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A Narrative Therapy Retreat
Awaken Your Inner Artist in Portuga
July 19-26, 2026
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An 8 Day, 7-Night Retreat Through Lisbon & The Algarve
Do you have a story that lives inside you — one you have never found the words for? Have you been carrying something you cannot quite name, feeling stuck or stagnant, longing to play and express and feel joy again?
Maybe all of those things?
If that sounds like you, I invite you to join us for a 9-day Yinsa Retreat in Portugal, where we will spend five nights in the sun-drenched Algarve and three nights in the vibrant city of Lisbon. This journey is built around the arc of narrative therapy. This includes the practice of separating who you are from the stories that have defined you, and uses personal narrative writing as the primary healing practice.
If you have felt disconnected from your own voice, this is your invitation to find it again.
This is a retreat about telling a new story. Personal narrative writing is an incredibly healing practice, and combined with yoga, movement, and cultural immersion in one of Europe's most soulful countries, we will begin to see the connection between healing and self-expression. Each day moves through a thematic stage — from curiosity to mapping to externalizing to reauthoring — guided by literary texts and lived experience. Expect a week of restoration, depth, and culture in Portugal.
Your Journey Begins Before Portugal
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When you register, your experience begins with a 12-week guided journey through The Artist’s Way—a renowned program for unlocking creativity and reconnecting with your inner artist.
By the time we meet in Portugal, your imagination will already be alive, ready to explore, create, and flow.
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WHAT YOU'LL EXPERIENCE
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Mornings
- Yoga and movement to ground the body before the mind goes to work
- Community gathering and text-based grounding , (poetry or prose), to open each day
Creative Workshops
- Personal Narrative Writing with Irene Yannascoli
each session anchored in a literary text: Mary Oliver, Kiese Laymon, Annie Dillard, and others - Practices include proprioceptive writing, open letters, mapping your narrative landscape, externalizing the problem, and reauthoring your storyÂ
- Hands-On Art Sessions
Watercolor painting, pottery, or traditional Portuguese tile-making to connect to your inner artist
Immersive Excursions
Algarve Experiences
- Coastal boat trip along the dramatic Algarve cliffs
- Cooking class and local market tour
- Pottery or tile-making session in a traditional atelier
- Leisure time to explore the charming town near our retreat center
Lisbon Adventures
- Street Art & Creative Neighborhood Tour through Alfama and Bairro Alto
- Fado Music Dinner for an immersive cultural and emotional experience
- Azulejo Tile Workshop & Museum Visit, connecting to Portugal’s iconic artistry
- Creative Photography Walk to capture Lisbon’s vibrant colors and architecture
- Optional food and wine tasting to explore the city’s culinary artistry
Evenings
- Reflection and conversation circles
- Time for spa treatments or local explorations
Why Narrative Therapy?
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Narrative therapy is a collaborative, strengths-based approach to healing that helps people separate their identity from their problems. It recognizes that we are the authors of our own lives, and that the stories we carry can be examined, questioned, and rewritten.
Through writing, movement, community ritual, and cultural immersion, this retreat will help you externalize the stories that have kept you small and begin scripting the ones that will carry you forward.
Meet Your Teachers
Daniele Gates
Founder and CEO - YinsaÂ
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With over 15 years of experience leading transformational travel around the world — from Costa Rica to Washington D.C., Bali, the Dominican Republic, and Italy — Daniele has cultivated brave, inclusive spaces for healing and self-discovery.
A Certified Educator and Yoga and Energy Medicine Practitioner, Daniele specializes in yoga, Ayurveda, somatic healing, and chakra-based work. Her deep understanding of teaching in inclusive spaces, along with these modalities, informs the full retreat experiences she designs. This includes curriculum creation, budgeting, venue scouting, marketing, and team leadership.
Daniele is deeply committed to ethically, intentionally, and sustainably hosting retreats that honor the land, respect local cultures, and serve participants with care and consciousness.
Irene Yannascoli
Teacher, writer, peer counselor, and mom
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Irene Yannascoli is a teacher at Brooklyn Tech High School, writer, peer counselor and wife, and mom.
She began her teaching career as a writing and GED teacher working with incarcerated adults, and then shifted to high school as an English teacher in the NYC Public Schools.
Following a late term pregnancy loss in 2018, Irene began working as a peer counselor for individuals experiencing trauma related to pregnancy loss.
She writes about grief, teaching, motherhood and healing. On any given Saturday, she can be found sweating it out on her Peloton, or playing with her daughter at the local playground.
Felipe Gonzalez
RYT and Katonah Yoga® teacher
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Felipe is a 500 hour ERYT and Katonah Yoga® teacher based in Brooklyn, NY teaching at One Yoga House and Equinox. Drawn to the practices of Vinyasa Krama, Bhakti, and Katonah Yoga® his teachings are rooted in an integration of breath, body, and imagination. He has also spent the last 9 years learning, exploring, and holding conversations at the intersections of yoga and social justice.
Felipe has completed his Master's in Clinical Social Work at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College. He leads classes, workshops, retreats, and trainings both locally and internationally. He guides his practices with an artist's soul and a healer's heart.
Who is this for?
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Solo travelers, friends, and small groups who want meaningful travel, real depth, and genuine community. No writing experience necessary. No yoga experience necessary. Beginners are not just welcome, they are often the most courageous people in the room.
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What's Included:
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- 7 nights in Portugal: 4 in the Algarve + 3 in Lisbon
- Ground transfers between all retreat locations
- Daily yoga and movement with Felipe Gonzalez
- All narrative writing workshops with Irene Yannascoli
- All excursions (sea cave tour, UNESCO World Heritage sites, art exploration, Fado dinner, Lisbon exploration, and more)
- All meals during the retreat
- On-site support from the Yinsa team
- Welcome gift + retreat workbook and curated reading list
- Private online community
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Please note:  Prices have been updated to reflect current rates, and payment plans are available. Â
 SINGLE ROOM
$4500 per person
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ONLY 1 SINGLE ROOM left!
DOUBLEÂ ROOM
$3,500Â per person
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Payment Plans Available
Testimonials from Our Most Recent Retreat, February 2026
This was my 4th retreat with Daniele. She aways creates a space full of magic, love and healing. Thank you, thank you and thank you for helping me on my journey to self love and healing.Â
Lisa B.
This group was so special. I felt like I have known them for years. Not once did I ever feel judged or left out. Everyone came willing to open up and do the work. Which I believe allowed each of us to accept one another and give our love back to one another ten fold.Â
Lindsay R.
'I thought the workshops were great. You are a great leader, and I think our group was wonderful and very easy to open up and share with. They made me comfortable.Â
L.M.
EXTENDED FINANCING OPTIONS
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For those who prefer longer payment terms, you may also use Klarna, Affirm, or PayPal Credit to extend payments up to 36 months (approval required through the provider). This option allows you to customize your monthly budget while still securing your retreat now.
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Your Story is Waiting to be Rewritten
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If you are ready to go deep, write honestly, move your body, and find community with people who are serious about their own becoming , join us in Portugal for 9 days of depth, connection, and
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