Awareness in Motion: Becoming Present and Choosing Again is a Yoga, Movement and Meditation retreat in the Scottish Highlands. This retreat is designed to bring you home to the present moment—over and over again. Through yoga, mindful movement, breathwork, and meditation, we’ll explore how to notice the states we inhabit, both positive and negative. We’ll learn to recognize when our negative states no longer serve us, and how to gently shift ourselves when we realize we could be better served by inhabiting an alternative state. This is the heart of the practice: not perfection, the willingness to keep coming back to presence, with compassion and curiosity and to start again.
Every moment is an invitation to begin anew. On this retreat we’ll discover how powerful it is to choose your life, the enjoyable moments and the painful ones. To live our lives each day as if we chose them. Beyond the mat, we’ll experience nature as our teacher—hiking through the raw beauty of the Highlands, eating nourishing meals outdoors, and even playing pickle ball to bring lightness and play into to our days.
Set within the stunning Alladale Wilderness Reserve, the retreat also includes a guided tour of this extraordinary natural landscape—offering space to slow down, notice, and move in rhythm with the land itself. Whether on your mat, walking among ancient hills, or sharing laughter over a meal, each moment becomes an opportunity to practice presence, to notice your state, and to choose again. Join us in the Highlands this June to remember what it feels like to be truly awake in every moment of your life.
Tucked deep in the Scottish Highlands, about 90 minutes from Inverness Airport, lies the breathtaking Alladale Wilderness Reserve: 23,000 acres of raw, untamed beauty. Surrounded by dramatic mountains, hidden glens, sparkling highland lochs, and two winding rivers, the reserve’s warm, elegant lodges feel more like a grand family home than a traditional hotel. Alladale’s dedicated team of staff and rangers take pride in helping guests truly connect with this extraordinary landscape.
For over two decades, the caretakers of this remarkable place have been passionately committed to rewilding and conservation efforts vital to Scotland and beyond. At Alladale, a million native trees have been planted, damaged peatlands restored, the endangered red squirrel brought back to the area, and critical work has been done to protect the elusive Scottish wildcat. The reserve operates as a fully sustainable, zero-waste property, and yes—there’s even a happily wandering herd of iconic Highland cows (or “coos,” as they say locally). By staying here, we directly support and become part of this inspiring work.
Alladale is a rare and special destination for yoga retreats, hosting only a handful each year. Our retreat will welcome no more than 18 participants, creating an intimate and personal experience. Each day, we’ll gather for two yoga sessions in the light-filled Willow Centre, a beautifully designed yoga space with sweeping views of the Highlands. Together, we’ll explore the art of coming back to presence and shifting our internal state—through movement, rest, celebration, and silence. Meals will be lovingly prepared by Alladale’s on-site chef, featuring fresh, local ingredients (including produce from their own hydroponic gardens) and thoughtfully accommodating dietary needs.
Retreat Schedule
May 31st
Arrival at Inverness Airport and transfer to Alladale Wilderness Reserve
Bag Piper reception and Canapes upon arrival at Alladale
Welcome and Arrival Practice
Dinner
June 1st
Breakfast
Dynamic Yoga Class
Lunch
Alladale Signature Reserve Tour
Flow and Restore into Yoga Nidra
Dinner
June 2nd
Breakfast
Dynamic Yoga Class
Lunch
Free Time
Wild swimming
Restorative Yoga and Breathwork
Dinner
June 3rd
Breakfast
Dynamic Yoga Class
Lunch
Guided Hike on the Reserve
Yin Yoga and Poetry
Wild Dining Experience
June 4th
Breakfast
Dynamic Yoga Class
Lunch
Specially curated full-day Highlands excursion to explore beyond the gates of Alladale, with historical and cultural elements
Dinner
Optional Whiskey Tasting
June 5th
Breakfast
Dynamic Yoga Class
Lunch
Silent Walk on the Serenity Trail with Kate
Final Class and Closing Circle
Dinner
June 6th
Breakfast
Goodbyes
*Schedule Subject to change exact timings yet to be determined
Activities Available During Your Free Time
Pickle Ball on the most scenic pickle ball court in the world
E-Mountain Biking
Clay Pigeon Shooting (50£ per person)
Wild Cat Breeding Sanctuary
Use of Facilities: Lodge, Sauna, Snooker, Gym
Massages and Wellness Therapies Available upon Request at an extra cost
Fly Fishing
Wild Swimming
Tools for Awareness & Being
What you’ll experience and take home from this retreat
• Guided meditations to gently lead you back to your own centre — again and again
• Simple, practical meditation techniques to help you stay present and open throughout your day
• Intelligent, enlivening movement practices to awaken your body, mind, and spirit
• The empowering art of choosing to begin again in every moment — and how to carry this into daily life
• A new lens to see your own beautiful, imperfect humanity as your greatest strength
• A deeper wellspring of compassion — for yourself and for all beings
• Deeply restorative savasanas that nourish you from the inside out
• Moments of profound stillness in the wild Scottish landscape, reconnecting you to nature’s quiet wisdom
• Practical tools to bring more mindfulness, balance, and clarity into your everyday life
• An expanded ability to notice and savour the simple beauty of the present moment, no matter what it holds
Rooms and Pricing
We are lucky to have full use of both:
1. Alladale Lodge - the grand, elegantly restored Victorian sporting lodge perched at the center of Alladale with seven unique bedrooms (each with a private en suite bathroom) and our common gathering and dining spaces.
