Sun, May 2 - Fri, May 7
Join James Nestor, Breath Crüe, and an international group of fellow pulmonauts at a restored countryside estate set in 18 hectares of pine forest between Lisbon and the surf breaks of Ericeira, for an unforgettable week of sunshine, forest trails, farm-to-table Portuguese cuisine, and moonlit swims as we explore the science and art of breathing.
Early bird: 10% off the first 30 rooms.
Come early, breathe easy.
What can breathing do for you?
For thousands of years ancient cultures used breathing as a medicine to help heal the body and calm the mind. Modern science has more recently shown that harnessing our breath can measurably reduce stress, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, snoring, chronic headaches, and even asthma and some autoimmune diseases.
In this immersive weeklong retreat, we’ll explore a new breathing practice each day, from relaxing and restorative techniques to more highly-energizing breathwork methods that heat the body up, lull it into a heightened immune response, and shift states of consciousness.
All levels of registration are ALL INCLUSIVE and include more than 30 hours of intensive breathing instruction and practice, individualized assessments and training, alignment and biomechanics, three handcrafted meals a day, and connecting with extraordinary humans from all over the world.
At the close of the retreat each guest will leave with a toolbox of breathing practices to improve their mental and physical state, anytime and anywhere, for years to come.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before — my mind and body feel brand new.”
R.S. (Denmark)
Kundalini • Tummo • Kriyas • Qi Gong • Hypoventilation Athletic Training • Buteyko Breathing Technique • Apnea • Pranayama Resonant Breathing
PACKAGES & COST
“I am not exaggerating when I say this was probably the best week of my life.”
C.A. (Britain)
All Inclusive
Prices shown include the 10% early-bird discount. The room costs are ALL INCLUSIVE of food, lectures, moonlight and everything else except alcoholic beverages and optional massage and spa services.
James Nestor and Breath Crüe are all staying on-site and will be available to answer questions, chat, and breathe throughout the entire week.
There are no hidden costs. There are no sneaky fees. There are no pitches for timeshare opportunities. Just show up and we’ll take care of the rest.
Please contact us with any questions: retreat@mrjamesnestor.com
€3,090/person
Historic Deluxe Room
Early Bird Special: This room is 10% for a limited time only!
This is a double occupancy room, which means the total price is €6,180 (€3,090 per person). If you would like to stay in the Historic Deluxe Room alone, the purchase price is €3,790.
Located in the traditional wing, the Historic Deluxe is the most spacious room category. It blends heritage character with modern minimalism, using natural materials, soft textiles, and warm, balanced lighting. A dedicated reading corner with an armchair and desk creates a defined second zone within the room, designed for quiet mornings, evening reading, or focused time indoors. Amenities include air conditioning, a safe, an open closet, a reading corner and desk, Portuguese linen and towels, a walk-in shower, mini-bar, kettle, hairdryer and yoga mat.
All meals, all instruction, and all else included.
€2,890/person
Historic Superior Room
Early Bird Special: This room is 10% for a limited time only!
This is a double occupancy room, which means the total price is €5,780 (€2,890 per person). If you would like to stay in the Historic Superior Room alone, the purchase price is €3,390.
Located in the traditional wing, the Historic Superior is a calm, well-balanced room designed for rest and simplicity. The focus here is essential comfort and clean design, without additional zones, which keeps the space composed and uncluttered. A solid choice for guests who spend their days in the hall and want a compact room with everything they need. Amenities include air conditioning, a safe, an open closet, a reading corner and desk, Portuguese linen and towels, a walk-in shower, mini-bar, kettle, hairdryer and yoga mat.
All meals, all instruction, and all else included.
€2,790/person
Balcony Room
Early Bird Special: This room is 10% for a limited time only!
This is a double occupancy room, which means the total price is €5,580 (€2,790 per person). If you would like to stay in the Balcony Room alone, the purchase price is €3,290.
Overlooking the pine woodland, the Balcony Rooms are an oasis of stillness. Natural wood flooring, Portuguese linen and textiles, and abundant natural light create a warm, soft, and balanced environment, and the private balcony deck gives you a space to root in nature between sessions. Guests can choose from either one double bed or two twin beds. Amenities include air conditioning, an open closet, Portuguese linen and towels, a walk-in shower or bathtub with a forest view, a kettle and hairdryer.
All meals, all instruction, and all else included.
€2,047/person
Historic Suite
Only 1 Whole Suite Available: This room is 10% for a limited time only!
This price is for the entire suite. The total price is €7,490 for up to three guests or €8,190 for four guests. If you would like to book the suite for four guests, please contact the retreat team before completing your reservation.
The Historic Suite is the largest residence at DOMA. A separate living room sits alongside a luxury double bedroom, creating a spacious private suite that can accommodate up to four guests. The main bedroom has a double bed, while the living room includes a pull-out double sofa bed, with an additional adult bed available if required. Crafted carpentry, ambient lighting, woven furnishings, and plants all within easy reach of the breathwork hall and dining areas.
