Practicalities
Coming on retreat…
What to Wear
Bring comfortable clothing that you can move easily in. Layers are good as we will alternate between periods of sitting and periods of activity.
What to Bring
We usually spend quite a lot of time sitting and it’s important to be comfortable; please take responsibility for your own comfort. We provide a variety of cushions and we have a few stools with backrests / ‘backjacks’. Please bring your own cushion or meditation stool if you have one you prefer to use.
You may want to bring some boots / rainwear, etc. if you want to go walking in the breaks.
Slippers and a rug / blanket if you want one.
Being Off-Grid
Retreats are completely off-grid - this is really important! Please arrange your life in such a way that you can have no mobile phone or email communication throughout the retreat. We can provide alarm clocks if needed, and people can contact Fanny in case of emergency.
Residential or not?
We offer both fully residential and non-residential events (as well as online groups using Zoom).
Fully Residential Retreats
Most retreats happen at ‘Droridge’ (Fanny’s home) in Devon. See the accommodation options here
Cooking and clearing up is done by the group in small teams. Please come expecting to do your share.
Sometimes we use other venues in Devon. This will be made clear in the publicity.
Food
Our approach to food is to keep things simple; vegetarian, mostly organic, with a mindful awareness of what we eat, how we eat and how much we eat.
What we provide on residential groups and retreats
Plenty of mostly organic fresh fruit and veg
A selection of breads , pastas, rice cakes, etc, which will include gluten free options
A selection of beverages (coffee / tea / herb-tea) which will include caffeine-free options
Dairy - cows milk / cheese / yogurt / butter and goats cheese
Non dairy alternatives - oat milk / coconut oil (can be used as a vegan spread)
A selection of spreads including honey / tahini / peanut butter / jam / marmite / humous
A selection of grains & pulses including brown and white rice / quinoa / buckwheat / lentils / tinned beans
Porridge / muesli
A selection of dried fruit and nuts
Free Range Eggs
Olive oil / rape seed oil / vinegars / tamari / miso / selection of herbs and spices
Your preferences and needs
If you have a need for foods that are not on the list above, such as specific dairy alternatives (eg, goat or sheep’s milk / yogurt) or non-dairy alternatives (eg, tofu / soya milk / soya yoghurt) please let us know in good time before the retreat. If there is limited demand for a particular item we will ask you to bring your own or to buy it locally (most products are available at our local stores).
Food awareness on retreat
Our approach to food – much of the activity of our minds and our psychological patterns is basically (and often unconsciously) intended to mask the underlying pain of separation. And at the centre of any sense of separateness is a hole, an emptiness, a lack. The difficulty is that most of us then try to fill the hole, and food is one of the first ports of call. We often hear people saying that they don’t eat so much at home, or wondering why they’ve over-eaten on retreat. And this then has a knock on effect as people then show up in the next session feeling physically full and uncomfortable, which makes the group process harder for everyone. So we encourage you to eat more consciously and explore what may be driving you if you tend to overeat.
Let’s keep things simple – a basic vegetarian diet provides adequate nourishment for the few days of a retreat. Unless you have a medical condition that requires you to eat a special diet, we ask that you please go along with us on this. In particular we ask that you avoid cooking meat and fish.