30 OCTOBER - 3 NOVEMBER 2026, Portugal
Elemental Woman
Wild. Rooted. Free.
A pilgrimage home.
An intimate gathering for six women, held by the lands of Portugal.
For the woman who feels the call to come home to the truth of who she is.
The one who is done with becoming more, fixing more, understanding more, and instead feels a longing to remember and live from what she already knows deep down inside.
We will meet in a private Quinta surrounded by nature, where there is space to root back into your body and your heart, to feel what is deeply alive and real within, and trust it enough to let it guide you.
We let the land hold us, the elements move through us and the earth strip away what’s not ours.
This is a where all of you is welcome: the messy and the beautiful, the soft and the wild, the light and the dark.
Nothing is left out here. Every part of you belongs.
“My experience with Brenda has been absolutely incredible. Brenda feels like a warm bath: loving, safe, open, and welcoming. Working with her brought so much transformation, healing and a deep connecting with my ‘Self’. I am forever grateful.”
Manouk
That place inside
There is a place inside every woman that is untamed, ancient and fiercely alive.
A place that remembers the rhythm of nature, the wisdom of the body, and a way of moving through life that doesn’t ask us to constantly push, perform or become someone else.
I don’t believe we’ve lost that part of ourselves.
I believe it is still there, waiting beneath all the layers we have gathered along the way.
Elemental Woman is an invitation to return home.
A return to the place within you that doesn’t need permission to be all of who she is.
Where you remember what has always been alive within you, and learn to trust it enough to live from it.
What you'll experience
You will enter a living field. Held through ritual, sisterhood, deep presence and the raw beauty of the land itself.
There will be a clear structure, but our days won’t follow a strict schedule, as we move with the rhythm of the land, the women who gather, and what naturally wants to unfold.
We gather around the table, around the fire, and beneath the trees. We walk barefoot, swim in the ocean or the pool (nakedness allowed 😉) and let nature be our teacher.
We wander beyond the familiar, as sometimes adventure is exactly what reminds us that life isn’t meant to be controlled, but fully lived.
We share, rest, slow down, listen and leave space for what asks to be felt, instead of rushing past it.
Something will soften in how you meet yourself, as there is no need to perform or fix anything during our time together. We leave the masks outside and meet what is present and real — even when it is uncomfortable, messy or raw.
You will begin to notice what it feels like to hold yourself, without leaving yourself.
All while being supported by the land, the women beside you and the elements that move with us as living forces in the body and in nature.
Each one a mirror, each one a medicine.
On our journey together you will
Earth
Ground into your body, come back to what is real.
Water
Feel what is here, let life move through you.
Fire
Let your truth burn stronger than your fears.
Air
Create space to see and hear yourself clearly.
This pilgrimage is deep, real, liberating and also fun.
We move, breathe, sing, laugh, dance, listen, feel, express, soften and roar — allowing you to remember what it feels like to be fully alive.
…
Our time together unfolds through ritual, ceremony, embodiment, somatic practice, breath, voice, movement, inner exploration, outer adventure, and immersion in nature.
All woven into a lived experience that supports you in coming home to the truth of who you are.
She is the earth beneath your feet.
The tide returning to shore.
The fire dancing under the stars.
The wind that carries ancient songs.
She lives in you.
And she is ready to be remembered.
This is for the woman who
- Knows there is a deeper truth living inside her body than the one she has been living.
- I done staying inside what feels familiair but small.
- Is willing to meet herself honestly, even when what she finds is messy, tender or unknown.
- Is longing to come back to what has always been there, without the need to fix herself or become someone else.
- Is ready to trust her body, her inner knowing and her natural rhythm again.
- Wants to hear her own voice more clearly than the noise around her.
- Is ready to take up space — in her voice, her truth and her life.
- Feels the pull towards a life that feels more alive than controlled.
- Is ready to let her heart and life move together – sometimes soft, sometimes fiercely alive, but always true.
The sacred land of Portugal
I invite you to meet me on the lands of Portugal, a place that has become my home.
There is a reason this pilgrimage takes place here.
