Do you remember the early days of Facebook? How exciting it felt? Suddenly, you could easily connect with people across the world. Stay in touch with friends you made on holiday. Keep relationships alive that would have otherwise faded. Kudos to Mark Zuckerberg et al. It all started with the best of intentions. Facilitating human connections and all for free!! But somewhere along the way, that feeling got lost. Now, we scroll without thinking. Pulled into a vortex. Minutes bl

On 28 February 2026, I was as shocked as many of you to hear about the latest turn of events in the Middle East. It's sadly becoming increasingly difficult to scroll through the news without feeling a tightening of the chest, a pang of anxiety, real fear or just pure helplessness. I regularly stare at my TV screen and think: 'What the fudge is happening now? What's the point of any of this? Why so much hate in the world?". And that's when I double down on the simple but powe

Have you heard of the Masaru Emoto's water experiments? It's something Dr Maxine Stead discussed on one of our retreats and I've been thinking about it ever since. In a nutshell, Masaru Emoto, a Japanese author and scientist, conducted a series of experiments in the late 2000s using distilled water in Petri dishes. Each dish was labelled with either positive words and sentences or negative intentions and was exposed to different types of music. From soothing melodies to harsh

‘The burnt toast’ theory according to moi. If you know me then you've heard me mention ‘the burnt toast’ theory. To me, it means that as caregivers, if we were to make some toast for our family and ourselves and if one slice was to be burnt, we would instinctively keep the burnt piece for ourselves and give the better toast to our family members. That’s the analogy I have been using for almost 20 years to say that we rarely put ourselves first. We often prioritise someone els

Crystal singing bowls on the yoga deck overlooking Cumbrian hills Do you wonder what happens on one of our retreats? What is the schedule like? Will you have time to get the rest you really need? Firstly, many thanks to all the people interested in joining a retreat and reaching out with questions. I believe that you are right to wonder and ask before making a booking. Your questions are always welcome. If you have met me or if you have been reading my newsletters for a while

We are lead to believe that the festive season is all about family gatherings. Happy family gatherings, to be exact! The kind of Christmas get together we only see on TV. 4 generations of happy smiling people, milling around a dining table buckling under the weight of food and booze. The cutest puppy is happily snoozing in front of the open fire, rather than chewing your most expensive

I know that many people dread the winter months. Frosty mornings and dark afternoons. Cold bleak days and seemingly endless nights. What's to like ? More than you think, so let me convince you that the winter months can be your allies. We are all mesmerised by

This is a colourful and vibrant salad I often serve on the retreats because.....it's just glorious! The beetroots are soft, the Feta is slightly salted and creamy, the roasted pine nuts add a touch of sophisticated crunch and the rocket is peppery and fresh! Even if beetroots are not your vegetable of choice, give this salad a try. The beets are marinated overnight and lose their earthiness. It's also a very good looking s

Hello peeps! Here is a blog entry that has absolutely nothing to do with yoga, meditation, sound healing etc...but salad dressing...by Florence Achery. If you have been on one of my retreats then you will know that I take our meals very seriously. Not seriously as in 'let's eat in silence and count the number of rice grains on our plate' kind of serious! Au contraire, as we all sit around the communal table, breaking bread, meal times are the perfect opportunity to catch up