Our residential retreats and skill-sharing courses take place in a unique island setting that is welcoming, relaxed and conducive to learning.
Coming to a course at Macalla farm is stepping outside of your normal routine. Having to cross a body of water to get to us means leaving mundane concerns behind and signals the start of a special experience. The island offers space and quiet – a setting that invites reflection and receptiveness. We pay a lot of attention to the detail of what we offer – from the quality and deliciousness of the food to the comfortable accommodation in our two cottages and of course to the design and delivery of the courses.
We hope to see you here sometime during the coming season – keep an eye out for updates to the course schedule..
Sati Yoga Retreats
The island with nature so close at hand provides a unique setting in which to deepen practice, to begin to experience the connection to our bodies, our breath, to the earth.
During COVID restrictions, places are limited to 8 with accommodation in two cottage to allow for social distancing.
The food is delicious and vegetarian, often vegan with gluten free options on request. We pay great attention to the quality of ingredients which are nearly 100% organic and homegrown.
FOOD COURSES
We began running food courses many years ago at the request of those who had attended our residential retreats, loved the food and wanted to learn how to make it themselves.
Our approach to vegetarian cooking to making delicious and nutritious meals is simple and accessible – to vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. It begins and ends with the quality of the ingredients, where they are sourced and how they’re grown. But also it must be fun- feeling free to experiment with tastes and spices, creative with combinations. Cooking needs to have a good bit of playfulness as part of the mix.
Our courses are very hands-on , there is certainly a lot of chopping vegetables, but we also go out observe what’s growing, then harvesting what’s needed from the garden – getting stuck in at all stages of the process, culminating with us all sitting down together to enjoy the deliciousness.
Note that COVID restrictions regarding social distancing have resulted in postponing our cooking courses.
Horse courses
If you have the privilege to spend time around horses, you begin to understand the role of the horse as teacher. We need encounters with creatures- other than our human selves. A horses’ sensitivity to how we are in our bodies, what state our minds are in gives us valuable feedback.
Our horses and ponies have become those teachers as well as being friends and companions. It makes sense, and is congruent with our ethos that we care for them as naturally as possible. They live as a herd and are free to roam the large upland expanse of the farm all year round. We ride and work our them without shoes or bits and do all their hoof trimming ourselves.
We have been exploring various approaches to natural horsemanship where the human/horse partnership is based on mutual respect and trust. In order for this new relationship to work we need to be fully present, embodied and open to change. Our Connecting to Experience retreat explores this relationship.