Retreat with Amoila Cesar
The Movement Almanac
A Field Guide to the Moving Human
Inspired by the traditional almanac — a record of seasons, nature and the patterns worth observing — we turn our attention to the body. Across five Entries, Amoila Cesar will guide participants through an exploration of strength, endurance, play and integration, while looking beyond exercise to the many things that shape how we move: our psychology, emotions, nutrition, environment, relationships and sense of meaning.
In Zermatt, the mountains become our classroom and the body our field of study. Alpine trails, changing terrain, fresh air, light and altitude become part of the experience, creating space to move, explore, recover and pay attention.
Over the years, the community around Amoila’s retreats has grown into something that feels like family. We wanted to honour that feeling by choosing a small collection of five-star Alpine chalets rather than a single hotel — creating a more intimate, communal setting where everyone can share the experience together.
Each day brings a new Entry:
OBSERVE — What does it mean to be a moving human?
STRENGTH — What happens when we meet resistance?
ENDURANCE — What can the mountain teach us about pace and persistence?
PLAY — What happens when movement returns to curiosity and instinct?
INTEGRATE — What changes when we bring it all together?
Throughout the retreat, movement is balanced with recovery, reflection, conversation, community and stillness.
You’ll also receive your own Movement Almanac journal — a space to capture what you notice, what challenges you, what restores you and what you want to remember.
This is not about leaving with another set of rules for how to move.
It is about leaving with a deeper awareness of how you move, why you move, and how movement shapes the way you experience being human.
EARLY BIRD PRICING available until December 31st.
Amoila Cesar has built his career around a simple belief: the human body is designed to adapt.
Born in 1988 in West Palm Beach, Florida, Amoila was raised by a single mother alongside seven siblings. As the middle child of eight, resilience wasn’t something he learned in a textbook—it was part of everyday life. Long before performance became his profession, he understood what it meant to adapt, find a way forward, and keep moving. Amoila graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, combining Exercise Science and Radio Television with a minor in Psychology. His education sparked a deeper fascination with the relationship between the body, mind, movement, and human behavior.
A Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Amoila also holds credentials in Functional Movement Systems (FMS), StrongFirst Kettlebell Level 1, Corrective Exercise (CES), Precision Nutrition Level 1 (PN1), and NASM personal training. After establishing himself as a strength and conditioning coach for professional athletes and entertainers in Los Angeles, Amoila joined Beachbody in 2019 as its eighth Super Trainer. He went on to create THE WORK, 645, and Chop Wood Carry Water—programs that evolved his philosophy from performance and intensity toward movement quality, resilience, and longevity.
Today, Amoila is based in Brooklyn, New York, and serves as the personal Performance Coach for three-time NBA All-Star Julius Randle of the Brooklyn Nets, supporting his year-round strength, conditioning, movement, recovery, and physical preparation.
For Amoila, movement has always been about more than exercise. Movement is information. Movement is expression. Movement is one of the first languages we learn and one of the last things we hope to preserve. His work is ultimately about building more than a fit body. It is about building a capable body—one that can adapt, perform, explore, and continue participating fully in life.
Nestled at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn, Zermatt, Switzerland is one of Europe’s most breathtaking mountain villages. Completely car-free, it offers a rare sense of peace, surrounded by fresh alpine air, forests and extraordinary natural beauty.
Every day begins immersed in spectacular mountain scenery, with endless hiking trails and alpine landscapes just beyond the door. Life here moves at a different pace — one shaped by nature, movement and the quiet rhythm of the mountains. Alongside its world-class hiking and pristine alpine environment, Zermatt offers a distinctive luxury alpine lifestyle, with exceptional hospitality, beautiful chalets and a village atmosphere that feels both refined and deeply connected to its surroundings.
It is no coincidence that so many guests return year after year. Zermatt is not simply a destination; it is an experience.
Zermatt Ski Chalets offers a collection of beautifully designed private Alpine lodges, combining contemporary interiors, natural materials and panoramic mountain views with the warmth and intimacy of a mountain home.
For our stay in Zermatt, we will be hosted across three private residences: Lyskamm Lodge, Horu Lodge and Tête Blanche Lodge. Each lodge offers spacious living and dining areas, fireplaces and private bedrooms, creating an intimate setting that feels both refined and relaxed, with spaces designed for both privacy and gathering.
Guests will also have access to shared wellness facilities, including a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, outdoor jacuzzi and fitness area.
Together, the three lodges offer a beautiful and comfortable home in the mountains — a place to retreat, reconnect and experience the unique atmosphere of Zermatt.
- Arrival: Arrive in Zermatt, settle into your chalet, and explore the village at your own pace. No formal workout — simply arrive. Receive your Movement Almanac journal.
- Opening Gathering: Introduction to The Moving Human and the seven dimensions shaping our exploration.
- Community Dinner: Food, nutrition, culture, and community — and how everything connects.
- Almanac question: What does it mean to be a moving human?
- Morning Movement Session: With Amoila Cesar, explore fundamental human movements — squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, rotate, brace and locomote — through a full-body strength practice.
- Breakfast: Breakfast together following the morning session.
- Afternoon: Time for recovery, rest, and exploration.
- Community Dinner
- Evening Reflection: Consider what we carry — physically and otherwise.
