Why this retreat?
‘I remember vividly the time I nearly shook him. I raised his tantruming toddler body from the pavement and held it aloft, hands trembling with all the fury of an overwhelmed exhausted mother of two at the end of her tether.
Just. Do. As. I. Say.
Patience shredded, endless to do list ticker tape scolling through my head, exhaustion scratching at my eyes. Just trying to make it to the end of the day. Just trying to get home, at the end of the road, away from watchful eyes of disapproving strangers. Willing him just to understand how close I was to the end of my fuse, to say, hey mum, are you ok? How can I help You? Except, he was two.
According to Emily Nagoski, we're pretty well evolved for stress as a natural part of life. We've evolved to outrun the lion, to kill the lion, or perhaps even to freeze in the face of the lion & then shake ourselves down and walk away. We've evolved to return to our caves, physically exhausted, but elated. To roast the lion around a campfire with our community, to tell the story of our escape, to laugh or to cry, to be hugged, to celebrate living to see another day. We've evolved to deal with our stressors at the same time as fighting or running off the stress, to complete the stress cycle by physically moving the stress out of our bodies through movement, laughter, tears, togetherness.
Problem is, now our stressors are chronic. Like endless solo days of parenting with no relief in sight. Like counting to ten and starting again, over and over with no safe place to stamp or to scream. We require relentless patience and calm in the face of traffic jams, and beeping horns and sleepless nights. In the face of lying politicians, rising temperatures and melting ice caps. In the face of senseless gun laws, not so distant wars, and endlessly witnessing suffering we can do nothing much about. Our modern day stressors require furious typing, not physical fighting. Our stress cycle often ending in gin, scrolling and staring vacantly at the TV, overwhelmed yet too exhausted to move. Instead of moving through our stress, we are stuck in it.
This retreat is our chance to get unstuck. It is our campfire, our cave, our community. Our chance to shake off the stress, to move, to laugh , to cry and tell stories. To rest, to sleep, to nourish ourselves with great food, great company and the great outdoors.
There is, apparently, an answer to how much rest our bodies and brains need: 42 percent. That’s about ten hours out of every twenty four, or three hundred hours per month. How many of those hours do you feel short of right now? How many of those hours can we truly grab for ourselves in this chapter of life? Or, maybe if we can't rest 42% of the time, let's at least take 42 hours. 42 hours, maybe a few extra just to be sure, in one gorgeous, glorious chunk together, to rest and to complete the cycle together.
What will your weekend include?
Connect:
Three carefully curated gatherings to guide you through your retreat experience & connect you with each other.
Maximum group size of 12 women, with smaller group breakout
Facilitation throughout from Rachel’s B & C
Uninterrupted time in the company of incredible, likeminded women.
Explore:
The power of group connection to complete the cycle
Artistic expression, with ED artist Jess Blandford
Breathwork & sound with Kate Gaskell
Movement & getting into the outdoors
Nourish:
Full catering by the wonderful Mel from spinach
Wine & soft drinks included
Accommodation (shared rooms, single beds) in the beautiful Hockley House, a wing of a Manor House, set just inland from Folkestone, with its gorgeous country grounds for late autumn strolls.
A Hot Tub to bubble away the stress
An opportunity for two night's child-free sleep (sleep itself not guaranteed!)
End the weekend on a high, with a cliffside walk & cosy Sunday lunch to close.
The Details:
£549 pp based on twin/triple rooms (single beds)
£50 Upfront deposit then pay in full or in monthly installments.
Address:
THE WEST WING, HOCKLEY SOLE, HOCKLEY SOLE LANE, CAPEL LE FERNE CT18 7ET