Yoga retreat in Somerset, 3 days

Planet

Our Yoga Flows & Forest Feasts Retreat takes place at an off-grid eco village hidden in ancient woodland near Bath, (UK) where all accommodations have been hand-built by local craftsmen using natural local materials. There's recycled wood used to create many of the structures, straw for insulation & roof coverings, houses made from cob and living moss from the forest to create roof tops. The village is the brainchild of a local farmers son who, after experiencing burn out from his hectic lifestyle returned to his family home to recuperate and felt inspired to create a place in nature where people can come to slow down, immerse themselves in nature, disconnect from screens and reconnect with themselves.

ENVIRONMENT & WILDLIFE

The village has an extremely low environmental impact. All waste water from the kitchen & showers is recycled back into the earth. The onsite loos use recycled loo paper and have an excellent compositing system which helps waste to gently, naturally decompose before being recycled into the earth. (We promise, you'll not notice any unpleasant 'odours' from this ancient waste disposal system!)

Any food waste from the kitchen is regularly collected and given to a local pig farmer. His pigs are very happy!

Only bio-degradable cleaning products are used to clean the kitchen & showers & guests are asked to bring only bio-degradable bathing products for showering. Guests are also asked to help minimise waste by disposing of any excess packaging material before arrival.

The village sits in a wild wooded valley where indigenous plants & trees are carefully managed so they are allowed to grow & spread to their natural size. This means there are an incredible wide variety of healthy specimens thriving in their natural environment. Last time we were here (late Spring) the woodland floor was awash with wild garlic - the smell was amazing! - and we saw wild deer wandering through the forest at sunset. Priceless.

CARBON REDUCTION

This eco village is off-grid - no mains electricity - and so we live by the light from the sun & the moon .. though there are some solar panels giving a little night time lighting. As we'll be here in July we'll have maximum daylight hours & warmer temperatures so we shouldn't miss the 'convenience' of electricity!

Traveling here is pretty easy too. Whilst you could drive here we would love to encourage you to take a train to one of the two mainline train stations (Bath & Chippenham) both within a 20 minute taxi ride and served by high speed rail links.

During the retreat we'll be serving plant based delicious meals using locally grown seasonal produce majority of which has been gathered from local small independent farmers & growers by our fabulous Chef who makes the most amazing meals!

People

Originally this venue was created by a team of local craftsmen who lived here with their families for several years to experience a simplier way of life. They grew vegetables, kept chickens, home-schooled their children and earnt an income by selling their produce & sharing their skills locally helping to repair and rebuild local structures. For every guest that stays here a tree is planted to help off set carbon emission. We ourselves, as retreat organisers, support local charities with donations from our profits; a donkey sanctuary that cares for old or abandoned donkeys and the World Wildlife Fund. We actively encourage our retreat guests to discover the local area on foot and to support small local businesses near to our retreats. On this particular retreat we absolutely recommend a lovely tea room run by a local mother & daughter in the quiet village nearby who rely on recommendations and local support. We ourselves choose local small businesses to help us in the running of our retreats by choosing to use a local caterer, local masseuse and activity guide in a foraging walk to discover wild edible plants & berries.