Winter Solstice Retreat
Rest - Reflection - Reconnection
18th – 21st December 2026
with Louise, Fiona & friends
Honour the turning of the season together
As the year draws to a close, you’re invited to gather in the warmth of the yurt, a sanctuary of firelight, softness, and soul, for a nourishing winter retreat of rest, creativity, and connection.
This is a time to exhale, to pause between the years, and to let the quiet wisdom of winter bring you home to yourself.
Together we’ll slow down, reconnect with nature, move our bodies, and awaken our inner spark, surrounded by the beauty of the land and the warmth of community.
Retreat Summary
Begins on:
Friday December 18th @ 7:00pm (arrive from 5pm)
Ends on:
Monday December 21st @ 2:00pm
Duration:
4 days / 3 nights
Hosted by:
Louise, Fiona & friends
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Embracing the essence of Winter
In the stillness of the darker months, nature turns inward, and so can we.
This retreat offers time to reflect, dream, and restore your energy, with gentle movement, mindfulness, creativity, and elemental rituals that honour both the darkness and the returning light.
Let the flicker of the fire, the rhythm of your breath, and the songs of the circle remind you of life’s deeper cycles.
The themes of this Retreat are:
Slow Down
Reconnect
Honour the Turning of the Season
What we are actually doing …
Yurt Life
Cosy up in the flow of the fire, surrounded by soft blankets, candlelight, and community, a cocoon for rest, reflection, and gentle joy.
Creative Expression & Playful Connection
From gentle dance and movement to spontaneous creative play, rediscover the joy of self-expression and authentic connection.
Mindfulness & Presence Practices
Drop deeply into stillness through guided mindfulness and presence based practices that anchor you in the body and attune you to the subtle rhythms of the season.
Nervous System Regulation
Learn gentle, body-based ways to calm and co-regulate, allowing your system to unwind and return to its natural rhythm. Through breath, movement, and gentle nourishing platonic touch, we’ll explore how being safely held, and learning to hold others, supports the body to soften, release tension, and return to a state of grounded peace.
Tea Ceremony
Connect inwards in a shared tea ceremony, a space to connect, listen deeply, and dream the new year into being.
Fireside Ritual & Togetherness
Gather around the sacred fire with Vic, our Fire Keeper, for a ritual to honour the Solstice — calling in the light, letting go of the old, and connecting to the timeless dance of transformation.
The Sauna Experience
Be bathed in nourishment with our wood-fired sauna ritual, complete with body scrubs, and optional cold plunges.
Let heat, scent, and touch restore your circulation, open your senses, and melt you into deep relaxation.
Sensory Experience
A sensory mindful experience to heighten presence, gratitude, and the joy of simple nourishment.
Nourishing Food
Enjoy wholesome, seasonal meals prepared with love, featuring produce from the Leela Gardens and our local organic farm, Goldhills and Riverfords.
Can you gift yourself this pause?
Let this be your invitation to rest deeply, to reconnect with your essence, and to align with the slower rhythm of the Earth.
As nature sleeps and dreams, so can you, replenishing your energy, vision, and heart for the year ahead.
Come as you are. Rest. Create. Breathe. Dance.
Together we’ll celebrate the light that lives within us all.
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Holding space is ….
Louise
Louise lives at Leela and supports people to reconnect with their true, authentic, and lovable selves.
A transformational coach and mindful living guide, she brings warmth, embodiment, and creativity to her offerings.
Rooted in a deep love of the natural world, she weaves ritual, circle, and manifestation into her work, creating spaces that honour both depth and lightness.
She loves to work in tune with the cycles of nature, crafting rituals and experiences that nurture both presence and joy.
Fiona
Fiona is a Body Wisdom Coach & Therapeutic Touch Practitioner. Fiona supports people to reconnect with their inner wisdom through body-based awareness and nervous system regulation.
Drawing from years of experience in somatic coaching and her own personal journey of healing, she creates gentle, grounded spaces where transformation happens through presence, empathy, and embodied connection.
Her work is an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and remember the body as home.
With support from ….
Bayari
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Bayari is a sensual alchemist who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.
She loves to hold space for creativity, healing and connecting the sacred and the mystical. One of her alchemical gifts is offering a gateway to sacred oils and layers of vibration. She brings a warm, fun-loving approach to all that she does.
Bayari will be bringing her potions and alchemy to the Winter Solstice Retreat.
Seasonal Alchemy
Vic
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Vic, lovingly known as our Fire Shiva, will tend the sacred flame throughout the retreat. A true outdoorsman with a big heart, he brings his passion for nature, devotion to the elements, and grounded presence to the Solstice fire ritual.
Sacred Fire Keeper
Embrace the yin energy of winter and join us for a retreat that promises deep rest, nurturing, and connection.
Reconnect with Earth, your body, and the cycles of nature.
Welcome the darkness and the return of the light at Leela this Winter Solstice.
Reserve Your Spot! Spaces are limited.
Costs and Accommodation
Start: Friday December 18th @ 7:00pm (arrive from 5pm)
End: Monday December 21st @ 2:00pm (see optional extension below)
Monday Optional Extension: Not ready to leave straight after closing circle? Book an extra integration session, relax on the land through the afternoon, then either head off by 5pm, or stay on for dinner and a sauna for an extra £20.
Retreat ticket
Early Bird: £330
Available until 1st December
Full Price: £360
Concession: £250
A limited number of concession places are available. Please contact Louise to apply: [email protected]
Your retreat ticket includes
💜 The full Winter Solstice retreat programme
💜 All meals and hot drinks
💜 Workshops, movement and mindfulness practices
💜 Solstice ceremony and fireside gathering
💜 Cacao ceremony
💜 Wood-fired sauna experience
💜 Use of the Leela grounds and facilities
Accommodation is booked separately.
*Accommodation
View our accommodation options and prices here.
You can select your preferred accommodation when booking, subject to availability.
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Payment Plans
We understand that everyone's financial situation is unique, so we've designed our payment plan with flexibility in mind.
Secure your place by spreading the total cost into manageable instalments. We offer the option to pay a deposit and spread the balance over the remaining months before the payment deadline which is a few weeks before the start of the event. There is a £5 charge for using this payment plan option, and payment dates will be clearly outlined when you book.
Cancellation & Refunds
Our cancellation and refunds policy can be found by clicking here
Food at Leela
All food is vegetarian, drawing inspiration from cuisines from around the world. Garden produce is used when available including green salads and culinary herbs.
There is a separate tea making area with a wide range of beverages which include herbal teas, coffee, decaf, green and black teas, hot chocolate, plus cow’s milk and alternative milks.
We cater for the following diets …
Dairy-free / Egg-free
Gluten Free
Sugar conscious
Vegan and vegetarian
Food is prepared in a shared kitchen where allergens are present. See our food information page for details.
