Leave the noise.

Go on an adventure. Nourish yourself. Play, Dance, Listen. Surrounded by unforgettable nature, find an island of calm & dive deep into your body.

Relax. Recharge. Reconnect.

Monte Orada | 25 - 30 June

Go on an adventure in the South of Portugal for a 6 days Awareness Through Movement dance retreat!

Make your way to Portugal this June for a retreat like no other in the beautiful Monte Orada eco-retreat centre. Awareness Through Movement Dance retreats give you time and space to re-connect deeply with your body and to nourish your soul through the healing and transformational practices of Awareness Through Movement and FATHOM HIGH!

What can I expect?

The retreat will take place in Monte Orada, located at Portugal's Southwest Atlantic Coast, bordering Algarve, in an evergreen valley, an abundant oasis. With breathtaking nature all around, Monte Orada has all it takes to unwind and be nourished - from delicious, healthy organic vegan & vegetarian meals, a sauna, bio-pool and a canal to swim in (and spectacular beaches 15 mins by car), ice baths, massages…

During the retreat we'll take the time to work deeply with our bodies in Awareness Through Movement classes, in order to find more flow, ease and freedom of movement. We'll dance and practice FATHOM HIGH, a technique that celebrates the joy in moving and teaches us how to move like kids again and walk freely in the world.

Free time activities: you can take a hike along the fisherman's epic trail, kayak or sail at the Santa Clara Dam, go on a full moon horse ride, take a boat tour or surf lessons. Or rest and recharge in the sauna, get a massage, stargaze, and meet like-minded people to share a bonfire with.

What does our students say?

Yorrith De Bakker

After just days of practicing Meytal's hip joint class, I started taking my first steps without the assistance of a wheelchair or crouches...

Meytal's teachings have helped me to be patient and compassionate towards a body that failed me dramatically. After my stroke that resulted in left side paralysis, I felt I lost perspective. As a professional dancer I woke up to an absolute nightmare. Our shared love for dance and somatic research changed my rehabilitation process into so...

Zsófi Fekete

Attending the workshop was life-changing for me, a wonderful memory that I will never Forget!

For the first time, I took Fathom High classes on Deltebre Dansa Festival in Spain, where Meytal was teaching our group for five days in the mornings. I clearly remember how exhausted I was when I arrived to the festival, and then how that tiredness could suddenly disappear, from one moment to the other, taken over by the excitement and c...

Silvia Marson

... one of the strongest experiences for my body, my brain and my soul.

My first experience with FATHOM HIGH was really strong, it changed me deeply, in how I dance and in my everyday life. I didn't know the Feldenkrais method before and I came to the workshop without any expectation. From the beginning I felt something powerful happening in me. At the end of the day I was simply exhausted because my "system"...

Lut Van Malderen

"...the doctors couldn't really help me. But Feldenkrais does.. It's very healing... I feel reborn..."
"I'm very happy that the Feldenkrais classes have come into my life. I've been suffering for many years from back pain (due to a slipped disc). I went to therapy, took medication, but in the end the doctors couldn't really help me. But Feldenkrais does, and it does so in a flexible way by doing simple exercises. This happens in harmony w...

Celine Van der Haegen

...I was just a witness of this amazing intelligence of the body acting naturally on its own...

When I first encounter Meytal’s work 8 years ago, I had a lot of resistance with the slowness and high concentration it demands. But when I joined my dance classes every evening after morning practicing Fathom High my body was astonishingly different. I was a very tonic and muscular person and I could taste such a softeness, fluidity and ...

Dagmar Dachauer

...it has a very immediate and deep therapeutic effect...
Working with Meytal has been and keeps being enormously helpful, not only in the course of my recovery from a severe back injury. At the same time as it has a very immediate and deep therapeutic effect (for instance pain release and a quick integration into movement patterns that were less efficient before), it also opened up a very inspi...

