Somatic Dance & Movement Week for Women in the Alpujarra Mountains, Spain

A typical day at Jardín de Luz starts gently. At 09:30 there's a NIA somatic dance session — free, sensation-led movement rather than choreography to learn — followed at 10:30 by a Feldenkrais movement meditation, which is slow, floor-based work designed to release tension and find easier ways of moving. There's a coffee and tea break at 11:00, lunch at 13:00, then an afternoon session at 16:00 that alternates between Chakradance (movement set to sound and archetypal imagery) and embodied creativity (expressive dance, drawing, play and somatic exploration). Dinner is at 19:30, and evenings wind down under the stars. Wednesday is lighter, with the day given over to the Sierra Nevada outing.

What sets this apart from a general wellness week is the specific blend of modalities Pingel works with. Alongside NIA, Feldenkrais and Chakradance, she brings in Organic Intelligence® post-trauma growth coaching and her own MAMA framework — Map, Anchor, Move, Align — which runs as a thread through the week. None of it is high-intensity; the whole thing is pitched at softening the nervous system and rebuilding ease rather than pushing the body.

Pingel Braat leads every session herself. Her background is in contemporary dance and fine arts, and she's trained in NIA, Feldenkrais, Organic Intelligence® coaching, intuitive somatic constellations, embodied creativity and Chakradance. Guests describe feeling warmly welcomed and genuinely seen — the small group size is central to that.

The setting does a lot of the work. Jardín de Luz sits in the Alpujarra, in Granada province, within walking distance of Lanjarón, a spa village known for its spring water, and close to Órgiva. The air is clean, the walks are old Moorish donkey trails and irrigation channels, and the nearest beaches are a 30-minute drive. The large outdoor dance floor is wooden and faces an ancient pine forest and the high peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

Accommodation is in the guesthouse, a wooden cabana or a bell tent, depending on budget, so solo women can pick a room to suit them. With only five guests, there's room to follow your own pace — join every session or take time out among the groves — and the leader builds in free-associative conversation moments and silent body meditations alongside the structured practices.

This is not a programme for anyone looking for strength training, hiking mileage or a fitness challenge. It's for women who want a slow, movement-and-creativity-based week in the mountains, with good vegetarian food and almost no crowd.

What's included

- 7 days / 6 nights accommodation - 3 organic vegetarian/vegan meals a day - Freshly picked fruit and nuts from the finca, available at all times - Spring water, herbal infusions, coffee and tea throughout the day - Two sessions a day (except Wednesday) - Check-in session on arrival day - Day trip to the Sierra Nevada National Park - Visit to the bohemian town of Órgiva and its hippie market - Pre- and post-retreat support from the team

What's not included

- Flights - Travel to and from the airport - Travel expenses - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Additional activities not in the itinerary - Additional sessions not in the itinerary