Portugal Center

We are currently holding our classes from our living room in the main house.  This room can squeeze 18 participants for a Jivana Practice – if we all pull our tummies in and zig-zag our mats accordingly. The altar sits over the fireplace at the far end of the room, and the walls are painted in a deeply soft, quiet grey – setting the atmosphere to start our inward practice.  Out in the courtyard, where we have our morning break (there is always cake served, kashaya to be drunk and seasonal fruits), there stands two Ginormous Plátano trees which loom and rustle overhead as we practice. This temporary space has a feeling of cocooning us, holding us safe, enclosed and protected, enabling us to travel inwards and let go for a few hours to the pull of outside life.

When we screen the lecture on a large canvas board, Ācārya is magically projected on the wall into a life-size image, and his voice travels up the stairs into my son´s bedroom. My son expressed after the first screening of the lecture that ´It took him by surprise as it felt like Ācārya was in the house teaching us.` This made me smile.

After the summer, we will move into our new ´Sadvidya Space, which will still be on the property. The lectures and cooking classes will be taught from an existing old chapel, and the Jivana Yoga practice will be held in a studio overlooking the fruit orchard and vegetable garden. Both spaces are small and cosy.  

We meet each Saturday from 8 – 12 (always running overtime because of the boys! (Jonathan and Lior).  We start the morning with a practice, followed by a lecture, sharing, impromptu or a natural flow of where the group is at to move through any confusion felt – this could mean skipping the lecture and not leaving the morning tea table for continual discussion. This usually happens when Lior is absent, as we tend to get up to all kinds of mischief and go off schedule!  🙂 We finish the meetings with some chanting. 

We also have an ongoing Wednesday morning class with a Jivana Yoga Practice followed by a much-appreciated and extremely delicious warm Ayurvedic meal.  Just recently, we started an early Thursday morning class. These weekly classes are small but growing.

All this makes my heart FULL.  What a blessing we have to be held in this community, connecting us all – like-minded, well-wishers from far and beyond, spanning different countries. I feel so much gratitude to have access to this online library which is full to the brim of ´right knowledge´ a continual guide along this yogic path. Heartfelt gratitude to all those who have paved the way to make this possible. Thank you. 

Thank you to everyone in this community of well-wishers. We are all truly blessed, and I am eternally grateful to be on the journey alongside you.