PANCHA MAHABHUTA Yoga & Reiki Retreat: Exploring the Five Elements

TERCEIRA • Azores • PORTUGAL

A 5-night, 6-day retreat experience

“Return to balance within the same forces that shape the Earth.”

Session ONE: Sunday, August 29th - Friday, September 3rd, 2027

Session TWO: Friday, September 3rd - Wednesday, September 8th, 2027

Set on the lush, volcanic islands of the Azores, this retreat invites you into a rare rhythm of nature, restoration, and intentional living — where the Atlantic meets geothermal earth and life slows to a nourishing, spacious pace.

REGISTRATION OPENS ON APRIL 1

We open ​this registration early to give you the opportunity to make yourself a priority—to hold this space on your calendar and begin gently planning your year around it.

only 10 rooms available in each session • 12-month payment plans are available

10% savings when you pay in full at the time of registration

Our Azores retreat is designed as a progressive journey — with daily classes woven into a cohesive curriculum that supports the overall theme of the experience. Each practice builds upon the next, guiding you deeper into connection, awareness, and integration throughout the retreat.

Rather than separate tracks, the retreat offers one unified experience — with the flexibility to choose how you practice each day.

YOUR DAILY PRACTICE EXPERIENCE:

Each day, you’ll be guided through thoughtfully designed classes that integrate movement, breathwork, meditation, and rest — all aligned with the overarching theme of the retreat. To support your individual needs, preferences, and energy levels, both heated and unheated classes will be offered throughout the retreat — with identical curriculum and intention.

This means you can choose, day by day, whether you feel called to:

• Move more gently and restoratively, supporting nervous system regulation and recovery

• Or practice with more intensity and heat, building strength, fluidity, and internal fire

Both options are equally supported, equally intentional, and part of the same shared journey. Our heated space uses infrared panels with balanced humidity, creating an optimal environment for circulation, muscular release, and a deeply immersive practice experience.

Choose the pace, environment, and energy that best supports your season of life.

How to spend the free afternoons?

1.) Book your 1hr free massage

2.) Relax by the heated infinity pool

3.) Take 10min walk to a hot spring, adjacent to the beach and Atlantic Ocean

4.) Use of gym at the resort

5.) Book one of the add on actives offers below

ADD ONS YOU CAN BOOK WITH RECEPTION UPON ARRIVAL:

•Scuba Diving Canyoneering

•Whale and Dolphin Watching

•Stand-Up Paddle board

•Sea Kayaking or Canyoneering

•Os Ilheus cruise (Split Rock)

•Sunset Cruise

THE RETREAT THEME

In yogic philosophy, the human body is composed of the same elements that shape the natural world—Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether. On Terceira, where these forces are powerfully alive, we step into a retreat that honors the body as nature itself. Through practice, rest, Reiki, and elemental immersion, we explore how energy organizes form, how imbalance reveals itself, and how returning to nature restores clarity, vitality, and wholeness.

Throughout the retreat, Reiki will be woven into our exploration of the five elements—supporting grounding when Earth feels depleted, restoring flow to Water, balancing the transformative power of Fire, calming and circulating Air, and opening space within Ether. Rather than something separate from movement or meditation, Reiki becomes a subtle layer of support that helps the body and energy system return to balance.

Videos curtesy of @xhaleazores Instagram

Local Cousine

What’s Included in Your All-Inclusive Retreat Experience

5-night/6-day stay at Xhale private yoga resort

3 well-balanced meals daily including vegan, vegetarian, gluten and dairy free options, with meat protein offered at dinner

Daily yoga classes enhanced with hands on and off Reiki energy

Root to Rise Experience: A journey through the volcanic cave & forest bathing at Lagoa das Patas with picnic lunch

60min therapeutic massage

Daily study of the of yoga, asana, meditation and pranayama

Deeper yoga practices such as restorative yoga and yoga nidra

Focus on alignment and deepening our understanding how to experience yoga poses in a way that is healing and sustainable

Xhale Yoga Resort Facilities

Outdoor Lounge, BBQ & Pizza Oven

Sage Spa with Sauna, Turkish Bath, Aromatic Shower and massage/treatment rooms with Amethyst Heated Mat

Restoration Lounge with hydration bar

Moksha gym - fully equipped with change rooms with showers

Circular Firepit surrounded by medicinal herbs

Heated Infinity Pool with spectacular views to ocean and massage jets

2 electric bikes

Outdoor Pavilion

Zen Garden

Shuttle service to and from Airport

Free WiFi

ACCOMODATIONS

PAY YOUR WAY: CHOOSE WHAT WORKS BEST FOR YOU: 12-month payment plans are available, or enjoy 10% savings when you pay in full at the time of registration.

