Hear FIRST about our retreats & events

You'll explore how heart-based practices like self-compassion and loving kindness can enrich your meditation and nourish you in your daily life on these 4-night retreats.

Compassion can be defined as "sensitivity to suffering and the willingness to alleviate it”.

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, a habitual yet unhelpful strategy, making the challenges that we face 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, self-care, physical health and personal relationships.

Some of these benefits appear to be specific to compassion practices rather than standard mindfulness practice alone.

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.
• are interested in understanding yourself better and learning about how and why we get into unhelpful patterns.

*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.

Lucy Chan, one of the leaders on this retreat, gave this TEDx talk about the need for cultivating fierce compassion.

She also leads this downloadable meditation on the same aspect of compassion, helping to halt people-pleasing and enabling you to protect, say no or disagree with tender strength:

During this retreat you’ll:

• experience guided meditations, relaxation sessions and periods of silence and quiet contemplation
• be living in safe community with like-minded people
• be able to explore our tranquil Capability Brownian parkland and our Grade 2*-listed gardens designed by Percy Cane
• have a single-occupancy room and your own space in which to rejuvenate, with free time to deeply rest and reconnect with yourself, far from the busy-ness of daily life. Click here to explore our rooms
• enjoy delicious, healthy, home-cooked vegetarian food that regularly receives rave reviews
• be cared for full-board in a Grade I-listed Georgian House surrounded by history and art, with staff looking after you, in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty close to nature, amid breath-taking scenery on the banks of the River Dart

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

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

See our Sharpham House Covid-19 measures here

Our food & your dietary needs

The retreat is full-board with delicious home-cooked vegetarian food. 

In line with sustainable practices across the Estate, our cooks produce seasonal, vegetarian food for our guests. We source food whenever possible from our kitchen garden and support local food suppliers. 

Food allergies & intolerances
Please tell us well in advance of your stay of any food allergies or intolerances you may have.

You can tell us this on the Booking Form via a link we send you in your confirmation email.

Your physical and mental health

This retreat 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.

We have an accessible en-suite bedroom The Clare Milne Room – click here for details on how to book this room

If you have a medical condition that requires you to have an en-suite room, please contact our Programme Administrator on the number below as these rooms are limited and are bookable on a first-come first-served basis.