The daily rhythm is set by the class timetable. Mornings start from 08:00 with yoga or Pilates, and there is a sound bath relaxation or meditation session in the Ganban room around midday. More classes run in the afternoon and early evening. On weekdays activities finish at 20:30; at weekends they wrap up by 12:30. You pick which sessions to join — the programme can be as full or as relaxed as you want.

The longevity and recovery side is what separates this from a standard yoga-and-Pilates week. You get two circuits through the contrast therapy area, alternating between the 9ºC and 3ºC ice plunges and a hybrid sauna that combines infrared and traditional heat, plus a red light column. There is one cryotherapy session, one hyperbaric oxygen session, and access to a relaxation area with a Theraface facial mask, Theragun massage gun and Therabody compression boots. These sessions are usually scheduled mid-morning or early afternoon.

On Mondays there is a workshop on wellness topics — mindfulness, meditation and stress, healthy eating and longevity. Guided meditation and breathwork follow Hatha Yoga twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. The 90-minute sound healing live therapy and the 60-minute body sculpt detox massage are also slotted into the week, typically mid-morning or early afternoon.

Afternoons without scheduled therapies are yours. Matosinhos beach is a five-minute walk; the city park with its lakes and wildlife is a longer stroll along the coast, and the beaches of Foz lead on to the Douro riverside and the old town of Ribeira. The academy can arrange surf lessons with a partner school, about a 15-minute Uber to the beach. Extra massages and treatments — Indian relaxation massage, hot stone, reflexology, Kobido facial — can be booked at additional cost.

The teaching team is broad. Ana teaches yoga and Pilates; she trained in contemporary dance at Trinity Laban in London and graduated as a yoga teacher in 2015, with further training under Alaric Newcombe, Marcus Veda, Dulce Aguilar and Carrie Owerko. Luis Guilherme teaches Hatha, Vinyasa and meditation. Sandra began practising yoga at 15, trained at the Porto Yoga Center, and also holds qualifications in Traditional Chinese Medicine, aromatherapy and sound therapy from the Peter Hess Institute. Ana and Bruno teach Pilates machines and the Konnectors system; Rui, the founder, is a certified nutritionist; Lucas is a physiotherapist focused on injury recovery and sports performance.

Rui founded OM Academy & Mind Spa after more than 20 years as an investment banker, ten of them in the City of London. He started yoga and meditation in 2011 and now mixes yoga, crosstraining, trail running and kitesurfing. The academy has run retreats since 2022 alongside its regular class schedule.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation at Four Points by Sheraton Matosinhos with breakfast - 6 days of Pilates, yoga, barre and fitness classes (Hatha/Vinyasa yoga, aerial yoga, hot yoga, Pilates machines, dynamic reformer, mat Pilates, functional training, crosstraining) - Two InBody bioimpedance body-composition scans (start and end) - Two Longevity & Recovery circuits with ice plunge at 9ºC and 3ºC, hybrid infrared and traditional sauna, red light column, and relaxation area with Theraface facial mask, Theragun and Therabody compression boots - One cryotherapy session - One hyperbaric oxygen session - One 90-minute sound healing live therapy with crystal bowls, Tibetan bowls, gong and shamanic drum - One 60-minute body sculpt massage with manual lymphatic drainage - Daily 30-minute sound bath relaxation/meditation in the Ganban room - Workshop on mindfulness, meditation, stress, healthy eating and longevity (Mondays) - Guided meditation and breathwork after Hatha Yoga (Tuesdays and Fridays) - Water, tea and coffee throughout the day - Wifi

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Meals other than breakfast - Additional treatments and massages - Additional activities not in the itinerary - Detox juicing option