The Yoga Hostel
Is a home yoga studio for everyday women to practice accessible and inclusive yoga with a dash of glitter, fun, and bravery in Lisbon, Portugal.
Phase One
Why a home yoga studio
When I moved to Portugal, I continuously met women from all over the world who had recently moved here and the one thing we all had in common was our undeniable need to come home to ourselves.
Well in a city with a major housing crisis, hills that make leg day feel like every day, and a bureaucratic system that makes the nervous system uneasy, I want to teach women how to come home to themselves through the practices of yoga, meditative dance, and sisterhood in a real home so that they can learn how to cultivate a home practice that truly nourishes their entire being.
At The Yoga Hostel: Home, our sisters are our reminder that coming home to ourselves is a practice we can make accessible to any woman who walks through our studio doors.
The Miradouro View
During one of my first trips to Portugal, I got a flat in Graça and would ride the 28E Tram down to my grandparents’ flat in Martim Moniz. We would spend our days going on grand adventures throughout Lisbon. Almost ten years later, I returned to Graça and found my studio with a direct view of my Grandparents’ old flat. Although my grandfather has passed on, I know that universally with a loud outspoken Portuguese personality shaking the heavens, he absolutely had something to do with making this studio and Miradouro view happen for me. Part of this studio is about honoring the life that he reminded me to create here and the rest well is for the beautiful community of women in Lisbon that blossoms from it.
The Sisterhood
We have this saying at The Yoga Hostel:
”When you bring your girlfriends to yoga, it means you REALLY care about them.”
When I opened the doors to our home studio, I dreamt of women from all over the world walking through them. To practice, to create community and connections, to laugh, to cry, to move, and to TAKE UP SPACE.
Six months later we’re still doing that except now we have fluffy pink pillows, soft lavender blankets, warm cups of tea, angel card readings, and a miradouro view to remind them of their magic so when they are ready to return to the “real” world they will feel cared for, loved, and oh so held by our community of sisters.
Love Letters From My Students
Accessibility. Sisterhood. Bravery.
Yoga. Dance Parties. Glitter. Fun.
Open-Hearted Movement.
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