Personal Notes from Paradise - Thoughts and stories from Mozambique

 I often see it happen here at Bahia Mar...  Guests arrive tense, distracted, and carrying the weight of a busy, noisy life. And then… something begins to shift. The shoulders drop. The breathing slows. The eyes soften. At first, it seems like “holiday mode,” but, as a yoga teacher, I know it’s something deeper - it’s their brain chemistry starting to change. And the secret ingredient? Nature. Your Brain on Nature Science now confirms what many of us have felt instinctively all our lives: time in nature changes the way our brains work.  Just a few minutes outdoors can reduce cortisol (our stress hormone), increase serotonin and dopamine (our feel-good neurotransmitters), and activate the parasympathetic nervous system - the one responsible for rest, repair and digestion. It’s not just about “getting fresh air”, It’s about recalibrating your entire system, reminding your brain and body what calm really feels like. The Green Effect Research shows that spending time in green...

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen guests arrive at our little corner of paradise looking… well, tired.  Not just physically tired, but soul tired . The kind of exhaustion that comes not only from overworking, but from overstimulation - where your brain won’t shut up, your sleep isn’t restful and the days blur into each other in a carousel of to-do lists and notifications. It always reminds me why retreats matter. Why we need them now more than ever. Rest Isn’t Laziness - It’s Necessary For many of us, holidays have become another task. We try to do too much. We race to squeeze in sights, snap Instagram-perfect photos, eat at all the places we bookmarked six months ago… and we come home more tired than when we left. But what if we reimagined our time off not as a break from work, but as a return to ourselves? At Bahia Mar, I’ve watched guests slowly unfurl over days - some in the rhythm of yoga and breathing exercises, others in long, slow swims or sunset walks. It’s...