Rewilding Meditation: Nature meditation overnights 2024
The Buddha found Enlightenment under a tree and taught extensively in forests, yet meditation mainly takes place indoors nowadays. Rewilding Meditation woodland retreats aim to bring meditation back into nature to help deepen your practice. We want you to experience the peace, nourishment and joy of the woods so that nature is transformed into a place of refuge.
Over a weekend, participants will spend time together and alone within their own camp in beautiful, private woodlands. We will practise sitting, walking and nature meditations structured around a theme. Participation in activities is optional and you are welcome to follow your own inclinations. Formal meditation practice is not essential, but you do need to be able sit in stillness for up to 40 minutes.
All weekends will take place in Wildflower Woods near Bruton, Somerset. Wildflower Woods consists of 12 acres, part of a larger 85-acre broad-leaved woodland, with fifteen different species of trees including hazel, oak, beech and alder and flowers such as bluebells, pink campion, bugle and early purple orchids. Two seasonal streams meander through the woodland. Multiple paths lead to delightful glades and secret spots. It’s a haven for wildlife including bats, moles, butterflies, hares and many birds including owls, buzzards and even nightingales.
We will run six weekends in 2024, some for one night, others for two and one for three nights. Several retreats are women only, as many women would love to practice on their own outdoors but find deeply engrained fears stop them. We are also offering one weekend open to all (including men) and one for those from the LBGTQ+ community.
As a bonus, some weekends will feature guest facilitators offering optional sessions on sound mapping, foraging and nature writing (poetry and fiction). There’s no obligation to attend these sessions and you will be very welcome to come to the retreat regardless. At every weekend, delicious vegan meals, a campfire and nature meditation activities will be provided. A minimum of four and a maximum of eight participants can attend. A video pre-meet will introduce retreatants to each other and help prepare for the weekend.
Lesley donates her time for free, thereby keeping costs low. To cover the necessary costs of the woods, food, catering and other expenses, we ask for individual contributions of £90 (one night), £145 (two nights) or £205 (three nights) with a deposit of £30. The exception is the LBGTQ+ weekend in July where some can take the option of making a financial contribution of £12.50 and topping it up ‘in kind’ by preparing meals. Please don’t let financial or transport concerns stop you from coming to any retreat, as bursaries and lift sharing are available.
For further information, please see FAQ or contact Lesley on rewildingmeditation@gmail.com
Rewilding All Writing in the Woods – Part 2
Sunday 24 March 3-6 pm
Writing is a way of taking us deeper into our own experience. Each of us is unique and we all have our own ways of expressing this. We will sit in the woods, connecting with the natural world and our relationship with it, tuning in with all of our senses. When we do this our own natural creativity can show up. There will be a series of guided activities to help. There will be opportunities to share and reflect on the process and on the words. Writers and non-writers welcome!
Rewilding All Welcoming the New
Saturday 4 May – Sunday 5 May (Bank Holiday weekend)
In early May, signs of Spring are everywhere. Fresh green leaves unfurl from the trees. Pink, blue, white and purple flowers dot the paths. Baby birds sing out from their nests. And newborn fawns emerge from bramble thickets. In welcoming the new, we will draw on the Alder, a pioneer tree that seeds recently cleared land to begin its transformation for plants and wildlife. Our meditation practices will focus on clearing and spaciousness. Everyone welcome, regardless of gender.
Rewilding Women Listening to the Land; Listening to the Heart
Saturday 25 May – Mon 27 May (Bank Holiday weekend)
Late May transforms early Spring’s promise into thick green canopies, bubbling streams and a profusion of wildflowers and verdant grasses. Birdsong fills the air from dawn to dusk making this an ideal time to listen, both to the land and the stirrings of your own heart. An optional session on ‘sound mapping’ will help to expand and reimagine our listening. We will be practising heart-based nature meditations, featuring the Hawthorn, a white-blossom tree known for healing and opening the heart to the wild spirit of nature. Women only.
Rewilding Women Finding Treasure
Friday 14 June – Sunday 16 June
In Midsummer, the bright sun stays in the sky until late; the hoverflies and bees hum in dappled daylight and the light fades slowly as the owls call out to their mates. This is a magical time for delighting in unexpected treasure, such as the song of the nightingale at dusk and bountiful edible wild plants. An optional session on foraging will be offered to encourage wild treasure-hunting and expand your knowledge (and eating!) of nutritious, non-toxic plants. With an emphasis on embodied dharma, we will be practising meditations using the senses, especially taste, smell and touch. Women only.
Rewilding LBGTQ+ Abundance
Saturday 27 July – Sunday 28 July
Co-facilitated with Morag Ruffell and El Herndlhofer
This retreat offers a safe space for anyone who identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, non-binary, genderqueer and beyond. It falls just before Lammas, the festival of early harvest, a time of great fruition when the land is at its most giving. We will be resting in the abundance that nature has to offer; the trees that hold space for us, the copious plants that offer nourishment and the wildlife all around. Drawing on practices of joy and gratitude, we will reflect on the abundance available in our own lives and where we wish to call in more abundance. LBGTQ+ community only.
Rewilding Women Words from the Woods
Friday 23 August – Monday 26 August
Co-facilitated with Lauren Mason and Liz Kalaugher
I went to the woods and Time slipped.
And in that moment
I was at One with all of the life around me.
In our first three-night retreat (where Time will undoubtedly slip!), the Beech tree will be our focus. Known as the ‘Queen of the Forest’ and venerated for its connection to learning and knowledge, especially written knowledge, we will draw on key Beech qualities of communication, community and interconnection in our nature meditation practices. Optional sessions on poetry and prose writing will be offered to explore different aspects of sensing, transcribing and translating words from the woods. Writers and non-writers welcome. Women only.
Rewilding Women Rest Release Renewal
Saturday 14 September – Sunday 15 September
In September, the Summer light begins to fade, the first leaves start turning vibrant oranges and reds, migrating birds leave for their winter homes and the woods become quiet. This is an ideal moment to rest, let go of what no longer serves and take time to restore your energies. We will be practising with equanimity to encourage balance, which is of the essence in moving towards the Equinox. Women only.