Awakening the Wild Woman: Autumn Retreat 2024

The Call

To be wild is to be whole. Free to express the weird, the ugly, the painful, the radiant, the eccentric, the sexy. To us, wildness means the freedom to feel everything without judgement and the radical act of receiving others exactly as they are.

We meet many women who have spent their whole lives following the path that we’ve been taught will lead to happiness. In the end, they are left feeling hollow, tired, and sure there must be something more. 

We know just how exhausting it is to squeeze and contort yourself for someone else's comfort, suppressing the fears and grief that live within us all, hiding your brilliance, and denying your true desires. 

We’re here to offer the alternative. 

We’re here to break free of all that. Offering practices to connect with your body and listen to its wisdom, experiences in nature that leave you with a profound feeling of interconnectedness, and tools that empower you to speak your mind and follow your heart. 

This is a deep inner journey of self-discovery and awakening of your power.

We do this together. To heal the sister wounds, the mother wounds that keep us suspicious and untrusting of other women. When we come together, when we feel seen, supported, and loved, and when we can celebrate each woman's beauty and gift, our power is magnified. This is how we become free. 

Expect lots of; nature, dancing, singing, laughter, tears, painting, drumming, releasing and playing.
 

Please Note: Spaces are extremely limited, so book well in advance.

“A deeply moving and transformative experience.”

"There are almost no words to describe the space held on this incredible wild women retreat by Gaia and Alana. The spectrum of emotions and wilderness I explored within myself and the women in this circle will leave a lasting impact on my life. I arrived a stressed, disconnected person and left spiritually connected with myself, my sisters and the land - lifted, empowered and truly rewilded. Thank you for the invitation, for all us for showing up with such courage, vulnerability and embodiment of our authentic selves. The morning cold river dips will remain as sacred memories in my heart." - Jade S

What to Expect

Nature Connection

Voice Work and Singing 

Movement and Dance

Sharing circles 

Ceremony

Play
 

Weekend Highlights

Wild Water Swimming 

We are lucky enough to have the River Dart flowing at the bottom of the land where we will take frequent cold water dips to revitalise our bodies, hearts and minds. 

Fire Ceremony 

A prayer space, communing with and seeking support from our grandfather, the fire. This will be a time to sing, dance, make prayers, and share.

Grief Tending 

A sacred space to connect with and share our grief. Through feeling and expressing our grief, we connect more deeply to love and life. The depth of our grief is the depth of our love. The ceremony will culminate at the river.

Cacao Ecstatic Dance 

Working with 5 archetypes: maiden, warrior, lover, queen, priestess, we will move through the major energies of the feminine, and use these as another access point to explore different parts of self, and unlock places that our power has become blocked.

Hot Tub and Sauna 

Between connecting to each other and our wild selves, there will be plenty of time to relax and restore in the in house Hot Tub and Sauna! It's a real treat. 

A few Important Things to Note

1. We have an experienced team of trauma-informed practitioners, but we are not therapists. While this work may have therapeutic benefits, this is not therapy or a replacement for therapy. This is a space for group process work, and the amount of 1-1 support we can provide is limited. If you are seeking therapy then we encourage you to seek 1-1 support from a qualified psychotherapist. If you have a history of mental health challenges or trauma, please contact us in advance so that we can have a conversation about whether this retreat is right for you at this time. 
2. The food will be mainly vegan and gluten free with some cheese and egg options. Tea and coffee will be available. You can bring your own deli meats if you really need it. Let us know as soon as you can about any dietary needs.
3. There is limited phone reception at the venue. We encourage you to take the opportunity to disconnect from the outside world, and to fully immerse yourself in nature. Please make sure you tell loved one's that you will be out of communication for the weekend. You can give dependants the phone number of one of our team if you need to be contactable, and Wifi may be accessed upon request.

Venue

Brimpts Farm lies literally at the heart of Dartmoor.  It is surrounded by both farmland and wilderness, with ancient monuments and river spots on the doorstep.

Travel

We create a whatsapp group in advance so that you can arrange a lift share or taxi share with other women on the retreat.

Public Transport

Train or bus to Newton Abbot (30 mins away) then taxi or car share.
 

Driving

From London Go to Exeter, then follow directions.

