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Residential training course: Introduction to Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection - 6 nights in The Coach House
Learn nature-mindfulness practices & earn CPD points too
Summary
Duration: 6 nights - run annually
For those with any meditation experience - or none
Single occupancy
Silence nightly until morning & on 1 whole day
Max. Spaces: 16
Overview
This residential mindfulness training course is a 6-night stay at The Coach House retreat venue in beautiful South Devon, offering daily meditation, time with Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection experts exploring our rewilding fields, nature-mindfulness practices and time spent in Sharpham's beautiful, peaceful scenery.
If you'd like to teach Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection to others, then this training can help. We invite you to take this fantastic opportunity to train in Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection on this 6-night Continuing Professional Development course.
You'll expand and enrich the range of practices and activities you lead as well as deepen your own mindfulness practice and connection with nature, thanks to this course.
Trained and skilled leaders will support your learning at Sharpham, all within the designated South Devon National Landscape.
Note: this course does not train participants to become an accredited mindfulness teacher
This training course is for you if you:
- are inspired by the idea of supporting people to connect with nature more deeply through these practices
- already work (or are qualified) in a related field, such as mindfulness, nature connection, therapy, wellbeing, teaching, social care, education or facilitation
- have a mindfulness practice and an appreciation of the benefits that it brings (see the prerequisites below)
- have some experience of outdoor learning and nature-connection practices
- are committed to working within your competence, i.e. teaching only practices in which you have sufficient experience
- are aged 18 or above
What you'll experience on this course:
Course overview
Day 1: Arrival day and introduction to the programme
Day 2: Experiential practice day
Day 3: Attention and the senses
Day 4: Connection and care
Day 5: Meaning and insight
Day 6: Teaching practice
Day 7: Integration and departure
What you can expect to learn:
- Through self-practice an understanding of Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection and how this supports wellbeing, including relevant theory and research in this area
- How to lead tried and tested nature-based mindfulness practices
- How to lead enquiry (the dialogue and discussion that follows a practice)
- Understanding the role of the facilitator and how to manage a group
- How to ensure activities are safe and rewarding
Prerequisites for applying for this course
- You will have completed an 8-week mindfulness course (like our own 8-week course here), or have equivalent experience of mindfulness meditation, perhaps through dharma-based teaching, sustained practice or attending retreats
- By the time the course starts, we ask that you have read through some of the study materials and handbook that we will send to you 4 weeks before the start of the course (Approx 1-2 hours) and at least 2 of the following books: Awake in the Wild, by Mark Coleman; Losing Eden, why our minds need the wild: Lucy Jones; The Nature Principle: Human Restoration and the end of nature-deficit disorder, Richard Louv; Finding Peace in a Frantic World, by Mark Williams and Danny Penman; Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness meditation for everyday life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Accreditation
On completion of this introductory training, participants will receive a certificate based on a simple assessment criteria, enabling them to incorporate some of the practices and skills into their existing work.
This course does not train participants to become an accredited mindfulness teacher.
Background
At the Sharpham Trust, we have been developing a unique approach which combines mindfulness and nature connection practices, something we call Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection (MBNC).
We have more than 40 years' experience of offering mindfulness and nature-based retreats, courses and events.
Our recent work includes the highly successful National Lottery-funded Mindful-in-Nature programme, working to use nature-mindfulness practices to support people recovering their mental health.
This introductory facilitator training offered here is the next exciting phase of our work, enabling participants to disseminate and teach these practices more widely, beyond Sharpham.
Why Mindfulness-Based Nature Connection?
Mindfulness can amplify and enrich our experience of nature connection and nature can amplify and enrich our experience of mindfulness. Together they combine to create a potent reciprocal relationship.
Earn 45 hours of CPD credits on this course
CPD, which stands for Continuing Professional Development, is ongoing study that you do that helps you keep your work alive, fresh and up-to-date.
It's a requirement in many fields, especially if you're a member of a professional body.
Therapists, counsellors, mindfulness teachers, support workers, outdoor adventure leaders, yoga teachers - you'll all benefit from gaining the richness that CPD can give.
On this MBNCT course, you'll learn practices and techniques to expand and enhance the work that you already offer.
By attending this course, you'll earn 45 hours of CPD credits. If you're a counsellor or a therapist, for example, this is already well above the 30 hours that you have to do each year.
Plus you'll be on retreat in an outstanding natural setting, supporting and nourishing yourself with meditative practices, supporting company and delicious vegetarian and vegan food!
What you'll 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
Schedule
Day 1: Arrive between 3 - 5pm for Welcome Meeting at 5pm and settling in
Final day: depart by 11am
The Coach House retreat centre at Sharpham
When you stay at The Coach House on the Sharpham Estate, you'll be in comfy, single rooms in a beautifully converted 18th century stable block, set in the stunning scenery of Sharpham's grounds. You'll experience daily meditation and movement sessions, time in our gardens and on the land and you'll eat delicious and homegrown vegetarian and vegan meals.
Coach House retreats focus on nature connection through a varied programme of retreats designed to connect you to Sharpham's flora and fauna, with plenty of time for you to rest and reflect.
Get Directions View Venue
By Car
By Train
By Taxi
On foot or cycle from Totnes
By CoachLeaders
Coach House Coordinators
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Lindsay Alderton
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Ollie Frame
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Polly Cheesman
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Costs
Prices include full board and all study materials
Rooms & rates
All rooms are comfortable single occupancy, giving you your own space in which to relax. Each room has an ensuite or a shared bathroom.
Click here for more information on our types of bedrooms and facilities
Rooms are allocated randomly and are bookable on a first-come, first-served basis, unless you have a medical need - please let us know on your booking form.
Meals, bedding, and towels are included.
|
Select a room with an ensuite or a shared bathroom |
|
| Ensuite | Shared |
| £1295 | £1195 |
| Payment Schedules | |
|
£100 deposit to confirm booking Second deposit of £500 on 20 June 2027 The balance of £695 on 19 August 2027 |
£100 deposit to confirm booking Second deposit of £500 on 20 June 2027 The balance of £595 on 19 August 2027 |
Bursary Places for those on low incomes
Limited bursaries at £895 are available for those experiencing financial hardship.
See our Bursary Spaces page here to explore ways in which you can come on a heavily-discounted retreat.
Bursary Fund donations
If you’d like to support even more people beyond your own retreat, you can donate to our Bursary Fund. Every gift helps make retreats accessible to those who might otherwise miss out.
If you’d like to help another person go on retreat with us through our bursary scheme, you can give online quickly and easily by clicking here
Terms & Conditions
Available dates
2027
18
Sep
Introduction to Mindfulness-based Nature Connection Training - 6 nights
With Ollie Frame & Lindsay Alderton & Polly Cheesman
At the heart of the Sharpham Trust ethos is our desire to build a more mindful, compassionate and environmentally sustainable world.
We connect people with nature and foster mindfulness and well-being through our programme of retreats, mindfulness courses, outdoor learning and the arts.
© 2026 Sharpham Trust | The Sharpham Trust Sharpham House, Ashprington, Totnes, Devon, UK TQ9 7UTUseful Links
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