A Family Run Retreat
I set up the yoga retreat with a vision of creating a holistic lifestyle hub where people can come together to enjoy yoga, mindfulness and meditation in a fun learning environment, to be nourished with delicious fresh homemade nourishing vegan food, enjoy country walks, relax or read a book on the lawn in summer or by an open fire in winter.
Most of us live very fast moving, stressful and sometimes sedentary lifestyles, which is having a negative impact on our physical and mental health. Yoga, mindfulness and meditation have been proven time and time again to help restore balance to people’s lives and reduce stress, sleep problems, anxiety, depression and other issues which are affecting so many people today. People are being over-prescribed prescription drugs for issues which can be dealt with in natural, holistic and fun ways. People are now looking for alternative solutions and turning to natural health care such as the Ayurveda (ancient Indian natural health care) which is becoming popular. Ayurveda promotes a holistic lifestyle approach which encourages balance through a tailored healthy diet, the practice of yoga and the practice of meditation.
A lot of us read self-help books in an effort to resolve personal issues, though in reality they all boil down to the same thing, we need balance, we need a healthy diet, we need time to be still, we need to actually learn how to be still, we need time for self-care, we need time to do things that are good for us and to do things that we enjoy. We need to connect with ourselves and nature. Connecting with oneself comes with stillness of the mind, this can be achieved through meditation, mindfulness practices, yoga and other disciplines such as tai chi.
I have a wonderful and dedicated team of staff who all work really hard to make the retreat a success. Our teachers are exceptional. They are highly qualified and all have between 10 and 20 years of experience in their field. I choose the teachers very carefully, choosing those who are true advocates of their professions and have a genuine love of teaching. Our teachers are very approachable and lovely people and they are there to support you.
We run each retreat as if it were our first retreat. Every retreat is special. We depend greatly on repeat business and referrals. Unlike other retreat centres, I made an executive decision to be a private retreat, i.e not to hire out our retreat to visiting or pop-up retreat groups, I believe this is paramount to maintaining high standards and consistency in relation to the food and tuition.
My parents Noel and Dee spent 14 years restoring this special property from what was a very dilapidated state. The courage and vision they had for this project was unquantifiable. The results are truly remarkable, thanks to a combination of Noel’s practical skill-set and self -learned knowledge of the renovation of old buildings and Dee’s exquisite taste of decor and finishing touches. The property has appeared in many renovation and interior design magazines to date.
Thanks for reading and hopefully see you at The Courtyard soon!
Olivia