Bearsden Festival is delighted to be organising a Womens Wellness Retreat this March, celebrating the month of International Women’s Day.

The retreat will take place at Kilmardinny House on Saturday, 28 March and you can choose from two sessions, one in the morning or one in the afternoon.  Each session includes three workshops and you can choose your favourites from four options.  Places are limited to allow you to enjoy each workshop in small groups of up to 10 participants.

Thanks to support from East Dunbartonshire Wellbeing Fund we are able to offer each half-day retreat at  special price of £30 per person, or a two-person ticket for £50.  Why not celebrate International Women's Day by bringing a friend or treat your mum with a unique Mother's Day gift of relaxation and calm.  

We are also offering a free bonus to all participants - a guided nature walk at lunchtime, between the morning and afternoon sessions. Simply let us know when you book, if you would like to enjoy this as well as your chosen workshops.  

Once you have booked, please email us at bfwomensretreat@gmail.com with your name and three preferred workshops by 25th March.  

What's on offer!

Reiki (including seated Reiki) 

Join Catriona for a group reiki session, offering you a peaceful pause within the day. You are invited to simply sit and receive, allowing the body and mind to soften and unwind. Reiki is a gentle, nurturing energy practice that supports relaxation, emotional balance and a sense of calm. This session is open to everyone and provides a space to rest, reset and connect with yourself, held within the gentle energy of the group. Many people leave feeling calmer, lighter and quietly renewed.. Catriona from Nurturing Holistics is a Reiki Practitioner and Teacher and Mindfulness Meditation Teacher based in Milngavie. Yoga (we will provide mats).

Yoga (some can be adapted for seated yoga)

Welcome to the Yoga sessions at the Bearsden Festival Womens Wellness day! Monica Slaven runs a yoga business called Dreamtime Yoga, and teaches weekly classes and organises Yoga and Sound bath events along with other yoga-based activities throughout the year. She has been teaching for 10 years and is a qualified ayurvedic masseur. Yoga is about using breath, movement and relaxation to encourage the body to stay calm and flexible. We want to make the body feel balanced during and after a yoga session. The sessions will start with breathing techniques, then will follow into movement both gentle and using a bit of strength and agility.  The poses can be adapted for different body types and levels of flexibility and some can be adapted for people sitting in a chair. We will finish with guided relaxation. Leaving you feeling open, stretched and rested. Bring warm blankets for relaxing at the end to make a even more comforting experience.

Mindful Watercolour

This is a short taster session which allows you a calm space to connect with your body through a short guided meditation with Artist and Counsellor, Ingrid Campbell.This will be followed by a demonstration of mindful observing of some natural objects and the chance to use watercolour as a medium to express what you see with a beginners mind. Forget school art class, this is a non-judgmental class to make marks using colour and shape and to get lost in Art!

Mindfulness meditation 

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely focusing your attention on the present moment—and accepting it without judgment. It is now recognised scientifically and has been found to be a key element in stress reduction and overall happiness.
Mindfulness meditation involves sitting quietly and paying attention to thoughts, sounds, the breath, and bringing your attention back whenever the mind starts to wanders. It can also involve guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress and anxiety. This session will support us to explore mindfulness practices so that we can learn  how to use these in our daily lives.

Marjory is a Registered Mental Health Nurse and a qualified Mindfulness Teacher who promotes wellbeing and self care through meditation, journaling, photography, nature and other creative practices.