Join Emma and Sue as we embark on a very special journey through the winter months…

Over the past few years, we’ve really fallen in love with the winter, embracing its invitation to retreat, revelling in the joy of cold water swimming and immersing ourselves in wintry words during the long evenings. Last year, we hosted our inaugural Journey through Winter series of retreat mornings, creating a sacred space for 14 women through which we shared our passion for the colder months. It was such a powerful experience for us; and those that who joined the journey described it variously as transformational, supportive, magical and nourishing. And now we’re ready to share the winter love all over again, with a brand new Journey through Winter incorporating all our favourite elements from last year’s journey with some brand new content, lessons and approaches.

Our Journey Through Winter 2024/5 offers a unique opportunity to gather in person in Quinton Old Rectory over the early part of winter with a monthly retreat morning incorporating seasonal yoga, swimming in the garden’s natural swimming pond and refreshments. But the journey is so much more than the retreat mornings; its genuinely holistic in the support and encouragement it offers to participants to make the very most of the cold months.

We have space for 14 to join us on the journey. We’ll be meeting for our retreats mornings at 10am on the following dates:

• October 22 - Prepare

• November 19 - Embrace

• December 10 - Immerse

• January 21 - Appreciate

Each of the retreats will be 2.5 hours in length, beginning with a seasonally attuned yoga practice in the village hall (a minute’s walk down the footpath from the garden) before we brave the cold water for a dip in the (unheated) natural swimming pond. After that, we’ll warm up in the kitchen with herbal tea or spiced hot chocolate and home-made cakes for sustenance as we enjoy some guided journaling and discussion of seasonal topics (these kitchen table chats were perhaps the highlight of last winter’s journey….)

The investment in the journey is £175, to include the four in-person gatherings, two hour-long deep relaxation sessions over Zoom (which you can enjoy live or recorded), a copy of A Poem for Every Night of the Year (which we’ll be using throughout the journey), weekly inspiration by way of “homework” (of the best kind) and journalling prompts and a few additional surprises we have in store. We’ll also be supporting the journey with monthly podcasts, which you can use as a top up of winter goodness between the retreat mornings. Those that pay their deposit prior to 1 October will enjoy a special early bird discount of £25, bringing their investment in the journey to £150.

You can secure a place on the Journey through Winter with a £50 deposit. To pay this and reserve your space on the journey, click on the highlighted date on the calendar below and you’ll be taken to a payment screen. The balance will be payable in October prior to the first in-person retreat; we’ll send a reminder email and payment link a few days before this is due.

We’ll be continuing our fund-raising for the women of Afghanistan throughout this Journey too, so by joining us, know you’ll also be supporting other women with none of the freedoms we currently enjoy.