Mindfulness for Wellbeing luxury weekends, Norfolk

“Absolutely brilliant, loved every minute. Thank you.”

— Sinead Dunn, February 2022

Highly recommended by The Guardian travel editor, our boutique Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends are crafted for guests seeking a luxurious, small group retreat in a tranquil countryside setting yet within easy distance of London. Includes a total of 15 meditation and relaxation sessions taught by two experienced teachers, silent walks from the door, brilliant vegetarian catering, plentiful opportunity to read, rest and take a technology detox.

“The sessions, venue, food, were all superb and I very much look forward to joining another retreat with you. I definitely benefited from the digital detox, and relaxing in such luxurious surroundings. The quiet was just wonderful. Thank you so much.”

— Sue Lee, February 2022 Retreat Guest

Introducing our luxury Norfolk weekends

We created our treasured Norfolk Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends after a long search for a deeply nurturing and luxurious retreat for ourselves as students.

Our key requirements were: an outstanding, plush countryside venue; solo occupancy (double) room option; fabulous food where washing and clearing up are blissfully taken care of; very gentle sessions that included guided relaxation practices weaved around a unifying thread of mindfulness; time to read, rest, enjoy the rare opportunity for quiet time.

When we couldn’t quite find every wish on the - rather long! - requirement list we decided to create our own. And so, in 2015, our Mindfulness for Wellbeing retreat weekends were born.

A few years later they were reviewed by the Guardian’s travel editor at the time (click here to read her review). In February 2022, after a two-year break during the pandemic, our retreats resumed at a smaller venue: a gorgeous Norfolk Manor House with eight lovely bedrooms and stunning period features.

Now hosting a max just twelve retreat guests - though a retreat average of eight - these luxury long weekends are still led by our two experienced mindful yoga and meditation teachers Lucia and Vikki.

We love hosting these retreats: a rare chance to let go of technology, drop down a few gears and live well amongst like-minded people; to shake off winter blues and retreat to the big skies and rolling countryside of rural Norfolk in stunning, tranquil surroundings that invite space and reflection.

Guests socialise as much or little as they wish, with the group coming together at mealtimes, practice sessions and in the lovely lounge areas. Often there is companionable silence as guests enjoy the luxury of time to read or sit quietly with a cup of tea. This is the slow, mindful stuff of which retreats are made.

Slowing down: our practice sessions and retreat

Some of our 15 weekend sessions contain the word ‘yoga’ in the title. However, please be sure to note: these are very different from our usual Western understanding of active physical yoga.

Instead, we sink into practices such as Yoga Nidra that are static, meditation and relaxation-based; drawn from the contemplative aspects of the wider yoga tradition.

Morning mindful movement sessions will be extremely gentle and often enjoyed lying down. All sessions are tied together with the thread of gentle present-centred awareness, mindfulness, and will definitely not suit those seeking conventional or strong dynamic yoga!

Please also note: mindfulness is not recommended for those currently suffering from moderate to severe depression or anxiety. Please do get in touch if you are unsure.

2024 retreat date & details:

Friday November 29 - Monday December 2, 2024

Arrivals from 4pm on Friday, departures 10am on Monday.

Solo occupancy options:

Solo occupancy, luxury master en-suite bedroom, first floor: £1099 per person
Solo occupancy, master luxury bedroom, shared bathroom top floor: £999 per person (note: three flights of stairs)
Solo occupancy, downstairs en-suite room: £999 per person
Solo occupancy, first or top floor sharing bathroom: £949

Two people sharing & booking together:

Double master luxury en-suite bedroom, first floor: £849 per person
Double master luxury bedroom, shared bathroom top floor: £799 per person (note: three flights of stairs)
Twin/double bedroom, downstairs en-suite room: £799 per person
Twin/double room for two people sharing large bathroom: £699 per person

Important notes:

A non-refundable £300 per person deposit holds your space. Full balance is due 10 weeks before the retreat.

Guests must be able to commit to attending whole retreat.

Booking

To book please click below:

Book now

Our special host venue

Often used as a small, exclusive wedding venue our special luxury venue is also a working farm, set in 350 acres of Norfolk countryside that is typified by huge skies and open horizons. The hall dates back to the 1600s and was once owned by an Admiral and also by Roger Pepys, cousin to the famous diarist Samuel Pepys.

After a period of being unoccupied the house was lovingly restored and refurbished in 2012, with stunning original features blending beautifully with plush contemporary decor.

Notable features including eight luxurious bedrooms, a historic open plan kitchen and dining room with old wishing well, a reading room, separate lounge and a large conservatory area leading out to gardens and fiends, the setting for our meditation sessions.

What to expect: more about our long weekends

These weekends have been designed for both total beginners to mindfulness and relaxation practices, as well as those with experience seeking a refresher. From personal experience, we believe physical comfort is vital and take great care to offer different postural options (including lying down).

