MEDITATION TEACHER & SPIRITUAL MENTOR
HOLISTIC BUSINESS COACH
The Align Retreat is a week-long spiritual retreat taking place by the sea in Portugal.
Through a combination of meditation, breathwork, mediumship, spiritual teachings, healing workshops, and yoga, the theme of the retreat is to reflect, heal, release what doesn't serve you, as well as learn how to connect inwards to hear inner truths to bring you into greater alignment and empowerment on your life path.
SEPTEMBER 22-29, 2025
The Venue
Ondina Guesthouse, Encarnação, Portugal
This retreat takes place in a seaside villa situated on the beautiful cliffs of São Lourenço, just 45 minutes outside of Lisbon, Portugal.
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Are you connected to and do you follow your own inner truths?
We all have deep inner wisdom that is here to help us evolve onto our highest path. The problem? Usually our minds are too busy to hear this wisdom and guidance or we doubt its' validity and our ability to trust and follow it.
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THE ALIGN RETREAT aims to deepen the connection you have to yourself, your soul and your own inner wisdom and guiding compass. It also aims to work on healing things from the past that may be affecting your growth & evolution, drop the limiting beliefs that are keeping you stuck and aims to help build confidence, self-trust and self-love to help you move towards your highest truths.
Modalities included on the Align Retreat...
The Align Retreat includes a powerful combination of modailties that can provide deep release, healing, clarity, insight and shifts within. These include meditation, breathwork, intuition development exercises, group mediumship sessions, inner child work, manifestation work and gentle yoga.
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Meditation: The Align Retreat includes five days of daily meditation practice to help us quiet our minds and connect to our true selves and inner truths. Styles explored and practiced include vipassana meditation, healing & visualization meditations, direct path (non-dual) meditation as well as meditative journaling and automatic writing to practice tuning into inner wisdom and intuition.
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Breathwork: Breathwork is a practice of consciously working with your breathing pattern, lying down, to music. The rhythmic breathing in breathwork helps shift our mind into an altered state of consciousness, often deeper than meditation.​​ Putting our mind into an altered state allows us to experience our thoughts, emotions, and situations in life in a different way compared to the analytical/thinking mind. It's also a space for going inwards and connecting with your inner truths and your heart's needs & desires. x3 breathwork sessions are offered throughout the week.
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Meditation & Breathwork can help with:
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Insights and understanding of different situations in your life
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Healing of the mind and body
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Deep sense of peace and bliss
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New creative ideas
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Deep connection towards oneself
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Ideas of life direction/next steps
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Release of emotions that might be limiting you and keeping you stuck
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Calming of the nervous system
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Greater awareness of patterns of the mind
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Boosting of mood
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Boosting of self-esteem, confidence & feelings of empowerment
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Intuition Development Exercises: Practices and group exercises to practice developing the skill of hearing and strengthening your own intuition, your own inner wisdom and your own messages of guidance. The practices of meditation and breathwork throughout the week will also help to strengthen and connect to this inner voice.
Group mediumship sessions: Laurie Oakes is a gifted medium who channels messages from the Divine that assist you on your life path. During a group channeling session, Laurie works around the room and channels a message for each person. Often these messages provide guidance, clarity and direction on different areas in your life and guidance is often provided on ways to work through and approach different challenges. You can also ask Laurie for guidance on a certain area of life.
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Inner Child Work & Manifestation (Co-Creation) Work: Stepping into our highest path also involves healing things from the past that may still be affecting our lives (our thought patterns, belief systems, mood & emotions, behaviours and levels of stress). Through inner child work activities we work to heal the past so that we can move forward in a more confident and peaceful way. After we strengthen our connection to our inner voice and inner guidance system, we then also work to align our energy in the direction of our truths and desires, practicing manifestation & co-creation to help our truths become a reality within our lives.
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Limiting Beliefs Work: The number one thing that keeps us from following our inner truths and desires is the ego mind, fear and its' limiting beliefs. Throughout the week we'll be exploring what subconscious limiting beliefs we're holding that are keeping us from creating a life that is truly aligned with our authentic selves.
