Spring Awakening Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat

The Spring Awakening Yoga and Wellbeing Retreat is a two-night yoga retreat weekend at Hill Farm, a woodland retreat centre near Tintern, run by Forest Retreats. It is led by Hayley Court, an experienced retreat host and advanced yoga teacher, and it suits anyone who wants a restful weekend of yoga, meditation, vegetarian food and time outdoors in the Wye Valley.

What to Expect

The weekend is built around daily yoga and meditation sessions. These include flow, yin and restorative yoga, so the days move between gentle activity and deep rest. Alongside the practice there is foraging, a cacao ceremony and a wood fired eco spa, with holistic therapies available as part of the retreat.

Guests who have stayed with Forest Retreats describe a good balance between movement and relaxation, and sessions pitched for all abilities. Past weekends have also included extras such as a gong bath and massage, as well as time in the eco spa and yurt. Guests often mention the unhurried feel of the weekend and the chance to sit out and take in the quiet surroundings. Some of these touches vary from one retreat to the next, so the list above is the core of what this spring weekend offers.

About Hayley Court

Hayley Court established Forest Retreats in 2015 and has been running yoga and wellbeing retreats for ten years. She is an advanced yoga teacher and a holistic therapist. Her retreats have been recommended by The Guardian, which has featured them several times, and this weekend is listed among its top 10 wellbeing retreats in the UK. Guests describe her as technically skilled but kind and helpful, and many return for further stays. Her teaching includes a combination of Yin and Yang yoga.

The Setting

Hill Farm is a 12 acre woodland near Tintern with views over the Wye Valley river and Tintern Abbey. The yoga studio is equipped with mats, blocks and straps, and its patio doors look out across the surrounding countryside. Accommodation is finished to a high standard, and some rooms have a small deck with a table and chairs for sitting out.

Meals are vegetarian and are one of the things guests most often praise, with food described as nourishing and tasty. The farm is about 45 minutes from Bristol on a good run of traffic.

Before You Go

The weekend runs for two nights. The sessions are suitable for a range of abilities, so you do not need to be an experienced yogi to take part. Yoga equipment is provided in the studio. Because the retreat includes a wood fired spa, it is worth bringing what you would normally want for spa time and for walking in the countryside.

Forest Retreats also offers other days and weekends at Hill Farm through the year, including yin and sound afternoons, forest bathing (Shinrin Yoku) and women-only gatherings, for those who want to return.