Complete meditation beginners especially should be aware of a possible short period of silence, and open to its possibilities!

To support the intentions of this retreat, we request that you turn off mobile phones and all technology during this short time. An emergency contact number will be provided.

All this in a framework of enhancing overall wellbeing at this testing time of year: over the four days, our formal practice sessions (which equate to almost five hours each day on Saturday and Sunday, though broken down into different slots) will be enhanced by:

The beauty of a rural Norfolk setting: acres of surrounding countryside
Plenty of wholesome but delicious vegetarian food
No clearing away, washing up or any work is expected or required
The relaxed nature of the weekend - nothing is compulsory; do as little, or as much, as you please
Lots of opportunity to chat to like-minded guests over afternoon tea and mealtimes
Limited possible periods of restoring silence, intended as a chance to deepen your mindfulness practice
A rare, golden chance to fully rest the mind by letting go of emails, texts, technology
Periods of personal time for walks, reading, chatting, relaxing, retreating …

What's included?

Three nights' luxury accommodation
Breakfast and light lunch
Afternoon tea and snack!
Fruit available throughout the day
Two course dinner
All classes - around five hours a day on both Saturday and Sunday

What's not included

Transport and transfers
Travel insurance - please ensure you have valid insurance that includes cover for cancellation in the event of contracting Covid-19.

Our retreat schedule:

Friday

4pm: Arrivals. Tea!
5.30 - 6.20pm: Welcome. Gentle movement, mindfulness, relaxation
6.30pm: Dinner
7.45 - 8.15pm: Yoga nidra - relaxation

Saturday and Sunday

7.45am: fruit, tea
8.20am: Silent walk
8.45-9.15am: Gentle Mindful Movement
9.20-9.40am: Mindfulness session
9.45am: breakfast
12.10-12.40pm: Mindfulness session
12.45pm: lunch
2-5pm: free time
5 - 6.30pm: Extended session
6.30pm: Dinner
7.45 - 8.15pm: Yoga nidra

Monday

7.30am: fruit, tea
7.50-8.10am: Gentle Mindful Movement
8.15-50: Mindfulness practice session
9am: Breakfast
10:00am: Departures

The food

Our quite wonderful chefs will cook a variety of delicious, imaginative vegetarian and vegan meals over the course of the long weekend. Many guests arrive as carnivores and leave as converted vegetarians!

We will start the day by serving fruit, coffee and tea and then after the morning practice enjoy a much deserved substantial brunch.

Mid-afternoon we will be presented with afternoon tea, nibbles and a sweet something! A two-course meal will be served in the evening.

We also provide a delicious selection of teas, coffee, fruit and snacks that guest are welcome to help themselves to during the day.

Whilst we will try to accommodate all dietary requirements, we recommend you contact us before booking.

Rest assured there is no helping out involved; your job is to sit back and relax!

Retreat teachers

These retreats are led by Lucia Cockcroft, co-founder of Yoga At The Mill, a long-established yoga and mindfulness studio in Chelmsford, Essex. Lucia has a 22-year yoga and meditation practice. She has been teaching yoga and meditation in classes, workshops and on international retreats for 15 years and has studied Mindfulness Based Approaches at Bangor University at postgraduate level over two years.

She is fascinated by the powerfully therapeutic aspects of yoga and meditation and has recently completed a 100 hour training, Yoga and Somatics for Health, Healing and Recovery. She is privileged to count Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christina Feldman, John Peacock and Thich Nhat Hanh as amongst her meditation teachers - having attended retreats or training events with these teachers.

Vikki Stevenson has been practising yoga for the past 20 years. She takes inspiration from a variety of styles, with a focus on breath-led movement and on working with our own individual bodies to find a way of moving that suits us all. She teaches yoga full time. Vikki is passionate about the therapeutic side of yoga and has gone on to study yoga for those living with cancer, yoga therapy for women’s health as well as pregnancy and postnatal yoga. She has recently completed a two-year Yoga Therapy course with London’s Life Centre.

Vikki also has a strong interest in the transformative practice of yoga nidra, a deep guided method of relaxation. She co-teaches our Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends in Norfolk, and teaches regular specialist courses on yoga nidra for sleep.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first retreat; this one was perfectly pitched to create an environment where I could step away from everything and nurture myself.. I was so impressed with the relaxed environment Lucia and Vikki created; we moved with ease from practice sessions to free time, to eating together, to more wonderful classes. The location offers an excellent choice of spaces to read, walk or indulge in a long bath. And the catering was always a lovely surprise from mealtimes to the afternoon treats! I returned to my normal space calmer, refreshed and with a valuable intention. Thank you!”

— Catherine Woodhead