This six-day retreat in Sintra is for you if you are running on empty and have found that rest alone does not fix it. The programme starts from a clear premise: burnout is a biological state, not a lifestyle problem. Your nervous system is locked in fight-or-flight mode, and thinking your way out does not work. So rather than asking you to reason your way to calm, the week works directly with your body.

The practice combines cold water immersion, specific breathing ratios and restorative yoga to physically interrupt the stress response. Each morning you head to the Atlantic with Zarqa and Patrícia and practise shifting from activation to calm while standing in the cold ocean. By day three, most guests find the tight band around their chest loosens, and by night three, sleep deepens. You do not need to practise yoga regularly. Every activity suits all levels, and Patrícia, who has taught body work for more than 25 years, studied Physical Education at university and is a trained Zen-Shiatsu practitioner, adapts classes to your individual needs. Your hosts have lived a monastic life for six years, there is no alcohol in the house, and the experience has a detox element.

You stay in a traditional Portuguese house in a quiet area surrounded by pine forest, a 10-minute walk from one of the most stunning coastlines in Sintra's National Park, with a village by the sea 25 minutes away on foot. The house sleeps up to 11 guests across four bedrooms and has four bathrooms, one with a big jacuzzi that is used as part of the programme. There is a mini-gym, a living room with comfortable sofas and a pool table, and a large terrace. Lisbon airport is 40 km away, around a 40-minute drive, and a transfer can be arranged for 50 EUR one way, shared by up to four people.

Your day begins with ocean immersion at 07:00, then warm water with lemon, breathwork with Zarqa and a gentle yoga flow before breakfast at 10:00. From 11:00 until 17:00 the time is yours. Late afternoon brings a healthy snack and restorative yoga, followed by dinner and an evening meditation with Zarqa. Meals are plant-based and vegetarian, with vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options easily adapted, and are made with mostly organic, locally sourced and seasonal produce, some from the hosts' nearby farm. Dinners are long, slow Portuguese meals around a communal table.

Your stay includes five nights' accommodation, five breakfasts, four lunch buffets or takeaway packages, five dinner buffets, five morning and five evening yoga classes, daily pranayama, ten guided meditations, four surf classes with all equipment and insurance, a 30-minute life coaching session, a sauna session, a cooking class, parking and wifi. Choose a shared double or twin room at 1360 EUR or a private single room at 1610 EUR. Flights, travel insurance, additional treatments and activities outside the itinerary are not included.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation - 5 delicious and healthy breakfasts - 5 morning yoga classes - 5 evening yoga classes - 4 surf classes - all equipment and insurance included - 4 amazing lunch buffets or package for take away - 5 delightful dinner buffets - 10 guided meditations - Life coaching session 30 minutes - 1 sauna session - Daily pranayama classes - Cooking class - Parking - Wifi connection - Airport transfer (optional, extra cost)

What's not included

- Flights - Additional treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary - Travel insurance

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