Who We Are
Leela is a living community and centre for conscious events based in North Dorset. Since 1996, we have been exploring what it means to live, learn and gather in connection with ourselves, each other and the land. In 2026 we celebrate 30 years of living in community!
Our Team
We are a team of facilitators and community members working together to hold the life of Leela. United by a love for the land and a commitment to conscious community, we care for the space, the people and the practices that bring it alive.
We have a live-in team that support the rhythm of daily living and events throughout the year.
Community Life
Life at Leela is lived together. We share meals, contribute to the running of the centre, and support one another through the ordinary and the challenging. Presence, honest communication and a willingness to work things through shape our daily rhythm.
Alongside community life, we host retreats, workshops and longer stays throughout the year. Practices such as breathwork, meditation, movement and relational work are woven into our gatherings, always rooted in connection and embodied experience.
The Land
Our home sits in the rolling hills of North Dorset, surrounded by 18 acres of trees, meadow and open space.
We grow vegetables, herbs and flowers and tend gardens that sustain daily life at the centre. There are places to gather, places to sit quietly, and space simply to walk.
Nearby rivers offer wild swimming, woodland trails stretch across the countryside, and the Jurassic Coast is just an hour away.
Our History
Leela began in 1996, when Dhyano and Fiona Harding, inspired by Osho and Veeresh of the Humaniversity in Holland, founded a small community in Dorset. Their intention was to create a place where people could live, learn and connect deeply with one another and the land. The early years were rooted in Humaniversity therapy, celebration and shared learning.
In 2000, the community moved to Thorngrove House, a 17-acre property in North Dorset. Over time, trees were planted, gardens established and cabins built, gradually shaping the centre into what it is today.
For many years the centre was known as Osho Leela. More recently, the community chose to become The Leela Centre, honouring its roots while opening space for the next chapter.
Nearly three decades on, Leela continues as a community and event centre hosting workshops, festivals and longer programmes throughout the year.
Ways to visit
