Join us for a weekend around the fire as we approach the year’s end, with energy-holding yoga, warming Ayurvedic massage, seasonal food, a guided walk in nature and fireside intention setting.
As our November retreat filled up so quickly, Steve and I have decided to hold another on the weekend of 9 – 11 December, ahead of the craziness the festive season may bring. We hope you can join us for this smaller and very relaxed – and relaxing – weekend!
We invite you once more to the Quadrangle Farmstead – our home from home. We will be in the lovely cosy Granary above the hay barn – a beautiful setting for our smaller group, with log burners to keep us warm.
We’ll practice our restorative and energy-holding yoga around the wood burning fire and share this warm and cosy space for meditations, poetry, sharing circles and movies. We will wrap up warm and venture outside for fireside intention setting and letting go, and walks in nature.
“Gradually, you will return to yourself,
Having learned a new respect for your heart
And the joy that dwells far within slow time.”
– John O’Donohue, A Blessing for One Who is Exhausted
During the retreat you will receive a 40 minute Ayurvedic massage with Steve, helping you to unwind, relax and find your flow. We will share 3 delicious locally sourced vegetarian meals each day, and you will have time for relaxation and quiet contemplation. It’s up to you how much you participate; the space is yours to hold as you wish.
There are many beautiful elements with which to enjoy our stay; the Granary for our group practices and communal dining, a separate room for your massage session, the Shepherds Barn with sofas and wood burning stove to put your feet up with a cup of tea, the garden for fireside meditation and contemplation, 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.
The Quadrangle is the perfect place to quietly observe and reflect on Mother Nature, in a beautiful rustic farmhouse setting, away from the hustle and bustle, to slow down and connect. 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 headed.
Timings
Arrive from 3pm onwards on Friday
The retreat ends on Sunday afternoon after lunch
Cost
Dorm – £255 (£215 early bird)
Sharing twin or double room – £315 (£270 early bird)
Private room – £375 (£315 early bird)
Own camper van – £215 (£185 early bird)
Early bird 15% discount if booked before 27th November.
Please don’t let financial difficulties be a barrier to you coming to this retreat – please contact us to discuss your situation and see how we can get you here with us!
What’s included
Morning and evening yoga and meditation sessions each day, a 40 minute Ayurvedic yoga massage, 3 delicious vegetarian meals per day, guided walk, accommodation.
Join us
Email Katy to reserve your place or go directly to our registration form
Some feedback from our Summer’s Embers retreat
“Thank you so much to the whole team for truly nourishing and nurturing me.”
“Fantastic weekend. Great combination of relaxation, wonderful food, incredible massage and lovely people. I will be back to this gem of a location.”
“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!”
“This yoga retreat has been the BEST! Thank you all so much.”
“The most relaxed, loving, nourishing weekends imaginable with an affordable price tag!”
Katy
I studied yoga and meditation under the direct guidance of Swami Vidyanand at the SriMa School of Transformational Yoga in India. I’ve been practising since 1999, leading me to deeper studies with different forms of yoga over the years including Transformational, Scaravelli-inspired, Sivananda and Yoga for Anxiety and Depression. I take an integral approach to teaching – incorporating physical postures (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama) and dhyana (mantra meditation), as well as meditation and deep relaxation (yoga nidra). Connecting body, breath, heart, mind and soul has brought an awareness and inner stillness I didn’t believe was possible before. I love being in this space of teacher and eternal student, and hope we can share the magic of yoga too. Take your focus inward, breathe and become present to your intention. All-comers welcome – from absolute beginners to yoga masters! When I’m not running a retreat or facilitating a workshop you’ll most likely find me working and playing in alternative communities and in nature, inspired by a more beautiful world our hearts know is possible (hat tip to Charles Eisenstein). facebook.com/mahayogaschool
Steven
Before Ayurvedic Yoga Massage (AYM) I trained in sports massage with a diploma from LSSM at Regents College London. Then, under the guidance of James Winstanley -pioneer of Ayurvedic Yoga Massage in the west and student of its creator in India Master Kusum Modak, I did the AYM Diploma. Over the last few years I’ve been building experience working with clients in London and the southwest. Now focussing on AYM and working with dancers, yoga teachers, personal trainers, cabaret performers, runners, and cyclists. As well as massage, I love running, old things, philosophy, festivals, reading, cooking, conversation, victorian stuff, ghost stories, carpentry, and films…. facebook.com/aym.steve
Giles
I am the retreat firekeeper, tasked to make sure everyone’s warm. Sitting round the fire is an old ritual we have been practicing since prehistoric times – helping us to connect with one another and with nature. For the inside woodburning stoves we use seasoned hardwood from ethical sources, and for the bonfires we collect fallen wood from the nearby woodlands. We use this wood in a mindful way where only some is taken, as the woodlands are reliant upon fallen, decaying wood as part of their ongoing cycle and ecosystem. I chose an alternative lifestyle about a decade ago, wanting to live more simply and in harmony with nature. I’m interested in other ways of doing things – old ways as well as new technologies that can help enable a more natural way of living. I have been involved with alternative festivals for a number of years, principally through the Lost Horizon Sauna project, which includes a wood-fired yurt sauna, tipi fire and outdoor fires for people to commune by.
The Quadrangle
The Quadrangle is a large Victorian model farmstead built in 1870 near Shoreham in Kent. Part of it is owned and managed by The Quadrangle Trust which is run as a centre for sustainable living and the creative arts. The garden runs down through an orchard to the River Darent and a field and small woodland beyond. It’s setting in the valley is extraordinarily rural and peaceful in that it is only 20 miles from Piccadilly Circus as the crow flies. thequadrangletrust.com
Ayurvedic Yoga Massage
Ayurvedic Yoga Massage is a unique, relaxing treatment for the whole body, combining deep tissue massage, coordinated breath-work and yoga stretching. Ayurveda is the ancient Indian system of natural healing. AYM combines deep tissue massage with coordinated breath-work and yoga stretching. Its founder Master Kusum Modak has combined traditional Ayurvedic Massage with yoga adjustments learnt directly from BKS Iyengar. It’s performed on a floor mat allowing for a full range of stretching. In addition; the deep tissue massage dissolves physical tension, while the assisted stretches and breath exercises realign the body and stimulate the natural flow of energy. Organic sesame oil (a tri-dosha balancer), and ground calamus root (invigorates the skin / stimulates the nervous system) are used in the treatment.
Transformational Yoga
Transformational Yoga is a truly integral yoga that goes far beyond just physical exercise. While offering a complete approach to wellbeing, it takes into account physical, emotional, mental and spiritual aspects of health. It functions on a deeper level to stimulate kundalini energy to move up through the chakras, purifying and awakening the chakras. In this heart-centred practice we combine physical postures (asanas), breathing practices (pranayama) and dhyana (mantra meditation), as well as meditation and deep relaxation (yoga nidra), to purify your body, balance your emotions, heal your heart, focus your mind, and increase your spiritual wellbeing, helping you to let go and connect with your true nature.