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Welcome to our
Tribe!
Events at Avalon... will you be there?
Our amazing space is not just a conscious community space, but also a healing and ascension portal where we invite people to drop back. into their bodies, and re-connect with nature in its broadest form. Since we are in the middle of nature, we connect with the earth automatically, but we do so much more than that. Through the events we organize, we also connect to the nature of ourselves, the infinite beings we are. Will you join us in the fullness of our nature?
Avalon Event Calendar
This is an overview of our upcoming events. If you want to know more about each event scroll on down with us!​
We are always building and learning and we are always looking for people with an insatiable desire to grow and work on their own skills and development through projects like ours. Below you will find a couple of ways that might suit your and our needs best:
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- Avalon Student:
If you are interested in starting your own community or want to learn about permaculture and natural building then the student program might be for you! On the 14th of April, we'll start a Cob Roundhouse Eco Build project led by Adam. Adam is an experienced eco-builder who has built various structures like an earthbag dome (under the tutelage of Davide Fresca, architect, and CalEarth Institute graduate), cob, straw bale, Superadobe, and stone houses as well as more modern construction projects. A perfect way to learn how to build houses if you are interested in building your own cob house or starting your own community. Read all about this project below!
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- Avalon Volunteers:
What we are doing varies week to week, month to month, season to season but we can say that the help needed will always involve looking after animals, gardening, social media and marketing, and keeping our Avalon space clean and tidy. If we are building something and you are handy you can lend your hands and efforts there. To make the project available to as many people as possible we are working with a system where you can work for food and board and different variations of staying with us varying in luxury with or without accommodation.
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- Work hours: When you work 5 hours, you essentially cover all your costs. Work is really fun and it doesn't have to be hard unless you like the more hefty work of course, we try to get people on the jobs that make them happy. With 3 hours you have more free time but we will ask you to balance that out chipping in to help us cover the food costs.​​
Everyone works 5 out of 7 days regardless of the amount of hours you work or the plan you pick.
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​- Accommodation: We offer basic (shared) accommodation on the land; 2-person bell-tents, a sleeping van, a stone house and soon a caravan are available if you don't bring your own. The 3-cross option will cover your basic food and accommodation costs.
However, if you do come bringing your own accommodation you free up space for others, you can pick the 2-cross option then making it a bit cheaper.
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​- Meals: We offer two healthy vegetarian meals a day, usually breakfast and an early dinner and we will have a healthy snack at lunchtime. If you want to eat meat, fish, or jazz it up with some luxury items we totally understand and we can arrange that when you choose the 4-cross option. For both the 2 and 3 cross option: If you want to fancier with the food just let us know and pay €3,- more.
Pick-up from Castelo Branco on Mondays is included if you don't have your own transportation. ​​​
🌱 Permaculture Tree Planting Day Retreat 🌱
2-day retreat in Portugal at Avalon
Saturday, 27th + Sunday, 28th September 2025
Permaculture Tree Planting 2-day Retreat at Avalon
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Join us for two days of nature, learning, and community connection at Avalon. Our aim with this retreat is to give you our experience of starting a food forest in a Mediterranean off-grid environment. Together we’ll plant trees, share knowledge, and celebrate living in harmony with the earth.
Dive Into Nature With Food Forestry
We begin with a warm welcome and land connection, before getting our hands in the earth.
The two days include:
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Inspiring agroforestry talks with Adam
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Guided hands-on planting of support species
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An introduction to composting, mulching, propagating, and seeding
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Shared potluck lunch & social time
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Optional Qi gong practice or Sun salutations & community time
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A stay and breakfast at our beautiful, comfortable retreat space, Ponte Terrestre, only 5 minutes from Avalon
Bring: a dish to share, a pair of gardening gloves, and a notepad.
Investment: To make this 2-day event available to as large a range of people as possible, we have decided to offer our pricing on a sliding scale from €155,- to €222,-. The latter being the 'normal price' for the event. The people who can afford the normal price are invited to do so, so that people who have a bit less to spend can also join. This creates a community feeling and helps you pay it forward!
Optional: extended stay overnight at Ponte Terrestre, including breakfast (advanced booking required) 🌙. More information about extending your stay here.
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Spaces are limited — reserve yours and be part of planting the future. 🌳💚
Here's an idea of the layout of the days:
Day 1:
​09:30 walk-in for a start at 10:00. After our introduction and tour of our food forest at the Avalon community, Adam will explain the principles of agroforestry so we all understand why we have chosen to plant the way we do. He will then demonstrate the most effective way to plant trees with the highest rate of survival and optimal growth.
