tao & the art
of nourishment
retreat
Dates to be Announced for 2025
Tao and the Art of Nourishment Retreat at Bala Brook Dartmoor
Join us for three unforgettable and transformational days on Dartmoor, Devon, in a beautifully designed, spacious, eco retreat centre in the heart of the Devonshire moorland.
This retreat is carefully created and designed to make you feel nourished, uplifted, balanced and inspired to live your life alignment with your Tao beyond the retreat.
Each day there will different styles of nourishing healing practice such as gentle flow, qigong, yin yoga, meditation, mindfulness, and sound healing.
Together we will meet our wildness, our fears and our courage, dipping into the brook together,Rediscover the wild parts of you through a deep immersion into the winter within.Feed and strengthen yourself with the medicine of the river, the woodland, the open fire, and the open moorland, and unearth the wise wild woman inside of you that craves to be free
In this strong and challenging time on earth this is the opportunity you have been waiting for to connect and find community with likeminded hearts. Share common ground with reflection and discussions on navigating the winter within – and without – us
Time to walk into nature, for contemplation and reflective time, to help direct your life towards the path you wish to be walking – as well as opportunity to explore the beautiful moorland, woodland and the brook.
In the evening we will be cosy up with some nourishing evening activities such as Yoga Nidra, and sound baths.
There will be two delicious, daily home-cooked meals, (plus homemade snacks) by Katie Kensa, Holistic chef, who makes everything with love, and sources the best, organic produce from local farmers, forages her herbs and seaweeds, and has a five-element approach to cooking that incorporates all the flavours that ignite the senses leaving you feeling deeply nourished on all levels.
Retreat Highlights
Accommodation in a gorgeous eco-retreat centre in the heart of Dartmoor
Beautiful land with a running brook to soothe the soul and nourish the heart
Daily yoga for all levels
Daily dips together in the brook
Time our on the wild moorland
Private holistic chef making two home-cooked healthy, plant-based meals a day
Daily talks and discussions about the medicine of winter with Zoe and Katie (hopefully by the outside firepit)
Time to unwind and relax away from it all – deep soul nourishment on all levels!
Soulful Practices
Morning gentle yoga and qigong to open and awaken the body in a way that feel nourishing
Morning meditation with journal practice
Afternoon yin or restorative yoga to soothe and soften the mind, body and soul
Evening Yoga Nidra to promote a deep restful sleep
Sound healing and gong bath for deep relaxation and recalibration
Taoist self-care practices for self-healing
Self- myofascial practices to work through tension and tightness in the physical body
Nutritional Nourishment
Home-cooked, plant-based, five-element inspired meals by Katie
Mid-morning brunch, with local, seasonal, homegrown, and wild harvested selection of food and dishes that will satisfy every taste
Early-evening dinner of home-cooked plant-based, delicious, nourishing meals
Healthy, home-made snacks available throughout the day
Katies famous ‘Potions’ (local, herbal elixirs ) served once a day for super healing
Self-service herbal tea available all day
Spring water from the land!
Accommodation and Facilities
We are very blessed to have the use of the beautiful and tranquil Bala Brook Retreat Centre for these few days, a very special gem on Dartmoor!!
The centre comprises of a main house and a separate modern annexe called Shraddha.
The retreat centre is set in its own grounds besides a river flowing down from the moor, and we have direct access to the moor for adventures out into the wilderness of the untamed moorland. The retreat centre has been recently refurbished and it is run as possible on sustainable and ecological principles.
The rooms are beautifully finished and have a lovely homely country feel to them.
The land of Bala Brook is sacred. It is an ancient land, which has profound healing quality felt by everyone who spends time at the retreat centre.
The sound of rushing water, the benign presence of the trees, the proximity of the moor, the ever-changing colours, the darkness at night, the deep silence, all of this is highly rejuvenating to the mind, body and soul.
Everyone can have a private room on this retreat.
