The journey into presence…
Is the study of being here and now -
easier said than done -
But what if voice were the portal, where we release thoughts of judgement, of how we should sound, of what we're trying to achieve, of who we're supposed to be...
And instead settle into an embrace of the unknown
Within each of us is a deep well of creativity that never runs dry
In each moment we can choose to access that inner voice and sing it into being
Join The Embodied Voice for 6 days of moving, sounding, and singing, to:
Nourish your body, mind, and voice
Cultivate clarity and presence
Unlock your creativity
Awaken your vitality
Restore, rest, reflect
Release into flow
Held by three expert singing facilitators
-
VOICE YOGA
Olivia Preye
-
THE EMBODIED VOICE
Kate Smith
-
PORTUGUESE SONG
Teresa Melo-Campos
Singing Into Presence is a retreat for anyone ready to take that next step towards discovering how to use voice as a tool for unlocking a deeper inquiry into being.
The Embodied Voice ©, by Kate Smith, is proud to bring back this one-of-a-kind voice retreat, in collaboration with Olivia Preye, creator of Voice Yoga. And in honour of the land and people of Portugal, we’ll be joined by guest teacher, Teresa Melo Campos, to lead a workshop on traditional Portuguese songs as well!
We propose that singing - when paired with mindfulness and embodiment - can be a way of encountering yourself, your mind, thoughts, habits, and ways of being. And that - through moving the body, fostering play and creativity, and building our capacity for awareness - singing can help us become more centered, empowered, and resilient.
With greater presence, we can learn to not only improvise music, but also improvise in the greater flow of life, with grace, light, and curiosity. Treat yourself to a nourishing retreat, as we explore -- Singing Into Presence.
Experience
VOICE & BODY WORKSHOPS
Morning meditations and voice-body warm ups
Indian classical music-based singing meditations
Somatics and the Singing Body - voice and body integration workshops
Expressive voice and vocal improvisation sessions
Harmony singing
And a special guest workshop on traditional Portuguese folk song
Enjoy
REST & RELAXATION
6 nights accommodation in a stunning house nestled in the mountains of rural Portugal
3 delicious organic vegan meals a day
A special spa night with sauna and hot tub
Swim in the natural pond
Permaculture gardens to walk in and take fresh herbs for your herbal teas
Afternoons free to rest, walk the gorgeous forest trails, spots with carpets under the trees to meditate and journal
A day off to visit the stunning Costa Vincentina,
"the last wild coast of Europe!" with 700km of natural hiking trails on breathtaking cliffs and dunesFollowed by a traditional Portuguese dinner
Various massages, surf lessons, horse riding available upon request
Vocal training through somatics and embodiment practices
Musicality through movement
Improv-based tools and games for accessing vocal freedom and creating music-in-the-moment
Meet Kate Smith
Kate Smith is a vocal acrobat, composer, and facilitator known for her seamless blend of musical precision, free improvisation and physical exploration. As the creator of The Embodied Voice©, a research, performance and teaching practice, Kate’s many-faceted creative endeavors address themes of presence, the body-mind relationship, and human rewilding, through the expressive shaping of voice, movement and improvisation.
About The Embodied Voice
The Embodied Voice is a practice for living more joyfully in mind and body by bringing together voice, movement, mindful awareness, and improvisation. Balancing science and technique with play and creativity, The Embodied Voice helps us tap into a voice and body that is free, expressive, vital, and present.
The Embodied Voice emerged from Kate's voracious desire to draw connections between practices, searching for fundamental ways of being that transcend genre and dogma. Drawing on a deep commitment to embodied research, Kate likes to question received wisdoms through experimentation and playful curiosity.
As a result, the practice draws on many influences including yoga, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method®, Body-Mind Centering®, mindfulness, contact improv, dance, and theatre. Kate has studied with a variety of leading artists in the voice and movement fields, including Meredith Monk, Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen (BMC), Seke Chimutengwende, Margaret Pikes (Roy Hart Theatre), Grzegorz Braal (Song of the Goat), and more. She studied Feldenkrais-based vocal pedagogy with Robert Sussuma, and is a 200hr Yoga-Alliance certified teacher of Authentic Flow Yoga. She is grateful for the inspiration of her colleagues and mentors, including Jenni Roditi (TIC), Guillermo Rozenthuler, David Eskenazy and more. Kate has also trained in trauma-informed and resilient nervous system facilitation as certified by the Complementary Medical Association (CMA).
Her workshops can therefore run the gamut from sessions of soulful sounding, to technical lessons on voice-body anatomy, to creative games for embodied musicality, to wild and playful movement explorations. What holds all the diversity of approach together is Kate's consistent commitment to holding safe and welcoming spaces that encourage us to reconnect to our essential being.
Singing meditation and energy clearing based on traditional Indian ragas
Meet Oliva Preye
Liv has been working with the voice as a tool for healing for 15 years in a diversity of settings from prisons to concert halls, psychiatric units to cathedrals, hospital beds to treehouses. Inspired by her studies of Hindustani singing and years spent in India, she weaves together her work as a jazz singer, creative practitioner, singing therapist and yoga teacher to create and facilitate a practice - Voice Yoga - that deeply nurtures spiritual and emotional wellbeing.
