A 2-day gathering in nature
ELEVATE 2026 - At the edge of practice
This work often happens in isolation. It doesn’t have to.
At a certain point in practice, the questions deepen. They become less straightforward, more layered – and the spaces to think them through with others who truly understand the context become fewer.
ELEVATE is a two-day gathering for experienced facilitators, bodyworkers, therapists, and practitioners who are already holding space for others – and who want space held for them, too.
- At Floresta Encantada, Sintra
- 25th & 26th July 2026
- A curated group of 30 participants
- Guest facilitators across both days
- Time for conversation, reflection, and exchange
For a stage where questions change
Where the work deepens
There is a point in practice where the focus shifts. You’ve trained, developed skills, and found your way of working. With experience comes a growing level of responsibility – and with that, questions that don’t have easy answers.
Questions like:
How do I work responsibly at the edge of my scope?
Where are the limits of what I can hold?
How do I stay resourced over time?
What is mine to carry, and what isn’t?
How do I speak about my work, and price it, in a way that feels coherent?
These questions benefit from perspective, from dialogue, from being in a room with others who are also sitting with them.
ELEVATE is designed for this stage of practice.
Gathering with purpose
What we’ll do – and who it’s for
This is a considered space for experienced practitioners to reflect on their work, think alongside others navigating similar questions, and explore what is emerging in their practice.
The rhythm of the gathering
Across two days, the gathering follows a rhythm that balances input and integration.
This includes:
- Short talks offering perspective from different fields
- Group conversations where multiple viewpoints can be explored
- Guided practices for grounding and presence
- Time to reflect on your own work and current questions
- Shared meals and informal connection
The focus is on thinking more clearly, with the support of others.
For people working with people
This gathering is for those who are already holding space in some capacity.
You might be a:
- Bodyworker or therapist
- Yoga teacher or somatic practitioner
- Coach or facilitator
- Educator, organiser, or creative practitioner
What matters is that you are already in relationship with others through your work.
This may be a good fit if:
- You are working with clients or groups and want space to reflect on that work
- You notice the complexity of your role increasing
- You are considering questions around boundaries, scope, or direction
- You value thoughtful conversation with peers
- You are thinking about what a sustainable way of working looks like for you over time.
Why this matters
The part of practice that often has no space
As practice develops, certain things become more visible – moments of uncertainty, situations that require discernment, shifts in capacity, direction, or sense of self within your role.
These are a natural part of working closely with people. They are also often carried alone.
Reflecting on them with others who understand the context can bring clarity, and a steadier sense of ground.
This gathering offers that space.
What you’ll leave with
What emerges through time, conversation and context
After two days together, you may leave with:
- clearer thinking around your current questions
- a steadier sense of your scope and the responsibility that comes with it
- language for aspects of your work that have been difficult to name
- connections with others working at a similar stage
- a sense of how to move forward that feels more like your own
The value comes through conversation, perspective, and time to reflect.
From reflection to application
A TWO-DAY PROCESS
Across the weekend, the programme follows a clear progression.
We begin by stepping back from the day-to-day of practice – reflecting on where you are, what you are holding, and what is currently emerging in your work. From there, the focus moves into the questions that shape practice over time: transitions, responsibility, personal patterns, and where your work meets your own experience.
The second day brings the focus into application – looking more directly at ethics, decision-making, and how to navigate complexity in real situations, alongside time to develop your own ideas and direction.
Movement, integration practices, and informal connection run throughout both days to support pacing and presence.
SATURDAY 25th July
Opening the Field
Orientation, direction and personal edge
Saturday creates the foundation for the weekend.
The day begins with time to arrive, orient, and settle – before moving into the questions of direction and where your practice currently sits.
Sessions include:
- The bigger WHY at the edge of practice (Katrin)
Reconnecting with the deeper orientation behind your work, and how it is evolving over time - Navigating transitions in your practice (Jess)
Exploring the shifts that occur within a professional path – including identity, visibility, and direction - Working with Chiron in your chart and your work (Martina)
An interactive session on the relationship between personal experience and professional practice, and how this shapes both depth and blind spots - Working at the edge – movement and discernment (Suzi)
A physically engaging session exploring how to stay present with your own edge, and recognise the difference between connection and overextending in practice.
These sessions are interwoven with movement practices (Isabel) and integration points for reflection, processing, and conversation.
The day closes with a facilitated social evening with Viola, including music and a more informal, relaxed way to connect.
SUNDAY 26th July
WORKING WITH COMPLEXITY
Ethics, dialogue and real-world application
Sunday builds on the first day and brings the focus into practice.
The morning opens with a panel conversation on ethics in practice – language, pricing and responsibility – bringing multiple perspectives into the room and sitting with questions that don’t have simple answers.
From there, we move into dialogue and integration, helping you think more clearly about your own work in relation to what has emerged.
The afternoon becomes more applied:
- Ideas Lab – developing your work (Katrin)
A structured space to develop ideas, offers, and projects within your work, with input and feedback from others in small groups. - Reciprocity Marketplace (Rebecca)
An interactive session focused on exchange, collaboration, and support beyond financial transactions
The gathering closes with a shared circle, allowing space to reflect, articulate what you are taking with you, and bring the two days to a close.
