Yoga Retreat Days
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I absolutely love running day retreats and yoga weekends with my wonderful yoga teacher friend Claire Dunn, in a partnership we call Forest Wellbeing.
The idea for these days was to share our combined love for yoga, walking and being outdoors amongst big trees with as many people as we can.
We aim to ensure these days are an affordable, do-able little break from normal life, to remind us just how relaxing, refreshing & rewarding being outside can be. Just being outside in nature makes us feel lighter, happier, stronger & calmer; add to that some yoga, meditation and walking and it becomes all the more transformative.
These days allow you the space and time to suspend your thinking, with all of it's roles, responsibilities & worries, and slowly unravel tension & tightness until you feel restored somehow back to yourself.
People often comment how these days seem to feel much longer than they are,
We've experimented with a few venues but Slitting Mill Village Hall provides everything we need at a price that means we can keep these days affordable: a comfy base for tea & biscuits, a private outdoor lawn overlooking a calm fishing pool and a warm, cosy hall to do our thing if we need it. In just a few minutes we can walk to a stream or to the forests of Cannock Chase. We spend as much time as we can outside: in summer, we yoga barefoot on the grass; in winter we walk briskly, practicing warming yoga and drink chai around cosy fires.
See below for more details on upcoming days and soon - a whole weekend!!
We look forward to seeing you in the woods soon :-)
For a full list of terms & conditions and Frequently Asked Questions, please click on the button below.
To book a place at any of these events, just message me on 07846 807 980 and I will send you the payment details.
Once you've paid, you're booked.
The idea for these days was to share our combined love for yoga, walking and being outdoors amongst big trees with as many people as we can.
We aim to ensure these days are an affordable, do-able little break from normal life, to remind us just how relaxing, refreshing & rewarding being outside can be. Just being outside in nature makes us feel lighter, happier, stronger & calmer; add to that some yoga, meditation and walking and it becomes all the more transformative.
These days allow you the space and time to suspend your thinking, with all of it's roles, responsibilities & worries, and slowly unravel tension & tightness until you feel restored somehow back to yourself.
People often comment how these days seem to feel much longer than they are,
We've experimented with a few venues but Slitting Mill Village Hall provides everything we need at a price that means we can keep these days affordable: a comfy base for tea & biscuits, a private outdoor lawn overlooking a calm fishing pool and a warm, cosy hall to do our thing if we need it. In just a few minutes we can walk to a stream or to the forests of Cannock Chase. We spend as much time as we can outside: in summer, we yoga barefoot on the grass; in winter we walk briskly, practicing warming yoga and drink chai around cosy fires.
See below for more details on upcoming days and soon - a whole weekend!!
We look forward to seeing you in the woods soon :-)
For a full list of terms & conditions and Frequently Asked Questions, please click on the button below.
To book a place at any of these events, just message me on 07846 807 980 and I will send you the payment details.
Once you've paid, you're booked.
Upcoming Yoga Days
7th September
19th October
23rd November
25th January 2025
Details of the themes for each of these days can be found here.
All days are Saturdays, run from 9.45am until 3.00pm, and are at Slitting Mill Village Hall, Cannock Chase
Days cost £50 for first-timers and then you can return for just £45 per day
Previous Yoga Retreat Days
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Retreating into Autumn - 30th September 2023It is time to say thank you and goodbye to summer and welcome in wonderful autumn. We really love this time of year; we love soups & stews, fresh mornings, the sound & smell of rain, and evenings spent sitting outside by a fire. This retreat day will combine yoga, mindfulness & qi gong and we will spend time indoors and out, really embracing the season.
After the high energy of summer, it’s important to now begin to slow down, rest and reflect. It’s like a harvest for our life over the last half year or so; what have we learned, loved, let go and embraced? What do we want to do more or less of? How can we take the very best care of every layer of us; body, mind & heart? During our day we will learn how we can incorporate some small practices into our daily life to stay calm and centred. We will explore numerous short yoga and mindful practices of body, mind & breath to bring about calm, warmth, energy or focus, depending on what we need at the time. We will also guide you through a lovely long relaxation process that you can then repeat at home when you need a boost or to help you nod off to sleep. Arrive anytime from 9.30 and get your little nest all set up with cushions, blankets and of course your yoga mat. Help yourself to a hot drink & a bit of chat with the other attendees and we will sit at 10am for yoga. There will be a tea & wee break at some point, and then lunch about 1pm. We'll provide warm soup, bread & popcorn which you can eat indoors or out, with others or quietly on your own. The day will cost £50 including hot drinks and some flapjacks. |
Welcoming Winter - 11th November 2023As the world starts to close down & rest through the winter, it is important that we know some ways to do the same.
These days give us some invaluable space to wind down and figure out how we can really nourish and nurture ourselves through the darkest part of the year. This retreat day will combine yoga, walking, forest bathing & mindfulness. We will spend as much time as we can outside, depending on how chilly & wet it is on the day. Please come prepared for walking, with sturdy walking shoes, waterproof coats, hats and beanies! Hopefully we will be able to yoga around a fire in the garden as we did last year. Standing in front of a fire and setting our intention for the day means we stay a little more focussed on getting what we each need from our time together. And it warms our toes! We'll yoga standing up outside, getting warm and loose and then venture back inside for floor stretches and longer-held poses to encourage us to slow down and turn our mind's gaze inwards. After a break for tea and flapjacks, we'll rug up and hopefully be able to do a lovely 1-2 mile wander through the tall pines, beeches & oaks of this part of the Chase. We'll practice forest bathing, engaging with the forest and our surroundings, and breathing in all that fresh air will make us ready for lunch! We will provide warming soup, freshly baked bread rolls & popcorn, followed by more tea & flapjacks if you feel so inclined. After lunch, we'll do a seasonal workshop (to be decided!) and further unravel ourselves with slow yin yoga. After deep relaxation under the toasty wall heaters, candle gazing (tratak) and a compassion practice, you'll be ready to go home feeling relaxed and with a plan to help you stay happy and buoyant throughout the winter. Try to arrive between 9.30 & 9.45 so you have time to get your little nest all set up with cushions, blankets and your yoga mat. Help yourself to a hot drink & a bit of chat with the other attendees and we will get started at 10am. Lunch will be about 1pm with soup & snacks and we will attempt to finish promptly at 3pm. The day will cost £50 including all the tea you can drink, flapjacks and lunch. |
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This was a madly hot day at this time of year is high, so we were very pleased to celebrate the warmth and full joy of summer with sun salutations by the canal, enjoying the breeze and the gorgeous blue damselflies hovering around us.
We retreated inside to our cool studio to practice slow yin yoga, working with the element of water to cool us down. We relaxed, listened and wandered in the shade of the weeping willows around the lake and then enjoyed a delicious veggie picnic lunch in the conservatory and by the canal. After lunch we explored more mindfulness, deep relaxation & a loving kindness meditation to leave everyone feeling refreshed and at peace with themselves and the world. |
Summer Solstice Day Retreat
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Springtime Celebration! Saturday 13th MaySpring is a time of gentle awakening; feeling the warm and enlivening energy of the sun beginning to warm up our bones.
Our yoga practice was varied & quite challenging at some points, designed to shift any sluggishness and heaviness remaining through our cold spring from winter, and allowing for more lightness to fill the spaces in our bodies. The weather was warm and fresh but we yoga'd outside and had a lovely walk in the woods. We served a picnic type lunch of falafel, salads, eggs, pakoras & samosas, nuts & flapjacks, so there was something for everyone - and pudding! And the sun came out for us to eat outside in the garden, enjoying a mistle thrush singing to us. |
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