om travel
I’m keen to discuss some healthier sugar-free alternatives to curb
my afternoon tea and treat craving. Alice suggests a handful of
Brazil nuts and a couple of squares of dark chocolate, and I write
down the recipe for of Maryann’s cacao and nut flapjack sweetened
with agave, which is heavenly.
Since the intention of the healthy yoga weekend is for guests
to reflect on how to eat good nutritious food without relying
on sugary, salty snacks or junk food, the meals here follow this
philosophy. From Martin’s home-made falafel, served with leafy
greens freshly pulled from the earth, a quinoa salad with beans and
a hearty lentil cottage pie served with fresh garden chard and leeks,
to the most amazing rhubarb crumble with almond milk custard, and
the ultimate banana cake, they’re really inspiring me to make some
tweaks in my diet.
It’s already 6pm and our evening yoga session teacher, Sally
Bayly, arrives at the studio with a gust of positive energy. With
training in Iyengar, Sivananda and vinyasa flow she leads us
from one asana to another with great precision and reference to
the chakras, the body’s energy centres. Blending both dynamic
stretches with restorative poses, completing with a pranayama
practice (alternate nostril breathing), tratak (candle gazing), guided
meditation and positive visualisations, the class sets us up for a
relaxed evening and a deep sleep.
Country living
The animals are a huge part of the weekend experience at Green
Farm and early on Sunday morning we set out to bottle-feed the
farm’s two gorgeous lambs (who incidentally have already had their
first bottle but convince us otherwise and manage a second), before
collecting eggs for breakfast from the hens.
As we walk and talk, I learn that as well as letting out the former
coach house next door for hen weekends, weddings and other
group bookings, Martin and Maryann run a community wildlife and
vegetable garden and a charity, the Pearce Coggan Foundation.
This gives volunteers and disadvantaged young people the
opportunity of working on the land and connecting with animals
for improved wellbeing.
Martin leads us into the field known as ‘Fairyland’, which will be
the location for a large wedding the following weekend. Canopies of
leaves and tall trees provide a magical haven of inspiration. “We’ll
have a gin bar there, and the live band over there,” he points out, as
he talks me through the upcoming transformation.
During April and May another project is close to the couple’s
hearts. Maryann and Martin are both passionate about conservation
and are committed to helping raise awareness about the protection
of the sadly declining nightingale. The “Singing with Nightingales
Weekend Retreats” have even been featured on the BBC and are a
spring highlight, attracting guests from all over the world who get to
experience guided woodland evening tours and the inimitable and
inspiring song of these precious, beautiful birds.
As the woodland forest transitions to expansive meadowland and
their dogs, Sassie, Leo and Charlie, leap about in the grass, I reflect
on how cocooned and distanced I feel from the outside world. Green
Farm is a unique and exceptional place to recharge the energy,
especially if you’re an animal and nature lover. Take it from me: once
you’ve visited, you’ll more than likely become one of their many
repeat guests.
Sarah Dawson is a Brighton-based journalist and wellbeing writer
(sarahdawsonjournalist.com) as well as a yoga teacher and life
coach, with her own wellness business Karmiyoga (karmiyoga.com)
FACT FILE:
Sarah attended the Health & Yoga Weekend Retreat
at Green Farm, from £395 pp (twin share). She booked
the Optimal Skin Profacial, a 55 minute Espa treatment
(£60). Green Farm offers spa days and spa and stay
visits. Espa Express treatments, from £35. Visit:
greenfarmkent.co.uk for bookings and upcoming retreats.
Naturopathic nutritionist Alice Yeates can be contacted
at: helpmehealthy.org.