
Project and Vision
In the yog-vedantic wisdom, the fabrics of Existence are made of these three fundamental aspects: Sat (Truth), Chit (Consciousness), Ananda (Bliss). It is the supreme blissful experience of pure consciousness, unity and ultimate reality, which is beyond space, time, and matter. Experiencing this is our birthright.
Integrated yogic practices, due to the vast tool box, carefully developed throughout thousands of years, have the potential to guide the committed practitioners to think outside any boxes, to realize themselves, to have the courage to leave the shores of life, and to adventure toward open sea…and to dive deep into the depths of the ocean of consciousness…where one can understand, on a visceral level, the meaning of Sat. Chit. Ananda. Beyond the intellect, beyond the mind…in the pure, vast immensity of silence…the source of it all and from where everything arises.
Practice . Connect . Transcend . Repeat
JivanMukta LaB is a project for those who want to awaken to life beyond the mind, and are willing to swim away from the shore, to awaken to their full potential, and to live purposefully. Working towards disentanglement from conditioning and self-imposed limitations, and moving in the direction of growth, light, liberation – Moksha.
Jivanmukta (जीवन्मुक्त) is the Atman (Self) who is “liberated while still alive”. In our LaB, we walk baby steps towards this goal, with focus and creativity, while enjoying the path. Through an integrative and holistic yogic approach, from the Himalayan Yog-Vedantic and Tantric Tradition, you will explore the powerful techniques and the yogic wisdom to balance all aspects of your Being.
Wait no more! Act now to manifest the live you want to live, and to allow the live that wants to live through you. It all begins with you, with your willingness…then I am here to support you on the process.
Remember: The greatest gift you can give to yourself, is to know yourself. That is also the greatest act of self-love.
About the teacher, some key moments on the journey:

My name is Sofia Rosa Fernandes. I grew up practicing gymnastics (trampoline). The passion for using my body and energy as an instrument of self-expression and liberation has been part of my experience since the very beginning. Gymnastics also gave me an opportunity to develop qualities such as, discipline, commitment, focus, courage, will-power, and transcendence of the mind, from a very young age.
I did my first yoga class in 2008. What started as a physical and spiritual “exercise”, with the intention to heal past body injuries, to relax and release stress and anxiety…overtime it became my lifestyle. At the time, I was doing a MA in International Journalism, in London. In 2010, I started a career in the same area, working for Press TV and then for CNN International, in the same city, and I thought that International Journalism would be my contribution to the world. And it was, for a while…The pace of life to which I was exposed was quite intense, and I found the balance I needed in yoga practices, in order to maintain a certain level of health and well-being.
My love for travelling and the curiosity to experience the great diversity there is on this planet has taken me to several earth locations…and in every single place, the beauty of the “Mother” reveals Its uniqueness, and that is exciting and inspiring for me. However, the location, which has always been fascinating me the most…is within myself…
The guidance of these inner dimensions led me through the years to Yoga retreats, Qi Gong classes and workshops, Shiatsu course, Reiki trainings, Sound Healing therapies, Shamanic Journeys, and other spiritual experiences and immersions. But the desire of going deeper and deeper was growing silently inside of me…the fundamental questions of the Nature of Reality and Existence were requiring more emphasis in my life. Therefore, the need to give my full attention to these inquiries was clear.
In 2017, everything took on other proportions, I quit my job and I embarked on an adventure to the Himalayas to study Yoga, at the Sattva Yoga Academy (SYA). During this first journey in India, 6 months in total, I completed the 500-hour YTT. I also taught in North and South India, namely in Rishikesh, Dharamsala and Auroville (Pondicherry).
That was a turning point on my journey of self-realisation and self-mastery, which is eternally ongoing…
The yogic wisdom is extensive and requires dedication, so in September 2019, I went back to SYA, this time to participate on an immersive program, called Gurukul, where I lived, studied, and did Seva for 9 months. During this period, I dived deep in the teachings, according to the Yog-Vedantic and Tantric Traditions of the Himalayas. This experience allowed me to get in touch and explore dimensions of myself I never explored before, and that with such clarity, it showed me a way back Home to myself with eloquence. It was a very impactful and transformative experience, and it still is…
Since then, I did other courses, including a Master Teaching Training (also at Sattva Yoga Academy, in India, in January 2024), and several Vedanta online courses. I am currently living in Portugal, where I am practicing, applying, and sharing this powerful ancient body of knowledge. One of my biggest motivations is to guide sincere practitioners to find their way back home to themselves, to their wholeness.

Formal Training and Certificates:
- Vedanta course: Nirvāṇaṣaṭkam ‘Quem sou Eu?’ from Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (August-September 2024)
- Vedanta course: “Īśāvāsya Upaniṣad (1st mantra) – Tudo o que esta aqui é o Senhor”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (February-March 2024)
- Master Level Yoga Teacher Training, at Sattva Yoga Academy Rishikesh, India – (January 2024)
- Vedanta course: “Hastāmalakīyam – O Conhecimento Transparente”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (August- September 2023)
- Vedanta course: “Liberdade no Relacionamento” (“Freedom in Relationship”, from Swami Dayananda Saraswati), with Maline Ribeiro, from Ātma Vidyā (November-December 2022)
- Vedanta course: “Bhaja Govindam – O Caminho do Conhecimento”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā (August-September 2022)
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras: “Cultivating Sacred Space, Purity, Contemplative Study and Self-Surrender through the Five Niyamas”, with Swami Brahmananda, from Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas – (May-July 2022)
- Vedanta Course: “Luto & Ritual da Morte – A Visão da Morte na Tradição Védica”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (April- May 2022)
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras: “Cultivating Freedom from Binding Thoughts and Emotions through the Five Yamas”, with Swami Brahmananda, from Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas (March-May 2022)
- Vedanta Course: “Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti Stotram – Um Mergulho no questionamento do Eu”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (July-August 2021)
- Vedanta Course: “Kena Upanishads”, with Sonia Novaes, from Ātma Vidyā – (March-May 2021)
- Introduction to Sanskrit, Online Course – with AETO – Associação Europeia de Terapias Orientais (February-March 2021)
- Gurukul Program (9 months) with Master Anand Mehrotra, at Sattva Yoga Academy, Rishikesh, India – (September 2019 – May 2020)
- Program included attending:
- 4x 200- Hour YTT
- Warriors of Wisdom -Retreat – 2 weeks
- 3x 300 – Hour YTT
- 80-Hour Master Module: Conscious Leadership
- 80-Hour Master Module: Kundalini Science
- 60-Hour Master Module: Initiator to the “Dasha MahaVidyas: The 10 Wisdom Goddesses of Tantra”
- 138-Hour – “Bhagavad Gita” Course
- Discourses on Padas 3 and 4 of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
- Program included attending:
- 28-Hour Course of Yoga for Children, with Bárbara Mendes, Vila do Conde (May 2019)
- 300-Hour Sattva Yoga Teacher Training, at Sattva Yoga Academy Rishikesh, India – (April-May 2018)
- 200-Hour Sattva Yoga Teacher Training, at Sattva Yoga Academy, Rishikesh, India – (November-December 2017)


