“When we move with the rhythms of nature, we return to balance within ourselves.”
The Daoist Arts - Moving with Life’s Flow
The Daoist arts are ancient practices born from the wisdom of observing humans as part of nature itself—the rising and falling of breath, the turning of the seasons, the balance of stillness and motion. Developed in China over thousands of years, these practices combine movement, breathing, and meditation to promote health, vitality, and inner peace. They are practical ways to cultivate Qi, the vital energy that nourishes the body, the mind, and the spirit. Rather than focusing only on physical fitness, these arts harmonize movement, breath, and awareness to keep or restore health, clarity, and inner peace. At Sundari we teach three of the most accessible and transformative Daoist practices: Qigong, Tai Chi, and Do In. Though they arise from ancient tradition, these Daoist Arts are timeless. They do not require special equipment or prior experience—only a willingness to move, breathe, and explore with awareness.
Whether you are looking for gentle exercise, support for health, or a deeper journey into the wisdom of Dao, the practice of Qigong, Tai Chi, and Do In offers a path back to harmony—with yourself, with others, and with the flow of life.
Qigong – Cultivating Vital Energy
Qigong (氣功) literally means “skill with energy.” It combines slow, intentional movements with breathing techniques and focused awareness. Some forms are dynamic, with flowing sequences, while others are still, using breath and visualization. For many, Qigong is like a moving meditation—simple to begin, yet profound in its depth. Regular practice improves circulation, strengthens the body, calms the mind, and supports overall well-being.
Benefits include
Tai Chi – The Art of Balance and Flow
Tai Chi (太極拳), once practiced as a martial art, has become a worldwide practice for health and inner harmony. It is often described as “meditation in motion.” Its gentle, circular movements embody Daoist principles: yielding instead of forcing, softness overcoming hardness, balance between yin and yang. Practicing Tai Chi enhances coordination, relaxation, and resilience—making it both a martial discipline and a path to inner harmony. Practiced regularly, Tai Chi becomes more than exercise—it is a philosophy in motion, teaching us how to meet life with resilience and grace.
Benefits include
Do In – Self-Healing through Touch and Stretch
Do In (導引), sometimes called Dao Yin, is an ancient practice of energy-balancing, that combine acupressure, stretching, and breathing to guide your energy through the body’s meridians. Using pressure points, gentle tapping, and mindful stretches. Rooted in the same principles as Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Do In helps release tension, activate energy flow along the body’s meridians, restoring its natural vitality. Do In can be practiced anywhere, anytime—making it a simple yet powerful daily ritual of self-care.
Benefits include
A Path for Everyone
The harmony of the slow movement, in a world always in a hurry, produces a charming and regenerating effect to the ones who are practicing these disciplines.Together, Qigong, Tai Chi, and Do In offer accessible ways to return to balance in your daily life. Whether you seek gentle exercise, stress relief, or a deeper connection to your own inner nature, these Daoist Arts provide tools to live with greater harmony, presence, and vitality.
Qigong
Qigong is a broad term for a variety of practices that cultivate vital energy. Both are low-impact mind-body exercises that promote physical and psychological well-being and are suitable for all ages and health statuses. Qigong has its origin in the classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Daoism. The principles of its practice imply understanding the movements of energy. The Daoist classics say: “Use the mind to mobilize Qi, use the Qi to mobilize the body.”
Dao Yin or Daoist Yoga is a series of exercises practiced by Daoists to cultivate Q, the internal energy of the body according to Traditional Chinese Medicine. The practice of Dao Yin was a precursor of Qigong and was practiced in the Chinese Daoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation. Tao Yin is also taught today under the name of “Daoyin Yangsheng Gong” at the University of Physical Education from Beijing.
The relaxed movement, together with a fluid and continuous attention on the body, its energies and its connection with the energies of the environment, produces health and well-being.
According to the Daoist, Buddhist and Confucianist philosophy, the practice of Qigong allows access to the higher states of consciousness and opens us to our true inner nature.
