How is life in Portugal?
I love it! I’ve been in Cascais five years and love to host retreats in Comporta. The best of the Latina vibes with the safety and culture of old Europe!
Why Portugal?
Nature, lifestyle and safety! We used to live in South America with our family and we found peace, community and happiness here.
Is it Home?
Home is where my dogs and kids are - so yes, it is!
Best bits? Challenges of life in Portugal?
The best bit is that you don’t need to travel and escape so much because you live in a holiday resort: ocean, hills, good weather! And the challenge is that: everything takes time here, but as a good yogi I work on my patience …
Expat or local?
I am a local for sure, even if I still sound like an expat, but I do speak Portuguese!
Tell us about your retreats?
Recharge, Spring Reset, Find your Light, All you need is about Fun in your Life! There are many different themes for the retreats that I host but all of them are teaching beginners or advanced yogis the magic of practicing yoga.
The next one is Take a Breath, the idea is to allow the yogis to take a step apart and look at where they are right now, to pause and breath. Simple as it is but our connected lives force us to continue in our routine without taking the time to properly LIVE. I want participants to look at the big picture, what they value, what they want and how to reach their purpose. Yoga is a transformational tool in that sense. It is also a tool for life, but I want people to find it accessible and easy going, I miss different styles of yoga that I have learned during the past 25 years.
What’s the idea behind it?
In times where being busy is almost a statement and people are somewhat proud to be overwhelmed, I want the students to discover that Less is More. Walks by the ocean, slow yoga practices, mindful eating and taking the time to meet new people and to carefully listen to them. Of course, also to listen to their bodies, their needs and maybe discover that they can balance their lives a bit more.
“Slow Living is all about being present and connected at the precise moment we are in. This is also what yoga is about.”
Any key turning points in your life?
In 2000 when I discovered yoga. My GP sent me to a yoga class to deal with stress. I was studying and modelling at the time and had no tools to support my health. The second one, was the first time I have left my comfort zone - Paris to live abroad. My twins were three and I was pregnant with our third child. We moved six months to Madrid and then to Uruguay. What an adventure! It changed forever my way of seeing people around me and the world.
Life motto?
My mantra is ‘kindness always’. In a privileged world where you can choose to be anything, kindness is a duty.
Follow Coco Rainbow
IG: @cocorainbowyoga