A Pause for the Festive Season

Half day retreat in the beautiful surroundings of St Ethelwold’s House in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, including a nourishing lunch from award winning local chef.

The festive period and Christmas can be full of joy, a time to reconnect with family and friends and make some memories, or rest and reset for the upcoming year.

But all the expectations can often leave you feeling fraught without any energy to enjoy it, never mind navigating family dynamics and pleasing everyone. 

Take time for yourself to relax and refresh and reframe your feelings about the upcoming season so you can let go of the expectations and truly enjoy it for yourself. 

 “I was massively able to let go of pressured expectations and had one of our best Christmas ever! Book me in for next year's one! Big thanks Sally and Lynne!”

Do these feel familiar?

  • Are you bracing yourself for a busy festive season of parties, family events & expectations?

  • Or do you worry that maybe your festive season isn’t going to be as fun and shiny as everyone else’s?

  • Do you get stressed out by the expectations of Christmas?

  • Do you dread the difficult emotions this time of year stirs up for you?

  • Or does it feel like another time that doesn’t look like you pictured it because you haven’t reached your hopes for the year?

  • Or is it another marker that shows you’re not quite where you thought you’d be this Christmas?

  • Does the joy of the festive period get lost in all the things you have to do and achieve?

  • Would you like to let go of the expectations and enjoy yourself more?

“I just wanted to thank you for the festive pause. I am feeling quite different this Xmas and I actually think that is in part down to giving myself the gift of your workshop and TIME to proactively think through some stuff and make peace and be in a much better position to face what usually comes up. So, thank you”-Mim

Take some time to pause…

Reframe your thinking about the festive season through reflective journaling.

Enjoy the peace and nourishment from carefully crafted mindful activities for this time of year. 

Relax in the peaceful surroundings of St Ethlewold House and gardens.

Enjoy a nourishing, plant based lunch (including pudding!) from a local award winning chef, Georgia at Table 13.

Chat and connect with like minded women, and have the opportunity to pick our brains too!

Plenty of warm drinks, snacks and a mindful break halfway through the morning.

Go at your own pace, no experience required, we will guide you through the exercises. 

Leave feeling refreshed and more prepared for what the season may bring.

About your tutors

Sally Harris is an accredited mindfulness teacher with a background in mental health support work. She has been leading mindfulness courses since 2017, helping people meet life's joys and challenges with greater presence, compassion and resilience.

Lynne Davies-Craine is a wellbeing Life Coach and facilitator who has over 10 years experience working in the NHS and charitable sectors, who is passionate about helping women create everyday lives that they don't need to escape from.

‘for me you pitched it just right, a good balance, you make a great double act!’

This will be the fifth retreat morning we have run together and absolutely love guiding these spaces. The flow of the morning is paced perfectly so you can just follow our lead, there’s no uncomfortable forced sharing and we’re always on hand to support you. If you have any questions about whether it’s right for you then please don’t hesitate to drop us an email at either:

hello@sallyharrismindfulness.co.uk or lynne@wanderingtowonder.co.uk

About the space

St Ethelwold's House is a beautiful historic building by the River Thames in Abingdon. We’ll have access to their beautiful gardens as well as cosy indoor space in the Garden Room. Guest accommodation is also available if you’d like to make a weekend of it (book directly via St Ethelwold’s). Abingdon is a 20-minute drive or bus ride from Oxford and is also easily reached from London.

Tickets

£68 each

Or save £10 by buying two tickets for £63 each

Use discount code FESTIVEFRIEND at the checkout to apply the discount.

This retreat is a perfect early Christmas gift if you’d like to come along with a friend and family member, enjoy the morning together and save money too!

FAQs

  • All activities are suitable for beginners and you don’t need any prior experience of mindfulness or journalling.

  • There are no expectations for you to share your feelings or discoveries during the morning’s reflective journalling. Previously we have found the attendees very welcoming and supportive of each other and have enjoyed meeting like minded people.

  • All the food is plant based and we inform the chef of any allergies or requirements, please let us know when completing the booking form.

  • The building is an old building and unfortunately it is not completely flat, there are a couple of steps in the corridor and a step down into the hearth for lunch, so it is not wheelchair accessible. We may take some of the activities outside, and inside invite you to sit or lie on the floor, but only if it feels comfortable to you.

  • In previous retreats there has always been a mixture of people attending, either with a friend or family member or by themselves. There is time to talk with others during the morning and over lunch with the other attendees and Sally and Lynne, no one will be left by themselves (unless you need a little space which is totally fine!).