Qigong – Cultivating Vital Energy
Qigong (氣功) is an ancient art of harmonizing body, breath, and mind through gentle, mindful movement. The word itself means “skill with energy,” and its purpose is to cultivate Qi, the vital force that animates all life. Unlike strenuous exercise, Qigong is low-impact, accessible to people of all ages and health conditions, and can be practiced standing, sitting, or even lying down.
Its roots reach deep into Daoist philosophy and the classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which describe Qi as the current of life that flows through the body’s meridians. One of the guiding principles of practice is expressed in the Daoist saying: “Use the mind to guide the Qi, and use the Qi to move the body.”
Origins and Lineage
Qigong evolved from Dao Yin (導引), sometimes called Daoist Yoga—a series of breathing, stretching, and energy-guiding exercises practiced in Daoist monasteries for health and spiritual cultivation. These early forms later inspired what we now call Qigong. Even today, Dao Yin is preserved in traditions such as Daoyin Yangsheng Gong, taught at the Beijing University of Physical Education.
The Experience of Practice
Qigong is not about force or speed, but about relaxation, presence, and flow. Movements are performed with soft, natural breathing and a continuous awareness of the body’s sensations and its connection with the surrounding environment. Over time, this mindful engagement opens the body, calms the mind, and nourishes the spirit.
Benefits of Qigong
Modern research and centuries of experience confirm the wide-ranging benefits of Qigong:
- Physical Health: Improves circulation, posture, flexibility, and balance; strengthens the immune system; supports recovery and longevity.
- Mental & Emotional Well-being: Reduces stress, anxiety, and fatigue; sharpens focus; enhances emotional stability.
- Energy & Vitality: Promotes a sense of vitality and resilience by clearing blockages in the body’s energy pathways.
- Spiritual Cultivation: In Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian traditions, Qigong is also a gateway to higher states of awareness, self-discovery, and harmony with the Dao—the natural order of life.
A Practice for Everyone
Whether approached as gentle exercise, a method of healing, or a spiritual path, Qigong offers a way to restore balance in a world that often pulls us out of harmony. Its simplicity makes it easy to begin, yet its depth allows for a lifetime of exploration.
Qigong and Tai Chi retreats
“Peace in motion. Stillness Through Flow – Soft Steps with Open Heart”
A retreat to restore balance through Qigong, Tai Chi, and Meditation
Our Qigong & Tai Chi retreat has a unique essence of gentle, flowing, meditative, and yet deeply Self Discovery powerful practice. These both Daoist Arts focus on cultivating qi, on grounding the body, and harmonizing the breath with the body movement. Qi is life energy, grounding the body brings lightness and flow, and the coordination between breath and body movement calms down the mind and awakens the awareness of all the dimensions of your being.
This retreat is centred more on Qigong. It feels like an invitation to relax, build resilience, and reconnect with your inner flow. It starts by offering you a different rhythm—one that is slow, fluid, and deeply connected. This retreat is your chance to step into that rhythm, to cultivate calm energy, release stress, and rediscover balance within yourself. And there is even more: the movement of the body and the awareness of the flow of the energy may bring you the real sense of stillness.
What´s different from other retreats?
The specificity of Sundari’s Qigong and Tai Chi retreat is the introduction in the program of the Hridaya Meditation, both its principles and the practice. On superior levels, after the techniques are mastered, practicing the Qigong and Tai Chi with the awareness of the Hridaya space and the inquiry of “Who am I ?“ brings you the experience of the stillness of your true nature in the flow of the movement. Thus, movement becomes stillness and stillness becomes movement, unified in the unique peace of the experience of just being.
What You’ll Experience
Morning Practices – Gentle Qigong flows to awaken energy and center your breath.
Qigong/Tai Chi Fundamentals – Learn or refine the graceful movements that build strength, focus, and flow.
Breathwork & Energy Cultivation – Simple practices for calming the nervous system and strengthening vitality.
Meditation & Stillness – Guided Hridaya meditation sessions to quiet the mind and ground the body.
