Annual overview of events
Clínica Buchinger Wilhelmi in Marbella offers regular workshops and other activities for guests. In the following, you can find an overview of events that are scheduled throughout the year.
Happy reading!
*All events are free for our guests at Buchinger Wilhelmi.
Vipassana Week (Silence Week)
with Isidro Gordi*
Experience an immersive Vipassana Week with Buddhist teacher Isidro Gordi. Through daily meditations and accompanying teachings, you will explore key aspects of the practice, including mindfulness and Vipassana, compassion, Dharma, and a more conscious way of working with thoughts and emotions. The Buddhist perspective on life and death can also offer fresh orientation and support the inner process that unfolds during fasting in a particularly meaningful way.
Those who wish may deepen the week further by observing periods of silence, creating space for stillness, reflection, and allowing the meditations to resonate more fully.
Date
23 February – 1st March 2026
More information
During Vipassana Week, Isidro Gordi will lead a daily meditation with teachings on the following topics:
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The differences between mindfulness and Vipassana.
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The value of your life from a temporal and ultimate perspective.
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Rosary of Jewels: Advice for Life.
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The person consists of five parts: one physical and four mental (the five aggregates).
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Death from a Buddhist perspective for better living.
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Observing your consciousness and your negative emotions.
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Compassion in Buddhism.
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What is Dharma?
About the speaker
Isidro Gordi has had a significant impact on the Spanish and Latin American Buddhist community. His work has helped many people find peace and happiness through the practice of Buddhism. His legacy continues through Ediciones Amara and his teachings, which still inspire people around the world. He is regarded as one of the clearest and most dedicated voices in the transmission of Buddhism in the Spanish language.
Since the 1980s, Isidro has helped make the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism accessible through pioneering editorial work via Ediciones Amara, as well as through his own writings, which combine doctrinal rigour with pedagogical sensitivity. His intention has always been clear. Buddhist teachings should not remain confined to a distant culture, but should illuminate the minds and hearts of people living in the modern world.
As a teacher, his style is marked by precision, intellectual honesty, and humility, avoiding all forms of dogmatism or superficial esotericism. He has succeeded in keeping the tradition alive without falling into formalism, offering practical, accessible, and profound tools to transform everyday life through meditation, study, and the cultivation of wisdom.
Isidro Gordi’s legacy is also that of a direct witness to the transformation of Buddhism in the West, a process in which he has played a crucial role. His writings, his translations of classical texts, and his training courses have educated and will continue to educate thousands of people seeking a more lucid, compassionate, and conscious life.
In a time marked by distraction and superficiality, Isidro reminds us that it is possible to live with depth, cultivate inner serenity, and open ourselves to a liberating understanding of existence.
Language
Spanish
Science Week
with the Buchinger Wilhelmi research team*
Immerse yourself in an intensive week of science and hands-on practice focused on therapeutic fasting, physical activity, and the human microbiome. Buchinger Wilhelmi’s Science Week combines the latest research with direct experience, making complex relationships easy to understand and truly tangible.
Our scientific department provides insights into current studies and key findings in fasting research, from safety and efficacy to metabolic and hormonal adaptations and the role of exercise and muscle activity. The program is complemented by an in depth look into the world of the gut microbiome. Look forward to evening lectures, interactive workshops, and direct exchange with our research team. Experience science hands on through strength training while fasting, making DNA visible in the lab, or exploring the microbial world through creative formats.
Science Week is designed for anyone who wants to understand fasting in depth and explore it in a practical way while gaining fresh impulses for health, regeneration, and a more mindful way of living.
Date
15 – 19 March 2026
Programme schedule
Sunday, 15 March, 6.00 pm, Library • Evening lecture: The Secrets of the Gut Microbiome
Dr Robin Mesnage, our Scientific Director, provides an overview of the latest scientific breakthroughs currently attracting significant attention within the medical community. You will also gain first hand insights into the key findings generated by the Buchinger Wilhelmi scientific department in recent years, from documenting the safety of therapeutic fasting to its wide range of therapeutic effects. This lecture brings together the essence of what makes Buchinger Wilhelmi a pioneer in fasting research.
Monday, 16 March
3.00 pm, Gym • Workshop: Fasting and strength training – What do we miss when we do not train?
This workshop offers an experiential and educational introduction to strength training during fasting. It explores how muscular stimulation can complement the physiological adaptations of fasting and what may be lost when strength training is absent. The session lasts 45 to 60 minutes and is based on simple strength exercises using body weight or light resistance. Facundo guides the movements with a focus on posture, breathing and quality of execution. At the same time, Robin provides clear physiological explanations and links muscular sensations to metabolic and hormonal responses. Participants experience how muscle activation influences energy expenditure, stress regulation and energy balance during fasting. The aim is to understand how strength training can help preserve lean mass, maintain metabolism and support functional performance.