Gabriela Cecena

"Never before have i felt so aware, sensitive and curious about my body."
“I had the chance to meet Meytal in 2013. It was immediately clear to me that Meytal had developed a really unique, specific, deep and interesting way to approach movement. Never before have i felt so aware, sensitive and curious about my body. The structure of her classes focuses on finding your own way and discovering new impulses. She ...

Alice Van Der Wielen-Honinckx

"Each time I work with Meytal my world changes a little..."

Each time I work with Meytal my world changes a little. Her classes taught me it is possible to really involve not only my whole body but my whole being in movement. According to me, this work asks the mind to enter a very unusual kind of listening that is at the same time focused and full of ease, curiosity and playfulness. I felt areas ...

Suzana Kajba

"... I just cried a little bit after the lesson... so touching and miraculous..."
“I just cried a little bit after the lesson. so touching and miraculous, hearing Meytal's voice guiding us with such soft, natural rhythm and deep peace. as if we, actually, we do always come back to our potential natural human being, just being in the body”....

Marie Sinna

“I was struggling with a back ache for over 15 years... With Meytal's classes I felt much better, very fast actually."
“I was struggling with a back ache for over 15 years. I tried many different methods, and nothing was helping me. When I started Meytal’s classes I felt a big difference. With simple exercises, I felt much better, very fast actually”....

Priscilla Pizziol

Thanks to the authentic generosity of Meytal and her deep understanding of the method, Feldenkrais has become an extraordinarily nourishing part of my life.

The weekly online classes with Meytal are such an important time of the week. This hour becomes the opportunity to draw my gaze inside, observing how I am on a physical, mental and emotional level. The most beautiful thing about it Is that there Is no aim to "solve" or "change" anything that arises and yet, after every class, I feel so di...

Sylvie Prouveur

"...rediscover the joy of being in harmony... Precious."
"The class was like a journey within my own body and mind, letting them rediscover the joy of being in harmony. It is so nice after all the questions and destruction one faces when going through cancer treatments and their side-effects. Meytal's comments and voice are precious and I am so so grateful to be in the class! Thank you so much,...

Zoe Coudougnan

"...A really deep and moving experience..."
"Working with Meytal has been a really deep and moving experience for me. Through this work I could discover and become aware of feelings and parts of myself that we usually don't pay attention to in our daily life. It's helpful to me because it gives more importance to the pathway - the inner journey the body and mind are going through, ...

Tara Appriou

"Meytal allows you to create your own playground."
"Participating in a lesson with Meytal is, in the first place, entering her world - being enveloped in her voice, intonations, in an atmosphere. The choice of words and their resonance in your own body, the way different tones activate sensibilities in various body parts…..But, very soon, it becomes your own world. You enter in her steps ...

Douwe Nutterts

"... Truly an adventure in the mystery and delight of the body."
"The weekly classes have been a true physical education, they teach me how to move in a new way. Instead of only using force and muscle they reveal to me how I can move in a new way by shifting weight. My body has become much more flexible and the way I move and walk has shifted over time. The classes have made me aware then when I move ...

Roz Wythes

... physical meditation... Meytal draws on her own deep body knowledge and current inspirations that keep the lessons fresh.

"Classes with Meytal are a physical meditation. It is a space and time where I move into the present moment to feel the physical sensations that are present and how they manifest in playful expression that day. Practically, her instructions are clear and easy to follow and her soothing voice offers an embracing aural space. It is very app...

Delphine Mertens

"... It is thrilling to discover Meytal's choreographic universe which she shares so generously."

"FATHOM HIGH has been a very important discovery in my career. As intense connections are created within my body (my muscles and my neurons are tucked into a deep and constructive activity...!) But also between different facets of my life (as an artist and as a teacher). Above all, to work with Meytal is a great moment of pleasure: we rec...

Julie Compans

A great escape.."
“It’s a great escape, to slow down, to stop doing. To listen and enjoy the beginning of movement. I really feel space, time and freedom. It’s also a way for me to connect with the source of energy in my body, and see how the process operate by itself at a deep level. Sometimes when I am tired I do the class and it brings me home naturally...