Sun Set Sessions – Soft Qi Gong or walking meditation to restore balance at day’s end.
Nature Time: Space to integrate practices through stillness, journaling, or mindful walks.
Add-On Wellness Experiences
To deepen your journey, we offer personalized add-ons designed to support your growth and wellbeing. These optional experiences can be integrated into your Teacher Training or Retreat program, creating a truly holistic path of transformation.
Available On Request:
- Acupuncture Treatments — Restore balance and stimulate the body’s natural healing energy.
- Integrative Therapies — A blend of holistic approaches tailored to your individual needs.
- Yoga Therapy — Personalized sessions that adapt yoga practices for healing, alignment, and inner balance.
These extras are thoughtfully curated to complement your training or retreat, giving you the space to recharge, realign, and expand on every level—body, mind, and spirit.
Benefits
Release physical and emotional tension
Improve balance, posture, and flexibility
Strengthen energy flow and resilience
Cultivate inner calm, presence, and vitality
Awakens the awareness of your True Self
You can take away simple practices into everyday life
Level of practice
Suitable for all levels—no experience required, just an open heart.
When?
Where?
The Sundari Integral Yoga© Retreats boutique is nestled where two bird-rich lagoons meet the Atlantic Ocean, in Lagoa de Albufeira, Portugal—a secluded eco-sanctuary just 40 minutes from Lisbon. 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. situated in
Our retreat boutique centre is an intimate space with just four twin-bed rooms, each featuring a private bathroom and Wi-Fi.
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 guest 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.
Please note: Our school is a substance-free environment—we do not permit alcohol, drugs, or smoking on the premises.
The Schedule
- 7:00 – 8:00 Hridaya Meditation – Meditation of the Heart
- 8:00 – 10:00 Qigong Practice
- 10:00 – 11:00 Breakfast
- 11:00 – 14:00 Qigong/Tai Chi techniques – lecture and practice in nature (if weather conditions allow)
- 14:00 – 15:00 Lunch
- 15:00 – 15:30 Karma yoga
- 15:30 – 19:00 Nature free time
- 19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
- 20:00 – 21:00 Group Reflection/Sun Set Qigongand Tai Chi
- 21:00 – 22:00 Hridaya Meditation
Food
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.
Group Size
Our focus is on quality, presence, and cultivating a harmonious space where all can blossom. We honour gender balance and intentionally keep our retreats small—limited to a maximum of ten participants—so we can fully support each person’s unique rhythm and growth.
Guidance
Our teachers bring years of experience in Qigong, Tai Chi, and Meditation practice, offering gentle guidance for beginners and depth for those with an established practice. Their approach is warm, supportive, and rooted in making these ancient practices accessible for all.
Retreat Details
Course Pricing and Packages
This retreat is about moving with ease, breathing with awareness, and reconnecting with your natural flow. If you feel called to slow down and restore balance, we’d love to welcome you.
Apply Now Join Waiting ListYoga and Qigong Fusion
Stillness from Inner Lightness. Energy from Movement Flow
A nurturing program weaving together the wisdom of Yoga and the vitality of Qigong.
This is such a powerful program, since both traditions share the goal of harmonizing the mind, the body, and the energy flow, while bringing slightly different flavours, yoga with its asana, stillness meditation and breath discipline, and qigong with its flowing, energy-based movement.
Why Fusion?
Yoga offers structure, alignment, and strength. Qigong offers flow, softness, and energetic awareness. Together, they create a practice that is both grounding and uplifting, balancing stillness with movement, strength with flow.
Program Concept
This fusion retreat invites you to explore how two ancient practices—Yoga and Qigong—complement each other, helping you to restore your balance, maintain the tranquillity of the mind, and energize the body. Through gentle movement, breath awareness, and meditation, you’ll cultivate presence, strength, and flow.
Benefits
Release tension and stress
Improve flexibility, balance, and energy flow
Strengthen the connection between body and breath
Cultivate calmness, resilience, and inner peace
Leave with simple practices you can carry into everyday life
What’s Included
Morning Practices: A balanced blend of yoga postures and flowing qigong sequences to awaken energy and open the body.
