handfasting

What is the proposal?

Life together is a process of constant maturation—a pilgrimage of many rebirths, a journey requiring moments of listening, reconnection and alignment as we navigate life’s transitions.

Here, we create time for rest, immersive creative practice, and physical nourishment—often exactly what is needed to find our footing and move forward together.

In a culture that has lost rites of passage for couples, we recreate a space for symbolic ceremony—a place to recalibrate our journey toward mindful presence, to inhabit our creativity and to nurture moments of regeneration, rest, and care.

Handfasting is an invitation to renew our vows and remember why we walk this path together. It offers the embrace of a welcoming home, the comfort of nourishing meal and opportunities for meditation, movement and immersion in our small woodland—a chance to be cared for as we realign our direction.

What does the retreat consist of?

Handfasting offers a time and space for reconnection, acceptance, and presence—both individually and in relationship—to nurture the phase you are navigating together.

It opens the way for deep listening and sharing, accompanied by meditation, nourishment and rest—and notably, free from haste or chores—fostering a profound connection with the body through care and affection.

We engage in practices involving movement, dance, artistic creation, meditation and the crafting of symbolic rituals to support the life transitions you are experiencing together. It is an invitation to renew your bond, sense of security and connection; an opportunity to see and be see and to feel what needs to be felt—returning to your roots and strengthening your foundations so you may continue the journey hand in hand.

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This retreat is for a couple who

Wishes to renew vows

Seeks time and space to tend to life transitions

Views a sensitive presence as an anchor in the relationship

Seeks structure, repositioning and discernment

Needs creative time and shared practices

Values ​​rest and nourishment

Welcomes the embrace of a home, its plants, and its animals

Exploratory practices

Meditation

Somatic Education

Voice, Dance, Movement

Forest Immersion

Ancestral Herbalism

Medicinal and Anti-inflammatory Cooking

Symbolic Life-Transition Ritual

The retreat lasts 3 days (2 nights).

The start date of the retreat is flexible, according to the availability of Meditation House Porto, and will be agreed upon after filling out the form.

DAY 1

4 PM Arrival

5 PM Opening circle

7 PM Dinner

9 PM Meditation space

10 PM Rest

How will it happen?

DAY 2

DAY 3

9 AM Breakfast

11 AM Immersive practice

1 PM Lunch

3 PM Personal time and rest

5 PM Immersive practice

7 PM Dinner

9 PM Somatic space

10 PM Rest

9 AM Breakfast

11 AM Immersive practice

1 PM Lunch

3 PM Closing circle

4 PM Farewell

Check-in on day 1 at 4 PM. Check-out on day 3 at 4 PM.

The retreat takes place at Meditation House Porto, located on a old farm called Quinta da Arroteia, on the northern edge of the city of Porto, surrounded by green fields, beautiful gardens, centuries-old fruit trees, a pedestrian path and a lake.

Location

Number of People

This retreat is designed for 1 couple

The Retreat Includes

Personalized guidance with teacher

2 Nights accommodation in a private bedroom with private bathroom

Complete nutritious meals with organic, natural and unprocessed foods

Guided practices in classroom and in nature

Support materials for meditation practice and rest

Rhythm and program tailored to personal intentions

Restoring rites of passage to our shared journeys.

Team

Nuno Miguel Teixeira

Integrative meditation teacher and researcher into breathwork and the holding of psycho-emotional landscapes; creator of the educational, therapeutic, and community projects Meditation House Porto and Ursa Parda.

For 15 years, he has been exploring potential pathways connecting meditation, breathwork, nervous system co-regulation and new ways of inhabiting the body, places, and relationships within modern societies. He facilitates practice groups and teacher training courses, circles for mindful and creative masculine presence, breathwork study groups and journeys dedicated to holding space for individual, community, and ecological grief. He co-created Ursa Parda as both an invitation to practice and a school situated in the native woodlands, stone, and waters of the Leça Valley, Porto—spaces designed to care the human-nature rift and weave together ways of returning to, belonging to, and caring for the land.

His work is grounded in an academic background in Economics and Sports Sciences, as well as a professional career in business management. He is the author of the books A Prova do José (Chiado, 2017) and Volição: a Vida como Meditação (Moonlight, 2026), both of which explore themes of social and cultural questioning.