- Almanac question: What am I carrying right now?
- Morning Mountain Session: Take movement beyond the training ground and into the mountains with a long, steady-state hike through the Zermatt landscape.
- Breakfast: Breakfast before setting out for the mountains.
- Throughout the Day: Explore rhythm, pacing, conversation and attention. No racing, no leaderboard — the mountain sets the pace.
- Evening: Recovery, dinner and reflection on the dialogue between body and mind when things become difficult.
- Almanac question: What became louder when the world became quieter?
- Morning Movement Session: With Amoila Cesar, return to a more instinctive way of moving through rolling, crawling, skipping, balancing, jumping, throwing, short sprints and partner games.
- Breakfast: Breakfast together following the morning session.
- Afternoon: Free time to explore Zermatt, rest or continue your own observations.
- Evening Gathering: Come together for community dinner, reflection, and conversation
- Almanac question: What movement would you do if nobody were measuring it?
- Morning Movement Session: With Amoila Cesar, bring together the elements explored throughout the Almanac through breath, walking, crawling, balancing, jumping, carrying and moving together, before slowing into stillness.
- Breakfast
- Integration Hike: A gentle final hike through the Zermatt landscape — a chance to walk, reflect and take in the surroundings without the focus on pace or performance.
- Afternoon: Free time to rest, explore or simply be.
- Closing Community Dinner: Our final evening together, with space to reflect on the journey and what we want to carry forward.
- Almanac question: What will you take with you?
- The Hike: A short morning hike through the mountains before breakfast — a final moment to notice what has changed since Day 1.
- Breakfast
- Departure: Pack, check out, and say goodbye to Zermatt.
- Take your Movement Almanac with you — a record of what you noticed, explored, and discovered throughout the retreat.
Disclaimer: This schedule is indicative and is subject to change as we move closer to the retreat date.
Event Highlights
Full-body strength and functional movement
Endurance hikes through the Zermatt mountains
Play-based movement, partner work, breath, mobility, and recovery
A community dinner each evening at a different restaurant, discovering the flavours and traditions of Swiss cuisine
Daily reflection through the Movement Almanac journal
A small-group experience across three exclusive alpine chalets
Movement sessions in the heart of Zermatt, surrounded by the Matterhorn landscape
- 5-night accommodation at Zermatt Ski Chalets GmbH
- All breakfast meals
- All dinner meals at selected Zermatt restaurants
- All sessions and workshops with Amoila Cesar
- Hiking activities
- Airfare tickets to/from Switzerland – We strongly advise you to book flexible airfare tickets and flights with fewer carbon emissions to contribute to environmental protection, as it is our responsibility to safeguard our environment
- Arrival and departure land transfers in Italy
- Lunch, soft drinks, beverages
- Accommodation tax per person, per night, payable directly to the hotel by the guests
- Whatever is not mentioned clearly in the inclusions
Payment Plan: Available – contact info@travelgems.com
Language: English
Cancellation Policy: A 10% deposit is required for bookings made more than 6 months before the retreat; the deposit is refundable within 7 days, after which it becomes non-refundable. An additional 20% is due within one month of booking. For bookings made less than 6 months before the retreat, a 30% non-refundable deposit is required. The remaining 70% can be paid in flexible installments, with full payment due 45 days before the retreat. Cancellations made more than 45 days before the retreat are refundable, excluding the applicable non-refundable deposit. Cancellations within 45 days are non-refundable.
Transportation: We recommend flying into Geneva (GVA) or Zurich (ZRH) and continuing to Zermatt by train. Alternatively, you may fly into Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) in Italy. To make your arrival and departure as smooth as possible, we can arrange a private transfer from Milan Malpensa Airport to Zermatt and back at an additional cost. For transfer arrangements, please contact us at info@travelgems.com.
Lodges Information: Accommodation will be provided across three private Alpine residences by Zermatt Ski Chalets: Horu Lodge, Tête Blanche Lodge and Lyskamm Lodge. All bedrooms can be arranged as single, double or twin beds, and each bedroom has either an en-suite or private bathroom. The lodges also offer spacious shared living and dining areas, along with shared wellness facilities including a swimming pool, sauna, steam room, outdoor jacuzzi and fitness area.
Force Majeure / Travel Restrictions: In the event of COVID-19 restrictions or any other government-imposed travel limitations related to a pandemic that prevent guests from attending, all payments made will be fully refunded.
Dietary Needs: Should you have a special dietary need/allergy, kindly let us know in advance in order for us to accommodate you in the best possible way.
Prices
EARLY BIRD PRICING
Participation Options:
Retreat with Amoila Cesar | 18-23 June, 2027 | Zermatt, Switzerland
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€4,200 per person – Double Occupancy
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€4,700 per person – Single Occupancy
Price Includes:
- 5-night accommodation at Zermatt Ski Chalets GmbH
- All breakfast meals
- All dinner meals
- All sessions and workshops with Amoila Cesar
- Hiking activities
Booking Instructions – Double Occupancy
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If you’d like a Double Occupancy room, you can either book a single spot and be paired with a like-minded retreat participant in a TWIN room, or book 2 spots if you already know the person you’ll be sharing with. In that case, the room can be king-sized or twin, based on your preference. Kindly contact us at info@travelgems.com for any further assistance.
