Vipassana &
Authentic Movement
6-Day Retreat
Insight Meditation,
Mindful Movement and Somatic Expression
A unique retreat where Vipassana Meditation is combined with Authentic Movement. Within a safe container, we are invited to be deeply in touch with ourselves, explore alternate forms of being and explore spirituality through stillness and movement.
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In Stillness, we practice Insight Meditation that calms the Body, Mind and Spirit and helps free us from unnecessary struggle, stress and tension.
Vipassana Meditation, an ancient meditation technique is practiced by millions around the world and helps us develop profound awareness of the present moment and a calm and stable mind that can see thoughts, feelings and sensations clearly.
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In Movement, we practice being embodied and allowing the free flow of intuitive somatic expression to emerge while cultivating our inner witness.
The Discipline of Authentic Movement integrates awareness into personal, psychological and active dimensions of ourselves developed by Janet Adler. Central to the investigation is the relationship between a person moving and a person witnessing that movement and the development of the 'inner witness'. It connects the fields of dance, healing and mysticism.
Both these approaches: internal and external, stillness and moving help us see clearer.
See ourselves more clearly, our thoughts, feelings and sensations.
Help us release, soften and accept the parts of us standing in the way of a more honest, vulnerable and connected expression of ourselves.
Supported by experienced facilitators, the nature around us and and a shared commitment, we create a safe container for direct experience of the sacred within the ordinary.
For those who wish to go deeper, a 3-day silence period will be a possibility as we will invite practice periods to be fully silent and divide meals into verbal and non-verbal areas.
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Retreat Schedule
Tuesday 1 | Arrival / Opening Circle, Dinner and Meditation
Wednesday 2 | Introduction to the Practices
Thursday 3 | Practice & Optional Silence
Friday 4 | Practice & Optional Silence
Saturday 5 | Silent Half-Day & Opening Silence in Evening
Sunday 6 | Departure after Morning Session
Approximate Daily Schedule
6AM | Group Meditation
7AM | Guided Mindful Movement Practice
8AM | Breakfast
10AM | Partner Authentic Movement
1PM | Lunch
2PM | Rest
3PM | Group Meditation
4PM | Group Authentic Movement
6PM | Dinner
8PM | Talk and Group Meditation
9PM | Rest
Photos of Venue | near Lisbon, Portugal
Venue
Fools' Valley is a cluster of old Portuguese houses scattered across a private hillside near Sobral de Monte Agraço, 30 minutes north of Lisbon. At its centre, an old stone farmhouse; around it, a natural swimming lake, a wood-burning sauna, a vegetable garden kept by chickens, and land that climbs the hill toward open sky. The retreat itself can move between a proper 200m² dance hall, a quiet meditation and yoga room, an inner courtyard, shared kitchens and simple rooms — some for sleeping, some for moving, some for just being still.
Accommodation
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Private room. Fewest of these, likely first to sell out.
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Shared dorm, each bed with its own curtain.
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Camping — anywhere on the land. Bring your own tent or van — lowest cost, most availability.
Food is important!
There will be three daily home-cooked vegetarian meals largely gluten-free
A healthy breakfast including oats, fruits and sourdough bread.
A wholesome warm lunch with a daily salad.
A light dinner consisting of a soup and extras.
Please note that we cannot cater to strict dietary requirements but will do our best to make everyone feel comfortable.
How to get to the venue
30 min by Car from Lissabon.
30EUR Uber Ride from Lisbon Airport
50min train + 15 min drive, with mostly Public Transport from Lissabon.
There will be a Whatsapp group to self-organise sharing transport the week before the retreat. This can be used to arrange shared Ubers from the Airport, Lissabon city center or pickups from the nearby train station. It may also be used to car-pool from participants arriving from similar directions.
For further questions please email Francisco.
Fools' Valley is a creative residency set in a private valley near Sobral de Monte Agraço, 30 minutes north of Lisbon — a dance hall, sauna, private rooms and camping space held in quiet land. It's already a place shaped by movement, stillness and practice, a fitting ground for this retreat.
https://foolsvalley.com/venue.html
https://www.instagram.com/foolsvalley/
Getting there
Lisbon Airport (LIS)
Photos of Past Retreats with the Facilitators in Portugal & Germany
Pricing
600 EUR // price in private room
480 EUR // price in dorm
400 EUR // price in own tent/van
Includes
5 Nights of Accommodation
4 Full retreat days, 2 Half days for arrival & departure
includes 3 vegetarian meals per day
Deposit & Cancellation Policy
30%deposit is required to secure your spot.
100 EUR of Deposits are non-refundable.
100% of Deposit is non-refundable if cancelled in two weeks before event start.
Participants & Accessibility
This retreat is 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.
You do not need to have any specific experience in movement, 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.
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.
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Organiser, Facilitator
Reimar Wen Shen
Founder and teacher at Vipassana at Home. A passionate dance improvisation facilitator and embodiment coach.
His mission is to share Body & Mind practices for a deeper, happier, more intimate connection to Self, Other & World.
Organiser, Facilitator
Francisco Borges
Poet, Musician, Dance teacher, Dzogchen practitioner.
Francisco has been sharing his dance practice and art in Thailand, Portugal and other European countries.
Organiser, Osteopath
Osteopath, Dancer, and Tibetan Buddhist Meditation practitioner. Her passion is supporting Body and Mind to heal itself with its own resources.
Sandra will be offering one-to-one Osteopathy sessions during the retreat.
https://osteopathie-sandrafleischmann.de/