off-grid eco lodge in Central Portugal, Off Grid Yoga School encourages low-impact travel wherever possible.
Book flights to Porto (OPO) or Lisbon (LIS). Porto is slightly closer to the lodge.
Shared transfers are organized approximately 2–3 weeks before the retreat so that the cost of transfers is shared between all who have booked. The prices indicated here are per vehicle, so depending on the number of guests arriving simultaneously, the costs can be shared.
Detailed directions and GPS coordinates are sent after booking.
Arrival by train
Train travel to Coimbra (larger station with more connections) or Carregal do Sal (smaller station closer to the lodge) is recommended, where shared transfers will be coordinated. Exact pickup times are confirmed 2–3 weeks before the retreat.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 100% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
Reviews
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