We are back at the Quadrangle this Autumn, and are delighted to invite you to a weekend of nourishment for body, mind, heart and soul. Come join us, Friday 8th to Sunday 10th October.
FLOW OF THE RETREAT
Each day will consist of a gentle rhythm of nourishing activities and group connection, as well as plenty of time for relaxation and quiet contemplation.
yoga · nature connection · self love · sensory immersion · meditation · plant based food · time by the fire · friendship · self massage · community · cacao · playfulness · nourishment · belonging · nature walks · breathwork · intention setting · self care · ritual · wild swimming · music and movement · listening and sharing · bath · creativity · soul support · rest and relaxation · yoga nidra · home
Through these practices we can find our centre again, and reconnect with ourselves and the world around us. You are welcome to participate in as many activities as you would like; they are all optional, depending on your own feeling and flow. It’s up to you how much you participate; the space is yours to hold as you wish.
Arrive at 5.30pm on Friday. We’ll get together for our welcoming and introductions at 6pm and have dinner together around 7pm. The retreat ends on Sunday after lunch around 3.30pm.
ABOUT KATY
Join Katy for morning meditation and restorative, energising and heart-centred yoga, including physical postures, breathing exercises and mantras, helping you to reconnect with your body and inner self. All levels and abilities welcome – lycra not required!
Katy will also offer an interactive self care and self love session for us to explore what we each want and need to feel more grounded, centred and nourished, and how we can weave this into our everyday lives in achievable and sustainable ways. With nature as our guide, we will also have the opportunity to find our own unique way to connect with the elements during the nature connection session, nature walk, and beyond. Relate, integrate and radiate.
A holistic wellbeing practitioner and creatress, Katy is passionate about integrated, embodied empowerment and the journey back to wholeness. Practical, spiritual and mystical, Katy wants to help people to rediscover the sacred, remember that we are nature, and feel empowered to live a more deeply aligned, joyful and loving life.
ABOUT MELA
Mela brings The Sensory Alchemists to the Quadrangle this October. The alchemy kitchen is part of her spiritual practice and represents a place where love and harmony is expressed through the senses. Mela loves to demonstrate her passion for healthy tasty and creative cuisine by using interesting flavour combinations and textures, which is what make the foundations of her plant based meals. The dishes are a combination of locally sourced seasonal ingredients and medicinal plants, as well as some favourite exotic ingredients sourced from her favourite local continental grocers. You can expect gut healing broths and condiments, vibrant textured and layered salads and super luxurious tantalising raw desserts.
Mela will also share with us the sensory alchemy experience, an evening through the senses. An experience for body and mind, with a mix of guided meditation, self massage and self expression, wherever the sounds and smells take you. It’s a time to digest, unwind, reflect, release and connect. This is an immersive and inclusive experience, which takes you on a journey where you get to choose your destination.
Yes Mel (Mela) is a DJ, sound healer, massage therapist, foodie, yogi, pleasure activist and founder of The Sensory Alchemists. Mela has 25 years experience working in various sensory practices that align the chakras and connect with the physical and spiritual body, delivered with a sense of light and play.
INVESTMENT
- Dorm or camping · £190 concession · £240 standard · £280 supportive
- Sharing twin room · £280 standard · £340 supportive
- Private room · £290 concession · £340 standard · £390 supportive
Prices are per person. Concession, standard or supportive? We anticipate the standard price band is right for most people. Concession rates are usually for people not currently working or with a low income – please contact Katy regarding these places. Supportive rates are for those who are more affluent and high earning and help us to offer more concession places. We make our retreats as accessible as possible, but if finances feel like a barrier to you coming, please contact Katy to discuss your situation and see how we can get you here with us.
Included in the price · morning and afternoon yoga sessions each day · morning meditation each day · nature connection and nature walk · self care workshop · sensory alchemy experience · 3 plant based meals per day · accommodation · intention setting and cacao around the fire
We will be sharing information on our heartful responsibilities in times of covid for those who register, or those who would like to know more. It is likely we will ask all attendees to follow the government guidelines which are currently to take a lateral flow test in the days prior to your arrival.
RESERVE YOUR PLACE
Email Katy to reserve your place or go directly to our registration form.
OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
The Quadrangle is a Victorian farmstead built in 1870, this beautiful rustic farmhouse setting is away from any hustle and bustle. We have already hosted many retreats here – for seven years now! – and know it’s the perfect place to slow down, connect and quietly observe and reflect on Mother Nature. Run as a centre for sustainable living and the creative arts, the Quadrangle has many beautiful elements with which to enjoy our stay.
