The Dreamers
A two-week residency for an alternative Christmas and New Year. Let go of the old, connect deeply to yourself and others, and dream new worlds into being.
Midwinter is a threshold. The year ends in the dark before the light returns, and it’s a natural time to let go, look inward and look ahead.
The Dreamers is a co-living residency for people ready to put down the year and the old ways of being they’ve outgrown. Together we reignite our inner dreamers and practise ways of living that are more authentic, present and connected.
Through somatic practice, self-inquiry, ritual, dance and stillness, we move from old stories into new ways of being. You don’t have to choose between community and transformation. Often the deepest change happens in a shared space, when we witness each other with acceptance.
Most of us arrive wanting the same things: to belong without performing, to feel alive again, and to remember what we actually want. And to feel that our own change is part of something bigger: a kinder world, dreamed into being together.
For dreamers, visionaries and gentle rebels
You suspect there’s more to life than the script you’ve been following, and you’re curious to explore what that might be.
- You want an alternative to Christmas and New Year: intentional time to reimagine your life, and still full of celebration.
- You’re drawn to experience daily life in a community: cooking and sharing meals, co-creating rituals and celebrations, walks on the land and evenings by the fire.
- You’re already on a path of self-development and want to go deeper, in a way that’s embodied and grounded.
- You’re a dreamer, already weaving new ideas or in need of a spark, and you want to imagine a more alive way of living alongside others.
Many residents come on their own, and you’ll find your place in the group quickly. No experience of somatic work, ecstatic dance or ritual is needed. Just curiosity, openness, and a willingness to share daily life.
Not for you if you’re looking for a party holiday, a fully silent retreat or a luxury spa Christmas. This is a middle path: enough structure and depth for real change, and enough space and joy to enjoy the season.
Why join
Time to breathe and rejuvenate
Space away from screens, routines and obligations to hear yourself again.
A proper close to the old year and a vision welcoming the new
Lay the year to rest and start January afresh, with a vision for the year ahead that you feel in your body, not just hold in your head.
A better sense of the patterns that hold you back
Where you feel them in your body, and what you’d like to try instead.
More ease in your own skin
Two weeks of moving, dancing and being seen without performing, and a taste of being and relating in a way that’s more present, honest and connected.
Joy, play and a midwinter to remember
Remember what it feels like to celebrate and let your creativity flow. Dance, feast and belong with people who become friends.
A sense of belonging
Recognising yourself in each other’s stories, and discovering the common threads that connect you. Your own change becomes part of a wider one: a shared dream of a different way of living.
From the longest night to first light
The programme follows the turning of the year: from the winter solstice, through letting go, into dreaming and embodying what comes next.
Settling in and letting go
Arriving, grounding and getting to know each other, then meeting the old stories we carry and releasing them together.
Reigniting the dreamer
Reconnect with the inner dreamer, find a personal vision, and widen it into a collective dream.
Embodying and celebrating
Bring the dream down to earth through new ways of being, practised in the body and with the land, and celebrate the year ahead together.
Arrival week
Land and rest before the group gathers. Light somatic practices to help the body slow down after the year.
Integration week
Stay on for somatic play and reflection, and land the experience slowly before heading home.
Imagine a day here
Each day has its own flavour, and the rhythm grows with the group, the weather and what’s alive in the room. A day might look something like this.
- Morning
You wake to a quiet valley, mist still lying low between the cork oaks. Wrap up, make something warm to drink, and join a gentle morning practice: some slow stretching, breath and voice, a few minutes sitting on the land as the sun clears the hill.
- Late morning
The rest of the morning is yours. Journal by the window, walk the trails, read in the winter sun, or open your laptop if work is calling.
- Afternoon
The group gathers for the day’s workshop with Aleksandra. Perhaps a somatic practice to meet an old story where it lives in the body, a circle of honest sharing, or dreaming together about the world we want to live in.
- Evening
As the light fades, the fire is lit. Rest, make music, or fall into conversation with someone you met only days ago, then gather for a shared dinner and long talks around the table. Before bed, step outside: the Alentejo nights are dark and clear, and the sky is full of stars.
Some of what we’ll explore together
Letting go
Rituals and practices to release what you’re ready to leave in the old year.
Feasts and festivities
Ecstatic dance on the winter solstice, a Christmas feast, and dancing the old year out on New Year’s Eve.
Meeting your inner dreamer
Playful, embodied practices to hear what that part of you still longs for.
Vision setting
Intentional time to shape your vision for the year ahead, felt in the body and anchored in a gesture you can return to.
Intentional days
Days of stillness with gentle reflection prompts, to let things settle.
Integration
An online integration circle one month later, to help you bring what you’ve found into your daily life.
Dr. Aleksandra Wruk
Aleksandra is an eco-somatic facilitator, regenerative wellbeing advocate, and movement and sound artist. Her work blends nervous system regulation, embodied transformation and earth-based practice. They focus on creating grounded, trauma-aware spaces where deep change can happen gently.
They hold a PhD in Digital Mental Well-being and have trained with somatic teachers including Deb Dana, Abi Blakeslee and Linda Thai. They also hold certificates in meditation and self-inquiry, authentic relating, restorative yoga, and ceremonial sound. Aleksandra has extensive experience facilitating workshops and trainings and has lived in co-living communities. Shared life is as much part of her work as the sessions themselves.