All meals, all instruction, and all else included.
€2,490/person
Forest Glamping
This is a double occupancy tent, which means the total price is €4,980 (€2,490 per person). If you would like to stay in the Forest Glamping Tent alone, the purchase price is €2,790.
The comfort of a deluxe room, reimagined as a private stay in the forest. Each tent sits on an elevated wooden deck among the pine trees, fully air-conditioned for hot days and gently heated at night, so the space stays cool, dry, and quiet. Full-size double or twin beds with premium mattresses, Portuguese linen, woven textiles, and soft lighting bring home-like comfort into the woodland. Bathroom facilities are shared with the other glamping tents. A relaxed escape for nature lovers and couples. Air conditioning, safe, twin or double beds, Portuguese linen and towels, clothing rail, access to shared glamping bathroom facilities.
All meals, all instruction, and all else included.
“I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible experience. Breath Retreat is nothing short of transformative.”
S.D. (Canada)
Reservations
Breath Retreat offers both single and double occupancy rooms as well as glamping tents at a variety of price levels from lux to backpackeresque. For further information on bed configuration and room details, please see the room descriptions under room pricing.
We have reserved suites and glamping tents for solo travelers who would like an affordable option of having a roommate. Our concierge will reach out to you after making your reservation to pair you with another guest.
“Holy S%$t! You guys are so awesome! I have so many new tools to take back into my practice and spread this knowledge around the world. Thank you!!!”
M.A. (India)
Rundown
• Daily lectures with James Nestor exploring the history and science of breathing
• Group and individual breathing instruction with a team of internationally renowned breathwork and alignment instructors.
• Handcrafted local cuisine
• Sunrise/sunset breathwork
• Morning and evening swims, woodland walks and plenty of fresh Atlantic air
• Evening sound baths
• Yoga, Qi Gong, alignment workshops
• And did we mention swimming, sunshine, pine forests and Portuguese pastries!?
Your Hosts
JAMES NESTOR is a science journalist and author of the international bestselling book, Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, which has been translated into more than 45 languages and has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. Nestor will lead daily multimedia informational sessions, live expert interviews, and archival reviews on the history and science of breathing techniques. Nestor will be available throughout the week to answer individual questions and consult about whatever. Between lectures, Nestor will be leading several evening sound baths by night, and by day taking a place on the mats between the rest of the respirators to participate in breathing sessions led by an inimitable, international coterie of renowned breathwork teachers known as The Breath Crüe: (pictured below) Emma Estrela (UK), Michelle Moroney (Ireland), Mike Mol (The Netherlands), Lauren Hudson (South Africa). Live music by the astounding Marc Capelle.
“James and his team were selfless teachers, constantly accessible throughout the week and guiding us through each new program with grace and humility.”
M.K. (Germany)
FAQ & Additional Details
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Breath Retreat at DOMA is perfect for anyone who breathes. We offer clear instruction, support, and an environment for guests to take their breathwork as far as they’d like to go, from biomechanics basics; gentle and nourishing practices; to full-on vigorous hour-long ancient techniques. You are the pilot at Breath Retreat; not the passenger.
We have hosted hundreds of humans from more than 20 countries all over the world, including New York CEOs to Sedona vanlifers; British physicians to Brazilian artists; teenagers to octogenarians; single people in a relationship to single people not in a relationship; couples traveling together to multi-generational families. You will be in the company of amazing people doing amazing things from all over the world. Children under the age of 17 are not permitted.
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We offer a broad range of program pricing from two to three thousand euros per person for the entire week. Pricing includes all food, workshops, yoga, fitness classes, sound baths, sunsets, sunrise swims, and the now-(in)famous Breath Retreat Dance Party Blowout. Alcoholic drinks and desserts are not included. Costs do not include travel insurance (highly suggested!) , ground transportation, or flights.
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The chefs at DOMA can accommodate whatever dietary needs. While the chefs focus on locally-sourced cuisine, each meal will offer various options for every nutritional nuance: paleo to vegan, pescatarian to breatharian, and everything in between. All meals are served buffet-style allowing you to choose whatever you’d like. For protein-focused eaters, every meal offers eggs and every lunch and dinner offers both eggs and fish. Delicious smoothies, pastries, desserts, and more are available throughout the day, every day. Wine and beer are available on your dime.
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Our Great Breath Retreat Concierge Extraordinaire can arrange roommates for solo guests interested in sharing a twin room. All guests must first book a stay in a twin room of their choice; after that, feel free to reach out to retreat@mrjamesnestor.com for next steps.
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Proof of Travel Insurance is strongly (strongly!) encouraged. Be sure to purchase early and often. Things come up, and things seem to come up a lot more often right before big events. We want to make sure everyone is covered in case of some unforeseen circumstance that would require the trip to be cancelled.
We like www.insuremytrip.com and www.travelinsurance.com.
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All sales are final.