Breathwork & Energy Cultivation: Learn how prana (yoga) and qi (qigong) both support vitality and emotional balance.
Meditation & Stillness: Guided sessions to quiet the mind and rest deeply.
Lectures: Explore the roots of yoga and qigong, and how they can be integrated into daily life.
Sun Set Practices: Restorative yoga or soft qigong for deep relaxation.
Add-On Wellness Experiences
To deepen your journey, we offer personalized add-ons designed to support your growth and wellbeing. These optional experiences can be integrated into your Teacher Training or Retreat program, creating a truly holistic path of transformation.
Available On Request:
- Acupuncture Treatments — Restore balance and stimulate the body’s natural healing energy.
- Integrative Therapies — A blend of holistic approaches tailored to your individual needs.
- Yoga Therapy — Personalized sessions that adapt yoga practices for healing, alignment, and inner balance.
These extras are thoughtfully curated to complement your training or retreat, giving you the space to recharge, realign, and expand on every level—body, mind, and spirit.
Level of practice
Suitable for all levels—no experience required, just an open heart.
When?
Where?
The Sundari Integral Yoga© Retreats boutique is nestled where two bird-rich lagoons meet the Atlantic Ocean, in Lagoa de Albufeira, Portugal—a secluded eco-sanctuary just 40 minutes from Lisbon. 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. situated in
Our retreat boutique centre is an intimate space with just four twin-bed rooms, each featuring a private bathroom and Wi-Fi.
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 guest 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.
Please note: Our school is a substance-free environment—we do not permit alcohol, drugs, or smoking on the premises.
Food
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.
Number of participants
Our focus is on quality, presence, and cultivating a harmonious space where all can blossom. We honour gender balance and intentionally keep our retreats small—limited to a maximum of ten participants—so we can fully support each person’s unique rhythm and growth.
Guidance
You will be guided by passionate wellness practitioners, with years of experience in holistic living and practice of yoga, meditation, and Qigong. Our mission is to transmit our knowledge with kindness and warmth, making sure you feel supported throughout your experience here, with us.
Course Pricing and Packages
If you are searching for a flow that feels natural to you, you are more than welcomed to join us
Apply Now Join Waiting ListQigong online classes
Breathe, Flow, Renew.
Qigong is the art of moving with the breath to awaken vitality and inner calm. Its practice weaves breath, movement, and awareness into a living meditation. Wherever you are, step into a practice that nourishes the body, calms the mind, and uplifts the spirit. Through gentle, flowing practices, our online classes help you to release tension, to balance your energy, and to reconnect with your natural rhythm. Wherever you are, our online Qigong classes offer you a path to strength, harmony, and renewal.
Benefits of Qigong Online Classes
Qigong is more than exercise—it’s a practice of harmony. By combining breath, gentle movement, and awareness, our online classes help you feel calm, energized, and deeply connected to yourself.
Mental and emotional balance
Calms the mind and reduces stress.
Improves focus, clarity, and emotional stability.
Encourages a sense of inner peace and resilience.
Physical health and vitality
Enhances flexibility, mobility, and body awareness.
Improves circulation, breathing, and energy flow.
Gently strengthens muscles and joints without strain.
Supports the immune system and overall vitality.
Energy and inner harmony
Awakens and balances Qi (life energy).
Releases tension and stagnant energy.
Cultivates a natural sense of vitality and flow.
Spiritual and mind-body connection
Encourages mindfulness through movement.
Creates a moving meditation practice accessible to all.
Deepens your connection to breath, body, and inner stillness.
What to expect?
Our virtual sessions are taught once per week, over the Zoom platform.
Using the hybrid approach, you can enjoy our classes live, in real-time, where you will receive the teacher´s feedback. On request, you may have access to the live class recordings, so you can practice any time you would like.
