~::●:: MINDFUL PLAY RETREAT ::●::~

 

~ An explorative 5-day retreat to awaken the primal self through play and meditation ~

This September, you are invited to deep dive into an alluring fusion of mindfulness and play. Taking inspiration from children and animals, we will awaken the primal self – the one that crawls, climbs, and is innately curious about the world. It is our journey to rediscover these lost and forgotten parts, and to welcome them back home. The beautifully secluded venue in rural France gives us free reign to explore and express all parts of our unapologetic selves.

 

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” – Plato

 

Dani Tonks (Wild Play Lab) and Kerry Stevenson (Mind Over Monkey) will guide your journey into heightened states of sensory awareness, creativity and connection. 

Each day, we will tune into the needs of the group and interweave:

● mindful play

● theatre (performance methodology)

● movement & yoga

● voice activation

● mindfulness meditation & visualisation

● time in nature & grounding

● human connection exercises

● creative arts & music

 

As a foundation for all of this, we will call in the 7 attitudes of mindfulness (by Jon Kabat-Zinn):

● non-judgement

● patience

● beginner’s mind

● trust

● non-striving

● acceptance

● letting go

 

 

In the same spirit, all emotions are welcome. We will hold the container for all that wants to be expressed to do so.

 

“Meditation is not evasion; it is a serene encounter with reality.” – Thích Nhất Hạnh

 

Please note: this retreat is not therapy, but you may find the work of mindful play to be naturally ‘therapeutic’ in its ability to release blockages to your natural flow state. Please do speak to us before booking if you are struggling with any mental or physical health issues, as we do not have medical support on site.

 

FULL DAY SCHEDULE (Saturday – Monday):

08:00 Meditation, breathwork or movement

08:30 Sharing circle & reflections

09:00 Breakfast

10:30–13:00 Connecting through play

13:00–14:00 Lunch

14:00–16:00 Free time

16:00–18:00 Walk in nature, forest play

18:00–19:00 Caring for the space

19:00 Dinner

20:30 Campfire activities (storytelling, jamming)

22:00 onwards Chill / bedtime

 

 

● VENUE ●

The venue is an intimate family-owned farmhouse with converted barns in the heart of the Loire Valley. Over the years, it has been lovingly expanded to comfortably host conscious community life. There are shared twin rooms, private double-bed rooms, and private single-bed rooms. There are several garden spaces, including a fruit orchard, which amount to around an acre of space. There is also a private 16m swimming pool, a games room with pool and table tennis – so plenty of room to relax and have fun in your free time! There is WiFi but we encourage you to switch off as much as possible.

 

● TRAVEL ●

The venue is accessible by many modes of transport. You can take a fast TGV train from Paris to Tours, then connecting train to Chinon (15-min drive). For those wanting to drive, you can take the ferry (if coming from the UK) with plenty of space to park. If you wish to fly then it is roughly a 45-min drive from both Tours, and Poitiers international airports. We will add all participants to a closed group to try and carpool or group travel together to save costs and emissions!

 

● ARRIVAL ●

You are welcome to arrive any time after 3PM on Friday 6th September. Settle in, explore the farmhouse and the other guests, before dinner at 7PM and an informal welcome around the fire. The official opening circle will be at 8AM on Saturday morning.

 

● DEPARTURE ●

Final closing circle will be on Tuesday 10th at 10AM after breakfast. You are then able to plan departures for your flight/train/travel home. You are also welcome to book additional nights after the retreat up to the 15th September. Staying a little longer can be a wonderful opportunity to explore the local area, relax by the pool and reflect on your experience here.

 

 WHAT TO BRING 

● Comfortable loose clothing

● A book to read

● Any instruments you may have

● Any dress up or silly costumes/clothing

● Notebook and pen

● Swimming gear and towel

Plus the usual suspects: toothbrush, sun cream, warmer layers, any other creature comforts.

 

● COST ●

£450 per person (shared twin/double room)

£570 per person (private room for one)

£200 for helper fee available for one person (as extra pair of hands in kitchen/grounds)

 

The cost includes three freshly-prepared vegetarian/vegan meals a day, accommodation, facilitation by Dani and Kerry and a donation to African Vision Malawi - the charity that this family-run farm supports.

If you wish to book additional nights after the retreat, you are welcome to, up to the 15th September, for an additional £50 pppn - including all meals.

If the rooms fill up, we will extend invitations for camping, as a slightly reduced price. However, we will prioritise room bookings first.

 

● ABOUT US ●

 

Kerry Stevenson

Mindfulness Coach / Activist / Science Writer

www.mind-over-monkey.com

mindovermonkey@outlook.com

Kerry has been facilitating private and corporate mindfulness since 2016, after completing her Mindfulness Teacher Training with London Meditation (now the IC.CML) and being accredited by the UK Network for Mindfulness Teachers. Recently, she’s been offering more opportunities for people to connect with nature through mindfulness, with others through deep listening and communication practices (based on insight dialogue) and movement exercises (Hatha yoga, dynamic meditation, shaking). She will be bringing meditation guidance, group work/dialogue practices and ways to connect with nature to this Mindful Play Retreat!

 

Dani Tonks

Actor | Creative Workshop Facilitator | Movement Director

www.wildplaylab.com

wildplaylab@gmail.com

Dani has been a professional actor, facilitator & creative director for 10 years. Prior to training with East 15 Acting School (BA Acting) in 2013 Dani has been a rehearsal director and workshop facilitator for Contact Youth Actors Company at Contact Theatre (Manchester) and The Royal Exchange Youth Company (Manchester), Without Theatre, and has devised and performed shows with the collective CYAC (Contact Young Actors Company). Dani has worked extensively across film, theatre, radio and TV. She has also toured self-devised work within a range of disciplines including storytelling, physical theatre and clowning.