Voice of the Elder
Yoga, Voice & Wild Nutrition Retreat
(October 30th - November 02nd) Mid Devon.
Join us on a transformational journey to nourish your wild self, open your heart, celebrate Samhain and sing in the Celtic new year amidst the beautiful mid Devon landscape.
A 3 day all inclusive retreat of discovery, deep healing, song and celebration. We will be weaving together practices and experience from Voice work & singing, Yoga Tantra, Somatic Breath, Environmental Arts therapy and wild nutrition to help us connect deeply and joyously to ourselves, each other and the natural world.
Mother and Daughter Michelle and Brigite work carefully together to cultivate a space where can settle into our bodies, still the mind & reach inside to liberate our unique expressions of beauty and vitality through movement, breath, sound, song and nature play.
What to expect
Move, play & sing as we connect with each other and the land around us.
Daily Yoga, Nidra & guided meditations, Vocal exploration, somatic breath-work, harmony and Intuitive singing.
Learn to forage and prepare seasonal wild medicines, connect with plant kin and engage in Nature Based Ceremony.
Learn wisdom from the Celtic traditions as we celebrate Samhain and the coming of a new Celtic season and honour our ancestors.
Learn practices to open the heart & more deeply to plants and elements and in doing so connect to a wiser, more elemental version of your self.
Eat delicious food in community and learn expert advice about seasonal, sustainable and nutritious food recipes.
Enjoy intentional spaces for dreaming, resting and relaxing.
Yoga:
Brigite teaches Hatha-Vinyasa Yoga, rooted in Non dual Tantric Philosophy. Classes will include an aspect of breath-work and Mantra, All of which is an invitation and not compulsory. Each class will be an opportunity to explore the wider themes of the weekend through the tools of embodied movement and somatic breath. Morning flows will generally be active and energising and focusing on building yang energy through playful, mindful movement with the breath and grounding us in our bodies to start the day. The afternoon and evening sessions will be nourishing and centre nourishing the Yin energy and the coming of winter. These sessions will offer us a chance to turn inward and nurture the calm, quiet centre innate in us all
Brigite will share knowledge from Yoga Tantra Practices and will be happy to answer more in depth questions about the physical and philosophical aspects of yoga for those interested in diving a little deeper than you might in a drop in class.
Yoga will take place in the thatched Cider Barn – Underfloor heating, soft lighting, and views of the meadow and woodlands beyond.
Yoga is optional and accessible to all levels and abilities. Different options will be provided throughout the class making it accessible for many different body types and abilities. Props provided but please bring your own Mat.
Therapeutic Nature Practice:
Nature provides us with the tools to heal and grow if we can take the invitation she continually offers. Michelle and Brigite both have a life-time of experience living closely to and working with nature, in off-grid and rural spaces and will be sharing a range of practical, therapeutic and creative practices and tools to help come into deeper connection with the land. Practices will include:
Meditation -Connecting with the trees of the month.
Connecting to the Elder tree which represents October, and the Silver Birch which represents November.
Foraging, plant identification and making wild medicine in the form of seasonal rosehip and elderberry oxymels with honey and cider vinegar.
Building and working with Natural Mandalas and Alters
Samhain fire Ceremony
Forrest bathing
Voice & Singing:
Our vocal sessions weave a safe, held, nurturing space to become familiar with and gain confidence with your relationship to your own voice. Michelle and Brigite bring embodied practices and techniques from vocal theatre arts, collaborative vocal improvisation, community singing and somatic breath-work to help us discover, deepen and expand the connections between breath, body and voice.
We will explore listening in with the inner ear for our unique vocal tone, how to open up to develop resonance, volume and dynamics as we identify areas of tension/blocks and how to release them with simple, energising and uplifting exercises.
We’ll connect with our emotional body, laugh a lot encouraging authentic expressive communication from our core when both singing and speaking. We’ll whisper, call, chant, sing intuitively, in rounds, in unison and in harmony.
There will be opportunities for song sharing and creating sound baths together as well as learning songs woven in with the themes of the weekend.
Vocal sessions are optional and you are welcome to come to any or all on offer. Vocal sessions will be accessible to all levels of experience-including professional singers and those who believe they haven’t got a voice. If you can speak you can sing and we can show you how!
