4-Day In-Person Retreat
Vipassana & Embodiment
Stillness in Motion
How can we take what we learn on the cushion..
..into relation?
..into movement?
..into a full embodiment?
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Hosted by Vipassana at Home
Facilitated by Francisco Borges & Reimar Wen Shen
Supported by Sandra Fleischmann
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Over 4 days we cultivate understanding of our mind and body. Mind and Body in silence & stillness and in relation with ourselves, Nature and each other.
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To see and meet the world clearly with the fullness of the body. We will discover how to move moment-by-moment with embodied presence, authenticity and spontaneously arising self-expression.
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The Practices
Vipassana Meditation
Embodied Metta (loving-kindness)
Silence
Authentic Movement
Relational Mindfulness
Nature Immersion
Poetry Writing
Dance & Contact Improvisation
Some Side Effects you may experience
Inner Silence
Clarity
Embodied Awareness
Somatic Communication
Authentic Self-Expression
Sense of Belonging
Deeper connection to Self, Other & Nature
What makes this retreat special?
With facilitators from a background both in Vipassana meditation and dance improvisation, we hold a safe and accessible space for the integration of stillness in motion.
An embodied awareness to be cultivated beyond the cushion. Meditation extended to daily life, as we move in connection with others and the world around us.
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Retreat Schedule
Wednesday 18 | Arrival in Afternoon / Dinner and Meditation
Thursday 19 | Intro to Meditation & Embodiment
Friday 20 | Meditation & Embodiment
Saturday 21 | Silent Day
Sunday 22 | Morning Session / Departure by Noon
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Approximate Daily Schedule (Full Days)
6AM | Group Meditation
7AM | Movement Practice
8AM | Breakfast
10AM | Morning Session
1PM | Lunch
2PM | Rest
3PM | Group Meditation
4PM | Afternoon Session
6PM | Dinner
8PM | Group Meditation
10PM | Rest
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Pricing
4 Nights of Accommodation
3 Full retreat days, 2 Half days for arrival & departure
includes 3 vegetarian meals per day
290 EUR // discounted price for those in need
350 EUR // regular price
400 EUR // supporter price
125 EUR deposit is required to secure your spot.
100 EUR refundable up to 2 months before
50 EUR refundable up to 1 month before
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If these prices are not accessible to you please reach out via email to Reimar.
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Accommodation & Venue
Quinta Ten Chi in Sintra, Portugal
In the lush, green microclimate of Sintra, we have access to Nature, a wooden Dojo (meditation & movement hall).
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Accommodation is your choice of
> bringing your own Tent or Van with shared bathroom
> sleeping in shared dorms with a shared bathroom
> finding accommodation nearby in Sintra and organising your own transport
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Participants & Accessibility
For you if you have an interest in meditation and are curious about how to EMBODY your practice beyond the cushion. It is helpful if you have some basic experience of meditation and a daily practice.
You do not need to have any specific experience in EMBODIMENT, just a curiosity to learn what this field is about. The practices we explore are very gentle and do not require any physical fitness or ability.
However, the space is not wheelchair accessible due to stairs and nature paths.
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How to get to 'Quinta Ten Chi'
Direct Taxi from Lisbon Airport ~40 EUR.
Train to Sintra train station (1.5hrs from Lisbon Airport) and taxi 7 EUR to Ten Chi.
There will be a Whatsapp group to self-organise sharing transport.
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For further questions please email Reimar.
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Facilitators
A shared passion for practices of Body & Mind. Sandra, my partner and Francisco, a dear friend, are wonderful humans that I met through dance.
What is Embodiment?
Embodiment is fully inhabiting the Body. The Body as "I" not "It". How our Body is makes up a big part of how we are. The Body as not just a "Brain Taxi". How our Body is, is how we are.
Notice your Body. Notice your current posture. Are you more forwards or backwards? Are you slumping or upright? Does your Body feel collapsed or expanded? How is your breathing?
Now take a deep breath, inhaling and straighten up. Invite the chest to gently open. A soft, wide open gaze. Exhale relax and soften the Jaw, Throat, Chest and Belly. Feel the legs. Take another few slow deep breaths while looking up, away from the screen.
Feel any different?
Meditation & Embodiment​
In both meditation and embodiment, the Mind-Body interdependence is at the heart of the practice. ​
"Body and Mind is not two and not one."
Shunryu Suzuki (Zen Mind, Beginners Mind)
​In Meditation we primarily work with the MIND. With attention & awareness. This impacts the Body. A soft and open state of mind will invite the same quality in the Body. MIND influences BODY.​
In Embodiment we primarily work with the BODY. With the physical posture, movement, breath, relaxation, direction. BODY influences MIND. ​
A classic embodiment practice that you have probably tried is Yoga or breathwork. However, working with the body in any conscious way is Embodiment. Embodiment is to be aware of the body and learn to self-regulate. When we are regulated we can also regulate others. Embodiment also includes a dimension of embodied social awareness and influence.
My experience with Embodiment
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Always having been very physically active, I always felt there was something more to the Body than how it looks or the health/fitness level. I practiced Taekwondo for many years as a kid and felt it helped me to be more disciplined, alert and attentive. ​
After practicing meditation more seriously, I also discovered dance improvisation. Here, we work with the Body A LOT. Spending hours at a time in non-verbal spaces moving, relating. Very special states of Mind and Body were experienced. States of Flow and presence, connection and depth. States that became more widely available even outside of the dancefloor. ​
I started facilitating dance improv workshops and saw the power it had on people to transform the relationship they had to their Body. To more fully inhabit their Body. To develop sensitivity and become empowered, through the Body.​
In 2024, I decided to study to become an Embodiment Coach. I was blown away by a rigorous system which took the essentials of why I felt better, more alert, connected, and centered and organised them into a system by which I could help others.
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​​..and this 4-day retreat was birthed!​
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I feel the importance of both Meditation and Embodiment. Sitting quietly, we develop the sensitivity, awareness and clarity to work with the Body effectively. This is what inspires me to share a MEDITATION & EMBODIMENT retreat dedicated to bridging the practice from silence & stillness into movement and relation to others.