A Land-Based Living Retreat
Idea
It is a practice rooted in place. A set of actions that connect caring for the planet with nourishing your own wellbeing.
It is the guiding idea behind The Way We Keep: a private workshop in a home overlooking the Atlantic on Portugal’s Costa Vicentina. Over several days immersed in nature, we invite you into a soothing yoga practice with Justyna Traczyk.
Together with Mushroom Compadres, an organic farming collective, we’ll explore sustainable growing and food, preparing a farm-to-table lunch from mushrooms cultivated by the collective. Your daily meals will be prepared by Maria Gonzalez, a chef who left Barcelona for the quiet of Odeceixe. Breakfasts and dinners are a story of the region, and an invitation to linger at the table.
We’ll clear our heads by walking a stretch of the Fishermen’s Trail, and one evening we’ll end with dinner in a secret location. Surfing and reiki sessions are available for an additional fee.
Group
six people only
For Whom
all yoga levels
Price
€1,400 / person
Place
Perched above the ocean on Portugal’s western coast, Casa Ponto da Pausa is a partly self-sufficient, traditional Portuguese home where every evening you can watch the sun set over the Atlantic.
The three-hectare grounds include a bio-pool, and at night the frogs will sing you to sleep. Morning coffee on the porch is a ritual you won’t want to break.
Odeceixe & Surroundings
Odeceixe sits on the border of the Algarve and Alentejo. A former fishing village where the river Seixe meets the ocean. Whitewashed houses, fig trees in the gardens, cobblestone lanes.
Half an hour away by car is the surf town of Aljezur with its Saturday market and specialty coffee. Beyond the hills lies charming Monchique with its thermal springs and cork oak forests.
Program
Day 01
arrival, welcome & evening yoga
Our week together begins with a welcome at Ponto da Pausa, a restorative yoga practice, and a delicious dinner prepared by Maria. Airport transfers from Faro can be arranged in advance.
Day 02
yoga, beach, surf
Morning meditation in nature, herbal tea or coffee on the porch. A yoga session led by Justyna. Afternoon at the beach with surf lessons available. Evening: a dinner of local organic produce.
Day 03
yoga & farm-to-table workshop
Together with Maria and the Mushroom Compadres collective, we’ll explore organic farming and prepare a farm-to-table lunch. A day of cooking together, conversation, and slow living. Evening: a film screening and fireside talk.
Day 04
yoga, beach, surf
A different beach, a walk along the cliffs. Those who’ve caught the surf bug can continue their adventure with the waves. Morning yoga and meditation with Justyna, as always.
Day 05
fishermen’s trail & dinner at the barn
After breakfast, a walk along the legendary Fishermen’s Trail. Hidden beaches, the ocean, the cliffs. In the evening, something special: dinner at The Barn, an extraordinary space with views of cork-covered valleys.
Day 06
monchique, ceramics, reiki
Morning yoga, then a drive to Monchique. Cooler air, and in Madalena Telo’s small pottery studio, time seems to stand still. In the afternoon, optional reiki sessions with Joanna.
Day 07
yoga, walk, sauna
A morning walk straight from Casa Ponto da Pausa. The afternoon brings a relaxing sauna session in a tiny rustic sauna hidden in the Cerca das Pomares valley. That evening: our final dinner prepared by Maria.
Day 08
yoga, breakfast, departure
We close our time together with one last yoga session and a nourishing breakfast on the porch. Airport transfers to Faro can be arranged.
Team
justyna traczyk
Yoga & movement · @practicewithjustyna
Founder of Movement For Change. A seasoned yoga teacher and facilitator of somatic and trauma-informed practices. She leads MERU Shala and organizes retreats that foster safety, agency, and responsibility. Over the years, she has taught in a dozen countries, sharing her practice with oncology patients, refugees, and incarcerated women.
natalia kopec-olpinska
Host of Ponto da Pausa
Host and co-creator of the Ponto da Pausa space. She spent several years at Google, managing communities and organizing conferences across Europe. She traded life in cities like Warsaw and New Delhi for the Portuguese countryside by the ocean, where she has lived for six years. A mother of three boys.
maria gonzalez
Chef · @idofoodpt
Founder of The Studio COKitchen and a pillar of the Mushroom Compadres collective. She left Barcelona for the quiet of Odeceixe. Her cooking is a story of the region: seasonal, plant-forward, built on local ingredients.
joanna pichet-gwara
Reiki · @asialuz
She has lived with her family in Aljezur for several years. Her path took her from international law firms in Warsaw through Berlin, Bali, and Tenerife to the Algarve. In the mornings she runs her boutique legal recruitment firm. In the afternoons she is a Reiki Master, yoga teacher, and passionate dancer.
Cost
Your place is confirmed once a €700 deposit has been received.
Register
Send us a note and we’ll reply with payment details. Your place is confirmed once the €700 deposit has been received.
Or write directly to hello@pontodapausa.com