Aline Combe

“...My encounter with FATHOM HIGH has been liberating...”
“My encounter with FATHOM HIGH has been liberating: I discovered there is a path where my only duty was to keep being curious about my own body and its functioning. I didn’t have to make it enter into a shape, I just had to observe and play with it. The work that Meytal proposes made me understand how this “Feldenkrais-perspective” can no...

Lena Bagutti

It has been a significant tool for my personal understanding of my moving body...

FATHOM HIGH has been so inspiring for me and took an important part in my dance approach and development. By breaking habitual paths of movement, this work opened up for me more possibilities and helped me in facing technique issues in a more serene and conscious way. It has been a significant tool for my personal understanding of my movi...

Louis Nam De Van Ho

Many Feldenkrais classes later the secret was that she... 
I saw Meytal perform her solo work Rain.Leaning on the sidewall, she patiently watches people in the audience take their seats.She starts walking toward the center/front of stage, still looking at us.Her gaze is quiet and transparent.Something in her lower body is moving.Her feet and knees, they shifted position but there are no longer mo...
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Your Experience:

FATHOM HIGH Dance Technique

FATHOM HIGH is a Feldenkrais based dance technique that uses neuroplasticity to unlock movement patterns, change our habits from the core, and move beyond limitations. It uses strategies like unorthodox coordination and attention games in order to develop a mindful state where learning is done with a sensation of constant child-like discovery, much in the same way that a baby discovers a movement for the first time.

Awareness Through Movement

Awareness Through Movement (Feldenkrais) Classes is a neuroplasticity based form of physical practice, and a kind of mindfulness in motion. In a class the students are led through a series of slow, gentle and meditative movements, gradually cultivating a mindful, deeply relaxed state. Most classes take place while lying down on a mat on the floor, or while sitting. Through these classes, one can learn to move with ease, flow and regain more freedom throughout the body.

Both Awareness Through Movement and FATHOM HIGH are interconnected and used simultaneously throughout the retreat. In both, we don't teach people one way of moving. We teach them how to constantly expand their arsenal of possibilities, since moving is a dynamic process that keeps on asking us to adapt, so we can move smartly, stay agile, overcome limitations, pain and injury, and become more resilient.

Who is it for?

The retreat is welcoming to everyone, no matter their age, background, or previous experience in dance. The universe of FATHOM HIGH stands for inclusiveness, and the practice is designed so that each participant evolves within their individual set of challenges. The instructions are always broad enough to challenge people from all levels, offering a space for growth within a diverse environment.

In other words, you don't need to be a dancer - anyone who enjoys dancing and wishes to take a moment to connect and recharge is welcomed!

How would a typical day look like?

A typical day will consist of the following schedule:

8:00 - 10:00 Breakfast and free time to explore, rest, hike, swim or meditate

10:00 - 13:00 Morning practice to connect to our body, to play, dance & explore

13:00 - 16:00 Lunch and free time to rest/explore & enjoy the wonderful nature/sauna/pool/other free time activities

16:00 - 18:30 Afternoon practice, or sometimes we'll do special activities such as Awareness Through Movement combined with a gentle walk in nature. 

19:00 - 20:00 - Dinner and rest. In some evenings, depending on the group's wishes, we can have some nice shared evening activities such as a bonfire, pizza evening, stargazing walk, etc.

The Food

The catering in Monte Orada is one of the highlights of the stay there! The retreat center even published their own cookbook, that is considered as one of the best retreat menu recipe books existing nowadays! Many of the ingredients are sourced from their own organic garden, or from local produces. The cuisine is organic and vegan/vegetarian. The chefs are known for their soulful, colorful and delicious meals, a gourmet buffet is abundant, tasty and very healthy. Gluten-free and lactose-free are easy to accommodate. If there are very specific and sensitive allergies that require separate preparation, the retreat center may issue a separate charge, so please let us know in advance if needed and we will arrange it.