The heart of this retreat will be the granary – a beautiful setting for smaller groups to share this warm and cosy space around the wood burning fire. We will be outside for walks in nature and nature connection activities, and maybe yoga if weather permits! There are sofas and wood burner in the shepherds barn to put your feet up with a cup of tea, a living permaculture forest garden, and a stream running through for some wild dipping! The hills and vales of the Pilgrims Way are in reach just a short walk cross-country. And did we mention the opportunity for a soak in the bath? Because there’s two!
It is the perfect setting to look away from the outside chaos and journey into our inner peace. In doing so we can become better aware of who we are and where we are heading.
We’re all just walking each other home.
– Ram Dass
ACCESSIBILITY & THE NATURE RECOVERY PROGRAMME
Working in collaboration with DVLPS and other partners The Quadrangle have been run a series of events focusing on meeting the needs of the communities who have been most impacted by the Coronavirus crisis, and to encourage families and charities to enjoy the Darent Valley’s ecology and heritage.
Longer term aims and take-aways after the workshops
– To design programmes and healing processes specifically in response to the physical and mental health challenges brought up by the Corona crisis, and to provide opportunities to connect to nature and the landscape to help with recovery.
– To reconnect people with the landscape and the natural environment, and specifically introduce them to the beauty and opportunities of the Darent Valley.
– To give the participants and communities tools and practices around nature connection, gardening and meditation therapy that they could carry on in their everyday life.
Our Heartful Retreats in Nature are aligned with these longer-term aims and we are grateful to be able to offer spaces at our retreats to people who may otherwise have been unable to attend.
PREVIOUS FEEDBACK
“Thank you for an absolutely wonderful weekend. You create such a safe space for everyone to explore their connection to themselves and their relationship with the world and people around them.”
“I kept telling people that the weekend felt like a beautiful dream, except it was real! I went on raving about how great the retreat was to my colleagues and may have convinced at least two of them to sign up for the next one.”
“A gentle, playful, restorative 2-days of magic. You create beautiful compassionate spaces that nourish heart, mind, body and soul.”
“It has been one of the most amazing retreats I have had! It is amazing how much connection you were able to nurture and encourage in a short time.”
“It was huge for me. Felt like reconnecting with myself as an entity in my own skin. And connecting with other wonderful humans and nourishment.”
“It was very special to feel so accepted.”
“Here’s the poem I’d like to share with everyone. Beautiful things in life should be remembered in a way they deserve, because they’ll never be recreated the same way again. ‘Tis a poem to commemorate our wonderful little weekend Yoga Retreat in Shoreham.
Reminiscing on my weekend,
Like a beautiful dream in Kent,
Being drifted to a tranquil space,
A place called The Quadrangle,
With faces we’ve never seen before.
We had our stories and pains,
From our distant realities.
But despite our differences,
We desired one thing that brought us all together,
Getting away from the city noise,
In search for calmness deep within.
It was a weekend of Peace and Quiet,
In search for our spiritual self,
Through hikes in the woods,
And collective Om chants,
An unusually soul-soothing rhythm.
It was a weekend of Hopes and Fears,
To let go of our painful memories,
And welcome abundance of positivities,
Freeing ourselves from the prisons of our minds,
To achieve a truly liberated state of mind.
It was weekend of Love and Joy,
Where we embraced our own uniqueness,
Shared our profoundest wisdom and knowledge,
And rejoiced our singing voices,
Free from all kinds of judgment,
It was simply, blissfully, beautiful.
It was a weekend of New Experiences,
We’ve made lasting relationships,
From strangers to now familiar acquaintances,
Ain’t close enough to be friends,
Ain’t distant enough to be strangers.
Content and Grateful,
We bid goodbye,
Go back living our separate lives,
With a new perspective.
And that’s the beauty of life.”
“Thank you so much to the whole team for truly nourishing and nurturing me.”
“Thank you so very much for your incredible calming energy. You are a beautiful teacher and I would love to bottle you up and take you home!”
“Absolutely fantastic weekend – beautiful location and brilliant yoga!”
“This yoga retreat has been the BEST! Thank you all so much.”
“The most relaxed, loving, nourishing weekends imaginable with an affordable price tag!”
COVER ARTWORK
Original photo: Jeremy Thomas, Unsplash