Maya came to this work through her own experience of it. After a decade working as a trauma-informed bodyworker in Lisbon, she began leading retreats — first in Portugal, then in Costa Rica, then across Bali and the Scottish Highlands. What drew her to retreat work wasn't the format but the depth it allowed: days of sustained practice, genuine community, and the particular kind of trust that emerges when people are away from their ordinary lives.

Her approach is rooted in somatic experiencing — the understanding that the body holds what the mind cannot yet articulate. Sessions with Maya are quiet, precise and unhurried. She works with what is present rather than what is expected. Participants frequently describe her as the person who created the space for something they had been carrying for years to finally move.

At Sanctum, Maya leads The Silence Retreat in Ubud and the Desert Ceremony in Marrakech. She also offers one-to-one integration sessions for retreat alumni navigating what emerged during their time away.