An introduction to Vipassana meditation.
Guided by an experienced teacher and held in a retreat house on a mountaintop in Terrugem, between Sintra and Ericeira.
Vipassana is a meditation practice that cultivates calm, clarity, and insight into our lived body–mind experience through direct observation.
This weekend silent retreat is an invitation to step out of daily, scattered busyness and into silence, calm, and insight that were there all along.
Held in a spacious Portuguese villa between Ericeira and Sintra (near Terrugem), the retreat takes place in a quiet, natural, and intimate setting that supports shared practice, continuity, and depth—even within the space of a weekend.
The retreat begins on Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. It will be held mostly in silence (from Saturday morning until Sunday at noon). Each day includes periods of sitting meditation from early morning until evening, with time for rest, teachings, and walks in nature.
The practice will focus on the Vipassana at Home approach to Vipassana (Insight) meditation:
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Calming and settling the body–mind
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Investigating felt sensory experience and its vibrational nature
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Resting as non-dual, embodied consciousness
The emphasis is on steady, sustained practice rather than intensity—creating conditions to practice continuously, clearly, and with care and devotion.
This weekend is suited for those who feel called to silence, simplicity, and deepening their practice, supported by nature and an intimate group setting. It is suitable for those with any relationship to meditation, whether early in the journey or deeply practiced and in need of space and time to reconnect.
Photos from our first retreats in Portugal (2024) and Germany (2025) and of the Venue.
Retreat Schedule
Friday (Arrival Day)
3 - 4PM | Arrival
5PM | Opening Circle
6PM | Dinner
8PM | Introduction to Practice and Meditation
10PM | Rest
Saturday (Full Silent Day)
6AM | Group Meditation
830AM | Breakfast
10AM | Group Practice
1130AM | Talk & Meditation
1PM | Lunch
3PM | Group Meditation
430PM | Meditation in Nature
630PM | Dinner
8PM | Sharing or Q&A and Group Meditation
10PM | Rest
Sunday (Half Silent Day & Departure)
6AM | Group Meditation
830AM | Breakfast
10AM | Group Practice
1130AM | Ending Silence & Sharing Circle
1PM | Lunch & Clean-Up
3PM | Departure
Photos of Venue and Roomsl
Accommodation & Venue
Quinta das Broas, Terrugem about ~1h from Lissabon, Portugal.
A large retreat house with a big practice space, on a mountaintop surrounded by quiet, expansive nature.
Accommodation is your choice of
Shared room in a double or triple room with single beds
Single Room in a queen-size bed.
Food
There will be three daily meals and a tea station.
A healthy breakfast including oats, fruits and bread with toppings.
A wholesome warm lunch with a salad.
A light dinner consisting of a soup and extras.
How to get to the venue
About 60 min by Car from Lissabon Airport & Center.
There will be a Whatsapp group to self-organise sharing transport.
For further questions please email Reimar.
Pricing
2 Nights of Accommodation
1 Full retreat day, 2 Half days for arrival & departure
includes 3 vegetarian meals per day (dinner on arrival day and lunch on departure day)
We believe in transparent pricing that offers the teachings as a gift - in the spirit of Dana, the Buddhist practice of selfless giving. We make a price based on the costs to cover the space rental and food and let your contribution to support the teacher be a donation.
Price for Food & Accommodation - to be paid on registering
145 EUR // Shared Room
195 EUR // Single Room
A contribution towards the teachers and his helpers may be given at the end of the retreat as gratitude. This is not a payment but an act of generosity to support the continued work.
Deposit & Cancellation Policy
Price paid is non-refundable.
Participants & Accessibility
You do not need to have any specific experience in meditation, just a curiosity to learn what this practice 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.
The Teacher
Reimar Wen Shen is a Vipassana meditation teacher, dancer, and father based at Quinta Ten Chi, a center for embodied arts and meditation near Sintra, Portugal.
He has practiced Vipassana meditation for over a decade across the Goenka, Mahasi, and Northern Thai traditions, with more than 30 weeks spent in intensive silent retreat. Alongside long-term daily practice, he previously worked full-time in investment management at Vanguard, shaping his commitment to an integrated practice grounded in ordinary life.
During COVID, Reimar moved to Thailand to deepen his meditation practice, training for four months under Ajahn Puttar at Wat Sopharam monastery in Northern Thailand and studying the Ajahn Tong–style Mahasi noting method. In parallel, he immersed himself in embodied arts including Contact Improvisation, OceanDance, Butoh, and Aikido.
His teaching bridges classical Theravāda Vipassana—body scanning, noting, and mindfulness of breatihing with contemporary approaches to insight and emptiness. He is currently part of a teacher training with Michael Taft (Deconstructing Yourself), exploring later-Buddhist Mahayana Vipashyana practices.
In 2021, he founded Vipassana at Home to make deep, embodied meditation practice accessible beyond traditional retreat settings.