This is a RENEW-your-senses retreat, a RELAX-your-body retreat, a RETREAT-from-busyness retreat.
Yes, there will yoga offered by yours truly on most mornings – in a gorgeous 16th-century chapel, no less. I invite you to come, even just to rest on a mat or a chair. But if you skip and sleep in, that’s ok too! My goal is simply to have you feeling better by the end of the week. 🥰
So set aside your worries. This retreat is for YOU!
I was invited to sing in two services in my hometown of Gainesville, Florida. I have such gratitude for the excellent musicians that I met and performed with – we had little time to prepare and I put my trust in them as they did in me.
A precious reminder that I am here to serve.
I made a couple of live recording videos to share with you.
All systems go for May!
In less than 3 months, we’ll have our next Renew, Relax, Retreat in southern Portugal. Now is the time to take the plunge and join us! We kick off Memorial Day weekend and end up in the beginning of June. This is an ideal time of year to visit the southern coast, known as the Algarve.
Portugal retreat 2023: May 27 – June 3 🏖️🏖️🏖️
Invite a friend and double the fun (and save by sharing a room).
I’m back in the land of salt. Our apartment in Portugal stares out at the ocean as well as the salt pans. Portuguese flor de sal (fleur de sel in French) means “flower of salt,” which rises to the pan’s surface forming a crust.
Salt cultivation in the Algarve has existed since ancient times
Of course, even without the crust, the salt is divine! Just ask our retreat participants, who experienced the salt soak (and mud) of Salino, an outdoor spa near the border of Spain. Deets for the upcoming 2023 retreat below.
Portugal retreat 2023:
May 27 – June 3
More salt history in our Seasons and Chakras yoga meditation this Friday. We are now in the season of the first chakra = FOUNDATION – RED – EARTH.
Teaching from Portugal on Zoom. Click here for full schedule.
Here are your February incentives:
Portugal retreat May/June – Sign up by Valentine’s Day and get $200 off.❤️ Invite a friend and double the fun (and save by sharing a room).
Open house this Friday – Come to class FREE (first time participants) or regulars bring a friend and you both come FREE!
What have YOU be up to? For me, the usual – teaching, singing, dancing, scheming….
Eve sings festive tunes with Hajime Yoshida trio in NYC
While you enjoy those sugar plum fairies, I want to plant a seed:
How about Portugal in 2023?
Coast of southern Portugal
I am close to nailing down dates for retreats in late spring/early summer/fall. You still have time to send me your druthers – maybe the perfect time for You will be the perfect time for All! 🤞
“Even weeks after being home, friends commented that I seemed ‘really refreshed.’ That’s a testament to you and our fabulous trip to Portugal!”
Sharon, retreat guest
Happy holidays wherever you may be! Here’s to many new adventures in 2023.
Did you know Portugal ranks #4 on the Global Peace Index? 🌍 Not a surprise for me – I feel a genuine sense of peace every time I visit.
I am pleased to announce we have booked Pousada Convento Tavira for our Renew, Relax, Retreat. This 4-star hotel is in a restored 16th-century monastery. The courtyard is so peaceful and beautiful, as are the grounds overlooking the castle and city.
Pousada Convento Tavira: We will do yoga here
It’s so easy to do a walking meditation in this town. Bright sun, brightly-painted ancient buildings. Many historic structures are now museums. I love wandering in and often have the place to myself.
I walked in to find someone playing beautiful music on a grand piano
Hidden treasures abound in the Algarve. I have posted a series of short videos – click button below to be transported to peaceful Portugal. 🙏
The video is now live! How exciting to be a part of this project. I was invited to help create a yoga meditation video with the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Thomas Moran’s iconic 1872 painting, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.
I traveled to DC to record the meditation in front of the painting. The video is now available for all to see for FREE. Take a 22-minute journey with the sights of Yellowstone, both in the painting and present-day footage. This gorgeous terrain will inspire you.
We flow like the river snaking through the canyon. We connect to energy and the elements – using movement, sound, and visualization with the breath.
Who wants to come to southern Portugal? Jump to the bottom of this post if you can’t wait. 😘
Spring has sprung and I’m eager to burst forth. I don’t know about you, but I’ve felt cocooned for a long time now. Lately I’m feeling grateful to be asked to step up and step out.
Next week I’ll perform a few songs in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the cross-country tour with 13 songs and 13 paintings – my first solo album, Peace or Drama – benefitting PeaceTones charity.
And soon I’m expecting the release of a very exciting project: a yoga meditation with the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum for the 150th anniversary of The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Here’s a peek of me filming the video in front of the painting.
Speaking of anniversaries, 5 years ago this week I released my second solo album, Atmospheric Epic. CD sales have waned quite a bit – if you are one of the lucky few who still have and use a CD player, let me know and I will send you a copy! Otherwise I’m planning to ship these beauties out to an arts organization for repurposing.
Atmospheric Epic CDs as floor tiles
And speaking of spring cleaning, I’m letting go of old fears and polishing off some dreams. Two years ago – on the heels of our House Hunters International episode (aired March 7, 2020) – I was planning to host a week-long retreat in southern Portugal. Well it’s time to take the leap! Who’s in?
Eve in alcove, Algarve
There will be yoga, wine and song. And plenty of Portuguese seafood. A bona fide tour of the Algarve (southern coast) sprinkled with some gentle tune-ups to support body and mind.
Tentative date is July 16-23. Interested? Have questions? I’ll be sending out an invitation soon, but I’d love to know who has the itch to come!
I am writing on the last day of October, the time when it is said that the veil between our world and the underworld is thin. I have been seeing ghosts of late, and also feeling storms inside my body to match those in nature.
Last day in Lisbon – Eve strikes a pose
September in Lisbon: I made a video near the medieval ruins known as Convento do Carmo, a 14th-century convent destroyed by the great earthquake of 1755. There are many tombs inside the remaining structure. A place full of spirits.
Sacred remains at Convent Carmo
That late summer day, our last in Portugal, I set up a tiny tripod outside and made a recording with my phone. Five minutes of yoga poses as people floated by me like ghosts. Did they see me? Was I invisible? I felt like a secret.
A moment later I added the background track from my song, “Peace on Earth.” Making my voice invisible, I celebrated these beautiful musicians and their instruments. Let these souls shine, I said, and I’ll be the ghost floating by! 👻
The sun faded over the hills. In the darkness, I tripped on cobblestones while crossing the street. Back in NY, I soon realized my left foot was broken (5th metatarsal) – a déjà vu as I had fractured the same spot before.
I’ve been a medical boot for 6 weeks now. At night, my dream world is quite active – I’m leaping and scaling ancient walls through purple storms, my body in constant motion. By day, I move like a snail. 🐌
During the last full moon (2 weeks ago), I was in Boston seeing ghosts from my days as a student of Berklee College of Music. I discovered that my hotel was a block from where I broke my foot 17 years ago – I had tripped on a storm drain on my way to a bar called Lucky’s. 🍀
Scene of the crime, across from Lucky’s Lounge in Boston
Sometimes life is spooky. We have fault lines where we’re prone to break open time and again, places where the veil feels thin. Today I am Frankenstein in my big boot, full of agitation. But I am always thankful for the learning and growth that comes from life’s mysteries.
For now I’ll hold on to that moment of dappled sunlight in the ancient corner, loving the fluidity of movement as well as the solid ground beneath my feet.