The classes may be group-based, with several participants, or private one-on-one sessions. In the group classes, you may keep your camera on if you want feedback for a correct practice, or off, if your intent is privacy.
The teacher demonstrates the movements slowly and repeats them several times, giving all the needed information for correct practice and understanding.
We always introduce, at the end of the online classes, a time dedicated for sharing experiences or asking questions.
The online class structure
The online class takes 60 minutes and has the following general structure:
Introduction and centering – Explaining the theme of the class, followed by the grounding into the present moment.
Warm-Up Exercises – Designed to loosen the body, open energy channels, and prepare for the Qigong flow.
Main Qigong Practice – Gentle, flowing movements coordinated with breathing. We emphasize the focus on relaxation, posture, slow pace, and awareness of energy flow. It can be sometimes silent, sometimes guided with visualization, or music. You will receive theoretical information about all the techniques used in the class.
Breathing and Meditation Segment – deep breathing, mindfulness, or visualization to enhance energy circulation. This part of the class may include standing or seated meditation.
Closing and gratitude – The teacher may guide you to dissolve the energy into the Stillness of your Spiritual Heart – Hridaya, or to store in the Dantian.
Reflections and short Q&A
The class always finishes with a moment of gratitude
What I might experience after the class?
After the class, you might generally feel relaxation and stress relief, with increased energy and vitality. The classes may improve balance, posture and natural body awareness, and may induce greater sense of calmness and focus.
Are there any long-term effects?
The constant practice of gentle, and flowing movement, with mindful breathing, is letting you, on a daily basis, relaxed, energized, and centred. On the long-term, you might notice a stronger immunity, improved circulation, and inner resilience to stress. See the above description of the Qigong practice benefits.
Important notice
These classes are for wellness and educational purposes only. Please practice safely and consult your healthcare provider if needed.
Tai Chi
Tai Chi – Meditation in Motion
Tai Chi (太極拳, Taijiquan) is a practice of graceful, flowing movements that arose from Daoist philosophy and martial traditions in China. The name means “Supreme Polarity Fist,” reflecting its foundation in the balance of yin and yang—the interplay of stillness and motion, softness and strength, yielding and persistence.
Although Tai Chi began as a martial art, it has become known worldwide as a path to health, longevity, and inner balance. Each posture is linked in a continuous sequence, like water flowing without interruption. The body moves slowly, yet with precision and rooted awareness, making the practice both calming and invigorating.
Principles and Practice
The essence of Tai Chi is found in relaxation without collapse, softness overcoming hardness, and stillness within motion. Movements are performed with deep, natural breathing and an alert but quiet mind. Over time, Tai Chi becomes more than a set of exercises—it becomes a living philosophy, teaching us to move through life with adaptability and grace.
Its roots reach deep into Daoist philosophy and the classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which describe Qi as the current of life that flows through the body’s meridians. One of the guiding principles of practice is expressed in the Daoist saying: “Use the mind to guide the Qi, and use the Qi to move the body.”
Benefits of Tai Chi
Physical Health: Improves balance, coordination, and flexibility; strengthens muscles and joints; supports heart and lung function.
Mental Clarity: Enhances focus, memory, and emotional regulation; reduces stress and promotes deep relaxation.
Energy Flow: Encourages the free circulation of Qi, leaving practitioners feeling energized yet calm.
Martial Awareness: For those who wish, Tai Chi also develops sensitivity, timing, and self-defence skills through partner work such as push hands.
Holistic Harmony: Tai Chi integrates body, breath, and intention, helping practitioners embody Daoist principles of harmony in everyday life.
A Living Tradition
Tai Chi is practiced around the world today in parks, community centers, monasteries, and homes. Whether learned as exercise, meditation, or martial discipline, it remains a doorway into balance—with oneself, with others, and with the natural flow of the Dao.
