The end of March saw me back in the stunning setting of the vale of Evesham leading another Retreat and what a magical and joy filled weekend it was.
Spring had most definitely sprung and the carpet of happy daffodils around our home for the weekend was a truly welcome sight.
By the time our guests arrived on Friday evening there was a stunning sunset to greet them and we sipped our tea on the balcony and started to slow down the pace of life…not hard to do here I can tell you.
The primary focus of our weekend was awakening our hearts to reconnect with our authentic selves and the joy of life and what a lovely group of guests we had that made the process so easy.
To explore our true selves and what inspired us we used the ever popular medium of vision boarding in our intuitive art session. I was in awe and delighted with the beautiful and authentic pieces that the retreatants were able to create in the workshop. Im only sorry I didn’t take photos of them all.
We enjoyed meditations and energy medicine sessions and the weather stayed kind to us all weekend so we were able to make use of the fabulous balcony. A great spot for our movement meditation on Sunday morning.
So much of the learning and insight on these weekends is gained through the incidental conversations between guests that always end up being far more significant that you might first expect. This group in particular shared a lovely bond and it was a real honour to witness such openness and sharing of stories.
Breakfast provided the setting for many a lively discussion and talk of recent theatre trips amongst other things had us hooting with laughter! (Girls if you’re reading this you’ll know what I mean and I shall say no more…)
To really get the most from a retreat it’s important to strike just the right balance between stimulation for the mind, relaxation and healing for the body, and space for stillness and contemplation.
Our group threw themselves with gusto into all the activities and were so supportive of each other it was a real privilege to be part of it. Our workshops focused on exploring our deeper values, accessing different aspects of our body wisdom and utilising 3 states of consciousness which prompted some great light-bulb moments.
I was very pleased to be able to offer 121 sessions for each guest and after Mike had reshuffled the furniture (I pleaded pregnancy and couldn’t possibly lift the table :)) the breakfast room became the perfect setting for the massage, Reiki, Bach Flowers and coaching consultations. Those not being pampered with their feet up could enjoy time to themselves with a cuppa and cake or for the more adventurous a brisk hike over the hills was in order.
A significant part of our retreat experience that is worth a mention in it’s own right is the food. Food made with love and care and the right nutritional balance is a healing modality in itself and we were all feeling the benefits. I’ll be blogging separately about the delights that our fabulous cook Kate provided for us. Her passion and skill rekindled not only taste buds but inspired many of our guests to start cooking more for themselves. She’s even promised to let me have some recipies to share so watch this space for a healthy lemon cake to die for and baked feta, a favourite recipe from Kate’s beloved Crete.
So more to come about the retreat soon but for now I’ll send a big thank you to all the talented and inspirational women who came along this time round and of course to Kate and Mike without whom none of this wonderful work would have been possible. I’ll leave you with a few words from some of the guests and a feeling of growing excitement knowing I’ll be back at the Guildhouse with another group in November.
“Thank you so much for a wonderful weekend. What a real treat – you really made us all feel so special and cared for. Such a wonderful nurturing environment and such wonderful people. I really feel blessed to have been a part of it.”
“A huge thank you also for making the weekend such a lovely experience, from start to finish. You truly are a special person with so many gifts that you share so generously. Thank you also to Kate and Mike: an army marches on its stomach and all that 
”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This looks Amazing! And such gorgeous pictures!
Thanks Fi it was a fab weekend, wait till you see the food Kate cooked up (post pending), would run a retreat every month if I could…now there’s a thought
Retreat looks gorgeous! I spent a Christmas in Evesham once and I remember I slept very soundly surrounded by all that lovely countryside. I feel calmer just reading your post
Thanks Rosie, there is something quite magical about the energy there – it’s like taking a deep breath out and everything just relaxes – love it, love it, love it!