Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSaNTÉ 67
HealtHy Holiday specialguilt, despair and self-doubt. It felt primal,
brutal – and yet also incredibly freeing.
RECONNECTING TO OURSELVES
As Fiona points out, we know, deep down,
what we require for health and happiness; it’s
woven into the fi bres of humanity. These
retreats aim to reignite that innate wisdom,
giving women much-needed time out from
modern distractions to realign with their
core selves, and provide a safe space to
disconnect from responsibility and tech in
order to reconnect with nature and their
natural rhythms.
Was the experience easy? Not for me, no.
My boundaries were pushed in a way that
was far more challenging than hunger or
exercise, both of which would demand that
I commune only with myself. This was
physical proximity, intimacy, exposure, laying
bare – and all without the ‘escape route’ of a
phone on which to make social-media-light
of the situation. The physical swaddling we
experienced was necessary, not only to make
the emotional workout bearable but, indeed,
to make it possible.
Was it worthwhile though? Unreservedly
yes. The daily practice of forming a circle and
‘checking in’ with one word to refl ect
our state of mind was telling: at the
beginning of the weekend, we
heard ‘anxious’, ‘unsure’, ‘angry’;
by day four, the cosy yurt in
which these meetings took place
resonated with ‘excited’, ‘powerful’,
‘embodied’ and ‘reborn’.
Unlike other retreats I’ve been on,
which have left me lost on the return
to real life, this one equipped me with
a belief in my own knowledge and,
critically, know-how. I may well race
through the park on my way to the
station of a morning, but now I’ll be
sure to slow down, breathe and savour
my surroundings on the way home,
taking time to check in – not by way of a
social media update but this time, simply
with myself.
One of the safari lodges on
the ‘Glampsite’, which
hosts the retreats.which these meetings took place
‘checking in’ with one word to refl ect
our state of mind was telling: at the
beginning of the weekend, we
heard ‘anxious’, ‘unsure’, ‘angry’;
by day four, the cosy yurt in
which these meetings took place
resonated with ‘excited’, ‘powerful’,
‘embodied’ and ‘reborn’.
Unlike other retreats I’ve been on,
which have left me lost on the return
to real life, this one equipped me with
a belief in my own knowledge and,
critically, know-how. I may well race
through the park on my way to the
station of a morning, but now I’ll be
sure to slow down, breathe and savour
my surroundings on the way home,
taking time to check in – not by way of a
social media update but this time, simply
with myself.
which these meetings took place
The Back to Nurture by Arrigo retreat costs £1,890 per person
from Thursday to Sunday including full board accommodation.
To book, visit hearrigoprogramme.com or email
[email protected]. For other Arrigo events and
programmes, visit aplacetoheal.co.uk. TSFoo d on the retreat is vegan and packed
wi th fl avo ur.Sarah’s self-care to olkit for the retreat.