Tai Chi and Qigong retreat
“Peace in motion. Stillness Through Flow – Soft Steps with Open Heart”
A retreat to restore balance through Tai Chi, Qigong, and Meditation
Our Tai Chi & Qigong retreat has a unique essence of gentle, flowing, meditative, and yet deeply Self Discovery powerful practice. These both Daoist Arts focus on cultivating qi, on grounding the body, and harmonizing the breath with the body movement. Qi is life energy, grounding the body brings lightness and flow, and the coordination between breath and body movement calms down the mind and awakens the awareness of all the dimensions of your being.
This retreat is centred more on Tai Chi. It feels like an invitation to relax, build resilience, and reconnect with your inner flow. It starts by offering you a different rhythm—one that is slow, fluid, and deeply connected. This retreat is your chance to step into that rhythm, to cultivate calm energy, release stress, and rediscover balance within yourself. And there is even more: the movement of the body and the awareness of the flow of the energy may bring you the real sense of stillness.
What´s different from other retreats?
The specificity of Sundari’s Qigong and Tai Chi retreat is the introduction in the program of the Hridaya Meditation, both its principles and the practice. On superior levels, after the techniques are mastered, practicing the Qigong and Tai Chi with the awareness of the Hridaya space and the inquiry of “Who am I ?“ brings you the experience of the stillness of your true nature in the flow of the movement. Thus, movement becomes stillness and stillness becomes movement, unified in the unique peace of the experience of just being.
What You’ll Experience
Morning Practices – Gentle Qigong flows to awaken energy and center your breath.
Tai Chi Fundamentals – Learn or refine the graceful movements that build strength, focus, and flow.
Breathwork & Energy Cultivation – Simple practices for calming the nervous system and strengthening vitality.
Meditation & Stillness – Guided Hridaya meditation sessions to quiet the mind and ground the body.
Sun Set Sessions – Soft Tai Chi or walking meditation to restore balance at day’s end.
Nature Time: Space to integrate practices through stillness, journaling, or mindful walks.
The Schedule
- 7:00 – 8:00 Hridaya Meditation – Meditation of the Heart
- 8:00 – 10.00 Qigong and Tai Chi Practice
- 10:00 – 11:00 Breakfast
- 11:00 – 14:00 Daoist philosophy and Tai-chi forms training (in nature, if weather allows)
- 14:00 – 15:00 Lunch
- 15:00 – 15:30 Karma yoga
- 15:30 – 19:00 Nature free time
- 19:00 – 20:00 Dinner
- 20:00 – 21:00 Group Reflection/Sun Set practice
- 21:00 – 22:00 Hridaya Meditation
Add-On Wellness Experiences
To deepen your journey, we offer personalized add-ons designed to support your growth and wellbeing. These optional experiences can be integrated into your Teacher Training or Retreat program, creating a truly holistic path of transformation.
Available On Request:
- Acupuncture Treatments — Restore balance and stimulate the body’s natural healing energy.
- Integrative Therapies — A blend of holistic approaches tailored to your individual needs.
- Yoga Therapy — Personalized sessions that adapt yoga practices for healing, alignment, and inner balance.
These extras are thoughtfully curated to complement your training or retreat, giving you the space to recharge, realign, and expand on every level—body, mind, and spirit.
Benefits
Release physical and emotional tension
Improve balance, posture, and flexibility
Strengthen energy flow and resilience
Cultivate inner calm, presence, and vitality
Awakens the awareness of your True Self
You can take away simple practices into everyday life
Level of practice
Suitable for all levels—no experience required, just an open heart.
When?
Where?
The Sundari Integral Yoga© Retreats boutique is nestled where two bird-rich lagoons meet the Atlantic Ocean, in Lagoa de Albufeira, Portugal—a secluded eco-sanctuary just 40 minutes from Lisbon. 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. situated in
Our retreat boutique centre is an intimate space with just four twin-bed rooms, each featuring a private bathroom and Wi-Fi.
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 guest 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.
Please note: Our school is a substance-free environment—we do not permit alcohol, drugs, or smoking on the premises.
Food
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.
