Daniela LUZ
Hello, I am Daniela, an international mindfulness mentor, retreat leader, trauma-informed teacher trainer, and a ceremonialist. Accredited as a Yoga Alliance RYT 200Hr and an advanced RYT 500Hr Yoga Teacher trainer, I am the founder of Luz Retreats. My passion for sharing the transformative benefits of Yoga and Meditation is rooted in my profound journey of emotional healing and self-love.
Committed to empowering you both on and off the mat, my primary mission is to guide you through emotional healing and provide tools for nervous system regulation. With significant collaborations cultivated over the years with international organizations in Australia, Africa, and Europe, I organize and participate in wellness retreats, events, workshops, and training, offering individual therapeutic guidance.
Having assisted thousands in reducing stress and anxiety, my focus is on encouraging individuals to unlock their potential through a mindful lifestyle and embrace radical self-love. Join me on a transformative journey with Luz Retreats, where you’re invited to discover the extraordinary within the ordinary—grounded in your body, expanded in your heart, and enriched in inner vision—towards a purposeful and fulfilling life!
MISSION
Rooted in heart-centred practices, at Luz Retreats we guide you to ignite limitless potential in a safe haven for emotional healing & nervous system regulation.
Cultivating a harmonious fusion of ancient wisdom, science, and modern insights, we nurture personal growth in intimate settings.
My Journey
Take a trip down through this memory lane to see how was my journey till today.
Before 2008
I am soul seeker, for as long as I can remember. I had my first contact with meditation and yoga in 2003. This was the entrance door to a whole new world! Moved by a sense of justice and equality, I went to university to study social education, while also spending many years volunteering in communities that were most in need. After my degree, I deeply dedicated myself to social projects in Portugal, Italy and Mozambique.
2010
Mozambique was a milestone in my life, on every level and throughout every cell of my body. In a humble rural community, I found the most extreme scenarios. I went there as a volunteer to provide support through social work and ended up receiving SO much!! I founded the volunteer group “Boluka Kua Zua – The Sunrise” along with 2 other friends. We aimed to help this community to have more autonomy through adult education, and help under-nourished children and families to get support through sponsorships for their basic needs. This project grew wings and attracted many volunteers. They continued the project and also gave an important contribution in other African countries until 2018.
2010 – 2015
In Sydney, Australia, for nearly 5 years I had the opportunity to lead a pilot project with children with special needs and families at risk, another project which greatly impacted my life. At this stage, I had to be prepared to anything that could arise, in order to give effective support to those families at risk and of course to my team. My role in this profession, however, was extremely demanding on a psychological level. During these years, my attention and care was mostly on others… and I felt a great need to bring my attention inwards, in order to “digest” all the suffering from others. Nearly to a burn out, I felt the need to pause and turn the attention back to myself… I found refuge in such places as retreat centre’s, urban groups, a lovely monastery in the forest and also just by myself. Gradually, my yoga practice became more intense and regular. My vitality came back and I could be more present in my body and centred. It was only here that I realized that I was missing one very basic aspect: to love myself and to take care of myself.
2015
2 years afterwards, even though I was passionate I left my social work career logging for self-healing. Therefore, I dedicated myself to the study of yoga, meditation and ayurveda, in Australia but particularly in India, Thailand, Bali, Laos and Cambodia. With vision, creativity, knowledge and cultural enrichment, driven by my passion for self-healing work and through helping others, I decided to fully dedicate myself to a more holistic service wherever I go. When I returned to Portugal, I felt the need to share the experience I have gained throughout my journey on earth.
2016
I worked full time in a well recognized 5star resort in the Algarve – Vila Vita Park, as a Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher, organizing wellness events and providing group and one-on-one sessions therapeutic yoga sessions.
2018
I founded Luz Retreats in the end of 2018 with the aim to provide a safe space for reconnection, as I experienced a deep transformation through attending retreats in Asia. It was too good to not be shared. In the last years, I have been working specifically with entrepreneurs and individuals in leadership positions at the international level, focusing on stress, anxiety, and burnout management and release. This work encourages her students to reconnect with themselves, rediscover their 'centre,' and internal joy. It also empowers them to apply this knowledge in their practical lives, enhancing a fulfilling lifestyle. Through the combination of my knowledge and self-healing, I created my own method that encourages my students to create a deeper awareness of the self, more body mind connection, to have tools that can help them to understand and manage stress and anxiety, empowering them to find inner peace and to be the leaders of their own life.
2020 until now
After advancing my teaching skills and studies in Thailand, India, UK and USA I entered the board of Teachers Trainers at Bend It Like Buddha (recognized yoga school by Yoga Alliance) and started to train yoga teachers. This was for me an honour to pass on my experience, my passion and my knowledge acquired throughout the years in an more comprehensive way.
2021
I became a mother for the first time in 2021. In 2022 due to a personal crises, I started to study Family Constellations and felt that my awareness had a quantum salt. The missing piece of the puzzle was found. My sessions, trainings and mentorships are taught in Portuguese and English.
2023 part I
During these years, I have been developing a solid work with different groups, adults and children, international organizations; organizing and participating in wellness and healing retreats; providing individual guidance and on a therapeutic level. Being a seeker, I kept on with studding, to have a deeper understanding about Rituals and Ceremonies in 2023 I became a 'Priestess of Love', to celebrate your meaningful life events! I kept on with the retreats and studies for my self personally and completed a Breathwork and Trauma Release training.
2023 part II
This year I refreshened Luz Retreats concept. Leveraging my expertise and personal journey of self-healing, I have crafted a unique method that guides students toward cultivating a profound self-awareness and fostering a stronger mind-body connection. This approach equips them with practical tools to comprehend and manage stress and anxiety, facilitating the release of traumas through somatic practices, breathwork, yoga, and an understanding of the family system and epigenetics. Empowering individuals to discover inner peace, my method encourages them to become leaders of their own lives. Luz Retreats family team grew and I also started to help also other professional to organize wellness retreats. I am very grateful to all that crossed my path so far!