And suddenly you arrive at a place in raw nature where the land, the river, the cristals under your feets and all around in the mountains rip you open and leave you fully naked. Suddenly you can’t hide or can’t run any more. But nature alone invite you to climb on top of the highest mountain and get a new perspective, the waterfalls invite you to cleanse and free yourself, the highly energy of the earth and all the cristals whisper: let us carry you. You are never alone.

Portugal is a place where I feel as close to my inner voice as possible. Especially at the AYA Retreat Center, sudden insights are not uncommon. The feeling that I should cut my hair came quite quickly. Hair stores energy. My path to becoming free enough to embark on such a journey was anything but easy. Many drastic, emotional, and above all, courageous decisions paved the way for Portugal. That's why I'm all the more grateful that I was not only able to simply get my hair cut, but also by an experienced shaman. Together we conjured up an entire ritual, which was so intense that I wrote a poem about it:

You always have a choice and a free will to decide where you put your attention. Do you want to light up your fear of goodbye and sadness or do you want to light up what you recieved? Do you want to count your blessings you were allowed to recieve from a stranger - who leaves somehow really important imprints in your heart. You can choose to willingly open your heart and trust fully - alltough you know from the beginning you will be vulnerable and being fully seen. Alltough you know you will have to say goodbye again and that the physical visit is limited.

On my Instagram channel, in the Portugal highlight, you'll find personal insights into the milestones of my trip. This page is still under construction and will include more personal impressions in the future.