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Welcome to
Off Grid Yoga School's
Yoga Teacher Training

 22 Day RYS200 Hour | Traditional Hatha Yoga
with a Therapeutic Approach in Portugal

PRIVATE ACCOMMODATION | OFF GRID LIVING  EMBODIED & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING | COMMUNITY

Spring & Summer 2026 dates available

March 25th - April 15th 2026
August 10 - August 31st 2026

March 25th - April 15th 2026

August 10th - August 31st 2026

Central Portugal

Investment: €3960

WELCOME TO

TRADITIONAL HATHA YOGA

To be a Yoga teacher, your own practice must take priority. Here, we begin each day with Meditation, Asana and Pranayama; all of which strengthen your foundation as a yoga practitioner and support the development into being a Yoga Teacher. 

We teach Traditional Hatha Yoga, drawing inspiration from our teachers at the Atmavikasa Center of Yogic Sciences, who teach “with strict adherence to the tradition of Hatha Yoga, with the intelligence of Iyengar, the passion of Ashtanga, and the mindfulness of Vipassana.” We weave this lineage with additional trainings we’ve done as well as our own lived experience both on and off the mat.

Our approach is unique for its focus on strengthening the nervous system, making it deeply therapeutic. Postures are held for an extended period, inviting observation and steady awareness of the body and mind. Through this consistency we gently enhance the nervous system's health and resilience, and therefore its capacity to meet life’s stresses with grace and stability.
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There is no better place to integrate the teachings of Yoga than being completely off grid in nature. The land and river are our greatest supports on this life-changing journey. We rest to the sounds of flowing water and wake to the song of the birds. 

Our therapeutic approach to teaching and learning is experiential and embodied. Daily reflections after morning practice are a cornerstone of the training. Using Gabor Maté’s Compassionate Inquiry approach, we weave self-awareness and emotional understanding into each day.

Students begin practice teaching early in the training, building confidence step by step. By week three, you’ll be prepared and confident to teach a full 60 minute class - authentically curated by you.

Sharing 22 days of this way of life and practice with a small group of peers creates deep and lasting connections. Our Off Grid Yoga School community is a network of like-minded alumni from around the world who support one another in their practice and teaching journeys.
Continued education opportunities include our book club and online circles that ensure the circle of friendship, growth, and learning extends well beyond the training itself.

Your Teacher Trainers

Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
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E-RYT 500 & Lead Trainer

Yoga Therapist | Compassionate Inquiry trained (Gabor Maté)

Ashley O'Connor

For more than 20 years I have found healing through the practice of Yoga. It is a path that continues to connect me to my authentic Self. It simultaneously strengthens me and softens me from the inside out each day. Yoga is an ancient and rich philosophy that I am humbled to live by and to share.

I feel deeply grateful to live, practice, and teach at Cara Creek Eco Lodge, where yoga and nature are seamlessly woven together.

My approach honors the ancient philosophy of yoga while integrating it into how we relate to life with sensitivity and presence. Through therapeutic, trauma-informed teaching, I aim to help others cultivate compassionate awareness, balance, and inner resilience both on and off the mat.​

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E-RYT 500

Isaac Mullins

Yoga is and remains the path I have taken toward healing. For over 20 years I’ve tried and tested many techniques from ashtanga yoga to transcendental meditation, and the teachings of various gurus and various plant medicines.⁠⁠​

Like so many, my life has been about deconditioning from the traumatic influences of an unwell society. I’ve met so many inspiring and compassionate people along the way and discovered many gifts on the other side of healing. I can only feel gratitude for the fierce grace that has blessed his path.⁠⁠

 

The practices I share have helped me so much and I have complete faith in the methods that I practice and teach. I never teach anything I have not experienced for myself. I teach in the hope that what I share will in some small way contribute to helping the student find more peace within themselves, and thus contribute to making the world a better place.⁠⁠

