Rene Quenell

RETREATS

AYURVEDA & TANTRA: FINDING GOLD WITHIN

The Azores Retreat

with René Quenell & Dr. Abbey Leigh

September 21-27, 2025

We're so excited to host the Azores Retreat again in 2025! This time, we’ll be exploring the transformative theme of Ayurveda & Tantra: Finding Gold Within.

Nestled in the breathtaking beauty of the Azores, this retreat offers the perfect environment to dive into these two ancient wisdom traditions.

Ayurveda will guide us in nurturing balance and vitality, helping us connect to the natural rhythms of our body and the world around us.

Tantra will invite us to embrace life in its fullness, awakening the powerful energies within and transforming our experience of self and spirit.

Together, these practices create a pathway to uncover the "gold" that resides at our core—the radiant, authentic essence that is always present but often hidden beneath layers of stress, routine, and distraction... Life!

Finding Gold Within

The "gold" represents more than just health or spiritual awakening—it’s the realization of our truest, most radiant self. Through the wisdom of Ayurveda and Tantra, we learn that:

We Are Already Whole: The practices reveal that the gold we seek is not outside us; it has always been within.
The Journey is Sacred: Whether through balancing our doshas or awakening our Kundalini, the process itself is transformative and enriching.
Life is the Path: Ayurveda and Tantra both teach that life itself is a sacred journey, where every experience—joyful or challenging—serves as an opportunity for growth and self-discovery.

Through a blend of mindful practices, sacred rituals, and community connection, we’ll embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation. We can’t wait to share this magical experience with you in 2025. Let’s find the gold within!

We will be staying in a 500-year-old whitewashed Monastery that is shaped in the form of the Big Dipper - said to be reminiscent of the way we are scooped up to the heavens. Every summer solstice, it aligns with this brilliant star constellation.

The Monastery’s three floors represent the body, mind and spirit. At its center is a three-tiered, octagonal fountain allowing us to see the 4 directions. It calls us to change our perspective by shifting to another side, presenting a new view.

Our rooms are elegant and simple. The high ceilings and 200- and 300-year-old furniture remind us of life’s uncomplicated pleasures. Our vegan chefs will prepare fresh, local farm-to-table delicacies. We will visit the island’s lush hiking trails, volcanoes, big wave beaches and natural hot springs.

Returning to harmony and refreshing the senses, we will rest deeply, held by history and nature in the arms of the nourishing energy of this tranquil sacred space.

Retreat includes:

6 nights shared accommodation with ensuite bathroom
Sunday welcome dinner
Farm-to-table Ayurvedic vegan meals prepared by our amazing Azorean chefs
Morning and evening meditation, hatha yoga, restorative yoga & yoga nidra combos with Dr. Abbey & René - to leave you in the perfect, blissful state
Day excursion, hiking and picnic at the beautiful island volcano Sete Cidade, with stunning Mosteiros beach break views and a visit to Ferarria natural ocean hot springs
Fire ceremony
Healing sound bath
Waterfall hikes
Small farm tour and garden dinner
Rest and pool time
Bonfire, kirtan & dance party
Saturday farewell brunch
Limited airport transfer from Ponta Delgada airport in São Miguel, Azores
Massage therapy appointments available (at additional cost)
See Rene's Instagram and Abbey's Instagram for highlights from the 2024 retreat

Pay in Full (Early Bird Price) $3099

Payment Plan (Early Bird Price) $875 x 4

Single Room Supplement $1200

Your Amazing Retreat Guides:

René Quenell, E-RYT 500, IAYT

René has helped thousands find joy and access their inner wisdom through radically transformative practices of meditation, yoga therapy, Ayurveda and Vedic Astrology. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Southern California and founded Yoga Madre studio more than 20 years ago. She has developed renowned meditation trainings and 200- and 500-hour Yoga Alliance-accredited teacher training programs. She leads live, online master trainings, interactive workshops, retreats, personal counseling sessions and the monthly JoyWork Academy.

René loves sharing the teachings of a living lineage where spiritual practice serves as an instrument for navigating modern life with grace and ease. With reverence for the teachings, she weaves together humor, joy and everyday wisdom. Her life’s work is to share with students the tools to brighten their inner light, move toward self-mastery and live a life that’s happy and purposeful.

A devoted student and practitioner, René also supports the Himalayan Institute's work in the US, India and Cameroon.

Dr. Abbey Leigh, E-RYT 500

For Dr. Abbey Leigh, the practice of Ayurveda, Yoga and meditation has been a journey of coming home to her own true nature. Having healed her own physical and spiritual diseases through these modalities, Abbey has guided hundreds of patients to access their innate healing capacities through Ayurvedic diet, lifestyle, herbology, body therapies and sadhana.

It is Dr. Abbey Leigh’s mission to empower people to reconnect with their bodies, tap into their innate wisdom, and embrace the natural rhythms and cycles of life. She advocates for freedom, sustainability, self-love, and compassion as integral aspects of holistic wellbeing.

Currently, Dr. Abbey Leigh holds her private practice in the Azores islands, Portugal and is the founder of Sacred Maternal Wisdom Method which supports mothers-to-be to consciously conceive through the wisdom of Ayurveda. She holds an Ayurvedic Doctor Degree from California College of Ayurveda, certified by NAMA and is a E-RYT-500 yoga instructor with Yoga Alliance.

In Abbey’s spare time she loves to take dance classes, admire the plant kingdom, and hike the volcanic mountains.

About the Azores:

The Azores are an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 870 miles west of Lisbon. Here are some interesting articles to read about them.

Getting There:

Azores Airlines (SATA) and TAP Portugal fly directly from many European cities to Ponta Delgada (PDL) on the island of São Miguel.

You can also fly from New York or Boston. United Airlines and other major airlines have flights from the US as well.

Note: You may see flights priced higher on popular websites - however Abbey and René have access to massively discounted flight deals. Please ask Abbey or René so you can access the best options!