Norfolk Mindfulness for Wellbeing retreats
NEW VENUE and WINTER 2025 /26 DATES:
November 14 - November 17, 2025 and February 27, 2026 - March 2, 2026
“Absolutely brilliant; loved every minute. Thank you.” - Sinead D
Welcome
Highly recommended by The Guardian our beloved long-running Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends are for anyone seeking luxurious, deeply nourishing retreats in breathtaking surroundings. Our unusually small winter retreats - average just ten guests - offer a total of 15 nurturing meditation and relaxation sessions taught by two experienced teachers. Time and space to eat and live well; to rest, connect and ‘be’.
“Thank you for a wonderful retreat; it did me the world of good. The perfect balance of enjoyable sessions, great company, delicious food and a perfect location.” - Sue L
Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends, rural Norfolk
November 14-17, 2025 and February 27-March 2, 2026
Your retreat experience
We created our treasured Norfolk Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends ten years ago after searching for a luxury UK mindfulness retreat informed by a secular, nurturing approach and set within a small group of under 12 guests.
Our long wish-list included: an outstanding, plush countryside venue; solo occupancy ensuite room options; fabulous food where washing and clearing up are blissfully taken care of; soft relaxation practices weaved around a central thread of mindfulness; space to slow down and rest into replenishing quiet time surrounded by peaceful open countryside.
When we couldn’t find everything we were seeking we created our own format - and our boutique Mindfulness for Wellbeing weekends were born! A few years later they were reviewed by the Guardian’s travel editor at the time - and 2025 marks the retreats’ tenth birthday, having welcomed hundreds of people to Norfolk with us.
We love every minute of hosting our boutique mindfulness weekends in rural Norfolk: a chance to leave technology behind, drop down some gears and live well amongst exceptional surroundings in an intimate group with an average of eight-to-ten guests; to shake off winter blues and retreat to the big skies and rolling countryside of this lovely corner of England.
Guests socialise as much or little as they wish, with the group coming together at mealtimes and for practice sessions. We leave plenty of space between led sessions, leaving time for you to do as you need, whether that’s rest, read, luxuriate in a warm bath or take a walk from the door.
Often there is companionable, relaxed silence as guests enjoy space to read or sit quietly with a cup of tea: the slow, peaceful, ‘ordinary’ moments of which retreats - and at times, everyday life - are made.
Guests are asked to enjoy leaving cars parked up for the duration, staying within the immediate retreat environment.
Our Norfolk retreats are hosted by Satvada co-founder and mindfulness teacher Lucia Cockcroft and yoga therapist Vikki Stevenson. Between them Lucia and Vikki have over thirty years’ wide-ranging teaching experience in the UK and overseas.
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“Absolutely brilliant; loved every minute. Thank you.” - Sinead D
“Thank you for a wonderful retreat it certainly did me the world of good. The perfect balance of enjoyable sessions, great company, delicious food, perfect location. What a great group who all connected and so much laughter. I can appreciate how much planning and preparation went into this retreat as everything went so smoothly.” - Sue L
“The four-day retreat with Lucia and Vikki offers lots of gentle movement, mindfulness and the opportunity to relax. The focus is on yoga practices that are influenced by the contemplative aspects of the wider yoga tradition, such as yoga nidra (guided relaxation). Lovely local walks fill your free time and tasty vegetarian food nourishes the body and spirit. We left refreshed and energised. “ - Julia Wunderlich (review published in The Guardian, 2022)
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first retreat; this one was perfectly pitched to create an environment where I could step away from everything and nurture myself.. I was so impressed with the relaxed environment Lucia and Vikki created; we moved with ease from practice sessions to free time, to eating together, to more wonderful classes. The location offers an excellent choice of spaces to read, walk or indulge in a long bath. And the catering was always a lovely surprise from mealtimes to the afternoon treats! I returned to my normal space calmer, refreshed and with a valuable intention. Thank you!”— Catherine W
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Five mindfulness and relaxation classes for each full day.
Accommodation - as selected at checkout.
Meals - Breakfast, light lunch, two-course evening meal, healthy snacks, tea/coffee.
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Travel to/from the venue
Insurance.
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We provide breakfast, light lunch and a two-course evening meal. All food is vegetarian. Fruit and snacks will be available throughout each day and there will be a light afternoon tea option!
