Yoga Retreat Lisbon - R. Afonso Domingues 1

I spent 4 days with Hilke at the end of the year, and was so grateful to end my year feeling refreshed, inspired, stronger and healthier. This was partially due to the one-on-one yoga sessions (where I was able to get very personalized advice and tips that I rarely receive in group sessions), and partially due to the the delicious, fresh breakfasts each morning. But so much of my refreshed feeling came from Hilke's warm and welcoming personality and home. It's always a little awkward for me to stay in someone else's home, but she was extremely comfortable to be around and successfully makes her home feel like yours. I invited her to join me for breakfast, and felt truly inspired from our chats and from her healthy lifestyle. What I also loved is that you can turn this into whichever type of retreat you need — whether that be a very relaxing retreat, spending your afternoon reading at while overlooking the city in her apartment. Or it could be more active, exploring Lisbon during the day before or after your yoga practice. I highly recommend treating yourself and going on this retreat. My only regret is that I didn't stay a little longer!

After a challenging year I treated myself with a stay at Hilke's unique yoga retreat in Lisbon and I could not have wished for anything more healing! From the moment I walked into her beautiful and cozy apartment with a stunning and instantly calming view, Hilke made me feel so welcome and at home. She is such a pure, warm hearted, caring, lovely, inspiring and funny human being and it felt great just to be in her presence. I could really feel her energy which created a warm and loving bubble that even made me feel a bit homesick after I left Lisbon! Since teaching comes naturally to her, Hilke was able to introduce me into the world of Forrest Yoga in a very respectful and comfortable way. She constantly kept a close look at my capabilities and needs which made every practice challenging but enlightening at the same time. Every day I felt energetic, relaxed and more in touch with myself afterwards. And to top things of, Hilke made the most nutritious, healthy and yummy breakfast - with the best (bakkies) coffee and great talks - that gave me enough fuel to explore the beautiful streets of Lisbon for the rest of the day. I feel so much gratitude for the day's I've spent with Hilke at her unique yoga retreat. It gave me exactly the uplifting energy I needed so desperately, and I wish for everyone to experience the same someday! Thank you again for all Hilke. Can't wait to meet again soon!

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to spend 5 days with Hilke on what became an essential part of my healing journey. I am beyond thankful and humbled by Hilke's presence. From our first emails to the minute she welcomed me into her space, it was obvious that she is one of those precious people that you don't encounter too often in life. She is such a warm-hearted and caring spirit, and at the same time very witty and a great conversation partner. Even a chat with her is inspirational and healing. I came to do yoga, but after an especially challenging time I had the need to address the trauma stuck in my body and Hilke provided a safe space for body and mind. We laid the framework for my body to feel safe within healthy motion, trying to unlearn movement patterns that were not beneficial. I am still able to integrate the exercises she showed me into my everyday life and be more self-aware. We also spent a lot of time doing breath work and guided meditation - two things I was always scared of until I met Hilke. Her sense of connection is magic, you can feel the energy and love flowing in every touch and guiding encouragement. Now, about 2.5 months after my stay, I am still able to breathe more freely than the decades before. Whatever issue you want to address, or even if you just want to knock yourself out with yoga, I am sure that Hilke will be able to give you the best possible experience. In case you were wondering, her apartment is the most beautiful space you could imagine staying in. It is full of light and beautifully decorated with a spectacular view, I felt at home instantly. She provides a nourishing breakfast according to your preferences and I would argue she will win any porridge-making contest, if there is such a thing. I still improvise my porridge Hilke-style at home and continue to have it almost every day. Hilke gave me so much in such a short time - inspiration and motivation, mindfulness, relaxation and more self-love, body-awareness and about a bazillion things more. I am grateful to have followed my intuition to this magical place and person. Obrigada - Danke - Thank you, Hilke for everything!