We understand that life sometimes throws curveballs. If the reservation must be cancelled for whatever reason Breath Retreat may offer to try to find a replacement but there are no guarantees.
If Breath Retreat is successful in finding a replacement, there will be a $750 re-booking fee deducted from the refund as well as any outside vendor expenses and/or credit card processing fees that may have incurred as a result of the cancellation.
We strongly recommend trip insurance and like www.insuremytrip.com and www.travelinsurance.com.
Schedule
The schedule is loose and will be changing depending on the flow of the event. Here’s a rough sketch of what to expect.
All days are padded with free time for swimming, hot tubbing, saunas, napping, work calls (not recommended!!), drinking, not drinking, and breathing in of blue sky and forest trees.
James and the Breath Crüe are all staying on-site and will be available throughout the entire week to answer questions, chat, and breathe with guests.
Sunday – Arrival
Check in to rooms begins on Saturday from 4pm and opening group dinner at 6pm followed by Opening Ceremonies led by James Nestor with a multimedia lecture overview on why humans are the worst breathers – and how to fix it. Evening closes with meditative breathwork and sauna (optional).
Monday – Qi Gong Breathing. Sunrise yoga; group morning breathwork; personal breathing and posture assessments; pre-lunch lecture on Qi Gong with exercises; post-lunch breakout sessions focused on mechanics and alignment; group dinner and drinks. Evening Q&A with Breath Retreat Crüe on specifics of breathwork practices and best techniques for athletic training, stress mitigation, sleep, sex, asthma reduction, and who-knows-what-else followed by evening gong bath and sauna.
Tuesday – Breathing Less. Sunrise yoga; morning group breathwork; pre-lunch lecture on breath retention and CO2 training; optional HIIT training; group afternoon long breathwork; pool time. Evening yoga nidra gong bath and sauna (optional).
Wednesday – Airway Health. Sunrise yoga; morning group breathwork; post-lunch lecture on chewing/myofunctional therapy and airway health; instruction with expert myologist. Evening Q&A with James Nestor and sauna (optional).
Thursday – Tummo/Kundalini. Sunrise yoga; morning group breathwork; pre-lunch lecture on Kundalini with exercises; optional HIIT training; afternoon 90-minute intensive group kriya breathwork; sunset swim, big final group dinner. Closing ceremonies amidst the now (in)famous Breath Retreat Dance Party Blowout.
Friday – (Au revoir) – Long goodbyes and room checkout by 12pm.
Cuisine
All guest packages include three chef-prepared meals a day, made with seasonal produce from the estate gardens and nearby farms. Menus are built around what the land gives that week, so nothing travels far and nothing sits long.
The DOMA kitchen works farm-to-table, with a vegetable-forward menu and its own bakery on site. Every meal includes an egg option, and lunch and dinner include Atlantic fish landed at the coast, so paleo, keto, and vegan eaters are well fed throughout the week.
Alcoholic drinks are not included in the guest package price.
Scene
DOMA is located on a restored countryside estate near Azueira, in the hills of Mafra on Portugal's Atlantic coast, thirty minutes from Lisbon airport and twenty minutes from the surf town of Ericeira.
The estate spans roughly eighteen hectares of pine forest, gardens, and walking trails, with the Atlantic coastline and the beaches of Ericeira and São Julião a short drive west. The wider area is quiet farmland and forest, and the historic town of Mafra with its palace and hunting grounds sits just to the north.
This is a working countryside estate, which means the setting is open to the seasons. Early May in Portugal is mild and bright by day and genuinely cool after dark. You'll wake to birdsong, walk on sand and pine needles, and see stars at night with almost no light pollution. You'll be not around, but in nature.
Between sessions you are free to roam the forest trails, swim, use the coworking studio, or sit still and let the place work on you. DOMA can recommend local activities and help arrange transportation (at your cost) to surf lessons in Ericeira, coastal walks, horseback riding, the Mafra palace and Tapada hunting grounds, and day trips to Sintra or Lisbon.
Getting There
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The closest international airport to DOMA is Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), roughly 40 minutes away by road. Lisbon is a major hub with direct flights from most European cities and from New York, Newark, Boston, Miami, and Toronto, so nearly all guests fly in here.
For international flights we suggest checking Google Flights. TAP Air Portugal connects onward from most European capitals if there is no direct route from your city.
From the airport, taxis and ride-hailing apps such as Bolt and Uber run at all hours and reach the estate in about 40 minutes. Rental cars are straightforward in Portugal and give you the freedom to visit Ericeira, Sintra, and the coast during free hours. There is parking on site.
Arrival is on Sunday, May 2. Departure is on Friday, May 7.
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If you prefer to rent a car (you will NOT be needing a car during the retreat) please write us for specific directions. Most major agencies operate from Lisbon Airport, and there is free parking on the estate.
See DOMA Directions for more information.
Reservations
Space is limited. Please contact us with any questions: retreat@mrjamesnestor.com