2. Eagle's Crag, a charming and luxurious three bedroom lodge (all with private en suite bathrooms) located in the valley about one mile away from the lodge (transportation between lodges will be provided by Alladale a few times throughout the day, or you can enjoy the journey as a stunning 20-25 minute walk).
Comfort, serenity and amazing views await you, wherever you stay!
Please note:
1. You must register with another person to secure double occupancy pricing.
2. All rooms can be set up with either a king bed or separate twins.
Pricing (all prices are per person)
Double Occupancy in smaller double room - 2800 £ per person
Double Occupancy in larger double room - 3000 £ per person
Single Occupancy room - 3400 £ per person
REGISTRATION & PAYMENT SCHEDULE
A 25% deposit is required to secure your spot
An additional 25% is due on December 15th 2025
The balance is due on March 30th 2026
Alternative Payment plans are available upon request
Early Bird Discounts and Deadlines
Prices listed above are early bird rates in effect until September 15th, 2025. Prices for all accommodation will go up by 150 £ after September 15th, 2025.
A loyalty discount of 100 £ discount on all prices will be applied to repeat retreat participants.
*Please note: Prices are in Pounds Sterling and subject to HST for Canadian Participants and a 4% credit card fee.
**All travel arrangement, and registrations will be organized by Amy Basseches who is affiliated with Travel Edge Network (TICO Registration #50013138) at 2 Queen St. E., 20th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5C 3G7
For reservations and more information you can contact Amy at amy@farandwidebyamy.com
Conscious Cuisine, From Garden to Plate
The Alladale aquaponic gardens are a 1.5-acre beacon of sustainability – with three large greenhouses and an extensive array of raised beds, they grow nutritious organic vegetables, herbs, berries and fruits. Power comes from their own hydro-turbine; creating a zero-waste and zero-emissions ethical food production scheme.
At Alladale, everything they do is rooted in supporting and nourishing the local environment. Thier head chef is proud to source supplies locally – that means supporting local business, getting ingredients of the highest quality, and thinking with sustainability in mind.
In the absence of natural predators, Alladale’s wild red deer herd needs managing in order to help tree growth. This means we can prepare and serve delicious recipes from a constant supply of organic venison year round. They believe that wild, healthy game will play a huge role in their transition to a more environmentally conscious and nutritious diet. While meat, poultry and fish will be served at Alladale, vegetarian diets and all food restrictions will be accommodated.
What’s Not Included
Flights to Inverness airport
Travel insurance
Clay pigeon hooting
Massages and wellness therapies
What’s Included
6 nights accommodation
All yoga classes
3 meals a day
3 Excursions
Use of the facilities: Lodge, Sauna, Snooker, Gym
Use of the pickle ball court
Fly Fishing (gear included)
Use of E-Mountain Bikes
Transportation to and from the Inverness airport providing you arrive and depart in the appropriate windows
What to Expect Weather Wise
Alladale Wilderness Reserve sits in its own microclimate amongst the hills. May and June embraces the true spirit of the Scottish Highlands, where you can feel four seasons in a day, its dynamic and adds to the adventure. Expect mild and fresh days, with temperatures often ranging between 10-15°C (50-59°F). The landscape bursts into life, with vibrant greens and blooming wildflowers under often clear, crisp skies. While occasional showers or a light breeze can roll through, they enhance the magic, offering moments of mist followed by bright, invigorating sunshine and rainbows.
How to Get There
You’ll fly into Inverness Airport (airport code: INV), most likely through London, depending on where you’re coming from. We will provide participants with an arrival window and transportation to and from the airport will be organized and included for those who arrive and depart within the arrival and departure windows. For those making their own way to Alladale you can check the map here.