Descobrir a Vida que Já Está Presente

From conditioned life to the fullness of simply being

The turn of the year is a privileged moment to contemplate the life we are living and to open ourselves to the possibility of a freer and fuller existence.

In everyday experience, we often identify with images of ourselves and with the narratives through which we interpret reality. The sense of separation and lack that accompanies these identifications often leads us to seek compensations, drawing us away from the fundamental wellbeing of simply being.

Between dissatisfaction and the aspiration to return home, to be who we are, there remains the possibility of rediscovering the openness of original experience.

Do the patterns and stories we identify with truly define who we are? What happens when we recognise the awareness that welcomes every experience, including the most difficult and painful ones?

Throughout this retreat, we will explore the relationship between a life conditioned by our mental constructions and the true life that reveals itself in the openness of awareness.

An invitation to recognise the fullness of the life that is already present, and to discover how this understanding can transform our relationship with ourselves and with the world.

I. Original experience and the masks of the self

The openness of original experience and the construction of the split between self and other.

We will look into the personas and masks we identify with, the sense of lack and deprivation, and the need for compensations that may arise from it.

From contraction to relaxation, from dissatisfaction to the aspiration to return home, we will explore the possibility of resting in the fundamental wellbeing of simply being.

Through open awareness meditation, we will call to mind experiences of fullness and of lack, observing the oldest and most dominant images we hold of ourselves and learning to welcome them in the vastness of awareness.

II. Sacred silence and the noise of narratives

Open awareness and the veils of the verbal, conceptual mind.

The judgements and distorted images we construct of ourselves and of the world have profound consequences for our emotional and bodily experience.

We will explore how the patterns we identify with condition our experience, and discover that we can recognise them without being defined by them.

Through meditation and attention to the body and the breath, we will explore the fullness and vastness of the awareness that welcomes passing thoughts and emotions.

An invitation to let our armour and resistance soften, welcoming reality as it presents itself.

III. Real fullness and imaginary scarcity

Disconnection from the superabundance of life often lies at the root of dissatisfaction.

The sense of lack can keep us caught in an endless search for something that will finally satisfy us.

How can we recognise the abundance of the life we are living?

We will explore the movement from demanding to giving thanks, sharing and giving back, cultivating appreciation and rejoicing in all that is good in our existence.

This openness can also include challenging experiences, recognising their place within the whole of life.

IV. Essential love and possessive desire

Authentic connection and self-centred attachment.

The desire to be loved, cared for and validated runs deep through our relationships. When we look to another for the answer to our sense of lack, we may develop forms of emotional dependence that limit our freedom to love.

We will explore the relationship between essential love and possessive desire, while also recognising the human importance of bonds and closeness.

The image of the closed hand and the open hand will accompany this reflection on the possibility of loving in freedom.

Through meditation, we will cultivate the love and compassion that underlie our intentions, opening our hearts to ourselves and to all beings.

V. Creativity and compulsive hyperactivity

Spontaneity and planning action. Effort and enjoyment.

Constant activity, often competitive and controlling, can draw us away from the life we truly wish to live.

What place do we give to creativity and contemplative leisure? How much of our energy is absorbed by the need to produce and control?

On the first day of the new year, we will contemplate what makes sense to continue in our lives and what calls for transformation.

Through a reflection on our current priorities and the priorities of the heart, we will seek to recognise the life we truly want to live and begin to express it right away.

Food

Meals will be provided by the Maná Regenera project, which will accompany us with vegetarian food prepared with great love, plenty of creativity and special care for the quality of the ingredients.

Meals will also be moments of contemplative practice, inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's Five Contemplations.

Contribution

Early bird until 15 November 2026. Standard price from 16 November 2026.

To benefit from the early bird price, your registration must be submitted and the €120 deposit received by 15 November 2026, inclusive.

Includes accommodation, vegetarian meals and activities.

Limited places, subject to confirmation.

Registration deposit of €120, deducted from the total. The remaining amount must be paid by 26 December 2026.

If you withdraw, the deposit is non-refundable; from 26 December 2026 onwards, amounts paid will not be refunded.

If paying the full amount would be a financial difficulty, you can ask to pay the remaining amount in two instalments, in addition to the initial deposit. Write to contacto.visaopura@gmail.com so we can agree on the payment dates.

Registration open

Living a True Life

The turn of the year invites us to recognise what makes sense to continue and what may open to new possibilities.

In this retreat, we will seek to rediscover the fullness of simply being and to recognise the freedom that remains available at the heart of experience.

May the new year be an opportunity to express this understanding in the way we live and relate to all beings.