THIS IS FOR YOU.
If you feel it's time to pause, to recharge in nature to connect to your wise self and reflect.
To be honest with yourself about what drains you, and what brings you joy?
To understand how you might have been abandoning your own needs & dreams.
To dare to dream of how you want to live & to design your days in alignment.
We invite you to one of the oldest, most renowned retreat centres in the Algarve, Portugal.
A serene place, in the heart of the national park, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean: 'Monte Velho'
To come together and practice and experience the core teachings, techniques, tools & principles of being ON. PURPOSE.
This retreat will guide you through transformational workshops to:
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Understand where you stand now & how you genuinely feel.
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Dare to dream and clarify your future vision.
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Identify, and embrace what is holding you back.
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Shift from being your own inner critic to being your own best friend.
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Make a practical game plan to redesign your days to act from a place of joy.
5 days & 4 nights to pause, to be in touch with yourself, to eat nourishing food, to wake up with the sunrise, observe nature & the spring season, and connect with the new moon's energy of new beginnings.
This is your invitation to feel free to be yourself & live
ON. PURPOSE.
RETREAT SUMMARY.
€1795 incl. VAT
€1175 incl. VAT
early bird price until 31.OCT.2022
PRACTICAL INFO.
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DATE TO BE DECIDED. Starts on Wednesday 3PM - ends on Sunday 2PM.
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At Monte Velho Retreat Center in the Algarve, Portugal
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incl. workshops, accommodation and plant-based meals, tea & healthy snacks
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incl. 1-1 call with Carlijn (45min) 1 month both before & after the retreat
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Max capacity. 10 participants per retreat
COST OVERVIEW.
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Accommodation private room €560 & shared room is €320, Meals & drinks is €325
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5 Workshops (5x 2,5hrs) + 4 Morning Practices (1,5hrs) + 4 Evening Rituals (1,5hr) facilitated by Carlijn & Matt Nelissen €1075
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Total is €1720 for a shared room & €1960 for a private room.
OPTIONAL.
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1-1 coaching session with Carlijn (75min) scheduled upfront (€65 extra)
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1-1 breathwork session with Matt (75min) scheduled upfront (€65 extra)
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massages (60-90min) at the location (€50-75 extra)
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Airport Transport p.p. between 148-37€ Faro Airport ** (1-4 people)
** Excluding flight ticket to Faro (1,5hrs) or Lisbon airport (4hrs)
** For Lisbon Airport there is a good bus & train connection to Lagos with Omio and Flixbus.
depending on your room selection
€1720/€1960 incl. VAT
PROGRAM OVERVIEW.
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THE RETREAT PRINCIPLES.
#1 SHIFT FROM HEAD TO HEART; FROM OVERTHINKING TO WISDOM.
#2 LOWER THE OUTER & INNER NOISE TO GAIN DEEP CLARITY OF YOUR VISION.
#3 BUILD HABITS TO FEED YOUR HEALTH, JOY & IMPACT DAILY, TOWARDS THE DREAM.
#4 RELEASE OLD STORIES & EMOTIONS HOLDING YOU BACK: FEELING VS NUMBING.
THE DAILY FLOW.
07.00 Rise with the sun & morning practice (stretching, yoga, pilates, breathwork, meditation)
09.00 Big breakfast (in silence)
10.00 Workshop by Carlijn & Matt
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Free time to relax, nap, journal, or explore nature around (hike, bike, or surf).
18.00 Light dinner before sunset
19.30 Evening Ritual to connect & unwind
21.00 Start of Silence & get ready for bed
THE WHY BEHIND OUR SETUP.
Weaving nature, modern science & ancient wisdom to create space for transformation.
THE WORKSHOPS.
A consciously designed journey that flows naturally:
DAY#1 Being honest about where you are now (feel)
DAY#2 Reconnect with your wise self on where you want to go (dreams).
DAY#3 Allowing your vulnerable self to feel what's holding you back (fears).
DAY#4 Shifting from being your inner critic to your own best friend (heal).
DAY#5 Create a roadmap to align your daily actions with your dreams (embody).
GUIDED BREATHWORK.
We can easily get lost in our minds, going in loops and looking for answers. While dreams are in our hearts. Furthermore, healing limiting beliefs and patterns happens in our bodies, our fascia. How? Through the breath, we can access and process those stored or stuck emotions. Feeling them means healing them.
INTENTIONAL DOWNTIME.
It's so important to have time to reflect, let insights sink in, journal, walk, swim, nap. It all benefits the process of transformation. Stillness is healing. The doing gets more depth when there is time for doing nothing in between. Time to rest. Time to share with others informally. Time to be alone in nature.
THE MORNING PRACTICE.
Rising with the sun helps to reset your circadian rhythm. Movement in the morning helps to get out of the head and into the body. It helps to release tension built up from the limiting beliefs in our fascia. To create space to just observe our thoughts and not identify with them. To create the conditions to listen to your heart and inner wisdom. Through movement, meditation and breathwork we increase our consciousness. Thus a key habit to making bold dreams a reality in a healthy, and joyful way.
CONSCIOUS FOOD & DRINKS.
