Make 2025 the year you prioritize self-care and treat yourself to a rejuvenating retreat.
I’m hosting several exciting events to help you focus on your well-being. These include a one-day retreat in Brighton called Hormones, Health, and Happiness, a week-long wild swimming and yoga retreat in the beautiful South of France, and I will be performing at the Big Retreat Festival. You can find all the details about these events below.
Retreats provide a unique opportunity for women to relax, reset, and recharge. They offer a dedicated space to step away from the demands of daily life and focus on learning what truly brings good health and happiness. A retreat can be a transformational experience that helps you reconnect with yourself and discover new ways to nurture your mind, body, and spirit.
Here’s why I believe retreats are so beneficial for your well-being:
- It provides an opportunity to learn new ideas and practices that can positively impact your health and happiness.
- You’ll gain valuable tools to deepen your self-awareness and better understand yourself.
- Retreats are a chance to reflect on your vision for living your best life and to set meaningful intentions for the future.
- They encourage thoughtful reflection on what truly matters to you—both during the retreat and in the days and weeks that follow.
- You’ll have precious time alone with your thoughts, away from the distractions of everyday life.
- Being in a beautiful, nourishing environment helps you feel restored, especially with time spent outdoors, which is key to overall well-being.
- A change of scenery can be transformative. While you may love your home and those you share it with, taking time away can refresh your perspective.
- Delicious, thoughtfully prepared meals—whether it’s a beautiful lunch or dinner—are an integral part of the retreat experience. Good food not only nourishes the body but also brings immense joy.
- Finally, you’ll connect with like-minded people, sharing experiences and thoughts that foster a sense of community and belonging.
Retreats can range from a single day to several days or more, and they can be experienced alone or shared with friends. Whether you come with a specific goal in mind or an open heart ready for discovery, retreats offer something unique for everyone.
The three retreats I’m involved in so far in 2025 are set in diverse and inspiring locations and are open to people of all ages. My work has always focused on the female life course, from puberty to post-menopause, and these events are designed to support women at every stage of life. I’m collaborating with incredible women to bring these experiences to life, and we warmly invite you to join us—whether you bring your daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, or friends.
The foundation of all my work is rooted in my Wheel of Health and Happiness, a concept we’ll be exploring in depth during my talks. I’ve also discussed this framework in my previous blog about manifesting your intentions for 2025.
Saturday 4th April 2025 Hormones, Health and Happiness in Brighton
A one-day retreat in Brighton. Designed for women of all ages who are ready to embrace the tools to live their best lives, starting now. This event is being run by myself, Petra Coveney, yoga therapist, and author specialising in women’s wellbeing and Karen Newby, author and women’s health nutritionist. Come and join us for a day of inspiration, education, and nurturing. We want you to leave the day feeling empowered and equipped with practical ideas to enhance your lifestyle and overall well-being.
The day’s program will focus on education, advice and thoughts about hormones, health, happiness, and self-nourishment. We’ll begin by exploring women’s health throughout your life- span—covering everything from periods and pregnancy to perimenopause and beyond—and how these stages shape our lives. Together, we’ll dive into the role of lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise, sleep, and mental health.
After a delicious healthy lunch supplied by You Juice Brighton, we’ll shift our focus to happiness, exploring the importance of friendships, community, hobbies, and personal goals. Throughout the retreat, you’ll also have the opportunity to engage in standing movement sessions that are accessible to all, as well as seated chair yoga and guided mindful meditation for relaxation. There will be plenty of time for interaction and a chance to meet and talk to Joyce, Karen and Petra.
The cost for Brighton is £135 but we still have the last few early bird tickets available at just £115. Book through Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1111765172559?aff=oddtdtcreator
May 10-17th wild swim and yoga retreat in France
The wonderful Wendy Yorke and I are running our wild swimming and yoga retreat in the South of France in the most beautiful, luxury, historic 14th century coach house setting surrounded by vineyards, with stunning views of the Pyrenees. We will guide you to the best cold water and wild swim sites in the famous Aude region of Occitania. We will be doing lake, sea and river swimming, natural waterfall cold water dips, country hikes and natural warm thermal spring bathing, plus daily yoga. Three organic meals a day, all transport, all trips, are included. The only additional cost is your flight to Carcassonne and wine. The schedule includes trips to Esperaza local market, Mont Sec hike and nature meditation, and swims/dips at the River Aude, Montazels, Lake Puivert, Cascade (waterfall) de Matthieu, Le Fontaine de Amour (river pool and waterfall), Mediterranean Sea, Castle Arques, Montbel, or Belcaire, and wine tasting at Serres. The retreat is limited to 11 people and over half the places have already gone. Prices start at just €1000. Booking available at https://www.wendyyorke.com/wildswim-yogaretreat/ and you can see exactly what we will be doing on this YouTube video which is also on Tiktok, Instagram and Twitter: https://youtu.be/EnxB29NtqJQ. Book on to this retreat here.
And I am very excited to be performing at the Big Retreat Festival, May 23-26th, in Pembrokeshire. The Big Retreat Festival is 4 uplifting, unforgettable days to relax, reflect and reboot. Get back to nature in the wilds of West Wales. Reconnect with yourself, the people you love, and the things that make you smile. Have fun, nourish your soul, and restore your body. Your ticket gives you access to over 300 carefully curated experiences: wellbeing, talks, comedy, foraging, feasting, arts, craft, live music and more. Find your Feel Good right here. Voted one of the ‘Top 5 Wellbeing & Adventure Festivals’ by The Guardian.
And you can get 20% off using the promo code JOYCEHARPER via https://www.thebigretreatfestival.com/book-tickets but please book soon as 80% of tickets are now sold.
I also want to share with you retreats by some other amazing people.
Miriam Akhtar – Positive Ageing Retreat, 20th June 2025 – 22nd June 2025, Hawkswood, Centre for future thinking, the Cotswolds. Ageing gets a bad press, portrayed as being downhill all the way. However, contrary to expectations, happiness goes up after fifty rather than down and there are other gains of age like wisdom, emotional mastery and multiple forms of intelligence. This retreat shows you how to use positive psychology to make the most of the third act and sow the seeds of a happy and meaningful later life. Find out more here.
The three below are with Kate Codrington author of Second Spring and the Perimenopause Journal.
Second Spring Circle Retreat – Sunday 23rd February – Hatfield House
A day to explore the possibilities of your purpose and capacity in postmenopausal life
Creative Self-Care – Friday 30th May -Reveley Lodge, Bushey
A day of self-care and mixed-media painting with Kate Leach and Kate Codrington
A Call To Love – 5th-6th July – London W2
A weekend to dive into the regenerative possibilities of perimenopause
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