Your brain builds roads where you walk most often. Five days gives it time to build a new one. Day by day you move from breath, to body, to the mind and its feelings, and on the fourth day you meet a day of deep silence with nothing to do but be. You leave not only calmer, but with a practice that knows its way home.
The journey.
Arrive and settle
Meet the group, walk the grounds, sit at sunset. The silence begins by the fire.
Breath and body
How the body holds stress. Deep breathing, a body scan, music in silence.
Mind and feelings
Reaction and response: how a feeling takes over, and how to stay with it without the story.
A day of deep silence
Long sittings, a first taste of “who am I?”, an afternoon alone in nature, and a night under the stars.
Gathering it up
The science of habit: 21 and 90 days. Gratitude, a letter to yourself, and the way home.
How a day feels.
Mornings begin outside at sunrise, then movement, breakfast and a small task done with full attention. The science hour gives the day its meaning; the guided meditation lets you feel it. Afternoons are for rest, walking and sitting alone. Your questions are answered every evening, and every evening ends differently: a story, music, the fire, the stars.
What you’ll do
For you if
- You have done a retreat or a course before
- You want meditation to stay in your life
- Anger, worry or old habits keep returning
- You can give five days
Not for you if
- You have never sat quietly at all: start with 1 or 3 days
Included
Stay · All meals and herbal tea · Every session · A welcome kit (retreat notebook, pen, water bottle) · 21 days of WhatsApp practice after you leave · A monthly online sitting with past participants
Silence and the few rules
Phones are handed in on arrival. Be in the hall before the bell. Keep the colour of the day. No intoxicants. Please do not pick or eat anything growing at the place. If anything feels wrong, write a note or come to the reception.
Talk freely. The first day, the last day, the circles.
Quiet, but a soft word when you need something.
Full silence. Even a nod can wait.
In every colour you can ask the teacher your questions in the daily dialogue, or write a note. Help is always one step away.
What to bring
Please bring your own personal things. We provide the stay, the food and everything for the practice.
Always
- Loose, comfortable clothes for sitting and yoga
- Comfortable shoes and slippers
- Your own medicines, with a note of the doses
- Toothbrush, toiletries and a towel
- A small torch for the paths at night
- A yoga mat or your own cushion, if you have one
Winter
- A warm shawl or blanket wrap for the sittings
- A jacket or sweater
- Warm socks and a cap
- Thermal innerwear for the early mornings
- Lip balm and moisturiser
- A hot-water bottle, if you feel the cold
Summer
- Light cotton clothes
- A cap or hat
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent
- A small hand towel
- Sunglasses for the outdoor sittings
Leave at home
- Books and laptops
- Valuables and jewellery
- Anything you will miss your phone for
Health notice
Meditation is not medical or psychological treatment. If you live with a serious physical or mental health condition, are pregnant, or take regular medicine, please talk to your doctor before booking and tell us on the health form. Do not stop any medicine for the retreat. Read the full notice
After you leave
For 21 days you get a short practice on WhatsApp each morning. Once a month you can sit online with everyone who has come before. And three months later, a letter arrives: the one you wrote to yourself.
Ready to go inward? The 7-Day Open Sky is built around one question.