Three practitioners bringing different perspectives on wellbeing
One of the highlights of the week is the opportunity to work with three practitioners, each bringing a very different perspective and area of expertise to the program.
Gudrun Docherty, a therapeutic yoga and movement specialist, will lead sessions including Mobility for Life, Mindful Motion, Inner Flow Yoga and The Art of Breathing. Her approach is focused on improving mobility, releasing tension and helping guests reconnect movement with breath, and I particularly like the sound of Mindful Motion, a gentle therapeutic practice designed to work with the spine, hips and shoulders through slow and intentional movement.
João Palma, whose work brings together yoga, osteopathy and sound healing, will offer Hatha Yoga, Therapeutic Movement, Sound Healing, Thalassa Sound Healing and Thai Yoga Massage. One of the experiences that immediately caught my attention is Thalassa Sound Healing, where Tibetan singing bowls are played in water, allowing the vibrations to travel through the body and creating an experience that feels particularly connected to Vilalara’s thalassotherapy heritage.
The third practitioner, Dr. João Pestana, is a clinical psychologist specialising in health psychology and will bring a more mind-focused dimension to the week through private sessions exploring Stress & Lifestyle and Nervous System Regulation. These sessions look at areas including stress, sleep, nutrition, activity and everyday habits, combining psychological principles with mind-body approaches to help guests better understand how they respond to stress and how they can create healthier patterns in everyday life.
I really like this combination because it recognises that wellbeing isn’t simply about what we do with our bodies; how we sleep, manage stress, move through our daily lives and look after our mental wellbeing is equally important.
