Nourishing Roots: Woodland Creation Retreat

Nourishing Roots is a woodland creation retreat and meditation retreat held at Eden Rise, near Dartmoor in Devon, UK. It is for people who want to practise Insight Meditation while doing hands-on conservation work, gathering in community around the native woodland restoration mission of Moor Trees. It is led by Nathan Glyde and Zohar Lavie.

What to Expect

The retreat runs for a week and combines two things that often sit apart: working the land and sitting in meditation. The aim is to come together in community around the restoration of native woodland, and then, through the work itself, to deepen your connection to yourself and to nature.

There is space and time for meditation and for community, so the days hold both practice and shared effort. The material does not give a daily timetable, so expect the rhythm to be set by the teachers on arrival. The retreat is offered through SanghaSeva, whose retreats emphasise wisdom and compassion in ecological and humanitarian service.

About Nathan Glyde

Nathan Glyde is an Insight Meditation teacher recognised by Gaia House in the UK. He has practised and studied meditation since 1997 and has shared teachings on retreats since 2007. In 2004 he co-founded SanghaSeva. With Zohar Lavie he writes the materials for DependentOrigination.org, a body of work on the Buddha's teaching of dependent origination, the understanding that all things arise reliant on other causes and conditions. They describe it as a practical exploration of how everything leans, including how stress depends on thirsting and how seeing such dependencies opens a path to freedom.

About Zohar Lavie

Zohar Lavie teaches alongside Nathan Glyde and works with him on DependentOrigination.org, where the two aim to make this deep teaching accessible to all. Together they offer retreats, online drop-in groups and meditation sessions. Zohar also teaches at Gaia House and leads days of practice in London, as well as retreats in Israel and online.

The Setting

Eden Rise sits near Dartmoor in Devon, in the countryside of southwest England. The retreat takes place in the beauty of this landscape, close to the woodland that the work supports. The group stays on site, with room for quiet and for time together outdoors.

Before You Go

The retreat suits anyone drawn to combining meditation with practical care for the land. Expect to spend time outdoors working with others, so dress for weather and for physical work. Details on rooms, meals, travel and what to bring are best confirmed with the organizers before you arrive.