Private Room & Bathroom with Ocean/Partial Ocean View

DOUBLE Occupancy ONLY - $2,795 per person

first session

Sunday, August 29th - Friday, September 3rd, 2027

second session

Friday, September 3rd - Wednesday, September 8th, 2027

Your accommodations at Xhale Azores are designed to feel like a quiet extension of the landscape itself—simple, intentional, and deeply restorative. Each room blends modern comfort with the natural textures and tones of the island, creating a peaceful space to rest, reflect, and reset between practices.

Expect bright, airy interiors, comfortable beds, and thoughtful minimalist design that invites ease rather than distraction. Many rooms offer views of the Atlantic Ocean or the island’s lush volcanic terrain, allowing nature to remain present even in moments of stillness.

Amenities are simple yet supportive, prioritizing comfort, calm, and connection to place—so you can fully unplug, sleep deeply, and wake ready to meet each day of the retreat with clarity and presence.

Getting there….

The remote and serene island of Terceira is surprisingly easy to reach from New England. Direct flights from Boston Logan travel to São Miguel, the main island of the Azores, with a short 40-minute connecting flight to Terceira—your final destination. We recommend booking directly through SATA Azores Airlines for the most seamless experience.

If you plan to extend your stay before or after the retreat, please note that our group airport transfer on arrival is scheduled for flights landing at 9:05 AM, and the recommended departure flight from Terceira is at 1:00 PM.

Not included in the price of the retreat…

international flights

transportation to and from the airport in the US

gratuity for resort staff and local guides

trip insurance (recommended - visit https://www.travelinsurance.com for more info)

About the retreat leader…

Petra Appleget, E-RYT 500

Retreat Leader & Studio Owner

Petra’s journey with yoga began as a path to restore her own health and wellbeing. Through consistent practice, she discovered yoga’s powerful ability to support her autoimmune system and bring it into long-term remission. What started as a personal healing practice has evolved into a deep passion for teaching and sharing yoga with others.

Her teaching emphasizes alignment, biomechanics, breath, and intelligent sequencing, creating balanced Vinyasa-based classes that build strength, flexibility, and awareness. Petra is known for her clear instruction, thoughtful pacing, and ability to offer meaningful modifications, making her classes accessible to all levels. She is especially passionate about working with private clients to support injury recovery and develop sustainable, personalized practices.

Petra has completed over 1,650 hours of advanced training and has taught more than 3,300 unique classes. In addition to the 200YTT with YogaWorks in 2016, her studies include a 300-hour training with The Container Collective, advanced 300-hour training with YogaWorks, and an additional 300-hour certification with Amy Ippoliti’s Vesselify School of Yoga. She is also a Reiki I and II practitioner, certified by the Integrative Energy Medicine Institute in Milford CT.

As the owner of CENTER Yoga + Wellness, Petra is dedicated to building a supportive, inclusive community.

Cancelation policy…

• If you cancel on or before January 31, 2027:

  • You will forfeit your 1st installment payment, or 1/12 of the total cost.

  • You will be responsible for an additional $100 Cancelation Fee.

  • If you made any payment other than the 1st installment payment before that date, however, the remainder of your payment will be refunded to you (i.e. after deduction of the above amounts).

• If you cancel after January 31, 2027 (for any reason including, without limitation, physical or mental illness or injury, voluntary departure, and personal emergencies):

  • You will not be entitled to any refunded amounts, and

  • You will be responsible to pay an additional $100 Cancelation Fee, and

  • You will forfeit all payments paid before that date.  

Please note:

• + 6.35% CT sales tax applies