If you're interested in starting or reconnecting with mindfulness practice, then this retreat at the beautiful and tranquil Sharpham House can help show you the way.

You'll be introduced to the practice of mindfulness meditation with guided sitting sessions, mindful walking, periods of silence, plus enough free time for rest and reflection.

You'll have opportunities to reconnect with nature and to benefit from the very special location of the historic Sharpham House and Estate, surrounded by stunning countryside in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

During this retreat you'll:

• be introduced to ways of developing and sustaining a mindfulness practice and integrating your practice into daily life 
• experience guided meditation
• have the opportunity to explore your mindfulness practice in the outdoors, helping you to connect with nature
• experience the peace, tranquillity and beauty of Sharpham House and Estate
• enjoy being cared for in Sharpham House, full-board, with delicious and healthy vegetarian food and staff to look after you
• have the opportunity to deeply rest and reconnect to yourself, far from the busy-ness of daily life
• experience periods of silence
• have free time and time to yourself (all rooms for this retreat are single occupancy)

Who is the retreat for?

The retreat is suitable for most adults aged 18 and above who want to learn mindfulness as an aid to everyday health and well-being. This retreat uses techniques and approaches from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) with trained and qualified teachers and is suitable for you if you are new to mindfulness, or 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.

The retreat programme will include 3 daily guided meditation sessions both indoors and outdoors, with periods of silence to help strengthen the practice. There will also be question-and-answer sessions and guidance in bringing mindfulness, compassion, joy and equanimity into daily life.

If you're coming to stay with us on retreat, it is important to make a commitment to arrive in time for the first group meeting and to attend all the days. This ensures you experience the retreat programme from start to finish and helps support your group of retreatants to gel.

Silence

All of our retreats usually include some short periods of silence as a way of deepening into mindful awareness. If you are new to spending time in silence in the company of other people, it can feel awkward to begin with. However people usually find this to be a useful experience and we encourage you to explore the silent periods with a spirit of openess and curiosity. The retreat moves into silence each evening from 9pm - 9am the following day and until 2pm on day 3 (see also schedule tab above for typical day)