Around 13:00, we will have a beautiful co-created lunch and ample time to get to know each other and socialize, chill in a hammock, or even go for a swim. After lunch, we will plant support trees together in our existing food forest to protect the fruit and nut trees. From there, after a Q&A and sharing circle, we will move up to our other location, Ponte Terrestre, to freshen up.
At around 18:30, those who want can come to Castelo Branco with us to eat out at one of our favorite restaurants: Swaghat, Nepalese cuisine with something for everyone!
Back at the retreat space, we have free time to socialize, watch a movie, or retreat to our rooms to rest.
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Day 2:
Between 09:00 and 10:00, you can join an optional morning practice of Qi-Qong, Tantric Sun salutations or Meditation, take a walk, or sleep in. After a nice breakfast, we will have a nice scenic walk to Avalon at 11:00, where Adam will explain all about how he started his food forest and what he has learned. You will learn about observation to plan and plant, composting, air pruning, how to harvest seeds, and he will show you our nursery where we grow our young trees. The last hands-on topic before lunch is mulching, which will nourish and protect your trees. Around 13:00, a healthy lunch will be provided, and there is time to relax. The last part of day 2 is all about propagating and seeding trees. We conclude the day around 16:00 with a sharing circle, drinks, and snacks.
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Extended stay
For those who want to turn this 2-day event into a mini holiday, you are welcome to book extra days before and after our event. We generally rent out the whole house, but it is also possible to share the house with other retreat guests to save costs—more info about the options of renting Ponte Terrestre here.​​​
Your Event Package:
Date and time: 27 + 28 September 2025
Location: Avalon Conscious Eco Community, Sobrainho da Ribeira, Castelo Branco, Portugal
Investment: Sliding scale from €155 to €222. If you have a bit more, you help someone who can afford a bit less!
Language: English
Included: Event and materials, potluck lunch, lunch on day 2, drinks, and snacks, one night at Ponte Terrestre,
including breakfast. Optionally: pick up from Castelo Branco to our community.
Not included: Flight, transportation to Castelo Branco, extra nights at 'Ponte Terrestre', options available here!
🌱 Permaculture Tree Planting Day Retreat 🌱
2-day retreat in Portugal at Ponte Terrestre
Saturday, 18th + Sunday, 19th October 2025
Permaculture Tree Planting 2-day Retreat at Ponte Terrestre
​
Join us for two days of nature, learning, and community connection at our Retreat and B&B space, Ponte Terrestre. Our aim with this retreat is to give you our experience of starting a food forest in a Mediterranean off-grid environment. Together we’ll plant trees, share knowledge, and celebrate living in harmony with the earth.
Dive Into Nature With Food Forestry
We begin with a warm welcome and land connection, before getting our hands in the earth.
The two days include:
-
Inspiring agroforestry talks with Adam
-
Guided hands-on planting of trees and support species
-
An introduction to composting, mulching, propagating, and seeding
-
Shared potluck lunch & social time
-
Optional Qi gong practice or Sun salutations & community time
-
A stay and breakfast at our beautiful, comfortable retreat space, Ponte Terrestre, only 5 minutes from Avalon
​
Things to Bring: A dish to share for our potluck lunch, a raincoat & boots, a pair of gardening gloves, and a notepad.
Investment: To make this 2-day event available to as large a range of people as possible, we have decided to offer our pricing on a sliding scale from €155,- to €222,-. The latter being the 'normal price' for the event. The people who can afford the normal price are invited to do so, so that people who have a bit less to spend can also join. This creates a community feeling and helps you pay it forward!
Optional: extended stay overnight at Ponte Terrestre, including breakfast (advanced booking required) 🌙. More information about extending your stay here.
​
Spaces are limited — reserve yours and be part of planting the future. 🌳💚
Here's an idea of the layout of the days:
Day 1:
​09:30 walk-in for a start at 10:00. After our introduction and tour of our food forest at the land of Ponte Terrestre, Adam will explain the principles of agroforestry so we all understand why we have chosen to plant the way we do. He will then demonstrate the most effective way to plant trees with the highest rate of survival and optimal growth.
Around 13:00, we will have a beautiful co-created lunch and ample time to get to know each other and socialize, rest, or spend some time in nature. After lunch, we will plant trees together in the garden of our new location Ponte Terrestre to turn the existing garden into a permaculture project. We finish the day with a Q&A and sharing circle at 17:00.
