Retreating at Lower Coxbridge House, Glastonbury
The view of Glastonbury Tor from Lower Coxbridge House
We love retreating here at Beinspired, it’s just such a marvellous way to slow things down, connect with nature and the natural flow of things and be reminded of the bigger picture, let alone deepen one’s yoga practice and potentially experience a more expanded and positive perspective on life. You may make a new friend too, which is great!
We came across the hidden gem that is otherwise known as Lower Coxbridge House near Glastonbury quite by chance last summer when I was google searching for yoga classes in Glastonbury. It kept coming up and intrigued me a little, so in October Ewan, Elijah and I went to stay for a few nights in the barn at the property. We were instantly enchanted and realised that it would make the perfect place for a yoga retreat. So 7 months later that’s exactly what happened, we held our first Beinspired Glastonbury yoga retreat.
Here’s what we loved about retreating at Lower Coxbridge House near Glastonbury:
The peacefulness – it doesn’t take you long to recognise that this is a really special place and part of that reason is the fact it is just so peaceful, situated as it is in the Somerset countryside, three miles away from Glastonbury and with fabulous views of the infamous Tor. That’s not to say it is quiet necessarily, one of the neighbouring fields is filled with sheep and the birds can be very noise with their morning chorus, but it is peaceful nonetheless!
The countryside – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, this is a beautiful spot right here in the Somerset countryside, surrounded by farms and fields, its tractor heaven actually, which was fab for my tractor loving son, he was in his element! Its stunning, especially for those of us from Guernsey who have don’t get to experience quite the extent of countryside as you do here.
Nature – oh yes, nestled in the Somerset countryside (there it is again!) far away from anyone else, you cannot help but connect with nature, what with the birds singing to welcome the morning, the sheep “baa-ing” in the fields, the stunning gardens with the rose arbour and the dappled fissured bark of the waving birch trees, the beautiful sunsets, the stunning views of countryside from the yoga space, the views of the Tor in the distance, the resident horse and little pony, more countryside, the night skies and the morning sunrise. Nature abounds here.
The yoga – it’s a beautiful space with Buddha, Ganesha and Shiva overseeing things, accommodating 11 students, 12 if you fancy a cosy class, so it makes for intimate and personal yoga sessions with lots of one to one attention and a little bit, ok quite a lot, of Reiki in the process! For me it was fab, and I believe the students enjoyed the sessions too, how could you not with the views of that wonderful countryside through the open doors and the sun warming the room!
The food – our very helpful and lovely chef Olga treated us to a veritable feast of yummy vegetarian food both cooked and raw. Having worked for 10 years as the raw food expert at a reputable Spanish yoga centre, she’s passionate about quality vegetarian food using local, fresh and organic produce and it tastes good! The fresh juice each morning was out of this world, so too the home-made granola, the fresh fruit and the home-made almond milk, making breakfast my favourite meal of the day! At lunch we enjoyed falafels, a rocket salad and a home-made tahini dressing. The evening meals involved a red pepper pate and home-made crackers the first night, followed by a yummy Moroccan tagine with prunes and butternut squash served with pomegranate couscous and finished with an almond tart. The last night we enjoyed a tasty lentil and haloumi salad, cauliflower and leek risotto and the most scrummy sugar-free raw lemon cheesecake. Amazing!! Thank you Olga x
The yurts - how can you not love the yurts. Not that we got to stay in one but we’ve reserved one for next time because they looked so cosy and even with the sheep in the neighbouring fields (let’s face it, you could count them if you struggle to sleep!), those who stayed in the yurts slept blissfully. Another one is one its way (but that’s ours next year!).
The house – what a beautiful space, I definitely got house envy! Designed as the dream family home by Sarah and her architect husband 23 years ago and lived in as a family home for many years, Sarah is now slowly turning it into a dedicated yoga retreat centre, and with good reason, its ideal for retreating away from the world and yet retains its home-from-home and rustic feel, which makes it so special and so homely really. You’ll know exactly what I mean when you see the photos, let alone when you walk in the door.
Glastonbury – ok so its not for everyone and there’s a limit to how much time we can spend in the centre without Elijah getting wired on the crazy energy and me getting carried away with crystal shopping and Ewan getting “fed up with the tree hugging hippy fraternity” as he so eloquently puts it (clearly forgetting he works with trees and has a tree hugging hippy girlfriend and son!), but it’s a pretty cool place really and its got some pretty cool crystal shops, a fab health food store and an enchanting Indian shop in town.
Glastonbury Tor – so if you’re into energy and ley lines then you need to get yourself here. Its great, it’s like a pilgrimage for us each time we visit town. Ewan took the group up on Saturday afternoon but I didn’t manage to get there until the Sunday afternoon. On our visit Elijah and I got to witness a ceremony at the top with drumming and a lady’s haunting voice so that we were mesmerised – Ewan sat outside bemoaning the “tree hugging hippy fraternity” of course! It’s been recognised as a holy hill for millennia and the home of the King of the Fairies, you should really head up it if you get the chance, the views are incredible and the energy is something else.
Glastonbury Abbey – we all headed here on the Saturday morning to enjoy the 26 acres of parkland and the peaceful and tranquil ambiance. The Abbey is shrouded in mystery and legend, dating from 1,200 and sitting on one of the oldest Christian sites in England, King Arthur is believed to have been buried here. It certainly has its own special healing energy and is quite some contrast from the energy of the town itself. It certainly complemented the retreat and deserves a picnic next time!
The sunshine – ok so we were just lucky but it was in the mid twenties on the Saturday, blissful in the gardens, what with the Somerset countryside and the birds and the peace and the tranquillity and that lovely yoga space and the food and the house, yes the sunshine just added an additionally lovely element to an already lovely weekend.
Sarah – the property owner, Sarah, who has been teaching yoga for over 20 years, is incredibly welcoming and delighted to be able to share her wonderful home with other yogis and yoginis. She really is a fabulous hostess and Elijah certainly enjoyed helping her out in the garden with his new digger. We’re really grateful that she let us come and stay even though she didn’t know us beforehand. Thank you Sarah x
So its perhaps not surprising that we are already looking forward to returning to Lower Coxbridge House from the 26th to 28th May 2017 for our second Glastonbury yoga retreat. We’re hoping to share the details in the Autumn and as spaces are so limited and as its such a special spot we won’t be taking any provisional bookings, but we’ll let you know when we’re about to release the details.
x