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Gentle Yoga: Gentle yoga & movement will be included in the week to help strengthen our relationship to our bodies and to practice meditative movement. Beginners welcome.
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The week will be intentional time for participant's to come back to SELF. Tuning into your truths, your needs and taking time for reflection, healing, relaxation and connection with others <3
What's Included
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3 delicious, organic, locally sourced meals each day at the villa – vegetarian and gluten free
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Morning Practice of Guided Meditation, Co-Creative Journaling and Gentle Yoga (offered 5 days) - learn and practice Shawna's powerful daily routine she's used for the last 5 years to align with her truths and co-create an empowered reality
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Breathwork workshop + 3 Breathwork Sessions for healing, clarity and connection to oneself & one's path
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2 Group Mediumship Sessions done by Laurie Oakes: receive channeled messages on what might be keeping you stuck and what would assist you on your highest path
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Plus empowering & healing group workshops throughout the week including:
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What is the Soul? - Why we experience life as a physical body + The path of the soul and the path of healing, evolving and raising consciousness
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Self-Love & Inner Child Work: identifying where we get triggered and where we're stuck + healing our past inner wounds
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Manifestation & Co-Creation Workshop: tuning in to our intuition to get clear on our true desires + aligning our energy and vibration to this path
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Belief Systems Work: Looking at the subconscious beliefs you hold about yourself, your relationships, your worth and potential, the world around you, money & finances + shifting to belief systems that serve our health and our highest path
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Energy & Vibration: How it's connected to hearing inner wisdom + how to grow and strengthen your connection to inner wisdom by raising your vibration
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Automatic writing workshop + automatic writing guided session: Practicing listening to inner guidance
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Connecting to Your Intuition Workshop + Practice Exercises
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Balancing Our Energy: Understanding and shifting to healthy masculine & feminine energy within + understanding and moving out of the wounded feminine and wounded masculine
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Group coaching circles throughout the week to reflect & to connect
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Sacred cacao ceremony to open the heart
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An additional organized group activity (e.g sound healing session, seaside hike)
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Day off in Lisbon to tour & explore + included group dinner in Lisbon, Portugal
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Seaside free time to relax & restore - massages and surfing available for additional charge
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A sacred and supportive space to fully explore your inner self and your life
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A PDF book of the various skills & practices + all journaling prompts and workshop exercises learned to continue your inward journey of healing & growth
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**Flights, transportation, accommodation and alcohol not included in retreat pricing. In accordance with travel laws of Ontario, all flights & transportation must be arranged and booked by each participant individually. [Leaders will be flying into Lisbon and taking a cab to the villa]. In accordance with travel laws of Ontario, accommodation is not included in retreat pricing however, accommodation for the retreat is graciously donated (at no extra cost) from the venue. Securing of the complementary room is done after retreat registration through Ondina (instructions provided in registration email).
Explore Lisbon
Registration
Align Portugal Retreat: September 22-29th, 2025
A co-ed retreat open to women, men, couples, and individuals of all gender identities.
Cancellation/Refund policy: A 50% refund (on amount paid) is available if cancelling by May 22, 2025. Then, due to limited retreat spots and costs to cover retreat, no refunds are available if cancelling after May 22, 2025. No transfer of dates available at any time. For payment plans, if payment is not received within 2 weeks of payment due date, it is deemed you are not attending the retreat and your spot becomes available to someone else. If one spot is cancelled in a double getaway, the spot becomes open for another random registration. Exchange for 5 Weeks of Manifestation or RISE online programs available if cancelling after May 22, 2025. If retreat is cancelled due to Covid-19 or any other reason, a 95% refund is provided. **Please note: Be Free follows government guidelines for Covid-19. Following travel policies of Ontario, above is registration for retreat services, programming & meals. Accommodation and transportation is not included in retreat pricing however, accommodation for the retreat is graciously donated (at no extra cost) from the venue. Securing of the complementary room is done after retreat registration through Ondina (instructions provided in registration email).
