Yesterday was not an easy day.
To be honest, I was feeling pretty down—because I am so passionate about this place: about yoga in Madeira, about yoga in Paul do Mar.
And yet, my heartfelt project is not running as consistently as I would like it to.
I had to cancel a few hours because simply no one had booked—no tourists, no locals.
That hurts when you put so much heart and soul and energy into building something.

Yesterday, I saw a group of women at the harbor—twelve of them—doing yoga together.
I didn’t know who they were or what they were doing there.
And to be honest, it felt a bit strange.
Not because I begrudge others doing yoga, but because I wondered who this group was and why they had suddenly appeared there.

This morning, before my own yoga class, I happened to meet the yoga teacher of this group.
I went up to her, greeted her warmly, and told her that I always teach here on Thursdays at 9 a.m. – just to strike up a conversation. She told me that they were doing a little retreat here and would be staying until next week.
So she knew that I was about to have my class.
When I arrived with my participants—some of my regular students who had brought friends with them today—
her group was there again. But this time for a dance class.
With loud music, lots of movement, and quite a bit of energy.

I went over and asked how long they would be dancing.
A woman from the group replied rather unkindly:
“One hour.”
I said, “Yes, but we’re doing yoga here now—the music is quite loud and a bit distracting.”
She just said, “Yes, but we’re having a dance lesson now.”

The group’s yoga teacher briefly tried to mediate, and we finally agreed that both groups would simply move a little to the side.
They to the right, we a little to the left.
The view was still beautiful—sun, sea, mountains.
But of course, the music was still playing in the background.

And that’s exactly what I talked about in class.
I said:
“We now have this background noise. It’s loud, it’s irritating. But that’s life.
Sometimes things come from outside that disturb us, that we judge or condemn.
Our hearts beat faster, we feel stress, annoyance, or anger—and yet we can still try to stay centered.”

Because, of course, yoga often takes place in quiet rooms.
But real life is rarely quiet.
And that’s exactly what it’s all about: finding peace within yourself, even when everything around you is loud.

We carried on.
We took some things with humor, others we simply exhaled.
And at the end, in Shavasana, the dance group was finished—and suddenly it was completely silent.
A beautiful moment.

The class did everyone a world of good.
For me, it was an important reminder: I don’t just teach asanas.
I share so much more—including my own challenges, my anger, my doubts.
And that’s exactly what yoga means to me.

This connection to this place, to Paul do Mar, to the people who come and go—that’s what drives me.
I love sharing this place.
And yes, I wish I could reach more people with it—for my heart, for my financial independence, but also simply because I am so passionate about yoga in Paul do Mar.

If you would like to experience yoga with me in Madeira—whether it’s a gentle session by the sea or one of my workshops—then feel free to take a look here:
Yoga Madeira
Yoga Workshops