Ever since I arrived, these lands have been reminding me of something I had forgotten. That life doesn’t have to be rushed. That nature doesn’t ask us to perform. That there is wisdom in slowing down enough to truly listen and feel.
Surrounded by the ocean, ancient forests and the earth beneath our feet, it becomes almost impossible to forget that we belong to nature.
There is a rawness here that strips away what isn’t essential, and a stillness that makes it easier to hear your own inner voice again. It’s a place to be nourished, held and inspired by the simplicity of life itself.
Maybe that’s the greatest gift Portugal has given me. The reminder that there is nothing to become here. Only something to remember.
Our Sacred Sanctuary
A Private Quinta, held by nature.
We will meet at a newly restored Quinta nestled amongst the hills of Central Portugal’s coastal countryside, just 40 minutes from Lisbon Airport.
For a few days, this beautiful place becomes our home.
Surrounded by 66 private acres of land, there is a sense of spaciousness that naturally invites you to slow down.
Here we walk barefoot through the land, gather around the table, rest by the pool, and allow life to become beautifully simple again.
Imagine...
Arriving at the Quinta and feeling your body soften before anything has even begun.
Days that are moving in their own rhythm. Guided by the land, the elements, your body, and whatever is ready to unfold.
Where the only sounds you hear are the birds, and the wind moving through the trees.
Some moments you’ll be simply sitting quietly with yourself.
Others, you’ll find yourself moving, laughing, crying, speaking words that have been waiting to be spoken, or letting the ocean cleanse what no longer belongs.
There will be moments of stillness, and moments of release.
Soft openings and honest truths.
Moments that shake something awake in you, and moments that let you root deeper into yourself.
Nothing is pushed. Nothing is forced.
Just space to meet yourself exactly as you are.
your room
Shared Sister room
Only one shared room available
Special price until September 21: €1290,-
(Regular price €1390,-)
A bright room with three single beds.
Bathroom will be shared.
private ROOM
Only 3 rooms available
Special price until September 21: €1490,-
(Regular price €1590,-)
A beautiful, spacious private room with queensize bed.
Bathroom will be shared.
What's included
- 4 nights at a beautiful private Quinta in Central Portugal.
- 5 days of transmissions, rituals, ceremonies, embodiment practices, nature immersion, and heartfelt sharings.
- 3 nourishing vegetarian meals a day, lovingly prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and a Portuguese touch.
- A Welcome gift.
- An online opening circle one week before we gather.
- An online integration circle two weeks after our time together.
What's not included
- Your flight to and from Portugal.
- Transport between Lisbon Airport and the Quinta.
- Travel and cancellation insurance.
A pilgrimage home begins with one step.
If something within you feels like a yes, I invite you to trust it.
Only six women will join this journey. Intentionally.
Your place is reserved by paying a non-refundable deposit of €500,-.
The remaining amount can be paid in two installments if needed.
If you have any questions, or simply want to meet before making your decision, I’d love to connect.
Meet your facilitator
Brenda Balvers
I invite you to join me on a journey of coming home to yourself. To your body, your truth, and to the parts of you that never truly left.
Brenda Balvers
This pilgrimage grew naturally from years of holding women’s circles, ceremonies and intimate spaces where women could return to themselves.
When Portugal became my home, I knew this was where I wanted to bring women together for several days.
Something about the rhythm of this land, the ocean, the simplicity of life and the closeness of nature continue to remind me of what truly matters. It has become part of how I live, how I lead and how I hold space.
My work isn’t about giving you answers or telling you who to become. It’s about creating a field where you feel safe enough to listen to your own body, your own truth and your own inner knowing.
Because I believe everything you are looking for is already within you. Sometimes we simply need the right place, the right people and the right conditions to hear it again.
I’d be honored to welcome you into the space.
Guest facilitators
When it feels aligned, I may invite a guest facilitator to join us for a specific practice or ceremony. Someone whose presence naturally adds to the depth of the experience.
If so, I’ll introduce them to you before we gather.
Guest facilitators
Carolin – Spaceholder, Sacred Dance Journeys & Singing Circles
I am honored to hold space for you during our time together, and to invite you to express the colorful being that you are through dancing and singing.