Food is our daily medicine and affects our health and mood significantly. Intermittent fasting (12-16hrs) increases our clarity of mind. Alcohol and weed numb our emotions, while transformation requires feeling. Coffee and sugars increase anxiety, irritability, restlessness, and spikes and drops in energy. The plant-based Ayurvedic food will nourish you. Some days the spices used with soothe you, ground you, and other days it will uplift and energise you. Designed to fit the program. You will feel lighter, not bloated after this retreat.
SILENCE & NATURE.
Being in nature lowers heart rate and blood pressure, and fosters creativity. It gives perspective, and the sun on our faces feeds feelings of gratitude and joy. Silence lowers our urge to impress others, to be heard, and validated by others. It shifts our focus from outward to inward. From being reactive to being reflective. When there is no noise (opinions, questions, stories of others), we can truly hear ourselves, and process our own thoughts, feelings, and insights. Answers to deep questions are rarely given by others & often found in silence.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS.
CARLIJN NELISSEN.
Carlijn (35) is fascinated by human behaviour. Hence her 2 Masters in Psychology & Behavioural Sciences. And life-long exploration of how changing your day can change your mood, your health, the thoughts you have, the wisdom you can access, as well as the impact your make. Through our daily choices & actions, dreams become reality.
"I live life my way. I don't fit a label. I have intentionally turned my life around multiple times. From moving abroad to run an innovation agency business for 5 years, to moving to Portugal to start a Permaculture Farm, to living in nature without any of our societies facilities for a year. Currently creating a small homestead with a clay house. And continue to grow the impact we make with the On Purpose Studio.
Life is my playground. I am here to experience and experiment. I try something, I learn, I adapt. I listen to my inner wisdom, my heart, and lean in. That way I follow whatever brings me joy, well-being, personal growth, and freedom, without planning it far ahead (control is an illusion).
This has led me to design my life, on purpose. Being my authentic self. Close to my heart. Fulfilling my dreams. Developing myself to be valuable to others & less harmful to nature.
I get excited when people are aware of what truly matters to them & design their days accordingly. When they listen to their hearts, ignore their fearful thoughts, and just lean in.
Boldy living the life you were intended to.
Each day again,
On purpose."
MATT NELISSEN.
Matt (74) has been a certified breathwork coach and practitioner for the past 10 years, guiding people to heal old traumas stored in the body that limit their full potential.
He is an engineer by degree, and a learner at heart. He has guided many large companies through cultural transformations, always putting the people at the heart of change. In those 40 years he experienced more & more that "It's not about changing minds, it's about changing hearts". He is fascinated by why some companies are buzzing of energy & innovation, and others are filled with apathy or even toxicity. In his view, making room for passion is key.
And it's not only our environment that can limit this passion, or freedom of expression, it's also within ourselves. Breathwork has been an approach for him to free himself of old rigid beliefs that kept him stuck, fearful or doubting himself. It's been a lifetime journey from not breathing when he was born, to allowing himself to breathe, to take up space, to follow his heart.
His energy is calm, open, and focused. He is known to create safe spaces for open dialogues. Matt has been rowing at a world-class level for the past 55 years and started Karate at 56, and now has a black belt & 4th dan degree. He is a living example of never being too old to learn, or pursuing your passion.
THE LOCATION.
From the “Monte” top, we become conscious of the vast natural space around us. Overlooking the ocean. The overwhelming beauty of one of the most, or perhaps last, secret places in the world.
Monte Velho Retreat Centre is the oldest, and most renowned, in the area for offering top-notch holistic retreats.
It is located in the middle of nowhere, where the most southwestern point Europe sinks into the Atlantic. In the heart of the Vincentia National Park, with many hiking tracks around.
It is a region enriched by the strength of its nature, where the high cliffs overlook the ocean, filling the air with a fresh breeze. Where you feel you are at the end of the world.
Activities you can do around Monte Velho: Hiking, Mountainbiking, surfing, fishing, and bird watching.
And of course, you are free to do absolutely nothing.
THE FOOD.
Monte Velho serves colourful, nourishing, Ayurvedic-inspired plant-based food, prepared by their top-level Iranian Chef.
"We pay attention to the principles of Ayurveda as we understand the healing effects of food. This traditional system of medicine is based on studying the unique conditions of each one individually.
Looking to personal attitudes, intolerances, and time of the year, and being aware of how to bring Joy and Love to our dishes while avoiding animal products."
They offer fresh, seasonal food from their gardens & local producers in the area. Organic. Every day fresh. Prepared with love.
"We work with unprocessed foods, fresh and locally sourced, and we use herbs and vegetables from our own garden in Monte Velho. We challenge ourselves to provide as much as possible from local farmers and homemade food."
CHOOSE YOUR ACCOMODATION.
A SHARED SUITE.
A beautiful suite divided into 2 rooms with 1 double bed or 2 single beds. Shared bathroom within the suite; Terrace with day bed and hammock.
THE TOTAL FEE WITH A SHARED SUITE IS €1720
Double bedroom with one queen size bed. Private bathroom; Terrace with daybed and hammock.
THE TOTAL FEE WITH A PRIVATE SUITE IS €1960
A PRIVATE SUITE.
PRACTICAL INFO.
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NEXT RETREAT DATE TO BE DECIDED.
-
Starts on Wednesday 3 PM - ends at Sunday 2 PM.
-
At Monte Velho Retreat Center in the Algarve, Portugal
-
incl. workshops, accommodation and plant-based meals, tea & healthy snacks
-
Capacity for max. 10 participants
