28 Day 300-Hour Meditation and Yoga Teacher Training in Lisbon, Portugal

Whilst deepening your yoga and meditation knowledge, in your free time you may also enjoy beautiful walks on trills through the serenity of the pine forest, toward the immense blue of the Atlantic Ocean.

The Sundari yoga retreat boutique is situated in Lagoa de Albufeira, Portugal—a secluded eco-sanctuary just 40 minutes from Lisbon. Nestled where two bird-rich lagoons meet the Atlantic Ocean, this tranquil haven is surrounded by endless white sand beaches and pine forests. Though integrated into a quiet community, the area offers deep immersion in silence and natural beauty. Here the environment itself becomes part of your creative and inner journey. Peaceful walking trails, wholesome meals, and sacred stillness create the perfect setting to slow down and reconnect with yourself.

With us, you will find an intimate retreat space with just four twin-bed rooms, each featuring a private bathroom and Wi-Fi. We honour gender balance and intentionally keep our retreats and yoga teacher training small—limited to a maximum of eight participants—so we can fully support each person’s unique rhythm and growth. Our focus is on presence, and cultivating a harmonious space where all can blossom.

The house is surrounded by a charming garden with young trees and tropical plants. Within the garden is the Shambala Yoga Shala, equipped with yoga mats and meditation blocks for your practice. Upstairs, where the students rooms are located, you’ll also find a shared study room and a small kitchenette ideal for preparing tea. The main kitchen, set amidst the garden, includes a filtered water system, dishwasher, laundry facilities, and all essential amenities. Meals are ovo-lacto-vegetarian and while you will be able to prepare your own rich breakfast, lunch and dinner will be lovingly prepared by Elena, a talented local chef who also owns a nearby restaurant.

The Meditation and Yoga TTC Program

This Meditation and Yoga Teacher Training deepens the theoretical and practical foundations that are needed to be an accomplished yogi and a successful professional teacher of meditation and yoga. The greatest value of this training is the fact that it integrates traditional ways of practicing yoga and meditation into modern yoga styles, developing the skills to adapt the practice and to teach according to your daily and professional needs.

Meditation practice will be taught and trained on a daily basis. You will be initiated into a nada yoga mantra and guided in how to practice Nada / Laya yoga.

Among theoretical principles of Advaita Vedanta philosophy that are foundational in the practice of meditation, the Avadhuta Gitta treaty, written by Dattatreya, will be studied in the theoretical classes.

You will study how to practice the correct alignments used in the modern approach of the asanas and how to identify the traditional benefits of their energy and spiritual levels. Some Vinyasa sequences will be studied also from the energy flow point of view, besides the physical part. You will be introduced to strong breathing techniques that are used in Tantra and Kundalini yoga.

Together, we will learn notions about the psychology of Integral Yoga, as developed by Sri Aurobindo. The anatomy classes will be focused on the particular anatomical and physiological effects of the asanas and meditation.

The course is completed after a final practical project that consists in teaching a Hatha Yoga class and guiding a meditation session, a two-hour written exam, and the participation, at the end of the course, to the final three days of silent meditation – guided by the lead trainer.

Certification

Students who complete the training are eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®).

With this yoga teacher training, you will deepen the theoretical and practical foundations that are needed to be an accomplished yogi and a successful professional teacher of meditation and yoga. Upon graduation, you will receive a Certificate that will enable you to register for Yoga Alliance's 300 Registered Yoga Teacher's Credentials

The greatest value of this training is the fact that it integrates traditional ways of practising yoga into modern yoga styles, helping you to develop the skills to adapt the yoga practice and to teach according to your daily and professional needs.

You will study how to practice the correct alignment of the modern approach of the asanas and how to identify their energy levels. Sequences of Vinyasa will also be studied from the energy flow point of view (and not only physical).

You will learn and practice strong breathing techniques that are used in Tantra and Kundalini yoga.

Meditation practice will be taught and trained daily. You will be initiated into a short mantra and guided in how to practice Nada yoga.

The Avadhuta Gita treaty, written by Dattatreya, will be studied in the theoretical classes, among other theoretical principles of Advaita Vedanta Philosophy that are very useful in the practice of meditation.

You will also study basic notions about the psychology of Integral yoga, as developed by Sri Aurobindo. The anatomy classes will be focused on the particular anatomical and physiological effects of the asanas and meditation practice.

The course is completed after a final practical project (that consists in teaching a Hatha yoga class and guiding a meditation session), a two-hour written exam, and the participation, at the end of the course, to the final three days of silent meditation (which will be guided by the lead trainer).

