The Coach House: Connecting with the qualities of the heart - 4-night self-compassion & nature-connection retreats

When our hearts expand...we have a lot of understanding and compassion and can embrace others

                                        - Thich Nhat Hanh, peace activist and mindfulness pioneer

Explore how heart-based practices like self-compassion and loving kindness along with our nature-based approach to mindfulness can help to restore and nourish you in your daily life.

You'll be cared for full-board, with plenty of time for rest, reflection and nature connection in the very special location of the Sharpham Estate.

Many people can be kind and supportive of others, whilst struggling to apply this same attitude to themselves. All too often we slip into patterns of judging and criticising ourselves harshly, a habitual yet unhelpful strategy, making the challenges that we face even more difficult.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in practices that cultivate self-compassion and kindness. There's an expanding body of research showing the positive effect such practices have on emotional well-being, physical health, personal relationships and avoiding burn-out.

These retreats, involving skilled and trained leaders, draw on recently-developed and evidence-backed approaches such as Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC), Mindfulness-based Compassionate Living (MBCL) and the work of Paul Gilbert, founder of Compassion Focused
Therapy (CFT).

This retreat is for you if you 

• would like to connect more with the qualities of the heart, such as compassion, kindness, gratitude and sympathetic joy
• want to deepen your mindfulness practice and learn a new set of practices within this approach
• find yourself criticising or judging yourself harshly
• want to learn wiser and more helpful ways to relate to difficulties
• would like to spend some time in a peaceful and beautiful setting surrounded by nature
• are interested in understanding yourself better and learning about how and why we get into unhelpful patterns

During this retreat you'll

• experience guided meditations and periods of silence and quiet contemplation
• learn self-compassion and nature-based mindfulness practices that can support you in your daily life
• have the chance to take mindfulness and compassion based practices into the outdoors through walking, nature connection and sensing activities (weather permitting)
• have a chance to learn about & witness our efforts to re-wild the Sharpham Estate 
• stay full-board in a Grade II-listed Georgian Coach House set within Capability Brownian parkland, with Grade 2*-listed gardens designed by Percy Cane in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to nature, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart
• have a single-occupancy room and your own space, with free time to deeply rest and reconnect with yourself, far from the busy-ness of daily life.
• a safe and supportive community with like-minded people, sharing experiences and daily tasks including working in the kitchen gardens and on the wider Estate
• enjoy delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian & vegan food that regularly receives rave reviews

Facilities in The Coach House

The Grade II-listed Coach House has been sympathetically converted to create accommodation in four wings surrounding a central courtyard.

The Coach House has 18 bedrooms, 12 of which are en-suite. The 6 others share 3 bathrooms, one for each pair of rooms. 

We have an accessible ground-floor bedroom with en-suite bathroom in the Western Wing of The Coach House. Please contact us to book this.

The Eastern Wing features a lounge, library, kitchen and has a contemporary timber-frame extension which serves as a dining room and meditation/meeting space.

The extension has large French doors which open out on to a patio and garden with direct access out on to the south-facing lawns.

Not all of the gardens or the estate have disabled access, so do contact us to discuss your needs and what is possible.

Mindfulness in nature at Sharpham

When you experience Sharpham's inspiring and nourishing environment, we hope you'll connect spiritually with the natural world, so you’ll:

• become aware of how we are all part of nature - not artificially separate from it
• pay attention to and appreciate the natural world surrounding us
• explore nature through your senses and your natural creativity
• Tread more lightly on our finite planet, developing a respect and reverence for all living things

Click here to read our ethos and principles

What you need to know

If you decide to stay with us, we’ll send you a list of what you need to bring for this retreat in your Welcome Letter that we send out after you've booked.

You can also find out more about staying with us on our Frequently Asked Questions page, including

• accessiblity information
• why we encourage you to come on your own and not with partners or friends
• what the difference is between our retreats

Our food & your dietary needs

We have a fully stocked, mostly organic and vegetarian kitchen. The main meal is at lunch time and is prepared by our Cook supported by retreatants. We try to use produce from our gardens as much as possible which retreatants help grow.

We can accommodate gluten-free and/or vegan dietary needs. However, our kitchen is not gluten, dairy nor nut-free. We do not provide gluten-free bread, but you are welcome to bring your own.

Please make sure you include dietary restrictions and any food allergies on your Booking Form. We may need to communicate further with you about specifics. The booking form is sent as a link once you have booked and paid for a retreat.

Our water is provided from our own spring, UV treated and filtered.

Your physical and mental health

This retreat is suitable for you if you are new to mindfulness, or you are seeking to renew or reconnect with your practice.

Although meditation and mindfulness can be helpful in managing stress, depression and anxiety our retreats might not be suitable if you are experiencing major depression or other clinically diagnosed psychiatric illness such as bipolar disorder, psychosis or current self-harming. Click here for more information and for our booking process

Given the nature of self-compassion practices, it is common for old trauma to arise, particularly around Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). 
We ask that if you have been subject to any ACEs that you discuss with a psychologist or therapist before attending to see if this retreat is appropriate for you at this time.

We have an accessible en-suite bedroom in the Coach House that you can learn about here

I have been shown that I can be strong and I do have inner power if I get back to nature

                           - Sharpham Trust retreatant