For well over a decade, I have been dreaming of creating a transformational place where people can shift from mainstream life and return to the fundamentals of living in nature on a beautiful farm that produces the food we eat, living in harmony with each other. The place as I envisioned it would encourage connection with thoughtful conversations about who we are and what we have and want in this life in a nurturing, peaceful environment, surrounded by a supportive community. I wanted this place to assist in realizing one’s true self, one’s purpose.

I wanted to inspire all to act and not just dream, to ignite their own courage to realize their purpose. I honed the concept for Golden Web with a woman whom I met randomly on a farm in the middle of Portugal. She and I had known each other for a day before committing to co-create this magical place. We were brought together for a higher purpose, just as Nadine McNeil and I.

Prior to her deep dive into yoga in 2008, Nadine travelled the world in service of the UN, UNICEF, Global Volunteer Network and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for nearly two decades. These and other experiences rooted Nadine’s continued devotion to activism.

Inspired by her firsthand encounters with both the resilience of the human spirit and also its suffering, Nadine’s talks, workshops, yoga sessions, Women’s Circles and retreats are continually described as powerful, moving and insightful.

As her Women’s Circles continue to gain global traction, women from across the world who have sat with her in Circle, have returned to their communities to offer this necessary and important work. Her mantra for this work is: when one of us suffers we all suffer. Yet when one of us heals, we all heal.

Nadine McNeil is the founder of the BadAsana Series ©: Yoga with Weights. This Yoga Alliance [CE] certified program is one that integrates 1 to 3 kgs weights intelligently within a hatha-vinyasa flow practice. The purpose of this synergistic practice to support the body in building physical strength, endurance and stamina, while respecting and adhering to the main tenets of yoga, primarily through breath and alignment awareness.

When she’s not traveling, Nadine may be found living and teaching in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia at the Yoga Barn, the largest yoga and wellness facility in South East Asia.

About the retreat:

At the Golden Web signature retreat, everyone participating is a thread in the collective, each strand essential, independent yet supported by the others. We will begin each day with yoga flow, followed by Sacred Circle, journaling and art where each will explore visual expression as a means to allow energy to flow as a meditative and messaging medium, utilizing paint on paper. No painting experience necessary! After brunch and free time, we reconvene in the afternoon for further transformational sessions closing each evening with restorative yoga followed by a healthy, hearty vegetarian dinner. Everyone will also receive a reading by a healer and medium, Denise, who has been practicing for three decades. She will only reveal what it is you need to know at this point in your life. Our goal is to assist you with a deeper understanding of why you are here, a clearer path to follow, and an expanded tribe who will cheer you on.

Golden Web

Imagine an enchanted, nature-filled farm in Portugal's eastern Algarve that has woven together a *multitude of accommodations from exotic tipis to glamorous tents to luxurious suites to an open-plan loft where all meet in farm-style kitchen dining to share of the days' work of yoga, creativity, beach walks, bike rides, transformative treatments and form threads of connection in this conscious community of guests and hosts alike. All this only a few minutes from a calm white-sand beach on the edge of a traditional fishing village filled with pure-food restaurants. We are 30 minutes from the Faro Airport.