From breathwork and meditation to sound healing and nutrition, mindfulness retreats can offer a truly effective wellbeing reset for busy minds.
Whether you are new to mindfulness and want to learn wellness techniques in a supportive environment, or are looking for the next adventure in your budding practice, we’ve selected mindfulness retreats that are particularly good for attending as a first-timer or for solo travellers.
These are eight of our favourite upcoming mindfulness retreats in the UK and Europe.
Forest Bathing: South Lodge, West Sussex
One-day and overnight wellness experiences can be the perfect way to dip your toe into the concept of mindfulness, and locations in the UK don’t come more peaceful than South Lodge’s West Sussex country estate. Led by forest bathing expert Helena Skoog, these seasonal retreats combine guided meditation, stillness practice, and Shinrin-Yoku, aka the Japanese concept of forest bathing, to target stressed-out minds and promote relaxation. Guests are invited to switch off from their daily life, to recharge and reconnect through meditative nature walks, Qi Gong, and breathwork. Plus, to supercharge the experience, participants have full access to the extensive spa, where they can enjoy hydrotherapy and wild swimming pools, as well as a whole range of treatments.
Cold Water Therapy: Lakes by Yoo, Cotswolds
Prefer your wellbeing practices to be uplifting rather than soporific? The new Breathwork and Cold Water Immersion Retreat at The Lakes by YOO is exactly that. Offering a body and mental reset that empowers you to challenge yourself physically and mentally in a fun and supportive environment, you can experience the thrill of wild swimming and cold water therapy, alongside breathwork, meditation, and yoga, all surrounded by the calming lakes, wildflower meadows, and woodlands of the Cotswolds. The overnight retreat is led by Halen Strength founder Joe Bates – a life coach and ex-Royal Marine – who will also facilitate group coaching sessions focusing on stress management and mindset optimisation. That way you can achieve results from your stay that are easy to integrate into your own life when you get home.
Overall Wellbeing: Waves of Wellness, Cornwall
Coastal Cornish retreat, Bedruthan Hotel and Spa is hosting its inaugural ‘Waves of Wellness‘ festival in June, and it’s the perfect choice for first-timer retreaters. The three-day mindfulness event offers a packed opt-in itinerary, which includes breathwork, meditation, cold water swimming, cliff-top yoga, and sound bath healing as well as more alternative practices such as ecstatic dance therapy and silent disco yoga; all of which are designed to keep a smile firmly on your face. There’s a full arts and crafts programme available too, and, of course, the chance to soak up the best of the Cornwall landscape with wild foraging walks, hikes, and surf lessons should you choose to indulge.
Nutrition: Manoir Moure, France
Whether you want to break up with bad food habits or develop a more mindful approach to eating in general, Manoir Mouret is a nutritional retreat with a difference. Over your five days at this rural French farmhouse, which celebrates the nation’s ‘joie de vivre’ for food, you won’t hear any mention of ‘detox’, ‘deprivation’, or ‘health hacks’. Instead, it’s about receiving empowering advice on sleep, nutrition, gut health, and exercise, while eating delicious seasonal food from the kitchen garden that makes you enjoy fresh, seasonal vegetarian-based meals again. The addition of yoga, Qi Gong, tennis, and swimming, as well as trips to local markets, makes it even more of an unforgettable mindfulness experience.
Female Empowerment: Six Senses, Ibiza
Sexual wellbeing has traditionally been a rather ‘hush hush’ subject within mainstream retreat offerings, but female empowerment experiences are (finally) a growing wellness trend as the space starts to explore the concept of mindful sexuality. If you’re as intrigued as we are, Six Senses in Ibiza, which already runs several leading mindfulness and yoga retreats, is our top pick. The three-day Power and Pleasure retreat this May, run by holistic life and relationship coach Anja Amaya Amelung, is a unique opportunity for women to come together and refocus on their relationship with their bodies in a safe and frankly beautiful setting. With group discussions, sound healing sessions, womb healing rituals, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness walks along the coast, the aim is to help you reconnect with your sexuality and build true self-confidence.
Mindful Yoga: Wylder Retreats, Balearics Islands
Hosted by celebrated yoga teacher Charlotte Townend, Wylder Retreats are available in Menorca, Ibiza, and Formentera. The tailored yoga programmes allow you to stretch, tone, and ground yourself in some beautiful locations, while mindful practices such as breathwork, as well as outdoor adventures like hiking and paddleboarding make for a fun and active retreat for all ability levels. What makes these experiences really stand out from the wellness crowd though, is that they’re specifically designed around immersing yourself in your local surroundings with local people. For example, Wylder frequently collaborates with local restaurants for pop-ups on the retreats, so you can enjoy authentic cuisine during your stay, while local artisans are on hand to lead special workshops, such as in jewellery making and sculpturing.
Detox: Wildhive Restorative Retreat, Derbyshire
Yes, juice cleanses can be an incredibly effective way to lose some weight (under supervision, of course), but the best detoxing retreats ensure you reboot not only your digestive system but your mindset too. That’s exactly what Wildhive‘s five-day experience offers. Under the watchful eye of leading nutritional therapist and naturopath Lucy Peel, attendees follow a vegetable and mineral juicing programme, which is designed as a gentle cleanse and a rest for your mind and body. With deliberately small group sizes and beautiful Peak District surroundings, where you can enjoy walks, sound healing, yoga classes and guided meditations, this is a brilliant option for first-timers looking for a mindful detox experience in the UK countryside.
Sleep: Ockenden Manor, West Sussex
We all know sleep is important, but how many of us are actually getting enough of it? And, when we do sleep, is it high enough quality? Those are all questions that Dr Maja Schaedel, one of the UK’s leading sleep psychologists, aims to help you address on Ockenden Manor’s The Good Sleep Retreat. Aided by the incredibly calming surroundings of the Sussex-based manor house’s sprawling grounds, over the two days, guests can enjoy one-to-one sessions with Dr Schaedel to identify their sleep issues, as well as group yoga and breathwork sessions, delicious locally-sourced meals, and a dreamy isopod floatation session to really ease you to a peaceful slumber.
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Lead image credit: Six Senses, Ibiza
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