Group Size
Our focus is on quality, presence, and cultivating a harmonious space where all can blossom. We honour gender balance and intentionally keep our retreats small—limited to a maximum of ten participants—so we can fully support each person’s unique rhythm and growth.
Guidance
Our teachers bring years of experience in Qigong, Tai Chi, and Meditation practice, offering gentle guidance for beginners and depth for those with an established practice. Their approach is warm, supportive, and rooted in making these ancient practices accessible for all.
Retreat Details
Course Pricing and Packages
This retreat is about moving with ease, breathing with awareness, and reconnecting with your natural flow. If you feel called to slow down and restore balance, we’d love to welcome you.
Apply Now Join Waiting ListIn-Person Tai Chi Training at Sundari School
Stillness in motion. Softness carries power
At Sundari Integral Yoga© School, we offer only in-person Tai Chi classes.
Why? Because Tai Chi is a subtle and complex art of movement and energy. Its principles must be clearly understood, and beginners especially benefit from direct guidance. In-person practice allows the teacher to adjust posture, stance, and flow in real time—something online teaching cannot fully provide.
What to Expect
An in-person Tai Chi session is a mindful, movement-based experience that includes:
- Centring – Standing meditation to ground, calm, and connect with the present moment.
- Warm-up and Stretching – Gentle loosening of muscles and joints to prepare for fluid movement.
- Basic Exercises – Foundational drills such as weight shifting, stances, stepping patterns, and simple movements like ward off, push, or single whip. The focus is on posture, alignment, and breath.
- Form Practice – Learning and repeating sections of the Tai Chi form. Beginners may focus on shorter sequences; advanced students flow through longer forms.
- Partner Work (Push Hands) – Introduced after some solo practice, this gentle exercise develops grounding, balance, sensitivity, and awareness of energy exchange.
- Closing – Reflection, breathing, and stillness meditation to integrate the practice and gather energy in the Dantian (energy center).
Classes typically last 60–90 minutes and may be group-based (to enjoy shared flow and motivation) or one-on-one (for privacy and personalized attention). Both formats may include partner work such as push hands.
Unique Settings
Tai Chi is often called “meditation in motion.” At Sundari, you can experience it in inspiring natural surroundings:
- On the beach, with the sound of the waves
- In the forest, among trees and fresh air
- In our serene Shambala Shala at the Sundari Boutique Retreat Centre
Each setting enhances the sense of connection, balance, and inner calm.
Why Practice Tai Chi?
Today, Tai Chi is practiced worldwide for its powerful benefits:
- Improves balance, posture, and coordination
- Reduces stress and tension
- Enhances relaxation and mindfulness
- Boosts energy flow (Qi) and vitality
- Cultivates inner awareness and harmony
Tai Chi is more than exercise—it is a practice for health, peace of mind, and spiritual grounding.
Our Teachers
Our Tai Chi classes are guided by dedicated teachers of the Sundari Integral Yoga© School, combining years of practice with a deep commitment to transmitting authentic Tai Chi principles.
Join Us
- Weekly Classes – Regular in-person Tai Chi training in a supportive environment.
- Retreats – For those wishing to go deeper, we offer 7-day Tai Chi retreats at our boutique centre in Lagoa de Albufeira. Following the gurukula tradition, you will live, practice, and learn in a nurturing retreat setting with accommodation provided.
Course Pricing and Packages
Book a Weekly Class Program Book an In-Person Tai Chi Retreat] In - Person Retreat Waiting list
Apply Now Join Waiting ListDo In
Do In – Self-Healing through Touch and Breath
Do In (導引, also called Dao Yin) is an ancient practice of self-acupressure, stretching, breathing, and energy guidance. The name means “The Path of Energy,” and it describes its essence: gently directing Qi through the body’s meridians while awakening flexibility and vitality.
Historically, Do In was practiced by Daoist monks as a method of preventing illness, preserving health, and cultivating spiritual awareness. Some scholars describe it as the root of both modern Qigong and aspects of traditional yoga-like practices in East Asia. Today, it remains a simple yet profound form of self-care accessible to everyone.