At around 18:30, those who want can come to Castelo Branco with us to eat out at one of our favorite restaurants: Swaghat, Nepalese cuisine with something for everyone!
Back at the retreat space, we have free time to socialize, watch a movie, or retreat to our rooms to rest.
​
Day 2:
Between 09:00 and 10:00, you can join an optional morning practice of Qi-Qong, Tantric Sun salutations of Meditation, take a walk, or sleep in. After a nice breakfast, Adam will explain all about how he started his food forest and what he has learned. You will learn about observation to plan and plant, composting, air pruning, how to harvest seeds, and he will show you our nursery where we grow our young trees.
The last hands-on topic before lunch is planting the support species, which will nourish and protect the trees we planted yesterday. Around 13:00, a healthy lunch will be provided, and there is time to relax. After lunch, we will take a nice scenic walk to Avalon, where Adam and Dana will explain the vision of Avalon, our conscious eco-community and retreat space.
We conclude the day around 16:00 with a sharing circle, drinks, and snacks until about 17:00.
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Extended stay
For those who want to turn this 2-day event into a mini holiday, you are welcome to book extra days before and after our event. We generally rent out the whole house, but it is also possible to share the house with other retreat guests to save costs. More info about the options of renting Ponte Terrestre here.​​​
COB ROUNDHOUSE ECO BUILD APRIL 2025
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Are you ready to learn how to build a sustainable home from the ground up? Join us at Avalon in the stunning Portuguese countryside for a hands-on, immersive, and transformational experience where you'll gain the skills and knowledge to construct your very own home using natural materials.
In April 2025, we will begin a new project to build an earthen roundhouse with a reciprocal roof using a combination of sustainable, eco-friendly construction methods.
There will be the opportunity to learn about:
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Foundations and drainage;
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Walls, doors, and windows;
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Making a reciprocal green roof;
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Heating, lighting, plumbing, solar electricity and ventilation;
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All natural plastering and flooring.​
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The experience doesn't end with learning all these amazing building skills, there are multiple other benefits to joining us:
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Wake up to birdsong and bathe in the beautiful river that runs through the land.
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Try out living off-grid on an evolving project in its early years.
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Surround yourself with like-minded people.
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Dine on lovingly prepared healthy meals, made with the freshest, local, and seasonal ingredients.
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Take part in practices such as cacao ceremonies, (casual) coaching, Qi Gong, and yoga.
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Acoustic music and games nights
The Immersion begins on Monday, 14 April 2025 and we anticipate the main part of construction to last two months. These two months are split into four parts, each one two weeks long. We will have a rolling intake of new students at the start of each part. You can join us for just one or all of the parts. ​
The following schedule repeats each week:
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Monday - arrival and departure day (day off)
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Tuesday - new person orientation (day off)
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Wednesday to Sunday - construction
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This is what a typical construction day will look like:
07:00 - Morning meeting and warm-up
08:00 - Build
09:00 - Breakfast
10:00 - Build
13:00 - Break with healthy snacks
14:00 - Build
16:00 - Free time for optional activities
18:00 - Dinner
19:00 - Free time/games/movie
21:00 - Quiet time
22:00 - Lights out
Subject to changes due to weather, etc.
The Price
We are offering this immersive experience of a lifetime on a sliding scale that will hopefully suit both people looking to take a hands-on break from their regular life as well as those wanting to understand what it means to construct a house and live off-grid. 2 meals and healthy snacks are included. The minimum stay is for two weeks.
These are the prices for the course, (shared) accommodation, food, gas, and pick-up from Castelo Branco:
1 Part (2 weeks) = 400€
2 Parts (4 weeks) = 750€
3 Parts (6 weeks) = 1050€
4 Parts (8 weeks) = 1350€
We offer a reduced pricing scale if you bring your own accommodation:
1 Part (2 weeks) = 300€
2 Parts (4 weeks) = 550€
3 Parts (6 weeks) = 750€
4 Parts (8 weeks) = 950€
When booking your place we ask that you pay your first week as a deposit (non-refundable).
Can't wait to join or are you curious and want to know more? Click the button below for the sign-up form.
Your Event Package:
Date and time: 18 + 19 October 2025
Location: Ponte Terrestre, Sobrainho da Ribeira, Castelo Branco, Portugal
Investment: Sliding scale from €155 to €222. If you have a bit more, you help someone who can afford a bit less!
Language: English
Included: Event and materials, potluck lunch, lunch on day 2, drinks, and snacks, one night at Ponte Terrestre,
including breakfast. Optionally: pick up from Castelo Branco to our community.
