Madeira Yoga Retreat
Movement. Breath. Nature. Five days of yoga, breathwork, improvised movement and tea ceremonies among Madeira's mountains, forests and ocean.
€1,500
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( experience )
Retreat with Alexander Lebedev
Five days on Madeira with physician-neuroscientist Alexander Lebedev, MD, PhD — talks on integrative health, small-group work, body practices and the island itself.
Many people arrive on Madeira with a tiredness that a holiday no longer fixes. Sleep is broken, energy is low, lab results are “normal”, and the sense that something is off doesn’t go away. Alexander has spent twenty years working with exactly this state as a physician and a scientist, and his approach starts from a simple observation: health doesn’t divide into departments. Poor sleep feeds anxiety, strain in a relationship shows up in the body, and a long stretch without meaning drains energy that no supplement will give back.
These five days are a chance to look at your situation as a whole — in a small group, on an island where the body finds it easier to remember how to recover.
What the days are made of
The hour-by-hour schedule isn’t set yet, but the shape of the programme is clear.
- Talks on integrative health How sleep, energy, hormones, nutrition, stress and mood connect. Why tiredness outlasts a holiday, and why “normal results” don’t yet mean you feel well. Alexander is plain about what the evidence supports and what it doesn’t, and keeps bringing each talk back to your own life.
- Small-group work Sessions in a small circle led by Alexander — a place to say out loud what’s really going on and to see how similar things play out for others.
- Body and nervous system Breathing, movement and the skill of switching between effort and rest — without it, no plan holds for long.
- Time in nature Levadas, laurel forest, the ocean, and time in silence.
- A personal map and plan You’ll look at your situation across five areas — body, emotions, behaviour, relationships, meaning — and leave with a few steps genuinely worth taking, written down so you can return to them at home.
Leave your email in the form on this page. As soon as everything is ready we’ll send the day-by-day programme, the venue and accommodation details, and your welcome gift — 10% off.
Your host
Alexander Lebedev
Physician-neuroscientist, MD, PhD, EARTH co-founder
Physician-neuroscientist, MD, PhD, with two decades in medicine and science. He earned his PhD in biomedical data analysis and medical AI at the University of Bergen, Norway, then spent many years in clinical neuroscience in Norway and at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. Author of more than 100 scientific publications on the brain, mood and cognition. He runs Dynamic Equilibrium, an integrative health practice for people carrying a heavy load, and looks at body, emotions, behaviour, relationships and meaning as one system. Co-founder and scientific director of ONCE, a mental wellbeing centre in Amsterdam; works in medical AI. Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Lives on Madeira.
Madeira, included
Part of every day is spent outdoors: levada trails and mountain paths, the ancient Laurisilva laurel forest (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), the north coast and the ocean. Nature is the setting in which the body finds it easiest to recover, so walks are built into every day of the programme.
Practical questions
Are the dates confirmed?
Yes, the dates are confirmed: 18–22 November 2026. If you'd like to travel with Alexander but these dates don't work for you, register your interest anyway and tell us when suits you. We'll look into it — a group may well come together at a time that works for you.
Is this a medical programme?
No. It's an educational and restorative programme; it doesn't replace medical care or psychotherapy, and nobody is diagnosed or treated during the retreat. If you're under a doctor's care or taking medication, carry on as usual and let us know in advance.
How much is it, and where will we stay?
The price is €1,700. The 10% welcome gift applies to this retreat too, if it's your first with EARTH. We'll share the venue, accommodation and group size personally with everyone who registers their interest.
FAQ
Who is Alexander?
A physician-neuroscientist, MD, PhD, with two decades in medicine and science and more than 100 scientific publications. He worked in clinical neuroscience in Norway and at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and now runs the integrative health practice Dynamic Equilibrium and works in medical AI. One of EARTH's three founders, he lives on Madeira.
How do I find out more?
Leave your email through the form on this page or on /welcome/ and select this retreat — we'll send the day-by-day programme as soon as it's ready, along with your 10% welcome gift.
( also planned )
The other EARTH experiences
Madeira Tea Retreat
A retreat for anyone who wants to slow down and exhale. At its centre — tea ceremonies in the Chinese tradition, deep relaxation and an unhurried introduction to Madeira.
€1,300
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