Curriculum

Yoga practical sessions

The practical sessions include the correct execution and the theoretical learning about the benefits and the effects of yoga (meditation, asana, pranayama) techniques:

• Practice and consolidation of 50 asanas
• 10 new asanas - added to the practice of the already taught 50 ones during the TTC200 (for the ones that haven't participated in the TTC200, Sundari Integral Yoga School briefly presents these 50 asanas too, as a recapitulation practice)
• 12 Vinyasa sequences
• 14 breathing techniques (pranayama)
• Meditation techniques - learning, practising, and consolidating

Yoga theoretical sessions

• Human anatomy and physiology applied to yoga-specific asanas and the practice of meditation
• Modern science and the yoga practice
• The life and the work of Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj
• The integral yoga psychology - Sri Aurobindo's concepts
• Avadhuta Gitta study
• The philosophy of Advaita Vedanta - the importance of awareness
• Hatha / Yin Yang 12 theorems
• Healthy lifestyle notions
• The safe awakening of Kundalini Shakti - theory and practice
• Philosophical fundamentals in Hridaya meditation - silent meditation
• Ethics of the meditation and yoga teacher profession
• Marketing strategies
• How to manage your yoga classes
• Yoga and the community, etc.

Yoga teaching methodology

Include concepts of the learning process, learning styles, and how to teach the techniques of meditation, Hatha, and Vinyasa yoga. During these sessions, you will learn how to give professional assistance to your future students for a correct realisation of yoga techniques.

The professors will also explain how to create a plan of meditation classes, the sequence of the teaching of Vinyasa yoga techniques and theoretical notions, the personal qualities that a yoga teacher should develop, how to create a harmonious and correct teacher-student yogic relationship, etc.

All the teaching of the course is synthesised in a complete illustrated meditation and yoga teacher manual, which contains all the necessary theoretical and practical information that you will need for becoming a good teacher of meditation and yoga!

Requirements

• Minimum 18 years old (there is no upper age limit).
• The practice of yoga involves a high level of inner purity and self-discipline.
• Due to the fact that you will practice in this TTC strong breathing techniques that are used in Tantra and Kundalini yoga, for your well-being and a safer practice of these techniques, we strongly recommend before the teacher training course, a two-month of yoga daily practice (minimum one hour per day), an ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet, and the restraining of smoking, alcohol, and stimulants consumption.
• This teacher training course is designed according to the gurukula tradition. In this tradition, the students are living together with their yoga masters/teachers, forming a harmonious sangha (spiritual community), where yoga practice is shared. This also includes Karma yoga, the yoga of detached action. Part of the Karma yoga program is related to tapas and saucha (discipline and purity), so the students have to keep their rooms and their common spaces clean. These are simple, common-sense activities that, when well shared and organised, may take between 20 to 30 minutes per day.
• To participate in the practical classes, students need a comfortable tracksuit, natural fibre socks, a beach towel, and slippers for the interior of the house.

Evaluation

The assessment and evaluation of the students is continuous throughout the program.

• Presence is compulsory, the students will perform the constant practice of the techniques and interesting homework will be indicated for individual study.
• A two-hour written exam
• Optionally, in the last week of the program, each student will have the opportunity to create a final practical project (which consists of teaching a Hatha yoga class and guiding a meditation session).
• The final evaluation will consider four elements: the participation during the classes (1), an inclusive and positive attitude that shows respect for the traditional yoga philosophy and practice (2), the rigorousness of the individual study (3), and the final written test (4).

All the above learning processes and evaluations will be facilitated by teachers throughout the entire course, respecting the level and the pace of each student, and envisaging adapting it to the group dynamic.

Typical daily schedule

• 07:30 Silent meditation
• 8:00 Breakfast (noble silent required)
• 08:30 Nada yoga meditation yoga practice - asanas and pranayama
• 09:00 Yoga: basics of practice/theory modules - meditation, asanas, and pranayama
• 13:00 Lunch
• 14:00 Karma yoga
• 15:00 Rest time / individual study
• 17:00-19:30 Basics of practice/theory modules
• 19:30 Dinner
• 20:30 Meditation
• 22:00 Noble silence - mauna / good night

Wednesdays and Saturdays afternoons, from 15:00 to 19:30, are for resting time or individual study so there are no afternoon classes.

Sunday is the day off.

The schedule may undergo alterations, depending on the specific circumstances at the time of the program.