The Intimate Wilderness Retreats

Intimacy Wilderness Retreat

A deep RECONNECTIVE 3-day experience in intimate relationship with nature. Igniting the fire within and encountering the wisdom of rewilding in the heartland of the Scottish Wilderness. An initiation into self through embodiment fire practices, wild cooking and traditional green woodcraft with authentic relating.

Are you ready to reconnect to yourself? To get intimate with nature and learn how to use your hands in new ways?

Come with us and learn how to connect to the land through camping, sunrise yoga, foraging, harvesting wood, carving spoons, making the freshest food and walking both the external and internal wild terrain. Join us in finding meaning in adventure and living in direct contact with nature. These retreats are offered to individuals, couples and groups whose wish is to reconnect to places we rarely go. It is about building resilience, sitting in the fire of what is uncomfortable, learning how to build strength and flexibility. What better way to do this than cultivating our inner fires whilst sitting around a fire, in the depths of the wilderness, authentically relating to others while discovering where and how we can develop into our best selves.

The wilderness retreat awakens what is essential, finding purposeful action in workshops in fire embodiment practices (yoga + breathwork), traditional green woodwork and wild  cooking. 

Facilitators 

Ruaridh Emslie estate agent turned bread baker, turned game dealer, turned street food pop up restaurateur cum wild chef. The market for houses and indoor dining didn't keep Ruaridh stationed for long. With his keen interest in foraged foods and a passion for anything involving charred and smokey flavours on open fires, he is most happy out in the elements discovering the flora, fauna and birds. Having grown up with the Scottish Highlands on his doorstep and by the sea, it is the allure of travel and unsung stories of far off lands that have kept this adventurer and nomad in search of exotic nutrients for the soul.

He believes cooking something delicious in the middle of nowhere in adverse conditions brings excitement, nourishment and a sense of achievement, learning adaptability and resourcefulness outside of the kitchen.

‘People are drawn to fires, it is a primitive space that dwells internally. The sharing of wisdom, knowledge and feasting connects us to the land and the food that it provides us’.

Nicole Caodie has a background in traditional crafts and sculpture and has for the last decade been studying, practicing and teaching yoga and authentic relating. Amalgamating these passions together has led to her ongoing research into connective-aesthetics; objects of beauty and utility which connect us to enlivening the soul. Nicole strives to ignite people's imagination, inspiration and intuition in their everyday activities and responsibilities to become more open, more resourceful and more intimate. 

Having spent much of her youth and teenage years building dens and benders in hard to reach locations, living on boats and plunging into ice-melt waters, her sense of adventure and spirituality has inevitably grown out of the relationship to the land and it's wild offerings. By entering the wilderness of a rugged landscape, Nicole truly believes we can look at and be open to welcoming the wilderness in ourselves.

‘The real beauty is how we reconnect, reclaim and rediscover our own inner terrain and how it is reflected and held within the ecology around us. We are not outside of nature, we are a necessary part of it, and how we engage with it can provide deep healing and grounding’.

Details about the Intimate Wilderness Retreat

Participants will arrive at the beautiful South Clunes Farm and be expected to stay until the camp strike on Monday morning. 

During the weekend we will focus on exploring what it means to get into your body through cleansing and heating yoga, literally meeting the elements for sunrise practice, exploring materials through forest experiences in harvesting wood, foraging, green woodworking and fire building techniques. There will be reflective time for digesting, journaling, walking and loch swimming with the beavers. 

The beautiful South Clunes Farm will host us with options to wild camp down by the Beaver Batch with fire heated showers, safari style kitchen and varanda looking over the loch or to spend the weekend in a Scottish 'Croft' house with beds, hot showers and kitchen. During the weekend there will be an opportunity to join a farm tour seeing how this farm is going sustainable and learning about its natural farming practices. 

You are invited to join us on the Friday after 14:00 in the afternoon to set up camp or ground into one of the great crofts. Friday evening we will have an introduction dinner and game around the fire. 

Saturday will start with early morning sunrise yoga and possible swim with the beavers. Breakfast will be joined collectively down at the Beaver Batch after yoga and a cold dip and there will be time to go back to the crofts for a hot shower too.

Then we will split into groups for the foraging and green woodwork, taking us up to lunch. Which will be spent together before the afternoon sessions begin. 

The foraging group will spend the afternoon learning to build fires and prep food while the other will get to continue with the spoon carving and have the possibility of a farm tour. Dinner will be made by the foraging group around the fires. 

After nourishing our bellies we will nourish our souls with around the fire authentic relating games, a drink and marshmallow and samore's before snuggling down for a deep sleep. 

Sunday's schedule will follow the same system as the Saturday but with the group's swapping. Those that foraged on the Sunday will partake in the green woodwork and carving and vice versa. On Sunday evening however there will be a small evening fire ceremony to kindle the inner flames for the wintertime ahead. After dinner with Authentic Relating games and fireside storytelling and sharing of future intentions.

Monday we will rise together, with yoga, swim and breakfast. We will have a closing circle, give gratitude and thanks and share what we will take home. 

During the weekend you will have the opportunity to meet and kindle new intentional friendships, getting stuck into the earth, enlivening playfulness and curiosity alongside the practices of authentic communication and connection. The aim is to look at how our seasons come and go as we break bread together around the harvest period. This practice sets up the internal structure to stimulate and retain the fire practices that can see us through a beautiful and warm winter.

Our intention is to try to make this retreat accessible for everyone. Due to the nature of the location (not so much wheelchair access at the Beaver Batch) and some of the practices (breathwork practices can be unsuitable for those with epilepsy) we warmly encourage you to get in contact before booking to see how we can help tailor the retreat to fit your needs.

If finances are not currently flowing please reach out as we want to make this experience possible for those with low incomes. If you have a fast and good flow we also invite you to reach out as a benefactor for these retreats to reach more people.