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MORE WI LD RE TRE AT S


GLENEAGLES, SCOTLAND Scotland’s famous resort offers a wild wellness programme focusing on restorative nature-based activities to help you reconnect with the natural environment and harness its healing powers. The two-night retreat includes an outdoor breathwork session with a yoga instructor — an introduction to pranayama and the basics of primal breath control. There is an immersive nature walk culminating in the ancient Japanese ritual of waterfall bathing, stargazing and mindful hiking in the mountains. Two-night retreat from £3,470 half- board, based on two people sharing (Sunday to Thursday). gleneagles.com


With the fire crackling and the rain pattering on


the tin roof, we sit on rugs on the floor as Pip guides me through some breathing exercises. Most of us don’t breathe properly into our diaphragms and are guilty of shallow breathing and breathing through our mouths. “Nasal breathing filters pollution and also puts


air into our lungs at the right pressure.” We practise a couple of powerful Wim Hoff


techniques — and the horse stance. Spreading our legs hip distance apart then squatting, arms at chest height, we punch the air away to each side as we exhale. The last exercise is a Haka, breathing in, bent double, then exhaling as we fling our arms up over our heads to get the circulation moving. With cold water therapy, she explains, you are


consciously putting your body under stress by immersing yourself in icy water but your mind is in control. The idea is that when you encounter a stressful situation in the future your brain will recognise that it can deal with it. It’s also a short, sharp reboot and flushes out your system as all the blood surges to your core and then back to your limbs as you warm up. Wrapped in huge, dry robes and wellies,


we tramp down through a field to Pip’s wild swimming spot, picking spruce needles on the way, which she adds to a flask of hot water to make a warming pine needle tea (said to stimulate circulation and boost the immune system) for aſter our dip. On the riverbank we do the Haka and the horse before hanging our robes on a branch. Following


Pip into the icy water, I sink first up to my waist and then submerge my shoulders. “Just breathe,’ she says, her voice calm and


reassuring — and I do. My whole body tingles but I breathe in and out feeling strangely calm. The two minutes is up before I know it. Clambering out of the water I grab a towel and we walk up and down the sandy shore. The tingling is like violent pins and needles but I’ve never felt so alive. The blood rushes back to our skin in a vivid red blush as Pip pours us mugs of pine needle tea and, wrapping ourselves in the dry robes, we start to tramp back up the hill to the wood-fired sauna. As we walk and she talks me through the


science (she has a degree in sports science and human biology) we pass another giant billboard. Large pink letters on a purple background declare ‘I think you are the most beautiful creature in the world.’ And I’m flooded with a wonderful sense of wellbeing. That’s wild wellness right there, I think:


wise words woven through the woods, glorious affirmations that make you break out in a smile.


ESSENTIALS Glen Dye has double rooms in the Coach House (B&B or exclusive use) from £155 per night. The Wild Wellness and Bushcraſt School offers three-hour sessions including Fire and Water, a gorge walk, breathwork, cold water and campfire experience for £55 per person. glendyecabinsandcottages.com


MAISON ILA, FRANCE Organic skincare brand Ila’s founder Denise Leicester tailor-makes healing retreats at her home, Maison Ila, located in a tiny village in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Along with meditation, yoga, breathwork and sound healing there are Natural Movement sessions with personal trainer Ali Suddaby including mat-based stretching and balancing exercises beside the River Hers and hiking in the hills, hanging from trees, jumping and climbing using rocks and branches as a ‘green gym’. There is also wild swimming in the river and two nearby lakes and a visit to the natural hot springs in Rennes- les-Bains. Three-day bespoke retreats from £1,044 per person. Room not included. maisonila.com


TETON NATIONAL PARK, US Practise yoga on a mountainside, meditate beside a river, jump into the sea from a yacht for an invigorating, re-grounding wild swim. Wild Wellness Retreats was founded by Danielle, a yoga teacher, reiki master and sound meditation guide, and Steve, RYA Yachtmaster captain, certified diving, kiteboard, flyfishing instructor and survival expert. They offer retreats in wild locations around the world from Montana to Mexico, the Greek Islands to the Caribbean. The annual summer retreat camping in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming includes daily yoga and meditation, a group reiki session, breathwork and guided hikes. The three-night retreat costs £451 per person full-board. wildwellnessretreats.com


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