About Voice Yoga
Bhakti yoga is at the heart of the way Liv works and lives. She believes that the key to healing and living a full, undefended life lies in connection to the unique awareness which can be experienced when we sing with our authentic voices. For this reason, much of her work is in facilitating vocal exploration and expression to help people let go and free fall into the arms of grace though making vocal music both collaboratively and individually.
Indian classical music provides the sonic context of Voice Yoga. Music in India is intrinsically linked to spirituality. Songs are not just songs; they are colours, moods, entire worlds! Most importantly they are a direct channel to the divine - what ever that may mean to you. Each individual's spiritual path is an intimate and sacred idea for which there is no need of external validation or justification.
Traditional Indian music comes in the form of 'Ragas' and these ragas provide countless different paths on which the voice can dance along. Singing is steeped in a sense of connecting with the divine, with universal consciousness: all who have gone before us and all who will follow us. Practising Voice Yoga fully charges you with cosmic energy by helping you deeply integrate the vital energy or 'Prana' that is the source of life for all. Voice Yoga shows us how to breathe in this pranic energy as life giving air and release it back into the world as beautiful life enhancing music.
Sessions begin with meditation and end with song. They include exercises that: explore the various places in which you can resonate in your body, teach you about the anatomy of the voice and help you discover your own unique voice. A warm, open and intimate atmosphere is nurtured in which we discuss any issues that may arise as a result of the feeling of letting go that is facilitated through connection to the breath and the singing voice.
In order to improvise with your voice, you must leave the past and future behind and stand fully in the present. You must empty yourself and allow room for inspiration to enter you. This is where the magic happens and Liv's work is to support you in meeting this magic for yourself and build your own practice around this connection with your deepest presence.
Traditional Portuguese Song
Guest Teacher
Traditional Portuguese polyphonic folk song
Meet Teresa Melo Campos
Teresa Campos sings, composes and leads educational and collective musical projects in Portugal, Spain, France and Argentina. With a BA in Education and a MA in Music with Community, she is particularly interested in the power of traditional music as a social and creative tool.
As a multidisciplinary artist she collaborates with Nenad Kovačić on soundtracks for dance, theatre, and Croatian documentaries, and co-created two performances for schools and families: Castōr e Pollūx - considerate lilia with Inês Campos, and Trois voix, quatre saisons with Nils Peschanki and Darragh Quinn commissioned by Jeunesse Musicale de France. She is a member of Collado, an octet of musicians exploring Iberian traditional music, and co-founder of Sopa de Pedra, a group of ten female voices gathered around portuguese polyphonic traditions, and çhâñt élečtrónïqùe, an international collective of musicians from Ireland, Croatia, Bosnia, France and Portugal, brought together to explore the potentialities of ancient singing traditions and electronics. She is fortunate to do what she loves.
Would you like to chat about the retreat and ask any more specific questions?
Schedule
Our Home
Our home will be Essência Nature Retreat, a vibrant eco-village community dedicated to nurturing sustainable living, personal growth, and harmony with the Earth.
Nestled in a valley of the wild West Coast of the Algarve in Portugal, just 20 minutes from Aljezur. Essência is a living embodiment of a harmonious relationship with nature and each other.
Essência is guided by the principles of permaculture, holistic living, and collaborative community, offering:
· A Living Sanctuary: diverse eco-living space nurtured by renewable energy and the bounty of our vegan, organic food.
· Pathways to Flourishing: Transformative retreats, workshops, and nourishing community gatherings that foster creativity and joy.
· Conscious Community: A thriving social structure that demonstrates the power of intentional community and heart-centered living.
Your Investment
Private room
House
(Only 1 spot available)
Glamping Tent
£1770
£1470
Double room
House
(Only 2 spots available)
Glamping Tent
£1470
£1270
Triple room
House
(Only 6 spots available)
£1170
VANGUARD DISCOUNT
THE FIRST TWO PEOPLE TO BOOK WILL RECEIVE
15% OFF
EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT
BOOKINGS MADE BEFORE FEBRUARY 3RD WILL RECEIVE
10% OFF
You are more than welcome to stay at Essencia Nature Retreat a few days before and/or after the retreat to ease your transition in and out of our time together. Extra nights cost €55 per night per person, and should be booked directly with Essencia. If you’d like to arrange this, let me know and I’ll put you in touch to make your booking.
-
6 nights accommodation at Essencia Nature Retreat
3 meals a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner
All tuition
-
Transportation to Essencia Nature Retreat (we recommend you rent a car and/or carpool with other participants)
Dinner on our night out in Aljezur
Any additional treatments that you choose to purchase
-
At checkout you can choose to pay in full, or pay only your deposit with the remainder due by March 3rd, 2026.
If you need additional support to arrange a payment plan for the remaining fee (minus deposit), please get in touch and we can arrange something.
-
Your deposit is non-refundable. If for any reason you need to cancel, we encourage you to see if you can transfer your booking to another person. If not:
Cancel before January 3rd, you'll receive a refund of 100% of your fee minus deposit
Cancel between January 3rd to March 3rd, you'll receive a refund of 50% of your fee minus deposit
We will not be able to issue refunds of any payments after March 3rd 2026
Only in the case that we have to cancel the course for some reason will you receive a refund of your full investment.