Not included: Flight, transportation to Castelo Branco, extra nights at 'Ponte Terrestre', options available here!
Avalon Back to Nature
1-day retreat in Portugal
Saturday, November 4th 2025, 10:00 - 17:00
Back to Nature 1-Day Retreat in the mesmerizing nature of Portugal
Are you a curious soul who loves nature and has a deep interest in understanding and experiencing energy?
Let us take you Back to Nature!
In the beautiful green heart of Portugal, we organize a full-day program to bring you Back to Nature. Not just the nature that surrounds us, but also your own nature as an infinite energetic being! And yes, you CAN have it all!
The program consists of two parts. In the first half of the day, we turn inward to feel and understand our incredible, infinite, energetic potential. We do this through a Tantric version of the Sun Salutations to connect with our body and the sun and feel the energy in our body. Then, in an introduction to Tantra, Dana will explain how energy works and how, if used correctly and skillfully, it can accelerate the evolution of our consciousness.
After a healthy lunch in nature, ample time to connect with yourself, nature, others, and a refreshing swim in the river that runs through our land, Adam will lead the second part of the program.
In the Permaculture tour, you will be led through our Avalon Community’s food forest and then on an educational walk through the beautiful valley to our second location, ‘Ponte Terrestre’, where we have many mature fruit-bearing trees already. Here, with the backdrop of the most amazing view ever, Adam will lead a Qi-Qong practice, and we will do a conscious community sharing circle while having a drink and some snacks.
If you really want to immerse yourself in the energy of this event, you can join the potluck dinner and even extend your stay at Ponte Terrestre for one or more days. It’s also an option to arrive a day or multiple days before our Back to Nature Event, and turn this Back to Nature event full of learning and relaxing into a mini holiday!​​​
Program for the event​
This is what you can expect from this amazing day in nature and the options we have to prolong your stay!
Part 1 - Tantric Surya Namaskara
This version of the Sun Salutations is not just an amazing way to connect with the body, but during this practice, we work with the energy of the sun and change the energetic state of our body. Dana will explain about energy and resonance, and then we will do the practice together and perceive the energetic shift in our system.
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Part 2 - Explore your Energetic Nature
As a teacher of Authentic White Tantra, Dana has taught Tantra & Tantra Sexuality to groups and couples. For this day, she will give a one-hour introduction to Tantra lecture in which the basics of authentic Tantra are explained. This is an exploration into your energetic nature. There will be time to ask questions and discuss experiences.
Lunch and connect
When we connect with nature, we also connect with the food that nature provides. In between the activities, we will provide a healthy, nourishing vegetarian lunch to tantalize the senses and nourish our bodies. There will be ample time to connect with other participants, with the beautiful nature around you, and take a refreshing dip into the Rio Alvito river that runs through Avalon.
Part 3 - Permaculture Walk & Talk
We’re passionate about learning from the land whilst we grow and build our community in harmony with nature. Adam will lead you on a tour of our fledgling food forest, tell you all about composting methods, water harvesting systems, and the local flora, all while sharing the philosophy behind permaculture and answering your questions.
Part 4 - Qi Gong Practice
This ancient Chinese practice of conscious movement helps to calm the mind and balance and relax the body. The perfect activity after our walk and talk to help you embody the information and give you the experience of energy working within you - the same energy that flows through all things—no prior experience required.
Part 5 - Conscious Community Sharing Circle
If you’ve always wanted to know what it’s like to live in a conscious community like Avalon, this is your chance to get a bit of a feel. At the end of our adventure together, we open a conscious sharing circle, community style, so you can get a feel of what it’s like to live in an off-grid conscious community.
Optional: Potluck dinner
To extend the community feeling, we provide the option to share a meal with the group. For this potluck-style dinner, everyone brings something to share, allowing us to spend more time together and connect on a deeper, personal level. So you get a literal taste of community life!
Optional: Extended stay
Turn your Back to Nature Day into a mini holiday at the comfortable Ponte Terrestre, including a healthy breakfast and the option for Sun Salutations on the terrace the next day! If you are interested in the options, please send us an email at communityofavalon@gmail.com, and we will send you a list of all the options available for you!​​
PRICES & CONDITIONS
The price for the workshop itself is €66,- to €111,-. We have set the price on the principles of permaculture and community. Everything lives in harmony with everything else. For our event, we chose to create a 'pay what you can' principle. The people who can pay more help the people who have a little less to spend right now. This way we all help each other!