Inês de Araújo e SIlva

A body educator, an eco-somatic movement teacher, and a researcher in artistic communication and bioregional land-based practices.

She is deeply attuned to the territories of her origins—Minho—and her current home—Douro Litoral—weaving connections with the ancestral heritage that defines the Iberian Peninsula, including matriarchal communities rooted in care and a sacred bond with the land.

She is a passionate creator of educational, therapeutic, and community projects that foster a return to ancient wisdom—embracing deep, ritualistic, artistic and medicinal relationships with the cosmology of the land. These initiatives serve as acts of collective resilience and offer a way to imagine new modes of inhabiting both the body and the earth amidst a modern culture defined by intersecting political, social, and cultural crises.

Artistic expression serves as a language of communal regeneration in her work, addressing a deeply individualized society while acknowledging the interdependence between humans and the more-than-human world, as well as the interplay of grief and enchantment in an era of vanishing wild biomes.

Elena and Billy

Thank you Nuno and Inês! We learnt a lot from our time at the retreat, not only from the meditation activities but also from being in the presence of such insightful teachers. The house and food also exceeded any expectations!

Ana and Gerson

There are experiences that cannot be explained; they are lived. The three days we spent at Meditation House Porto were an unforgettable journey of discovery, reflection, and inner growth. They were days of profound human understanding, meditation, learning, sharing, and love, in an environment of authenticity and presence that we rarely find in the fast pace of everyday life. We take with us moments, teachings, and people that will forever remain in our memory and heart. More than a retreat, it was a encounter with ourselves and an invitation to look at life with greater awareness, serenity, and gratitude. We feel that this was not a goodbye, but only a "see you later." A stage that ends to begin a new path. Our sincerest thanks to Nuno and Inês for their generosity, dedication, and the very special way they led this transformative experience. Deep gratitude. ❤️

Memoirs

Patrícia and João

When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Nothing about our retreat would be normal, starting with how we discovered and booked it only a week in advance, given our situation as a couple, going without knowing where we were going and arriving in torrential rain. If all this was a challenge for Nuno and Inês, we don't know. What they gave us was comfort, safeness, trust, attention to detail and love. The retreat wasn't a set of practices with a good soundtrack. It was an invitation to walk a path without knowing the final destination or what stations or stops we would pass through. After all, isn't this a definition of life as a couple? There's a moment before and a moment after for us as a couple: the retreat at Meditation House Porto. Although we feel that the invitation they extended to us still exists and that we, as a couple, can reclaim and relive it whenever we wish. Thank you, Nuno and Inês.

Eliza and Raul

Incredible experience! We loved Nuno! Beautiful house and space; you can feel the beautiful energy and spirit around the place. Highly recommended. Definitely we will go back again. With love Raul and Eliza! ❤️

Application

Fill out the form.

Send us a brief text outlining your motivations for participating, as well as your experience with meditation and body-based practices.

We will get in touch as soon as possible to let you know if your application has been approved.

Once approved, you must finalize your participation by making the payment and sending proof of payment.

Payment in installments is available.

We look forward to learning about your intentions and background!

Frequently asked questions

What language will the retreat be given in?
The retreat will be conducted in Portuguese or English, depending on the participants.

Do we need any prior knowledge of meditation practices?
No. A commitment to personal development and a willingness to explore are relevant.

Thinking of doing this retreat online?
No. This retreat was created to be experienced through physical presence and the body at Meditation House Porto.

Can we do this retreat in silence?
Yes. If it is important for you to remain silent throughout the retreat, count on us to maintain silence throughout the days, including during meals.

Is this retreat certified by DGERT or another entity?
No. This retreat does not qualify for certification.

Can we have follow-up after the retreat ends?
Yes. You can schedule individual follow-up sessions with teacher Nuno in person or online.

Will we be qualified to lead meditation classes?
No. You can take the meditation teacher training course for that purpose.

What if we want to cancel the retreat?
We do not offer refunds. Each case is evaluated individually.

(Un)learning, imagination, listening, presence.

WhatsApp +351 927 090 747
meditationhouseporto@gmail.com