Who you’ll be learning and working with
Sessions and Contributors
Across the two days, you’ll be guided by a group of facilitators, each bringing a distinct perspective shaped by their own practice.
Rather than separate workshops, these sessions are designed to sit alongside each other – offering different lenses on the same questions around practice, responsibility, and direction.
Katrin Heuser
The bigger WHY at the edge of practice
A focused session to reconnect with the deeper orientation behind your work.
At a certain stage of practice, the question is no longer only what you do, but why you do it – and how that continues to evolve over time.
This session focuses on what is currently shaping your work, and how that is shaping your direction, decisions, and sense of responsibility.
Ideas lab – developing your work
A structured space to bring your current ideas, questions, or projects into a small group setting. This may include shaping an offer, thinking about pricing, communicating your work, or developing something new.
Working in small pods, you’ll have time to articulate where you are, receive input, and hear different perspectives from others who are also in practice.
Katrin is a bodyworker, facilitator, mentor, and educator working with practitioners at different stages of their development.
Her work supports practitioners in developing clarity, sustainability, and depth – with an emphasis on long-term practice, ethical responsibility, and relational integrity.
Martina Anguelova
Working with Chiron in your chart and your work
Chiron points to the places where personal experience and professional practice meet. For many practitioners, this is where depth in the work comes from – and where blind spots can also arise.
In this session, Martina offers a way to reflect on how your own patterns and history shape the way you work with others. Through a combination of teaching, guided reflection, and practical exploration, you’ll look at how this dynamic may be showing up in your practice and how to stay aware of its influence over time.
Martina is an astrologer and facilitator based in Lisbon, bringing together astrology, somatic practices, and personal development. Chiron is central to her practice, and she bridges astrological frameworks with psychological and embodied perspectives.
Her approach is grounded in making these systems accessible and relevant to everyday life and practice, drawing on experience working with a wide range of clients and communities.
Jessica Labesehr
Navigating transitions in your practice
Your practice evolves – sometimes gradually, sometimes more abruptly. A way of working that once felt clear may begin to shift. Your clients change, your interests move, or your work no longer fits in the same way.
This session explores the transitions that arise within practice – including moments where something is changing before the next direction is fully clear. Together, we’ll look at different phases of transition, the pressures that can come with them, and how to stay grounded while things are in motion.
Jessica works with practitioners and facilitators navigating change within their work and professional identity, and is currently expanding her practice into a product-based business through the co-creation of a natural skincare line.
Her background spans social science, yoga, UX design, and entrepreneurship, and her work is shaped by having moved through multiple transitions herself – across countries, roles, and ways of working. She brings a grounded, experience-based perspective to how change unfolds in practice, particularly when your work, identity, and livelihood are closely connected.
Panel Conversation
Ethics in practice – language, pricing, and responsibility
A facilitated conversation between Katrin, Martina, and Jess, bringing different perspectives into the room.
This session looks at how practitioners speak about their work, make decisions around pricing and accessibility, and navigate responsibility within a wider social and cultural context.
The format allows for multiple viewpoints, open questions, and shared reflection on areas that are often not clearly defined.
Rebecca Saltman
Reciprocity marketplace
An interactive session exploring exchange beyond financial transactions.
You’ll be invited to name a real need in your work or life, and to offer something in return – opening up possibilities for collaboration, support, and shared resources.
The focus is on clarity, mutual exchange, and recognising the different ways value can move within a community.
Rebecca works at the intersection of social enterprise, collaboration, and alternative models of value. Through Value Flow Innovations, she explores how systems of exchange, impact, and cooperation can be designed in more transparent and sustainable ways.
Suzi Curtis
Working at the edge – movement, regulation, and discernment
An active, floor-based session that brings you into a more physically engaged state through simple movement patterns. From there, the focus shifts to how you stay present within that activation – noticing where your own edge sits, and how you respond to it.
The session explores discernment in practice – noticing the difference between staying connected and overextending, and how easily that line can shift under pressure. The emphasis is on maintaining awareness of your own capacity while working with others, particularly in more demanding or complex situations.
Suzi is a multidisciplinary practitioner working across movement, somatic practice, and nervous system regulation.
With over 20 years of experience, her work bridges fitness and embodiment, supporting more sustainable ways of moving and living over time.
She is the creator of the NSR Method and the founder of Zayah, a wellness app designed to match practices to a person’s current state.
Isabel Costa Macedo
Throughout the weekend, Isabel offers short, guided movement sessions to support grounding, integration, and a return to the body.
These take place in the mornings and at key transition points throughout the day. They help you process what is emerging, regulate the nervous system, and shift out of purely cognitive reflection. Her sessions are designed to be simple and accessible, offering a way to stay connected to the body while engaging with complex material.
Isabel’s work weaves together yoga, somatic awareness, breath, and sound, with an emphasis on connection, presence, and a sense of agency within the body.
Based in Portugal, she works in group and one-to-one settings, drawing on a background in mindfulness, somatic work, and nervous system regulation to create accessible practices that support resilience, self-awareness, and embodied presence.
