Physical · mental · emotional · spiritual
Science & spirit
Two ways of understanding the same reset
Why juice fasting works on more than one level
Since 1992 our programmes have aimed at the same goal: a reset that reaches the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual — because in our experience, they’re never really separate. Here’s a little on both sides of that: the body, and everything around it.
The physiology
Rest for digestion, flooded with nutrients
A juice fast gives the digestive system a genuine rest, while the juices themselves keep the body flooded with vitamins, minerals and enzymes throughout the day. Many guests commonly report feeling lighter, clearer-headed and more energetic within the first few days — even while eating less than they would at home.
We support the process with a short list of herbs, alongside psyllium husk and bentonite clay to help move things along, the sauna, and the pool. None of this claims to treat or cure any condition — it’s simply the toolkit we’ve refined over three decades to support the body while it does what it already knows how to do.
The spiritual dimension
Yoga and meditation, every single day
Every day includes yoga and evening meditation, suitable for complete beginners, along with a fire ceremony and our spiral walk — rituals that have been part of Moinhos Velhos since the very beginning. We chant Om and Om Namah Sivaya, the latter said to represent letting go of the old to make room for the new.
Retreats are kept to a maximum of seventeen guests, so the team can give everyone the individual attention a week like this deserves — and so it still feels like a small, human gathering rather than a programme running on rails.
A special place
A valley some guests describe as unusually alive
Thousands of small quartz crystals sit naturally in the ground throughout the valley, and Moinhos Velhos is said to lie on one of twelve “synchronic lines” that circle the globe, meeting at only two other points — Damanhur in Italy and a site in Tibet. One of our founders, Anne Karine, kept a close connection with the Damanhur community throughout her life. We can’t claim to explain any of this scientifically — we can only say that guests, year after year, remark on how the valley feels.
“If it’s not fun, it’s not spiritual.”
— Richard Brook, Facilitator
Alongside the depth of the programme, the team works hard to keep retreats light and genuinely enjoyable — a group experience as much as a personal one.
Ready to feel it for yourself?
Check live availability and reserve your place with a €350 deposit.