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E-RYT 200

Franzi Mullins

Franzi began her journey to healing with her study of psychology and ultimately graduating as a counsellor in Vienna. Dismayed by the narrow parameters that defined psychological health in the Western system she travelled to India where she worked with orphaned children. There she met her teachers - yoga therapists Acharya Venkatesh and Acharya Hema, with whom she studied for three years. ⁠

Franzi has experienced a profound return to health through the kriyas and practices learned under their guidance. Vipassana has also been a great part of her practice.⁠ 

Her teaching is based on the therapeutic approach of traditional hatha yoga. ⁠

Healing through the observation and assimilation of sensation in order to release the blocks causative of injury and degeneration.⁠

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Yoga Teacher & Kirtan Leader

Sandra de Munk 

Sandra is an experienced yoga student and certified yoga teacher since 2018.

 

She loves emphasizing on the internal perception and experience by combining different types of bodywork such as Critical Alignment yoga and

Somatics. 

 

Music is an important part of her life. Ever since her childhood, she loves to sing and play various instruments.

 

For her, yoga and singing mantras is a way to dive deeper into the Self. It is her way of slowing down, heal, letting go and trust. Taking the time, listening to her inner wisdom, surprise herself, be touched and connect to all there is.

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Yoga Teacher

Mollie Gardner

I have been teaching one way or another for the past decade. Firstly as ski instructor worldwide for 4 years and more recently as a fitness coach and personal trainer in the UK. When yoga then became a steady part of my own life, my aspiration to share the practice from a teaching perspective felt like a natural transition for me.

I completed the 200hr YTT at Cara Creek myself in 2023. The 21-day training solidified my feelings and desire to share this ancient practice with others. I have just recently begun my yoga teaching journey as I now have the time and space in my life to do so. 

For me, teaching yoga is about creating a space where people can show up for themselves to calm the mind, listen to the body and breathe more freely through a series of postures. 

Other things about me: I absolutely love dogs, nature is my happy place, I try to cold water dip often and my real name is Amelia!

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Herbal Yoga Teacher

Daisy May

Daisy May is a practising Hatha Vinyasa teacher, naturopath and herbalist. She trained as a yoga teacher at Cara Creek in 2021. Her Journey with healing started 10 years ago when travelling in India and seeing first hand the power of healing through yoga, food and herbs. 

 

Creator of Herbal yoga, a weaving of sensory and intuitive herbalism and yoga, she believes this supports individuals in deep healing of themselves and their relationships to the outer plant world, the herbs that grow around us. This empowerment offers a deeper sense of connection by working with the qualities of the herbs to guide the breath, movement and meditation. 

 

She lives off-grid on her land in Central Portugal, growing and foraging medicines and practising permaculture. The integration of self healing and land healing is a passion for Daisy as she strives to weave these two worlds in her practises. 

Graduates from 2024 yoga teacher training at cara creek eco lodge in central portugal
Investment: €3960 
Including 3 week course, Mentorship, Accommodation,
All Meals, and 1 Holistic Treatment.
Newsletter Subscribers receive an exclusive discount!
 
Please do not let cost get in the way of your Yoga Journey.
Ashley is always willing to discuss payment plans to suit your needs.

Price includes: transfer from and return to Coimbra B train station, the 22 day course and manuals, pre course mentoring, post course admission into an online community for continued support and education, private accommodation and all meals at Cara Creek, 1 holistic treatment

Does not include: flight and travel to Coimbra B and the pre-reading books required to purchase to complete the pre-work received upon registering.

Ashley practicing Yoga, the pose is upward facing dog.

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It is our pleasure to welcome you to our sustainably built and run retreat center. Ideal for nature lovers and animal lovers alike! This riverfront land has made a lasting impression on us and those who visit since 2017. We have worked to complement the land's beauty by building from solely natural materials and maintaining a low carbon footprint.

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Cara Creek Eco Lodge
Fiais da Beira, OHP 3405-077 Portugal

**Visits by Appointment Only**

We love animals, but have many of our own. Please leave yours at home.

Contact us directly at:

+351 965 162 534

caracreekecolodge@gmail.com

According to Portuguese Law, we have a complaints book.

Website & Photography by @wayward.helen

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