Things I Learned Going on Retreat to Plan a Retreat

It’s Friday morning, a week on from our trip to France to plan our very first retreat. I’m sitting by the river in Norwich, sipping tea while I wait for my retreat partner so we can continue working on it.

A week later, I still feel as though I’m glowing with a newfound sense of vitality and excitement. Although we spent four days writing and shaping our retreat theme — Confidence — I think what stayed with me most was the feeling of spaciousness: the space to think slowly, talk deeply, rest properly and connect without distraction.

As we landed in Béziers, a tiny airport in the south of France, I already had the sense that we were onto something good. On the flight, we had been discussing confidence as a possible retreat theme, and I could feel those familiar tingles in my body — the feeling I get when something feels deeply right.

We were met by our retreat hosts, Robin and Laetitia, the owners of Magic Hill, a beautiful retreat space hidden in the mountains. True to its name, it felt quietly magical from the moment we arrived — surrounded by nature, silence and expansive views.

One of the first things I noticed was how quickly my whole system began to slow down. I became aware of it most at mealtimes. I’ve always had a tendency to eat too quickly, something that probably began during my caring job in my twenties where, if we didn’t eat fast enough, we often missed meals altogether.

But meals at Magic Hill were slow. They became moments to savour the food, the conversation and the views across the mountains. We ate outside together with nowhere to rush to. Gradually, without trying, my body softened into a different rhythm.

Now I am home, I am trying to continue this pattern of eating more slowly, savouring my food and not becoming distracted by all the other things that need doing.

Over the course of the four days, we swapped treatments and meditated in the mornings. Nature itself became the soundtrack to these meditations — birdsong, insects and the movement of the wind through the trees.

Afterwards, we gave ourselves time to rest and reflect. I realised how important this is. Without space afterwards, meditation can easily become just another thing to tick off on a long list of tasks for the day.

At the start of all my sessions, whether reflexology or meditation, I often ask clients what they do to bring joy into their lives. More often than not, people struggle to answer the question. It is so easy to become consumed by responsibilities and worries that joy gets left behind, dismissed as something frivolous or unnecessary.

The thing is, joy is fundamental to both our emotional and physical health. It helps us feel more connected, playful and alive. Often, when people experience more joy, they naturally begin taking better care of themselves too.

Joy is not always found in big events. My moment of joy at Magic Hill was brief, but it has stayed with me.

We visited a beautiful gorge for a swim. The water was cold, and there were a few gasps as we got in. I was then challenged to put my head under the water. My response was, “I will if you will.”

The result was lots of screams, laughter and a surprising sense of connection with Laetitia, who did it with me.

Afterwards, I felt happy, playful and proud of myself for taking the plunge. It would have been easy to say no — it will mess up my hair, it will be too cold — but I didn’t.

And perhaps that is what confidence can sometimes look like. Not being fearless or performing confidence for the world, but allowing yourself to fully join in with life.

On the flight home, I realised that this trip had not only shaped the theme of our retreat, but had also strengthened our confidence in creating it.

Spending time at Magic Hill reminded us what kind of space we want this retreat to be — somewhere people can pause, restore their nervous systems, reconnect with themselves and experience a quieter, more grounded kind of confidence.

Explore The Confidence Retreat

Confidence — A Wellness Retreat

A retreat designed to help you slow down, reconnect with yourself and restore your nervous system through:

Movement • Meditation • Rest • Joy • Meaningful Connection

Spending time at Magic Hill reminded us that:

“Confidence isn’t about being loud, perfect or fearless. Real confidence feels like ease in your body, space in your breath and not needing to push. It’s quieter than you think — and far more physical.”

— Helen & James