Hi there! My name is Meytal Blanaru, and I'll be leading the reatret. I’m a contemporary dancer & choreographer, a certified Feldenkrais® teacher and a proud body nerd. My meeting with the Feldenkrais Method changed my life in every possible way. A past car accident left me with a chronic back injury, unable to dance. Feldenkrais was a last resource - not only did it heal me profoundly, but it also helped me gain such freedom and ease of motion in ways I never even imagined were possible. It improved every aspect of my dancing skills and taught me to deeply reconnect to my body with such kindness, playfulness and child-like curiosity. This became my deep motivation in teaching, or my life’s purpose - to enable and support others through a similar process. My teaching approach aims to offer people a gentle space to explore their movement patterns, to discover and transform old physical habits and ruts into fresh, new ways of moving & relating to our bodies, while nourishing a safe space for the body, one that offers much rest and comfort.

What's included in the prices below: 

Accommodation for 5 nights in the stunning Monte Orada

 3 healthy & delicious meals per day

Participation in all of the Awareness Through Movement and FATHOM HIGH sessions

Full access to all of Monte Orada luxurious facilities (Sauna, Bio-pool, Canal for swimming, etc.) 

The prices below do not include:

⨉ Flight and transport to the location of the retreat. Pick up can be arranged from Lisbon/Faro airport for an additional cost (from the airport can be arranged for an additional cost. If needed, check more on other options of how to get there in the FAQ!

⨉ Travel insurance

⨉ Special extra activities such as surf classes/horse riding/massages. 

Accommodation options

Shared Dorm for 8 People

The main house is one of the original structures on the propery and is built in an old farmhouse style. It's right in the center of the propery with the sacred fire pit directly outside, the meditation hall / yoga shala / chapel across the way, and very close to the dining area and our dance space. It's in this house that we find the dorm room, the mezzanine, and two smaller rooms.

In the dorm room we have 4 bunks providing 8 beds in total. There are shared bathrooms in the house and easily accessible from this room. There are also additional bathrooms and showers nearby so no one needs to wait...!

Price: 890€

Shared Mezzanine Dorm For 6 People

The main house is one of the original structures on the property and is built in an old farmhouse style. It's right in the center of the property with the sacred fire pit directly outside, the meditation hall/yoga shala/chapel across the way, and very close to the dining area and our dance space. It's in this house that we find the dorm room, the mezzanine, and two smaller rooms. The mezzanine space holds 6 futon beds and is accessible via a ladder/steep stairs. It gives a super cozy attic feel, with lots of natural wood.

* Because it is accessible via ladder, it's not recommended for anyone with mobility issues or fear of heights.

Price: 890€

Teepee for 3 People (1 spot left!)

Share this teepee with up to 2 more participants. Staying in the teepee offers a unique experience as it's situated in a fruit orchard, with 3 single beds, next to a creek and a fountain. The teepee has its own hot shower and eco toilet. It also has electricity but no wifi. This is the perfect accommodation choice for those who like the feel of camping, but still opt for the comforts of a cozy room. 

Price: 950€

The Treehouse For One Person - FULLY BOOKED

The treehouse is a comfy & unique art piece, One double, with two tree branches inside. It has its own independent bathroom with hot water shower and eco toilet. It has electricity but no wifi. You'll be in complete seclusion over here, nestled into the woods, perched up in the tree. During the day relax on the hammock and listen to the sounds of nature. This accommodation is ideal for a solo traveler wanting privacy, or for couples wanting their own space.

Price: 1,250€

Private En Suite Room For One Person - FULLY BOOKED

A cozy & comfortable room all for yourself! Located in the main house, the room comes with a comfortable double bed or two singles, all are en suite. The main house has 4 bathrooms and has easy access to the independent community showers, so no one needs to wait. A short walk down the hill is the natural pool and sauna – available for you any time you please. 