Honouring the Celtic wheel & the voice of the Elder:
The celtic practices have a lot to teach us about how to connect more intimately with these lands. The month of October brings the old Celtic year to a close and we pause on the cusp of a new cycle, connecting breath, body and voice.
This retreat takes us through the ancient Celtic celebration of Samhain. A time where veils between the worlds thin to allow us deeper connection with the realms of our ancestors. We will create space to acknowledge the impact our ancestors have on our lives as we connect the Elder tree (which the celts believed sacred for October) and call upon our inner wisdom to light the way as we turn towards the new cycle.
Food:
Jordan has been passionate chef for 14 years and is currently training as a nutritional therapist. Her food has a Mediterranean influence and centres local and seasonal produce from the UK. Jiordan speciality is cooking outdoors, in the woods or the fields and usually offer a wood-smoked fire. She is the founder, Owner and Director of Loki’s Fire Kitchen, a fully solar powered travelling Woodfired Catering Company.
Food will be a central element to this retreat where we will create space to eat in community and celebrate the nourishment that it brings. There will be time to learn about the food, what's in it, where it comes from, how it is grown, why it and how eating seasonally can it benefits us in more ways than jus our health.
We can cater for a wide range of dietary needs.
Follow Lokis Fire Kitchen on instagram see what Jiordans up to!
Accomodation
Secluded & wonderfully peaceful Middle Coombe Farm is Set in its own valley in the breath-taking Devon countryside, the estate comprises of a Grade II* listed farmhouse and over 400 acres of private grounds and wild woodland. Middle Coombe Farm is a real West-country paradise, full of atmosphere, energy & character.
The main farmhouse delicately combines the cosiness of country life with a little luxury. With several beautifully decorated large bedrooms, bathrooms, drawing room, library, large kitchen diner, secluded courtyard with large open fireplace and an outdoor hot tub. Includes an adjacent converted barn with three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, kitchen, and garden
Rooms
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Single Occupancy En-suite (king sized)
A spacious en-suite room with a kingsize double brass bed. This room has great country views when lying in bed and has lovely morning light. The en-suite has a view over the garden to the swimming-pool and woodland.
£650
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Family Room
A Large and spacious shared occupancy room for two people with shared access to a third single bedroom (shared bathroom)
£400
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Single Occupancy, Shared Bathroom Shared Access
A cosy single room through with shared access and a shared bathroom.
£450
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Shared Occupancy En-Suite
A shared bedroom (maximum of two people per room) with an en suite for you and your roomie.
£500
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Single occupancy En-Suite (double)
A lovely double bedroom with en-suite bathroom, single occupancy.
£600
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Single Occupancy Shared Bathroom
A deluxe king sized bed, lovely views and plenty of your own space with access to a spacious thread bathroom
£600
Whats included?
4 x Yoga Classes
Daily Guided meditations & Breathwork
Yoga Nidra / Non Sleep Deep Rest Practice
Vocal Sound Bath
Daily Voice workshops: harmony singing, finding resonance, song sharing, intuitive singing and therapeutic voice work
Nature connection tools & Ceremonies
Foraging & Preparing wild medicines
Take home your own wild tincture
Seasonal Nutrition and herbal knowledge and advice
Somatic nervous system regulation tools
Songs to take home and share with your community
3 delicious nutritious & seasonal meals per day + snacks and drinks
Hot tub
Fire Side Samhain Ceremony
Walks on the land
Space for silence and deep rest
Ancestral Wisdom
All Accomodation
Cost:
Shared Occupancy, Shared Bathroom
From £400
Shared Occupancy, En suite
£500
Single Occupancy, Shared Bathroom
From £450
Single Occupancy en suite
From £600
Deposit:
£200 non refundable deposit to secure your space
Day Tickets:
We are offering a limited number of day tickets to local people. This will include the Activities and meals for Thursday, Friday Saturday and Sunday lunch and dinner. But no overnight accomodation. Price= £295
Payment Plans available (monthly payments)
To Book Tickets a deposit of £200 (or £150 for day tickets) will be needed to secure your place