Australian_Yoga_Journal_-_September_2015_

I START MY WEEK OF BLISS IN A GRIDLOCK. A

political event in Lisbon has traffic backed up
for kilometres, and frustrated locals honk
impatiently as my driver crawls out of the city
at a snail’s pace. A good 30 minutes pass
before we’re released from the congestion to
speed along the highway to Malveira da
Serra, a ritzy area of Portugal perched in the
hills above the coastal stretch of Cascais.
Upon stepping into the villa that will
become my home for the next week, I find a
view that no photo could do justice. Behind
the glass of the floor to ceiling windows is a
160-degree outlook of the township below as
it stretches out to sea. There’s no discernable
horizon, just sky blue fading to azure. The
peaceful villa is where I’ll spend my
mornings and evenings practicing yoga and
meditation, while my days will be spent
admiring the coastline from the vantage
point of a stand-up paddleboard. I feel
relaxed just thinking about it.

A warm welcome
Throwing in your job in search of a better
lifestyle isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it’s a
leap primary school friends Timo Janitzki
and Jens Kielmann decided to take after
daydreaming about starting a business
together. Avid surfers, the duo brainstormed
ways to share their love of Portuguese surf
culture with the world, and the idea of the
Karma surf and yoga experience was born.
“Our initial focus was yoga and surfing,
but last year we decided to expand our
activities to include hiking, mountain biking
and stand-up paddle boarding to take

advantage of the range of activities suited to

this area,” says Timo, as we share a

traditional Portuguese seafood lunch of

buttery clams and sopa de peixe (fish stew)

on the deck.

With laughter and clinking glasses, the

seven other guests and I enjoy the company

of the staff and their friends, and it’s clear the

retreat has nailed the balance of health and

mindfulness with a little indulgence.

Local exploration

Given the villa is surrounded by the magical

landscape of Serra de Sintra, it would be

remiss to not take some time to explore the

local surrounds. So, as Sunday is reserved as

a free day, the other guests and I pile into a

taxi to make the 20-minute journey to the

UNESCO World Heritage area of Sintra. As

we enter the gates of Quinta da Regaleira, a

gothic mansion set against a backdrop of

dense green foliage appears, beckoning us to

peer through its windows to appreciate the

sheer scale of the park.

With 85 hectares of land to traverse, we

easily spend the day wandering the endless

paths that twist through the trees and dark

grottoes, and by the end, we’re well and truly

warmed up to the daily physical activity that

lies ahead.

Salute the sun

After being woken by the sprightly chirps of a

bird outside my window, I head to the

retreat’s newly constructed ‘tree-house’ yoga

studio—a glass-front cabin overlooking the

lush landscape of Malveira da Serra. Here,

lighthouse in Cascais. Guests staying at Guincho

Villa can go there in 15mins by car. 87

august/september 2015

yogajournal.com.au