Our Programmes

Rest and Restore Day Retreat

12th April 2025

Facilitator: Mel Skinner

Take a break from the treadmill of modern day life, and give yourself the gift of rest and relaxation on this retreat day with experienced yoga teacher Mel Skinner. Expect deeply restful restorative yoga and yoga nidra, inspiring and heart-warming poetry, and time connecting with nature. By releasing stress and tension, we can access a place within us that is already whole and at peace – all are welcome regardless of experience.

Event time: 12th April 2025 9:30am - 4:00pm

Interested in spreading the cost of this course? Select Clearpay at checkout.

Not seeing Clearpay? Email info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk for your payment options.

What Is Included

For the majority of our courses, both residential and non-residential rates are available. Residential options are fully inclusive with all meals provided. Non-residential options include suppers, lunches and all refreshments and exclude B&B. Some of our short day courses, events and talks do not include meals and refreshments. For more details about this course, please see the Practical Information section below.

Additional Activities

Mindful walking through our woodland trails
Meditate in our Woodland Sanctuary
Go on a hike and explore the Cotswolds AONB
Discover surrounding charming market towns

At a Glance

Practice restorative yoga to soften the body and create space for the breath
Rest deeply with soothing yoga nidra
Feel inspired, rested and nourished by poetry, nature and a a sense of connection

What You Will Gain

An understanding of how to use your breath to regulate your nervous system
How yoga can be used as a tool of self-inquiry
The chance to spend meditative time in the beautiful land of Hawkwood
A more contemplative mindset bring greater perspective and understanding

Booking Options

DayDay delegate rate

£110.00

Interested in spreading the cost of this course? Select Clearpay at checkout.

Not seeing Clearpay? Email info@hawkwoodcollege.co.uk for your payment options.

Rest and Restore Day Retreat Tutors

Melanie Skinner

More about Rest and Restore Day Retreat

You are invited to this restful, nourishing retreat day with experienced yoga teacher and retreat leader Mel Skinner.

The day will begin with restorative yoga, a slow, soft and accessible form of yoga postures which are designed to take the body out of fight-flight-freeze and into a more restful place of being. Using props to support the body, we remove as much effort as possible so that we feel safe and held, and able to breathe once again.

This session is followed by morning tea and homemade goodies, and then we will spend the late morning in an outdoor creativity meditation. This will be weather dependent, but is likely to include spending time in the beautiful grounds and woodlands of Hawkwood, contemplating the energy of spring, new beginnings and of creativity. We will incorporate what we discover in a deeply restful and inspiring yoga nidra practice, helping us embody the sense of spring vitality.

After this follows lunch, then in the afternoon you are invited to bring a source of inspiration to share with the group. This could be a poem, prose, piece of art, song, or an object. This session is collaborative, and a wonderful way to create a feeling of community and connection in a safe, supportive space. After this session we enter into a final yoga nidra practice, and end with afternoon tea.

Practical Information

Participants to bring yoga equipment (please see list below). Please also bring a journal/notebook, pen, and any poetry/readings they would like to share with the group.

- yoga mat
- yoga bolster (can substitute with pillows)
- yoga bricks and blocks x2 each (can substitute with pillows)
- blankets for warmth - 2-3 is ideal
- yoga strap
- eye pillow
- cushion for head

Note: Mel can provide some equipment, please email direct at mel@melskinneryoga.com to request equipment. Mel will also have blankets to sell.

“Mel is a wonderful, empathetic and skilled yoga teacher. She also sets an inclusive and non-judgmental, non-competitive environment, which is not always the case in the world of yoga.”

Barbara, previous participant

About Hawkwood

Hawkwood is a stunning Grade Il listed 19th Century country house, surrounded by 42 acres of sustainably managed woodland, farmland, and gardens. Set in the heart of the Cotswolds - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - it is a sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. With a diverse selection of nearly 150 courses, there's plenty to choose from, including courses in transformative leadership, future thinking, inner life, music and the arts.

Other Courses You Might Like

Finding Quiet Strength

10th October 2025 - 12th October 2025

Finding Quiet Strength is a course designed to restore our daily lives to an ideal balance of work, rest and play. We shall be working on finding our emotional intelligence and embodied awareness by revisiting old strengths of mind and body and discovering new strengths we didn’t know we had. The course will reset our choices for the New Year ahead. Finding health, happiness and ease, through enjoyable, achievable routines.

Rest and Restore Weekend Retreat

5th September 2025 - 7th September 2025

Prepare to move from summer to autumn with deeply restful yoga and nature-based meditations and activities to help you connect with your surroundings, as well as your body. From restorative yoga to remove the effects of high stress, and gentle movement to create space for the breath, plus the relaxing meditative yoga nidra, this retreat promises to boost your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. All of this will aid you in the darker months ahead.

Forest Bathing

25th May 2025

Come and join Dee Aebischer, a qualified guide with the UK Forest Bathing Institute, who holds a Masters & PhD in Forest Science, as she leads you on a journey of discovery through the art of Forest Bathing (also known as Shinrin Yoku). This gentle, nature-based therapeutic practice was developed in Japan during the 1980s, with the purpose of reducing stress and enhancing mental and physical wellbeing. Although Shinrin Yoku is translated as “forest bathing”, there is no water involved, the term rather describes a state of becoming fully immersed in the forest atmosphere through awareness, observation and meditation.