Holistic Olive Branch
Stories and thoughts from Northern Portugal: on rest, slowing down, Yin Yoga and making time to pause.
19/10/2026
Our November retreat, A Place to Stop, now has a flyer in seven languages. Held in English and taught simply, near Gerês National Park, Northern Portugal.
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15/10/2026
Five free Yin Yoga guides for home: for beginners, mornings, stressful days, tight hips and bedtime. Save them, print them and come back to them.
30/09/2026
Bouro Santa Maria sits on the edge of Gerês National Park, Northern Portugal, among rivers, waterfalls, woodland and old stone villages. This is where we stop.
What actually happens on a wellness retreat? At A Place to Stop there's no timetable to keep up with, and you might go home having done
Thinking of going on a retreat alone? You don't need to be flexible, calm or know anybody. Just arrive as you are.
A retreat doesn't have to feel like going without. Good food, comfort and thoughtful touches, and the rare feeling that somebody else has thought about the
Why Northern Portugal? The rivers, the mist on the hills and the stone villages, and why a retreat here should never rush you through them.
Doing nothing doesn't come naturally to most of us. Why rest is allowed at A Place to Stop, and what 'nothing' can actually look like.
There is something slightly strange about going away to rest and coming home needing a holiday. Why A Place to Stop is built around invitations, not
Not a place to reinvent yourself in four days. Just somewhere beautiful in Northern Portugal where, for a little while, you can pause.
New stories are on their way.