Gerhard
Gerhard is the manager of Satvana and has been hosting retreats in Portugal for the last three years. Together with Michelle, he looks after the practical and human side of the residency: welcoming you, caring for the space and holding a warm container for the two weeks.
Michelle
Michelle is the guest experience manager of Satvana. She has lived and worked in intentional communities around the world, both as guest and host. With Gerhard, she organises and hosts the residency, looking after the daily rhythm and shared life, so you feel welcomed and supported.
“As someone who is also a space-holder, I don’t always find it easy to allow myself to be held. Aleksandra’s skilful facilitation put me at ease from the get-go, and made me feel seen, heard and safely held.”L, workshop participant
“As someone who generally finds it difficult to trust people, I was surprised by how quickly I felt able to be open and honest. I always felt gently guided rather than directed.”S, workshop participant
What guests say about Satvana
4.9 on Google“The very air and light here feel softer and more soothing, leaving you with a wonderful sense of lightness and calm.”Google review
“…such a beautiful environment where you can slow down, reconnect with nature and find your way back to yourself.”Google review
“An oasis of tranquillity where I truly wanted for nothing.”Google review, May 2026
“Being a while at Satvana is as the restoration of your soul.”Google review
Your stay
- Your own studio or apartment for 19 December – 4 January
- The full programme: workshops, ceremonies and morning practice
- Meals: self-service breakfast and lunch from a well-stocked fridge, and communal dinners
- Online integration circle one month after the residency
- A community of up to 12 residents
Not included: travel to and from Satvana, and personal materials.
Rooms: studios with or without kitchenette, and apartments 1, 2 and 3.
Pricing
One all-in price per person for the core residency (19 December – 4 January), covering your room, meals and the full programme.
| Your room | Early birdapply by 1 Dec | Standardfrom 2 Dec |
|---|---|---|
| Studio without kitchenettesleeps up to 2 | €1,240 | €1,340 |
| Studio with kitchenettesleeps up to 2 | €1,380 | €1,480 |
| Apartment 2sleeps up to 4 | €1,800 | €1,900 |
| Apartment 3sleeps up to 4 | €1,912 | €2,012 |
| Apartment 1sleeps up to 2 | €2,192 | €2,292 |
- Sharing a studio or apartment? The price above is for the first person. Each additional person pays €640 (early bird) or €740 (standard): a €240 sharing rate plus the programme fee.
- Arrival week or integration week: extra nights at the co-living rate, plus €75 per week for the light programme. See rates on our booking page.
A 50% deposit secures your place. The balance is due 2 weeks before arrival (by 5 December). If you book after 5 December, the full amount is due when you book.
Satvana, near São Martinho das Amoreiras, Alentejo
About 1h15 from Faro airport and 2h15 from Lisbon airport. The easiest route is the train from Faro or Lisbon to Funcheira station, then a short, inexpensive local taxi. Open in Google Maps
Cancellation
More than 30 days before arrival: full refund of your deposit, minus transaction fees. Less than 30 days before arrival: the deposit is kept. Once checked in, the full amount is due.
Questions
Can I come for just part of the residency?
The core residency, 19 December to 4 January, is one journey, so we ask everyone to join for all of it. You can extend your experience with the arrival week from 14 December and the integration week to 10 January.
How do you celebrate Christmas and New Year?
Together. We mark the winter solstice on 21 December with an ecstatic dance, share a Christmas feast on 25 December, and dance the old year out with a feast on New Year’s Eve. We co-create these celebrations with the group: music, food, decorations, face paint, and whatever you’d like to bring.
Do I need experience with somatic work or ecstatic dance?
No. Every practice is introduced gently and you can take part at your own pace.
What’s the difference between a retreat and a residency?
A retreat is usually a short, fully scheduled break from everyday life. A residency is a longer stay where you live here for a while: the programme is woven into daily life in community, with plenty of space for rest, your own rhythm and even some work. It’s less about stepping away from life, and more about practising a different way of living it.
Can I work remotely?
Yes. There’s wifi throughout, and you’re free to build your own adventure: you manage your own time and choose how to balance work, the programme and rest. There are also quiet spaces where you can take time for yourself.
Do I have to join everything?
We encourage you to join the programme, as the group journey is the heart of it. Outside the sessions, you build your own adventure: how much you connect is up to you.
What do the arrival and integration weeks cost?
Extra nights are charged at the co-living rate for your room, plus €75 for the light programme in each optional week.
Still wondering if it’s for you?
We’d love to hear from you. Ask us anything, or set up a short call to get to know each other before you apply.
Ready to dream?
Only 12 places. We’d love to meet you on a short call before you arrive.
- Apply with the form below. We’ll get back to you within a few days and invite you to a short call.
- Book your room for 19 December – 4 January on our booking page, adding any arrival-week or integration-week nights.
- We add the programme fee to your booking: €400 if you apply by 1 December, €500 after, plus €75 for each optional week. A 50% deposit secures your place, and the balance is due by 5 December.