Viola Bornmann
Singing circle – finding ground in sound
A guided evening session using voice, rhythm, and simple musical structures to support connection and expression.
Through vocal exercises, listening, and group sound, you’ll explore how your voice feels in the body and in relation to others – allowing space for expression beyond words.
No prior experience is needed.
Viola is a singer, vocal coach, and facilitator working at the intersection of voice and psychology.
With over a decade of experience, she supports individuals and groups in developing confidence, presence, and connection through the voice.
GETTING THERE
Floresta Encantada
Floresta Encantada is a holistic retreat and event space that hosts workshops, trainings, and gatherings in a natural setting.
Caminho da Azenhas 5, Sintra (Inside the Quinta São Sebastião)
Enter the address into Google Maps for directions, whether arriving by car or on foot from the train station, as there are a couple of places coming up under Floresta Encantada.
The space is a 5-minute walk from Sintra train station, so very easy to reach by public transport. And free parking is also available on site.
Cushions and chairs to sit on are provided, as well as any equipment needed for the sessions.
Lunch will be provided by @nacozinhadatanite and will be vegan and delicious. Teas, flavoured water and snacks will be available throughout the day.
What to bring:
- wear loose and comfortable clothes that don’t restrict your movement
- pen and paper
- reusable drinking bottle to avoid spills
Staying nearby:
If you’re travelling from outside the area, there are a number of accommodation options in and around Sintra.
You may want to look at:
- Moonhill Hostel
- Sintra Bliss Hotel
- or check out airbnb
We recommend booking early, as availability in the area can be limited during the summer months.
30 places
Secure your place
ELEVATE is limited to 30 participants to support the depth of conversation and exchange that the gathering is designed around. The group will include a mix of returning and new participants.
What’s included:
~ two full days of facilitated sessions, conversations, and practices ~
~ contributions from guest facilitators across both days ~
~ lunch, snacks, and refreshments throughout ~
~ a simple resource to support integration after the gathering ~
~ access to a post-event community call on Zoom ~
Pricing
Places are available in three price stages, based on when you book.
Early access – €160 Available until 7th June 2026, or until this stage is full
Standard – €210 Available until 1st July 2026, or until this stage is full
Full price – €260
How the pricing works
The earlier prices reflect a commitment made sooner, and are there to make the gathering more accessible to those who are ready to book ahead of time.
If you come to this later, or need more time before deciding, the later price applies – and that’s completely fine.
If the price is a genuine barrier, you’re welcome to get in touch.
Note: Travel to and from the venue or accommodation (should you come from further away) are your own responsibility. You can check airbnb for nearby places to stay.
Dates and prices
- 25th & 26th July 2026
- Floresta Encantada, Sintra
REGISTER NOW
- access to the full two-day gathering
- all facilitated sessions and group processes
- contributions from guest facilitators
- lunch, snacks, and refreshments across both days
- basic materials for the sessions
- post-event integration call on Zoom
Why a space like this can be useful
SIX REALITIES OF PRACTICE
These are some of the patterns and questions that tend to emerge over time in practice.
1. Your work is changing, even if you can’t yet name how
There are moments where what you’ve built no longer fits in the same way, and the next step isn’t yet clear.
Staying with that – rather than rushing to define it – often benefits from support and perspective.
2. The work becomes less straightforward over time
What once felt clear can become more complex. Questions around boundaries, responsibility, and scope rarely have obvious answers – particularly when you are working closely with people.
3. You are making decisions that shape your practice long-term
How you speak about your work, how you price it, what you offer, and who you work with all have consequences over time.
Many of these decisions are made quietly, without much space to think them through.
4. You are often holding these questions on your own
There are very few spaces where you can bring the reality of your work without needing to simplify it.
Thinking alongside others who understand this context changes the quality of reflection.
5. Stepping out of your usual environment shifts how you think
Day-to-day work rarely leaves space to step back.
Taking time away, even briefly, can help you see your work differently – and notice what might otherwise stay in the background.
6. Practice develops through reflection, not just training
At a certain point, more input is not what’s needed.
What supports development is the capacity to reflect, question, and stay in dialogue with your work over time.
What you might want to know before joining
Practical Questions
Here are answers to some common questions. If anything else is unclear, you’re welcome to get in touch.
This space is for people who are already working with others in some capacity – including bodyworkers, therapists, facilitators, educators, and practitioners across different fields.
What matters is that you are already in practice and interested in reflecting on your work, rather than learning a new modality.
The gathering sits somewhere in between.
It includes structured sessions and facilitated processes, but the focus is not on learning techniques or completing a curriculum.
The emphasis is on reflection, dialogue, and exploring your work in a shared space.
The gathering is designed as a two-day process, with each part building on the other.
For this reason, it is only possible to book for the full weekend.
No preparation is required.
You’re welcome to arrive as you are. Some people choose to bring a question, idea, or area of focus, but this is not necessary.
Wear comfortable clothing that allows for movement. Also bring a reusable water bottle to avoid any spillages in the space and a notebook.
All other materials will be provided.
There may be some light documentation of the event.
If you prefer not to be included in any photos or video, you can let us know and this will be respected.