L. Farrah Furtado
L. Farrah Furtado E-RYT 500 is Canadian-Portuguese and an international yoga teacher, author of three spiritual best-selling award winning books, award winning filmmaker, world traveler, and founder of Kaohsiung Yoga School in Taiwan 2011 and Bend it like Buddha Yoga in Portugal 2015. She has lived in Taiwan for over 14 years, studying the healing arts in Fo Guang Shan Buddhist monastery, Balinese healing with energy healing masters in Ubud, and has trained for 4 consecutive years in India, in the traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa system, Philosophy and advanced Pranayama with BNS Iyengar, the lineage of Pattabhi Jois and Krishnamacharya in Mysore, India. Farrah is a third degree Usui Reiki master and has a BA in Psychology from the University of Victoria and International Development studies from the University of British Columbia.
Yoga Instructor
Author
Film Maker
What Our Students Say
“I am very happy and satisfied with Bend Like Buddha teacher training . First the teachers were very diverse and professional. They has their way each of them to propose their own class so it was really interesting for us.The structure of the different module was well done and the zoom classes super well done! I indeed learnt a lot through the joyful classes and sharing experiences. I would like to thank all teacher for your relentless efforts and valuable advices in guiding me throughout this challenging yet enjoyable journey. It was an excellent experience for me and thanks for this.”
Viivika Kalma
Danni Cullen
Danni Cullen E-RYT 500 comes from a background of theatre and performance.
With the uncertainty and stress Of The acting world she decided to try yoga, to calm the mind, keep her sane and stay fit for productions and tours.
But what she didn’t know was how much effect it would have on her.
Whilst on tour in south American, she discovered ashtanga yoga and hasn’t looked back since. Steven Spielberg hadn’t called her so in 2014 she fled to Mysore to do her 200 hour ttc in ashtanga yoga. Whilst On her travels she also started practising vinyasa yoga, inspired by teachers all over the world, you never stop being a student…so she decided to take another step..
Berta Couto
Born a Portuguese wanderer, passionate about Nature, graduated in Nursing, since a young age Berta was drawn to the mysteries of the Human body, mind and soul. It was in 2008 that she embraced her Yoga path. What initially was a profound journey of identification of her own conditioning that took her to a leap around the (inner) world, later turned into the recognition of her Dharma. Without much thought on that, she moved to the motherland of Yoga, India, where she immersed herself deeply in the Vedic teachings and in her practice of Ashtanga. She observed and learned from many teachers and masters of not just Ashtanga, but also Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin Yoga and Ayurveda, becoming a Yoga Teacher and later an Ayurvedic Therapist.
Her teaching style is a blend of all those experiences, travelling and her self-practice: it has a traditional strong foundation with a therapeutic approach, working on the release of traumas through the body. Her classes are based in energetic flows, focused on the importance of the breath, that follow a sequence inspired by Ashtanga yet moving into new ways of body expression and always following the path of Unconditional Love, guided by the Heart.
Daniela Luz
Daniela Luz is an International certified mindfulness coach, a healer practitioner and an experienced meditation and yoga teacher, based in Portugal.
From social education and social activism to yoga and meditation, Daniela traveled the world and lived abroad sharing her life mission to empower different communities and unprivileged groups, co-founding and managing social projects in Mozambique, Italy and Australia.
Luz teaches a variety of yoga styles such as Yin, Restorative, Aerial, Pregnancy, Kids Yoga and an infusion of meditative and flowing Vinyasa Yoga classes.
Her classes are breath-focused integrating concise technical alignment and yoga philosophy.Daniela believes that the transformational gift of yoga should be available to as many people as possible. To her, life is a horizontal and vertical journey, both outwards and inwards, with so much to be discovered once we have the courage to search.
Mafalda Rodrigues SOMKURA
Mafalda Rodrigues started practicing yoga about 15 years ago and soon realized how yoga is transforming, how it brings people back to their center and allows them a universal and conscious view of life. Mafalda is a Shaman, gifted healer, breath work facilitator, and a highly experienced sound healer and traditional Kirtan Mantra musician.
Catarina Ordaz
Catarina Ordaz is one of a kind, warm, compassionate and has over 20 years experience as a yoga teacher, specifically in anatomy and therapy yoga. Her strength is in helping people pinpoint their therapeutic yoga practice for specific injuries and health needs. You can ask her about her yogic approach and recommendations for your specific health needs. She is always happy to serve others at the highest level.
Lisa & Stephan ( Terra Sagrada )
In 2015 we decided to leave the “normal” life, with backpacks and our two dogs we started a hiking adventure towards Sweden. There we spent the winter woofing and living in our camper-van. We kept travelling and living on the road for the next four years.
Since 2019 we are living in Alentejo, Portugal , where we started our project “ Terra Sagrada “ off-grid. From solar based electricity, water management and medicine and food production. We aim for a natural self sustained lifestyle in harmony with our environment.
This includes retaining physical and mental health throughout music, yoga, mediation and much more.
From bread baking, soap production, to fully self-sufficient organic fertilizer & pesticide production, we gained quite some knowledge and are happy to share and teach it in our upcoming presentation at the Yoga Artistica festival.
Greenfinger Music
Singer-songwriter from Germany, self-taught guitarist and multi instrumentalist, producer, founder of “Tiny Treehouse Production”.
Joana & Els Yoga
Hello my name is Joana. I’m a Yoga instructor, Reiki master and have a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I started yoga in Hatha. In 2019, due to the pandemic and feeling out of place, I decided to use my free time to focus on myself. I restarted my own yoga practice at home. Yoga helped me not only to reconnect with myself but to also understand my sense of purpose in life, which is to help others in their journeys to also realize their true potential.
So, I completed a 200h YTT with Bend it like Buddha and am now a certified vinyasa and ashtanga teacher. I’m always looking into advancing my knowledge so I recently became certified in yin yoga and am currently finishing a kids yoga course.
I’m super excited to be back at Bend it like Buddha, to be able to share what I’ve been learning so far.
I’m partnering with Els, a lovely friend whom I met during our YTT course at Bend it like Buddha.
This workshop will be focused on healing and nurturing our inner child. Our inner child is the source of our vitality, creativity, emotions…the source of our being. However, we often carry childhood traumas, which can usually be repressed in our subconscious mind as a defense mechanism. These root causes can still be an influence during our adulthood, for example our relationship with ourselves (self sabotaging inclinations, self esteem, insecurities, etc) and with others (rejection, fears of judgement, boundary issues, etc).
Therefore, the aim of our workshop in the Yoga Artistica festival is to help you unlock and reconnect with your inner child self.
My name is Els, I practice vinyasa and yin yoga. I fell in love with yoga and have completed my YTT in vinyasa and ashtanga at Bend it like Buddha and am currently doing a yin yoga course.
I started doing yoga to connect and love myself more. The inner child is an important topic for me because I have been healing and connecting with my inner child for a while now and realized the important role the inner child plays in our thought/behavioral patterns and self worth. Jo and I are looking forward to sharing more with you on these topics during our workshop at the Yoga artistica festival at the Bend it like Buddha Yoga Algarve studio in Praia da Rocha
Eva Reida (The Pleasure Queen)
I firmly believe that we can heal EVERYTHING through our sexuality. Our sexuality can help us unleash our full potential, become free and truly love ourselves and our bodies. I have never felt such a deep, honest, creative and life-affirming connection to my body as I do today!