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Frequently Asked Questions
"What airports can I fly into? And how do I get to the guesthouse?"
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We recommend flying into Lisbon airport and taking a cab or an uber to Ondina Guesthouse. Flights and transportation to villa not included in retreat pricing. You can get to the venue by Uber or taxi, from 40 to 55€, around 45 minutes travel. According to travel laws of Ontario, all travel arrangements and booking needs to be done independently.
"I'm thinking about coming alone...is this ok?"
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Absolutely! YES YES YES! Going to a retreat alone can be extremely powerful and transformative. Common feedback we also receive is the welcoming, safe and connected vibe we create and the relationships you create on retreats sometimes turn in to lifelong friends. Around 50% of Shawna's past retreat attendees have come on their own and this % increases with international retreats.
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"I'm not too experienced in meditation, breathwork, yoga or mediumship...is this ok?"
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Another big YES! We welcome women of all levels and complete beginners too! Retreats are a great place to learn or to solidify established practices and routines.
"Is there a what-to-bring list?"
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Yes, a retreat information email with all this information will be sent out closer to the retreat date.
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"What if I have dietary restrictions?"
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The villa is able to accommodate for dietary restrictions. Send an email to befree@shawnathibodeau.com if you have any dietary restrictions to ensure that week's menu will accommodate you.
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Meet The Team
Shawna Thibodeau
MEDITATION, BREATHWORK & YOGA TEACHER,
HEALING, EMPOWERMENT & SPIRITUAL GUIDE
FORMER MENTAL HEALTH NURSE
Shawna is a meditation, breathwork and yoga teacher as well as a healing, empowerment and spiritual guide. A history of depression and anxiety in her teens, led her in her early 20's onto a healing and spiritual path. Finding and practising meditation completely shifted her life and opened her up to learning and studying various holistic and spiritual modalities over the next 12 years.​
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With a professional background of 8 years in mental health nursing, Shawna combines therapeutic and spiritual modalities to help others heal, gain clarity and step into greater empowerment and more aligned and authentic lives. She is passionate about teaching others how using the mind can influence reality as well as how belief systems create the current reality you are living. She helps clients heal, release what does not serve them and step into minds, beliefs systems and a path that aligns more with their truths and their highest self.
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Bachelor of Science in Nursing – Trent University
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​Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing Certification
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​Certified Meditation Facilitator (2014) – Naturality, Hamilton (in association with Yoga Alliance, Canada)
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Certified Breathwork Facilitator (1:1 & Group) - Breathwork by Jon Paul Crimi, California
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200 hr Yoga Teacher Traning - YogaRenew
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​Yoga.Psyche.Soul (2015) - 120hr Yoga Psychology Speciality Certificate on the Psychology of Yoga - Ashley Turner (MA,LMFT)
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​Level 1 & 2 EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique) Certification - AAMET International
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​Level 1 & 2 Reiki + 35 hr Hands of Light Energy Healing Training - Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York
Laurie Oakes
INTERNATIONAL MEDIUM, SPIRITUAL TEACHER & INTUITIVE COACH
Spirituality and mediumship have been interests and passions of Laurie's from a very young age. She can recall receiving messages and images and pondering her soul’s purpose and path in this life from a young age, seeking to find the answers to her questions and understand more deeply, the meaning and purpose of life.
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Her interest in spirituality grew and she then met a mentor who she trained under for 2 years, learning mediumship, channeling and spiritual teachings. Through her studies and trainings, Laurie learned how to communicate, channel God (non-religious), and trust in following received guidance.
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In 2020, Laurie was honoured with the opportunity to work in the Dagmar Butler School for Spirituality as a channel for two years.
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Laurie's soul’s purpose is to work as a medium and help to lift others, as she was. She is honoured to hear, receive and share guidance for others in all areas of their life - focusing on what they need to hear to move towards a more aligned and authentic path and what, from their past, may be blocking this. Laurie is a gifted medium and her clients share that her guidance and teachings have been some of the most influential work of their lives.