A retreat to remember
I write a little weary but incredibly grateful today after yesterday’s brilliant reatreat day at Wellness Woodlands in Bridgnorth, Shropshire.
We started our day with a fun opening ceremony which included shamanic drumming and an aura cleanse… and an energising walk through a willow tunnel.
We then got warmed up with hot drinks before starting a great yoga session led by Rose… it definitely blew the cobwebs away, for me at least!
We then took another short tea break (a must in the chilly weather!) before I led the sound bath portion of the day. Rose also played instruments during the session which was such a treat for me. We both play intuitively and were able to naturally create a very special space, and the resultant sounds were simply beautiful. Rose and I also sang during the sound bath… this is something quite new to me but Rose seems to bring out a side of me that enables me to reach that space inside myself where I am able to let the sound out that wants to emerge.
After the sound bath we had a nourishing home-made lunch which included a hearty, filling soup and home-made brownies. Rose had also baked a chocolate tart which was very tasty!
After lunch we did some grounding in the Woodlands, where we connected with standing stones and trees…
We then had some warming, heart-opening cacao, lovingly prepared by Rose who created such a gorgeous recipe that most of us had seconds!
We then took our drums down to the standing stones where we had a deeply connecting drumming circle around the fire. I have been wanting to host a drumming circle around the fire fo a long time and was so excited to be able to offer it in such a highly energised location. We closed our eyes and just felt into the rhythm of the drum as we played, before cranking things up with a song as we drummed together. This was so special to me and I feel very humbled and privileged that others seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.
We then made our way back to our indoor space where Rose led us in intuitive movement where we all moved and danced to music in whatever way we each felt to move… I couldn’t help pick up my drum again and drum along to the music! It was an energising and fun way to end the retreat…
After we had handed out the goodie bags and said our goodbyes, Rose and I took a few photos outside the retreat space… Rose stood in a ‘tree pose’ and I decided I could do the same… I somehow quickly lost my balance and almost ended up on the floor! So enjoy this ‘blooper’ photo too!
Rose and I had such a brilliant day with everyone who came along and I am really looking forward to hosting the next retreat with Rose at Wellness Woodlands in March! If you like the idea of experiencing one of our retreats, you can find details of our March retreat here.
Hope to see some of you there!
Much love
Nikki