Principles and Practice
Do In combines mindful breathing with:
Massage and Acupressure: Using the hands to stimulate key points along the meridians, improving circulation and energy flow.
Stretching and Movement: Loosening the joints, lengthening muscles, and releasing stored tension.
Tapping and Rubbing: Awakening vitality and bringing warmth to the body.
Awareness: Staying attuned to the sensations of Qi moving through the body and its connection with the surrounding environment
Benefits of Do In
Physical Renewal: Relieves stiffness, improves flexibility, and supports joint and muscle health.
Energy Balance: Helps clear blockages, regulate Qi, and boost overall vitality.
Stress Relief: Soothes the nervous system, reduces tension, and promotes deep relaxation.
Self-Empowerment: Provides tools for daily health maintenance, allowing practitioners to take an active role in their well-being.
Spiritual Connection: Like other Daoist arts, Do In can also be a meditative practice, opening awareness to the body’s inner rhythms and its unity with nature.
A Gentle Companion for Daily Life
Do In requires no equipment, no special setting, and can be practiced in just a few minutes a day. Whether used for morning awakening, evening relaxation, or as a lifelong health practice, Do In is a way of returning to balance—through touch, breath, and mindful presence.
Do In and Yoga online classes
A program that opens the flow of your energy!
There are no contraindications to the practice of Do In – everyone can do it.
It is sufficient to fine-tune the force of the pressures to the zones you are activating, aligning them with your intended goal.
However, be careful! This technique is not a substitute for treatments and medical consultations!
Knowing and using this simple practice is an easy way to take care of our health, to calm and control your mind and emotions.
Traditionally, it was practiced to maintain the physical harmony, mental serenity and spiritual elevation of individuals. It’s an easy to learn technique and even easier to apply it in your everyday routine. In ten minutes of daily practice, you can awaken, release and balance your energies, avoiding the fatigue and the harmful effects of excessive stress.
It can be practiced at any time of the day. In the morning is tonifying and preparing you to start the day on the right foot, and in the evening, it is helping to create the conditions for relaxation and a regenerative sleep.
“The Path of the Energy” was mentioned for the first time in “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine”, the oldest book of Traditional Chinese Medicine, written around 2600 BC.
Also called “energetic hygiene”, the Do In is based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It improves the mind-body awareness and the energy flow of all your being.
Why Do In and Yoga?
The practice of Do In also includes meditation and postures, as well as movement exercises and stretching. The originality of this course is given by the fact that you will explore an interesting combination of the traditional Do In method with specific Yoga postures, organized into a flow sequence, that will result in the harmonious flow of the energy in the 12 main energetic meridians of your being.
Benefits of the Course
Boosts circulation and energy levels
Activates the lymphatic system
Reduces stress and fatigue
Improves flexibility and mobility
Supports emotional balance
Easy daily self-care routine
Curriculum
The location of the energetic meridians
Presentation of specific energetic trigger points for a smooth and healthy flow of the energy A basic sequence of Do In, including energetic points stimulation, postures and breathing techniques
Twelve yoga poses correlated with the traditional Do In pressures, for stimulating and harmonizing the energy flow into the meridians
The Matsunaga stretching exercises
Optional one-on-one coaching add-on
The course format
Duration: 6 months
Schedule: 2h / week live (≈ 48 hours total)
Format: Only live online classes (with recordings available)
Materials: Illustrated manual (PDF or printed)
Extras: Weekly guided practice, Q&A each class
Instructor: Top professional in Traditional Chinese Medicine (adds authority & prestige)
Add-on: Optional one-on-one practice
Teachers
What to expect?
The on-line classes are live, so you can ask questions and receive personalized answers
Recordings of the online live classes and illustrated manual – resources for life
Live contact with an expert
Community practice for 6 months
Personal guidance with Q&A at every class
Optional one-on-one sessions
What do I need?
Zoom platform
Good frame of the camera enabling a clear view of your entire body so the teacher may supervise and ensure the correct execution of the techniques.