(Although if you would like to share with a friend then discounts are available for this option so please enquire about this directly).
What a wonderful few days ❤️ Thank you for bringing your wealth of talents and wisdom to such a beautiful place and time.
I have profoundly appreciated all you have have gifted us through teachings, movement, sound and connection.
I will cherish this knowledge and experiences and take these with me on my journey always.
What to expect…
- Professional and highly personalised care from Zoe and Katie
- Nutritious, healthy homemade meals
- To be in outstanding natural beauty of the idyllic Dartmoor National Park
- Homely accommodation in a beautiful setting in rural nature
- A perfect balance between activity & rest
- A reconnection to yourself
- Stress relief
- Deep relaxation and rejuvenation
- New life skills you will take home with you
- New healthy habits, routines and mindset
Food
Enjoy a delicious mainly whole food plant-based food, all locally sourced and organic as much a possible.
Catered for; Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten-free.
The following meals are include:
- Brunch
- Dinner
- Plus, homemade snacks and afternoon fruit platter
The following drinks are included:
- Dartmoor Spring water
- Selection of tea and local infusions
- Coffee
- Potions / Herbal Elixers
What’s Included…
- Accommodation in a beautiful eco retreat centre
- All food and beverages
- Daily practices by Zoe
- Tea, infusions, coffee and water
- Nourishment
- Daily yoga and qigong classes
- Daily meditation sessions
- Daily sound healing
- Pristine and wild nature
- Nutrition and lifestyle advice
- Talks and discussions on health
- Pre-arrival health questionnaire via email
Whats NOT Included ..
- Personal expenses
- Alcohol
- Airfares and travel costs
- Insurance
- Airport transfers
- Service fee
Cancellation Policy …
- A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price
- The deposit is non-refundable, although is transferable to our next retreat if you have to cancel
- The remaining payment is required 30 days before arrival
Meet your team…
zoe nash
As a professionally certified acupuncturist, and yoga teacher Zoe brings a rich background of holistic medicine to her approach of teaching.
Zoe brings a rich wealth of knowledge and experience that she brings to each retreat, as she had devoted her life to wellness, and providing immersive experiences in villas, hotels, and retreat centres across the world.
Now she has come home to Dartmoor, after many years of working and living abroad, so she is especially excited to share this beautiful land with others now.
Her dedication is to provide the most authentic, transformational and joyful experiences, as she herself embodies the lifestyle of health and wellness and is passionate to share it, to encourage, educate and inspire others to do the same so they may live fulfilled vibrant lives too.
Zoe’s intention for this retreat is to provide an environment for everyone to feel inspired, refreshed and nourished on all levels, and to provide tools that will provide lasting wellbeing and balance after the retreat in your day to day life.
katie (& the crow)
Kate is a lover of the wild in all of us; teaching, cooking, and sharing what she know through workshops and online encounters.
Kate takes mindful care about the tracks she leaves on this earth -physically and energetically – and makes considered choices in
sourcing and gathering her ingredients, and puts as much love into packaging, how she travels and who she invests in locally, and
finds her food in the hedgerow, the garden, and through a wide network of wonderful local producers.
Kate has cooked for retreats, events, in the refugee camps of Europe, runs workshops, and guides her wild and alchemical teachings online. Kate’s intention for this retreat is to share food that enhances your connection to the important work of rejuvenation and rest, and show how what we eat and where we buy it is our most vital link to our spiritual and earthy life.
The silence of landscape conceals vast presence. Place is not simply location. A place is a profound individuality. Its surface texture of grass and stone is blessed by rain, wind, and light… The shape of a landscape is an ancient and silent form of consciousness. Mountains are huge contemplatives. Rivers and streams offer voice; they are the tears of the earth’s joy and despair. The earth is full of soul.
Pricing to be Announced
Please email with interest zoe@zoenash.com
Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to pray in and places to play in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul
John Muir