As I began to experience dancing and singing as a sacred playground and a form of prayer, I felt a deep sense of liberation and growth. Both became a joyful way for me to explore and connect with the divine within and around, to offer gratitude, seek guidance, and invite transformation and wisdom. This journey enriched my life in many ways, allowing me to embrace my unique expression and receive the teachings and healing that lies within.
Over these five days, I will therefore guide you through sacred dance journeys and singing circles, helping you to experience your body and voice as a powerful medicine. This is where you are allowed to express your untamed self fully, and where you are invited to reconnect with the depth and richness of your feminine essence —inspired and guided by the elements and the powerful nature of Portugal.
Carolin – Spaceholder, Sacred Dance Journeys & Singing Circles
I am deeply grateful and excited to journey with you, holding space for your sacred transformation and sharing magical moments along the way.
Words of love
FAQ
What makes this journey different than other retreats?
Elemental Woman is intentionally intimate, with space for only six women. This allows you to be more than simply part of a group. You will be personally seen, known and held throughout the journey, with space for your own process and for whatever wants to unfold within you.
This is not a retreat built around a packed schedule, endless information or becoming a better version of yourself. The rhythm is spacious and alive, allowing room for depth, silence, rest, nature and the unexpected moments that cannot be planned, but often become the most meaningful.
Everything we explore is brought into the body and into lived experience. You are not here to perform, achieve or arrive as a certain version of yourself. You are invited to come as you are, with all that lives within you, and to meet yourself in the presence of women who are willing to do the same.
From our opening call before the retreat to our integration call afterwards, this is a deeply personal and carefully held journey. Not an escape from your life, but a return to what is most real and true within you.
What if I’ve never joined something like this before, can I still join?
Yes. If you feel the pull, you are welcome. This gathering isn’t about experience, but about resonance. Women of all ages, backgrounds, and paths are welcome to join, exactly as they are.
Where is the Quinta located?
The Quinta is nestled amongst the hills of Central Portugal’s coastal countryside, just 40 minutes from Lisbon Airport.
The exact location will be communicated when you’ve signed up.
How do I get there?
The closest airport is Lisbon, from where it’s about a 40 minutes drive to the Quinta.
The best way to get there is by rental car or by an (shared) Uber.
One week before our journey starts, a WhatsApp group will be created so you can connect with the other women who are joining, and coordinate travel together if you wish.
What are the dates, and what is the check-in and check-out time?
We will be together from Friday 30th October till Tuesday 3th November 2026.
On Friday we will start with an opening ceremony around 4pm. You are welcome to arrive from 2pm onwards.
We will end our time together on Tuesday around 11pm.
Is it possible to arrive earlier to the Quinta or stay longer after our time together?
Unfortunately, this is not possible.
Will there be free time?
Yes, it’s important that you have enough time for yourself to rest, recharge, connect and integrate, as this is an important aspect on journeys like this. In this time, you can go for a walk, take a dip in the pool, journal, meditate, read a book or just be, as you enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
What kind of food will be served?
The food served will be fresh, organic and vegetarian. All prepared with locally sourced ingredients.
Think grounding, vibrant, nourishing dishes that support your body and your journey.
If I book a shared room, do I share the cost with my roommate(s)?
No, prices listed for the shared options are per person.
What is the sign-up process?
If you feel a full body YES to join, the first step is to fill in the application form. After your application is received and confirmed, you will be asked to make a deposit of 500 euro to secure your place.
After the deposit is received, you will receive all the further necessary information and details.
If you feel the pull but would like to connect first, you’re welcome to book a free connection call.
What is the cancellation & refund policy?
I understand that life can be unpredictable, but due to the financial commitments involved in organizing a journey like this, all payments — including the deposit — are non-refundable.
Therefore I recommend that you get a travel & cancellation insurance to protect yourself in case unexpected circumstances arise.
For further details about the policy, please read the Terms & Conditions.
My question is not answered
No worries. If you have any more questions, you can schedule a free call or send me an email with your question(s): connect@brendabalvers.com