We are a group of approximately 30 people, including adults, teenagers and children, from Brazil and abroad, who live together on a ranch 45km from Porto Alegre…close enough for people to go to work in the morning, and still come back and enjoy the clean air and night sky…

The ranch itself is beautiful and spacious, with native forest, a hill with beautiful views and sunsets, several lakes, fruit trees, an organic vegetable garden, all spread out over 40 hectares.

Facilities include a swimming pool, a football pitch, a communal dining room, a room for hanging out and playing games, a hall for meditation and therapy sessions, two dormitories and several houses. We also have four dogs, one cat and a cow!

We run meditation and therapy groups at the weekend. During the week some people go to work in the city, others stay in the community to work, meditate, or develop their own projects. We have community meetings on Wednesday and Sunday nights, to discuss practical issues regarding the community and also to come together as a group for personal sharings, meditations, dancing, birthday parties…

We are a community of friends, committed to growing and meditating together, open to people from all over the world…after all a Brazilian community has a special flavor…

Our programs

There are different options for those interested in coming to stay here. We have three basic programs: an intensive therapy program for those interested in a fast and deep personal growth experience, ideal for people feeling stuck or wanting more from their lives; a work program where you assist with the daily work in the community (such as helping in the kitchen, cleaning, looking after the animals, maintenance projects) for four hours per day; or we have a relaxation program, for who simply wish to unwind, enjoy being in nature, meditate or hang out with friends in the community.

 

How we started the Community

For many years we dreamed of having a community. A place where people could live together, as friends, creating a deeper experience of life together.

The ranch was bought in 1990 by a group of friends with a common dream: to have a place to hold therapy groups and also to relax and hang out together. There followed many discussions, fears, problems, and we ended up stuck in our apartments in the city, isolated and we gave up to the status quo.

But, with the growth of Namaste since 1997 the dream started to become a reality. The community was finally started in September 2004 and since then there has been a frenzy of activity here. Many houses have been built, including Bodhidharma, which is our welcome centre, dining room, kitchen and reception, and the Student House, where most of the community currently live.

Today around 30 people live here…individuals who made the choice to leave the security of their lives in the city, with their own private air-conditioning units, refrigerators and TVs to come here and share everything, on a ranch where the nearest paved road is 6km away….and they´re much happier than before!

Here we are learning the true meaning of friendship, of confidence, and total surrender.

More pictures

You are welcome to join us and take part in the Community. For more information or to make a booking, send us an email or call +55 (51) 35011571 or +55 (51) 81396620.