From Exeter (40 minutes) take the A38 towards Plymouth:
Take 2nd Ashburton turn off onto the B3357 to Two Bridges/ Princetown. Follow the road for 7 miles, past Dartmeet, up the hill, we are the 1st drive on the right.

From Plymouth (40 minutes) take the A386 towards Tavistock:
Take B3212 at Yelverton to Two Bridges (via Princetown). At Two Bridges turn right onto the B3357 towards Dartmeet. Follow the road for 5 miles, turn left immediately after the Hexworthy turning.

Investment

Your Booking Includes

4 nights accommodation

3 Full days of workshops and ritual

Breakfast, lunch, dinner + snacks

Access to hot tub and sauna

Access to wild nature in the heart of Dartmoor, Devon

Cacao

(Does not include travel to and from site)

Payment Options

All Rooms are en-suite

Single Room - You will have a room to yourself - £800

Twin Room - You will be sharing with one other - £650

Dorm Room - You will be sharing with three others - £550

*Low Income Scholarship Places - You will be in one of the Dorm Rooms  - £400

*We have a limited number of reduced scholarship places for Black or Women of Colour, LGBTQ+, and folks with disabilities, from marginalised communities or challenging socio-economic backgrounds. 

We are in a process of learning and unlearning how to make our space equitable, diverse and inclusive of the multitudes of experiences of women, trans women, femme and non-binary folk. Offering low cost scholarship places for those who might struggle to access or participate in events like this is part of our approach. For further information please read our inclusion statement.

Please fill out this form https://forms.gle/rY4QpTVBM5ohJ7V18 to apply for a scholarship place. 
If you have any questions or concerns please email alana@truenature.org.uk
 
 

Ticket Policy

• £200 of your ticket is non-refundable. This is to cover any admin costs if you choose to cancel and to support participants to be sure they can attend before purchasing a ticket.
• We do not offer the 10% membership discount on our retreats. This is because our overheads are so high, and a 10% discount on an event with a high ticket value has a huge affect on our overall budget. 
   

About the Facilitators

Alana Bloom

Alana is an artist, facilitator, performer, ritualist and activist committed to expressing life to its fullest capacity through creativity and facilitation. More recently she has been exploring what it means to become a doula to systems change through the intersections of ritual, community, spirituality, learning and creativity. She weaves embodiment, cyclical wisdom, pleasure, grief and artistry into the spaces she holds, drawing on her lifelong curiosity in leading groups. Since 2016 she has run an array of creative retreats including The Warren where she creates experiences for people to explore their creative gifts through community, connection and many practices inspired by theatre & dance.

‘Alana’s facilitation is brave and instinctive, rounded and direct, and speaks to both a deep knowledge of her craft (and embodiment more generally) and a level of self-belief.’

‘Her mixture of skill, authentic expression, intuition and pure feminine power as a facilitator, ritualist and artist have empowered, inspired and catalysed my own authentic creative expression.’

www.alanahydebloom.com

Gaia Harvey Jackson

Gaia is a retreat and workshop facilitator specialising in women's empowerment, relational living, and embodiment. 

She has been holding playful and deep spaces for transformation since 2016. She is the Co-founder of True Nature, and a co-director of Symbiota Collective, the organisation behind The Psychedelic Society.​​

Gaia works with movement, voice work, authentic relating and ritual to create spaces for people to test their edges, shed their skins, and find belonging in those they meet along the way.

Other organisations she has worked with include Medicine Festival, Morning Gloryville, Togetherness, Alter Ego Network, Ecstatic Dance UK, Noisily, Kilifi New Year Festival Kenya and Ecosystem Restoration Camps.

Training and Experience

• Trauma informed practitioner
• In relational therapy for 4 years
• Certified coach with the MOE Foundation
• In training with the Relational Life Institute
• Regular supervision to support practice
• Graduate of Yoga of Sound and Chocolate and Midwifing the Veils
• Worked with thousands of people over 8 years delivering group work
• 2 years with clients working 1:1

Find out about all Gaia's offerings here:

“Gaia always holds a safe and loving space to explore the depths of our souls. It's one of the only places I have in my life to truly be myself - no expectations, limitations or judgement.”

www.gaiaharveyjackson.com

Artwork by Dimitra Milan