The moon shone bright overhead, a positive omen and reflection of what was to come. Children gathered around the gong, innocently aware of its powerful vibrations. We all felt a bit giddy, warmed by the thermal waters, floating gently toward each other. 

There was something truly magical about this experience. 

In the first week of January on São Miguel island, locals and visitors soaked in the hot thermal waters of Terra Nostra Garden, guided by Arnbjörg Kristín Konráðsdóttir, who led us in the first Yoga in Water event in the Azores.  

Inextricably linked to her home in Iceland (both are on the same Mid-Atlantic ridge), São Miguel gave Arnbjörg an opportunity to make recordings for her new album, which will be out soon on www.peaceresound.com. 

Yoga Azores' mission is to connect the global yoga community to the Azores and the Azores to the global yoga community. Many locals gained their first ever sound therapy experience and their first yoga in water class. We proudly enabled a powerful exchange of culture and experience, aligned with our mission, in our first event of 2017. 

We intend to offer community events with every international retreat and workshop we bring to the Azores. Are you interested in hosting an event here? Contact us!

It was a perfect February day. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was the approaching full moon. In any case, we had an unbelievable turnout for our first event, in both São Miguel and in Santa Maria.

We led groups on both islands through a “yoga hike” where we started with a little yoga and breathing, before commencing the trails. Rimi led a group of around 35 local through the Rota de Água trail, an intriguing trail with long tunnels, arches, and passes over ancient aqueducts. Mandy led a group of 10 (and three four-legged friends) along the Pico Alto trail which begins at the highest point on the island and winds through woodland on the mountain, affording spectacular open views across Santa Maria. On both islands, participants spent portions of the hike in silence, observing and connecting more deeply to nature and to themselves.

One of our goals is to Offer locals and visitors the opportunity to more deeply connect with the islands of the Azores through yoga, enabling the body and mind to truly "feel the Azores". Encouraging environmental sustainability is another of our goals and before the event, we encouraged participants to bring reusable water bottles and reminded everyone about the importance of respecting the environment.

And so, we are grateful for having successfully completed our first event and sharing a bit of mindfulness, yoga, and nature with the local communities. We hope to involve other islands and in the future we can host events simultaneously with all the islands of the archipelago!