Retreats and Workshops
A retreat is a gift to yourself
The gift of having nourishing food lovingly prepared for you each day
The gift of time and space to reconnect with how you feel inside
The gift of warm and authentic connections with the group
The gift of powerful practices that can bring calm and comfort to the body and mind
Why go on retreat with us?
Our retreats provide a safe space in which to connect with how you feel inside, through deeply nourishing and relaxing practices. This is definitely not a boot camp or a “self-improvement” programme. We don’t think you need “fixing” or changing.
Perhaps you’re coming on retreat because there is an issue in your life you’d like to explore. Or maybe you just want some time to relax and enjoy yourself. Our retreats provide a powerful combination of transformational inner work within an environment of deep relaxation and enjoyment.
On retreat with us, we’ll be ensuring that you feel safe enough to exercise your own personal choices around what you do and how you do it. Retreats are not a showcase of “this is what we do for our heath and wellbeing so copy us”.
Most people know what they need to do to feel better. They know they need to move their bodies regularly, eat some fresh food, drink some water, and take time to rest and restore in nature. They also know that they need to work on letting go of self-defeating behaviours and thought patterns. They know all about “everything in moderation”. So there’s no need for us, in our work together, to state the obvious.
Maybe you don’t think you know what’s best for you, because you’ve been behaving in self-defeating ways for a long time. We believe that, when you have time and space to connect with yourself, you do know what’s best for you.
You are not lacking in inner wisdom or motivation to change. You are simply lacking time, space and practices that will reconnect you with the part of you that knows what to do in order to invite more peace, clarity and joy into your life. When you have the knowledge and the understanding of how to access this intrinsic motivation- the part of you who wants to grow and knows why and how to do it- then we no longer need to rely on regimes and plans to tell us how to live.
When the goal is FREEDOM- freedom to eat what we need and to enjoy the body we have, now- the only reason to do anything must be intrinsically motivated. You must want to grow and change for YOU. Connecting with yourself inside, and getting to know yourself better as a whole, is the first step in achieving this freedom.
And because YOU are a whole human being- a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual being in which no part is separate from the whole- we provide a truly holistic approach to transformation that includes practices that will bring the unlimited power of your awareness to your physicality, your emotions, your thoughts and your essence, or spirit. Lasting transformation takes place at all levels of our being.
Our retreats provide this space to reconnect with who you are beneath the habits that have accumulated over a lifetime. Time and space to reconnect with YOU because only you know what growth and change is possible for you in your own life. This is truly empowering work.
What our community says about our retreats
“What a beautiful, sacred space you have created for us this weekend. A really beautiful venue, blissfully lovely food and gentle, beautiful yoga. A recipe for success! Thank you Emily, Jan, Jane and Cristian for your grace and empathy. I feel deeply nourished”
“I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this retreat has been for me. The opportunity to be with such an amazing group of people. Being in my body, breathing, feeling my body, my spine, my joints, watching and listening to you Emily does so much for my body. The calm - the food - the kindness. Thank you all.”
“I write with deep gratitude for your care in creating a beautiful, balanced and healing retreat. I have enjoyed feeding my body with nutritious food and drinking in the energy that sharing with others provides. This weekend has been a gift that I will treasure”
“I am so chilled I can barely write! What a blessing to spend such quality time with wonderful amazing people. Enjoying such delicious food in a completely stressless environment. The time, space and secure environment allowing me to connect with my body, to trust my body. This all enabled through such powerful meditation and yoga has been an unforgettable experience. One I look forward to repeating”
Why do a yoga workshop with us?
Our immersive and enjoyable half-day workshops are a perfect escape from the daily demands of a modern life. They are also a powerful place to access new awareness practices that you can take back into your daily life to experience more presence, calm and satisfaction in your own life.
Our workshops offer a heady mix of:
explorative and mindful movement
breathing practices
visualisation
voice work with the Shruti box (an Indian instrument that provides a warm, resonant sound)
deep relaxation and release of tension
Exploring our bodies through these awareness practices provides surprising nuggets along the way. We encounter new sensations, we go to places we have never consciously inhabited before, and we become aware of the ways we habitually tense up and restrict ourselves. The awareness practices give us direct experience of how we can move out of habit and into new ways of being in the world. This can ignite our innate capacity for creating sustainable and lasting change in our lives.
What our community says about our workshops:
“The yoga was such a different experience, so different from other yoga classes I’ve done. It was so liberating, no strain or pain, just an awesome connection with my body, a place I’ve never enjoyed or really spent time in as it was such an uncomfortable place to be. Thank you so much Jan and Emily”
“I had a really meaningful yoga session with you thank you. I haven’t felt that connected for a while and I’m still quite chilled this afternoon! Thanks again”
“I just wanted to tell you what a great yoga class you taught. Your explanations were excellent and really helped me to feel into my body and understand the postures. Your singing was beautiful. My body felt quite relaxed, which is unusual as I often have muscle pain in my back whenever I exercise. The time went really quickly and I felt I could achieve the poses in my way by being in my body. Wonderful thank you”
“I carry a lot of tension in my body and my balance needs improving. The movements and focus on the day targeted just where I needed them, I’m so pleased I went along.”