It's been about three weeks now since Hilke welcomed me as a guest at her wonderful yoga retreat. Like me, Hilke comes from the northern part of Germany, where one normally uses as few words as possible to communicate. But that would not live up to a proper review, because there is so much to say about this unique experience. The only thing I regret is the decision not to have come earlier. While I had the plan for quite some time, I let my way-too-full calendar overrule my decision. My good advice is to get in touch with Hilke, align on five days, book your travel and just do it! Don't plan for a long time in advance or procrastinate because the effect of the experience is enormous. Despite the big city, you will slow down immediately upon arrival. Portugal is very relaxed country anyway and even in a big city like Lisbon you have to look for a long time to find hustle and bustle. At the latest when you arrive at Hilke's Retreat and in your guest room, all the tension of the past time will fall away from you. Hilke will take care of your needs and tailor a program for you, which she will adjust together with you at any time, taking into account your daily form. So much has already been said here about the accommodation and breakfast and I can only agree with that. I also feel that I have taken a lot from the time and incorporate what I have learned into my daily routine. This works very well. Especially the little tricks that take place primarily in your mind don't require a lot of time, but simply an awareness of them. It only remains for me to give a very big recommendation and an even bigger thank you to Hilke!

I started my pre-natal yoga journey with Hilke in my 2nd months of pregnancy. She accompanied me all the way to the end almost til birth at the end of the 9th month. Thank you Hilke for beeing by my side all the time and literally living my pregnancy with me during the whole time - it was a very special experience and I can not only recommend you but also highly advise you to take the classes with her. These individual 1-1 classes will really make a difference towards the end. Me, beeing a complete Yoga 'newbie', usually the kind of person that enjoys high intensity sports such as boxing or hiking really enjoyed the classes. Even though we did online video classes I felt that it did not make any difference at all to a 'real life' class. Hilke was as present as if she would have beeing in my living room - starting the classes with a personal check in how things are going and what/if we need to work on sth especially.... Beeing a newbie and having to learn all basics and breathing techniques the online model didn't affect the quality of the class in any way nor put any barriers. I felt that she always still managed to correct me the same as she would beeing next to me; she would see if I d be doing any moves/techniques incorrectly and also be able to judge if there is still room for more... On the contrary, with Covid going up and down, it allowed us even to keep a constant course and never having to compromise on classes. I have to say- now, beeing at the end of the pregnancy, I m especially thankful for the breathing techniques I learned and beeing able to practice them for such a long time throughout the course so that they just became natural. It would have definitely been to late to only learn these techniques in the birth pre course..... Hilke is a wonderful and highly competent teacher with patience beeing able to adjust to all needs you might have from classes adjusted and suitable for the fragile first 3 months, going through more intense classes in 2nd trimester and fully personalized classes towards the end of your pregnancy to comfort and prepare you for the big end. So if you d ask me: why should I book this online class instead of the real life class in town? Because with Hilke you will get a completely individual and fully personalized, well guided, very high quality yoga class with a teacher that truly cares. Thank you Hilke for this journey together!

I stumbled across Hilke last year and booked a retreat at her home in Lisbon. She is an amazing, caring person and her ability to translate all details ensured my stay was simply wonderful. Everything from preparing customised breakfast, to listening to feedback and tailoring my one to one yoga specifically to my needs. She even put time aside to help me find a place to get my tests done for my onward journey which were very complicated but got all perfectly sorted with her help. It really is a magical place and I look forward to coming back later this year!

I found Hilke's retreat a little by accident. It was the best thing that could happen to me at that moment in my life. Hilke is an amazing person who brings a lot of peace, understanding and knowledge. I don't remember the last time someone cared for me like Hilke. She is also a wonderful teacher who knows how to match the yoga type to the level and needs of the student. Five days at YRL allowed me to relax, connect with myself and make a real break. It is certainly not an exaggeration to call it a life-changing experience. Thank you for everything, Hilke! For your company, for being such a good listener, delicious and beautiful breakfast and the possibility of spending some time in your wonderful house full of treasures :)

I feel so lucky to have found Hilke’s incredible yoga retreat, and that she was able to fit me in last minute. Hilke is one of the warmest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met. She creates such a wonderful environment during the yoga retreat. The apartment is impeccably decorated with a great view. The room you stay in is lovely. She makes you beautiful, healthy and delicious food. Hilke’s style of Forrest yoga is very healing, both physically and emotionally. She crafted personalized yoga sessions around whatever issue I wanted to focus on. I appreciate how much attention she paid to my posture and positioning. Her detailed corrections were very helpful and things that I will continue to pay attention to. Hilke also gave me fantastic recommendations for exploring Lisbon. I loved the shops, restaurants and places she suggested visiting. I honestly can’t recommend this retreat enough. Spending time with Hilke is an amazing experience. She is also a talented artist - ask to see her work :)