LOCATION
We are an off-grid community located in nature. The accommodation is in Sobrainho da Ribeira in the Castelo Branco area. To get there, you can fly to either Lisbon or Porto. Take a bus to Castelo Branco (resp. 2 hours and 20 min or 3,5 hours) and then we can arrange a pick up at Castelo Branco. Our location is 30 minutes from the Castelo Branco bus/train station.
INCLUDED
On the event day, all parts of the workshop, including a healthy lunch, snacks, and drinks, will be provided. Not included are the flight, the bus ride, the accommodation for your stay, and the food outside the workshop day. More information about the different kinds of accommodation and price options can be found here. ​
Your Event Package:
Date and time: 4 November 2025 from 10:00 - 17:00 (multiday possibility!)
Location: Sobrainho da Ribeira, Castelo Branco, Portugal
Investment: Sliding scale from €66,- to €111,-. If you have a bit more, you help someone who can afford a bit less!
Language: English
Included: All workshops, lunch, drinks, and snacks. Optionally, the pick up from Castelo Branco to our land
Not included: Flight, bus ride to Castelo Branco, extended stayover at 'Ponte Terrestre', options available here!
Adam
Originally from: The United Kingdom
Positive traits: Creative, focused, hardworking, and kind. Visionary. An avid learner and disciplinarian.
Lives for: The simple things in life, moments of co-creation, and experiential growth. Portuguese pastries.
Doesn't deal well with: Lateness, littering, and loud, drunk people.
Specialties: Thai massage, Qi gong, permaculture, and eco-building.​​​
Your facilitators​
Growing up on the beaches and cliffs of West Cornwall, United Kingdom, my childhood was filled with adventures in the natural world. I had rock pools, long golden beaches, and stone circles as playgrounds and tales of pirates and mysterious Celtic folklore as world-building fantasies. Whether it was building sand castles or painting landscapes, running up sand dunes, or surfing in the summer, the rugged and seasonal exposure of that northern coastline had me captivated.
Years later, after more adult responsibilities took precedence, I ‘woke up’ feeling somewhat despondent and very distant from that world. I was living a conventional life with a corporate job, in a distant city and mortgage, etc. Something wasn't right. Deep down in my own abyss, I found my treasure again - my adventurous spirit. This time I took off around the world - discovering yoga and the wonderful healing art of Thai massage. I traveled and worked in many countries learning many things picking up permaculture and various eco-building techniques. Despite the great lifestyle, something was still missing from living out of my bag. Then, the call to settle and build something became clear.
The year 2020 was time to start. Drawn by a vision of living in harmony with nature, I came to Portugal alone and bought this 1.4-hectare plot of land after feeling it ‘speak to me’. Back then, it had just a stone ruin with a very thorny and overgrown landscape by the river. The seasons and solitude have taught me an exceptional amount about what is important in life and where answers to meaningful questions lie. Over time I've discovered the importance of establishing community sufficiency, a concept of togetherness and mutual support between neighbors, ecosystems, humans, and all other beings.
I love working with my hands and that shines through what I do—bodywork, building with natural materials, and planting trees. Inspired by Taoism, Vipassana meditation, and Qi Gong practice, I feel a natural resonance with walking the path of presence, balance, and surrender. Every day, I open my heart and mind to learn from nature’s rhythms, and the subtleties of reality, believing in a way of life that is both simple and deeply connected to all that is.
Dana
Originally from: The Netherlands
Positive traits: Very open and non-judgmental, good with energy, people, and animals, empowers people
Lives for: Personal growth and learning, balance, and freedom
Not crazy about: Dishonesty, passive aggression
Specialties: Helps people reconnect to their soul calling ​​​
As a spiritual coach, Dana helps individuals remember their Dharma and guides them to go for what excites their souls. In relationship coaching (and life), she is highly effective because of her loving but no-nonsense direct approach. Her strong empathic senses and the ability to represent both the masculine and feminine in one body enable her to easily feel her way behind any masks and help translate between partners.
Since age 24, Dana has wanted her own 'Garden of Epicurus'—a community of philosophers and spiritual seekers who help and empower each other. Settling in Portugal, home of the Templars, for her is a dream come true. With her two cats, Bushi and Bumba, she is now practicing what she preaches about living your life guided by your Highest Excitement, which is the language of the Soul, as an example for others.
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As a Tantra Teacher and Tantra Massage Therapist, Dana knows about energy and the Universal Laws and how to use them to manifest, alchemize, and transmute. An afternoon of building and chatting with her can be akin to the equivalent of months of therapy. Come try for yourself!