6.00 pm, Library • Evening lecture: Why Physical Activity Is Essential During Fasting
Dr Robin Mesnage, our Scientific Director, presents the latest scientific developments currently receiving wide attention in the medical field. You will also learn directly about the key findings of the Buchinger Wilhelmi scientific department, from documenting the safety of therapeutic fasting to its diverse therapeutic effects. This lecture summarises the core principles that make Buchinger Wilhelmi a pioneer in fasting research.
Tuesday, 17 March, 6.00 pm, Library • Lecture: The secrets of the gut microbiome
Discover why our digestive tract is home to an extraordinary number of bacteria and how the latest scientific insights into this microbial world are currently transforming medicine and opening up new therapeutic possibilities.
Wednesday, 18 March, 4.00 pm • Workshop: Making DNA visible / 5.00 pm • Q&A Session
In this hands on session, you will learn how researchers make genetic material visible in the laboratory. An interactive experience that shows how invisible strands of DNA are transformed into clear, observable results.
Thursday, 19 March
10.00 am to 1.00 pm • Workshop: Microbial Art
Science meets creativity in a unique microbiome art workshop. Be inspired by real microscope images and use collage and watercolour techniques to create striking artworks that make the invisible world of the gut microbiome visible. Discover the hidden beauty of the microbiome through an artistic lens while learning more about the diversity of gut bacteria.
6.00 pm, Library • Closing evening lecture: FastForward – Study presentation on understanding the crucial phase after fasting
In this closing lecture, Marie Knufinke presents a new study currently being conducted at our clinic. The study examines how the reintroduction of food after fasting can be optimised so that fasters can benefit from the positive effects in the long term. You will receive practical tips for better blood sugar control and mindful eating, valuable knowledge for everyday life after fasting.
About the Moderator
Dr Robin Mesnage is the Scientific Director of the Buchinger Wilhelmi clinics, where he leads research studies to scientifically document the effects of fasting and to integrate state of the art diagnostics into patients’ therapeutic programmes. He also works in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London, where, as a research associate, he investigates the role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of plant based foods. In addition, he is a sought after speaker, regularly giving talks on scientific topics, and has served as an expert on regulating the impacts of chemical pollutants on human health for the French government and, on occasion, for the European Parliament. His research has led to the publication of more than 100 scientific papers, cited over 8,000 times. Through his work on the health effects of environmental pollution, he ranks among the top one per cent of the world’s most cited scientists.
Language
English
Family constellations workshop for health
with Peter Bourquin*
“Family Constellations help us bring hidden disorders to light, allowing us to restore order and provide impetus for profound healing processes of the soul.” – Bert Hellinger.
The method of Family Constellations has been developed by Bert Hellinger, a German philosopher and psychologist. It is carried out through group dynamics with the support and necessary assistance of all participants in the course under the guidance of the therapist.
Date
22 – 23 April 2026
4:00 – 7:30 pm
Programme schedule
In this course, we will explore the psychosomatic dimension of illnesses with the help of family constellations. Often, we fall ill instead of resolving personal or family conflicts. With the aid of symptom configuration, we endeavour to shed light on these unconscious dynamics and activate the healing forces within the patient.
Price for one day / two days: 120€ / 200€
About the Moderator
Peter Bourquin is trained in Family Constellations with Bert Hellinger, Gestalt Therapy, Integrative Psychotherapy and Brainspotting. He has been working as a therapist for more than two decades with excellent results. He is author of 9 books that have been translated into five languages, and an international conference speaker.
Language
Spanish with translation into English
Week of Mindfulness and Mental Detox
Course with Lharampa Tenzin Kalden*
Mindfulness meditation for stress and negative emotions: mindfulness weeks with Tenzin Kalden. Mindfulness meditation is one of the foundational techniques for calming the mind, regulating our emotional life, and finding a sense of purpose. It has its roots in Buddhist psychology, which aims to train the mind. In everyday life, our minds are constantly distracted.
Thoughts about the future and the past, as well as plans, expectations, worries, and other negative thought patterns, constantly occupy our minds. As a result, it becomes very difficult to live fully in the here and now and to feel truly connected to ourselves.
Dates
28 April – 1 May 2026
26 October – 30 October 2026
More information
The course teaches mindfulness techniques and approaches to mental clarity, combining them with guided meditations and inspiring inputs. In addition, silent hikes are part of the program, helping you deepen your experience and calm the mind. Lu Jong, Tibetan healing yoga, adds a body-based practice that supports calmness, presence, and inner balance. The week is rounded off with lectures on mindfulness and related topics, as well as the opportunity for exchange in personal conversations. Learn more.
Language
English with translation into Spanish