November 14 - November 17, 2025 - one room left
February 27, 2026 - March 2, 2026
Costs & booking
A non-refundable £300 per person deposit holds spaces. Full balance due 12 weeks beforehand. Costs include food, accommodation & practice sessions:
Superior ensuite rooms *:
Twin or double occupancy: £849 per person
Solo occupancy: £1100
Standard ensuite rooms:
Twin or double occupancy: £799 per person
Solo occupancy (double bed): £999
Smaller double room with private external bathroom: (only one available - as solo occupancy only): £699
*Superior rooms are larger. All are on the first floor. Some are double aspect with central roll top bath.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first retreat; this one was perfectly pitched to create an environment where I could step away from everything and nurture myself.” - Cat W
Introducing our stunning new venue
After years running retreats at West Lexham and then, post-pandemic, at Fishely Hall, we are tremendously excited to announce a brand new venue for 2025 and beyond: a stunning Georgian Manor House with ten beautiful, spacious bedrooms: seven in the main house and a further three in the neighbouring old stables, lovingly restored in a contemporary Scandinavian design.
Traditionally used as a wedding venue this wonderful manor farm is set in 80 acres of parkland and countryside typified by big skies and open horizons. There is an overarching feeling of privacy, calm and space, inviting a true sense of being on retreat.
Nine of the ten plush bedrooms are ensuite (the other has a private bathroom opposite), many featuring roll-top baths and extensive countryside views. The bedrooms include two particularly large suites and an accessible ensuite on the ground floor.
There’s a lovely kitchen (the domain of our brilliant caterers!) and an elegant dining room where we will be served breakfast, lunch and dinner. A feature lounge with open fireplace to the conservatory backs onto lovely gardens and the heated swimming pool (operational during summer-time only!).
Practice sessions: what to expect
Our intention is for guests to sink into calming, nurturing practices informed by softness and gentleness. As such, this retreat experience will definitely not suit those seeking an active yoga practice as is conventionally taught in the west. A total of 15 restful guided sessions offer a combination of nourishing mindfulness, guided relaxation, very gentle mindful movement, soft restorative yoga and short silent walks from the door. All practices are exceptionally gentle, drawn from various threads of the wider mindfulness and contemplative yoga traditions.
Six formal practice sessions for each full day are led by experienced meditation and relaxation teachers Lucia Cockcroft or Vikki Stevenson (see below for more on both teachers) and typically include: a short silent morning walk from the door; mindful movement followed by a more static mindfulness session; a mid-morning mindfulness session; a later afternoon longer-style restorative yoga or ‘going deeper’ mindfulness class; and after-dinner guided relaxation.
Please also note: mindfulness is not recommended for those currently suffering from moderate to severe depression or anxiety. Please get in touch if you are unsure.
Your foodie treats: what to expect
Mealtimes are always a highlight of being cared for on retreat. For us they are an absolute treat! All aspects of dining - laying the table, clearing up, washing up cups - are fully taken care of by our catering team, allowing us all the luxury of letting go of these day-to-day chores.
We have been working with our wonderful team of chefs since we launched these luxury mindfulness weekends a decade ago. Adept at rustling up imaginative vegetarian and vegan meals, many guests arrive as carnivores and leave as plant-based enthusiasts!
We start each day with fruit, coffee and tea (both caffeinated and herbal options) and enjoy a substantial, beautifully crafted brunch. A light lunch is typically a home-made seasonal soup with bread roll before afternoon tea in the form of scones or cake. After evenings practices we are served a two-course meal. Teas, coffee, fruit and healthy snacks (with vegan options) are available throughout the day.
As with all our retreat meals we aim to provide wholesome, tasty fare balanced with homemade treats! Please note: this is strictly an alcohol-free retreat.
“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” - Ram Dass
Your teachers
Lucia, co-founder of Yoga At The Mill and Satvada Retreats, loves co-teaching these treasured Norfolk retreat weekends.
She has been practising various forms of Yoga and Meditation for 26 years and teaching Yoga and secular Mindfulness in classes, workshops and on UK and international retreats for 17 years.
Her recent studies have included a two-year postgraduate Mindfulness Teacher Training at Bangor University and Somatic Yoga with Charlotte Watts. She is currently studying for a Level 3 Counselling Certificate.
Lucia is fascinated by the powerful therapeutic aspects of gentle mindful movement and mindfulness and particularly enjoys teaching small groups on retreat.
Vikki has been practising yoga for the past 20 years. She takes inspiration from a variety of styles, with a focus on breath-led movement and on working with our own individual bodies.
Vikki is passionate about the therapeutic side of Yoga and has studied Yoga for those living with cancer, Yoga Therapy for women’s health and pregnancy and postnatal yoga.
She has completed a two-year Yoga Therapy course with London’s highly regarded Life Centre and is practising as both a yoga teacher and yoga therapist.
Vikki also has a strong interest in the transformative practice of Yoga Nidra, a deep guided method of relaxation, which she is highly trained to deliver.
