The second edition of Madeira Startup Retreat has already reached its finale but we still need to share more about what happened!
On Wednesday, March 20th, Joana Passos, one of our amazing Local Hosts, gave the entrepreneurs a workshop about Mindfulness. She talked about life plans and accepting reality for what it is, breathing and how it impacts our body, full mind vs. being mindful, negative thoughts, different ways to meditate and self-love & self-care. The workshop ended with some yoga and breathing exercises, for which we welcomed the yoga instructor Filipe Gomes, who left everyone with his favorite yoga position… a big smile on their face.
To end the morning with some inspiration, the traveler and filmmaker Rui Dantas Rodrigues came to talk about his journey, from health and safety inspector, to actor, and now to film-maker. His life has been guided by his passions. His recent one being filming people and food. “It’s just my thing… monuments will be there in one hundred years, but people will only be there now…”.
In the afternoon the entrepreneurs headed to the old town for a musical activity organized by the awesome Local Host and singer, Susana Barbara. There, at Balcão Cristal, they’ve met Vitor Sardinha, a portuguese musician. He talked about how the madeirian music and instruments traveled through the atlantic throughout history, going from Madeira to Iberian Peninsula, Africa and America.
The famous ukelele, in Hawaiian meaning ‘jumping flea’, was part of that influence, taken to the island by madeirian master viola makerst. The ukelele later took the body of the braguinha (small madeirian soprano string instrument) and the soul (tune) of the rajão (a contralto 5 string madeirian instrument). But it wasn’t all talks! Vitor played the instruments and took everyone on a trip around the sounds of the world, showing how the Portuguese instruments shaped what music is today. Susana then sang some portuguese traditional songs with Vitor. Then it was time to sing all together – and right then, we were all somewhere over the rainbow!