Price: 1,300€

Private En Suite Room For 2 Persons

Ideal for a couple or two friends traveling together. The room comes with a comfortable double bed or two singles, all are en suite. The room is located in the main house which has 4 bathrooms and has easy access to the independent community showers, so no one needs to wait. A short walk down the hill is the natural pool and sauna – available for you any time you please.

Price: 1,990€ (*** The listed price is already for 2 people!)

Frequently Asked Questions

What would a typical day look like?

A typical day will consist of the following schedule:

8:00 - 10:00 Breakfast and free time to explore

10:00 - 13:00 Morning practice

13:00 - 16:00 Lunch and free time to rest/explore & enjoy the wonderful nature/sauna/pool/other free time activities

16:00 - 18:30 Afternoon practice

19:00 Dinner and occasional shared evening activities such as a bonfire, pizza evening, etc.

What's the cancellation policy?

Our cancellation policy is as follows:

If you cancel at any moment before the 15th April, we will refund you the full amount paid, except the deposit, which could be transferred to be used for another retreat/workshop/library subscription during 1.5 year time. 

– If you cancel your participation before the 1st of May, we will refund the total amount you have paid, except for the deposit. At that point, the deposit won’t be refunded.

– If your cancellation takes place after the 1st of May, your payment won’t be refunded, under any circumstances. We'll be happy to offer you free online classes and access to the digital library in an equivalent amount of what you have already paid. 

– At any moment, you could hand your booking over to another person (friend, relative, colleague…etc), who would like to join the retreat and stay in the same type of bedroom.

– In the extremely unlikely event that the retreat has to be canceled, we will also refund the full amount paid.

– Your personal expenses, such as flight tickets or any other cost that wasn't paid directly to us, won’t be refunded.

Most travelling insurances cover all of your expenses (flight tickets, the payment of the retreat, accomodations cost if you stay before or after the retreat in Portugal, etc), if you have to cancel your trip. They are not expensive and can be a good option to insure your trip.

Any questions? Write to us at: fathom.high@gmail.com

How do I get there?

Address: Nacional 120 Cx Postal 261-ST, 7630-678 S.Teotónio, Portugal. 

There's a few options of how to get to Monte Orada. 

  1. Airpot Transfers: Lisbon (3h): 8 seater minibus 250€ / Faro (2h) :8 seater minibus 180€. This ride can be coordinated and shared with other participants in order to lower the costs. 
  2. Train (St. Clara Sabóia) & Taxi: From Lisbon 60€ (3h) / From Faro 60€ (2h)
  3. Car hire: 220 km from Lisbon Airport (3h) / 140 km from Faro Airport (2h)
When is the Check in/Check Out?

On arrival day, participants can check in is from 4pm. We'll collect at 17:30 for a welcoming circle and a little practice. However, if your flights time means you'll need to arrive later, that is totally understandable..!

On departure day we'll work as usual from morning till lunch and have our goodbye circle after lunch, between 13:30-14:30. 

get full access

Shared Dorm for 8 People

Price: 890€

Pay now a deposit of 350€ & pay the rest later! 

To book a spot, pay a deposit of 350€.  The remaining balance is due by the 10th May via bank transfer.

Shared Mezzanine Dorm For 6 People

Price: 890€

Pay now a deposit of 350€ & pay the rest later! 

To book a spot, pay a deposit of 350€. The remaining balance is due by the 10th May via bank transfer.

Teepee for 3 People

Price: 950€

Pay now a deposit of 350€ & pay the rest later!

To book a spot, pay a deposit of 350€. The remaining balance is due by the 10th May via bank transfer.

Private En Suite Room For 2 Persons

THIS PRICE IS ALREADY FOR 2 PEOPLE! 

Price: 1,990€

Pay now a deposit of 700€ & pay the rest later!

To book a spot, pay a deposit of 700€. The remaining balance is due by the 10th May via bank transfer.