This retreat is also available in fall: September 4-10, 2016! Here in the Portuguese hills, we’ve become much more aware of the impact the natural elements have on our daily lives. Living in houses bermed out of rocks and earth, breathing crystal clear mountain air, surrounded on all sides for miles by the wood of the forest, drinking pure spring water and swimming in natural rivers pools, warmed by the fire of the sun in the sky. Within this wilderness environment, the effects of 5 Element and Traditional Chinese Medicine Acupuncture with Daily Yoga Practice have been profound. Enhancing what a spell in nature so easily provides; that wonderful sense of wellbeing through harmony. Rising early for guided silent morning walks will improve your circulation and boost your Qi. Daily yoga practice will ignite Fire through the heart, further stimulating blood circulation. Hearty vegetarian meals will strengthen your Earth energy and help build muscular endurance challenged through your yoga practice. Swimming in the pools on a hot summer’s day will calm and tonify the nervous system fostering mental clarity, as will the mid-week mud bath in the Rio Zêzere. Taking the invitation to retreat for just a week, can set us on a path of harmony that lasts a lifetime. VAL DE MOSES Vale de Moses is in the heart of the forested foothills of the Serra de Estrela. Life in these valleys 40 years ago was full of hard working Portuguese small holders who cultivated with their families every available piece of land by creating stone terraces on the hillsides. Small stone houses, adegas (wine making sheds), corals and water mills pepper the riversides and the valleys for miles around. Hence the name Moses, meaning a place of many millstones. These days, like so many rural communities across southern Europe, those small holdings have been deserted by younger generations of the families that built them, needing to emigrate to the cities or abroad to find work. Exploring the surrounding areas by foot, by bike or by car, you enter a by gone age, and marvel at both the views and the stonework of the river and terrace walls that seem to go on forever in all directions. An old forest farming life that thankfully is still being lived here by a handful of our neighbors, so we still can learn how to do it before those old ways are lost forever. DAILY SCHEDULE Retreats may differ slightly from each other,but generally you will follow a schedule similar to this, with a full orientation around the houses and valleys on Monday morning after yoga class and breakfast. 8.00-10.30am Morning silent walk followed by Yoga 10.45am Breakfast 11.00am-2pm Massages (if it’s one of your slots) 2.00-3.00pm Lunch 3-4.30pm Massages (if it’s one of your slots) Free time / swim / guided hike / trip to River The forest and River pools 5-6.30pm 3-4 afternoon Yoga Classes / Workshops, or More Massages (on no workshop afternoons) 7-9pm Dinner 10pm Begin a full, restorative night’s sleep.

All food, accommodation (in shared room/tipi) and facilities Transport to and from Oleiros Guided silent morning walks in the forest 6 Morning Yoga and Pranayama Classes 3 Afternoon Tai Chi Workshops Half hour private health consultation with Tongue and Pulse Diagnosis One hour Body Harmonising massage - Thai, Tui Na, Indonesian, Ayurvedic and/or Acupuncture A mid week trip to the Rio Zêzere for a mud bath and swim (weather permitting). Additional treatments available from our therapists for 75€ per 90 minutes

Airfare Additional treatments Personal Expenses

What to bring To make the most of your stay here, take daily walks, hikes or runs in the forest accompanied by our dogs and then cool off from the heat of the afternoons in our natural river pools. Bring a good pair of walking shoes or trainers, swimming costume and waterbottle to rehydrate regularly, a warm jumperas the temperature drops in the mountains significantly at nightand to cover up after your morning yoga class, a raincoat in Spring and Autumn, and a good torch, as the paths at night, unless moonlit, are dark! For your yoga practice comfortable, soft stretchy clothingisall you need. We provide yoga mats and cotton towels, although you are welcome to bring your own. In summer sun tan lotion, and mosquito repellent in the Autumn. Please use the simplest, most natural version you can find of these and other washing products. You’ll be in and out of the rivers, and the water from your showersgoes directly to irrigate orchard trees and shrubs. We have a range of natural soaps, shampoos and toothpaste to buy. Pack Light. Remember that whatever you bring down the mountainside to Vale de Moses, you’ll have to take up again at the end of your stay. We live on the side of a very steep, deep and pretty valley. For any other questions just call us on 00351 272 634006 or email andrew@valedemoses.com