Yoga and Wild Swimming in the Highlands

Nedd is a small township in the parish of Assynt, halfway along the Drumbeg loop (B869), one of the most dramatic and memorable drives off the North Coast 500. Assynt is known for stunning coastline, beaches, mountains, lochs and islands. Nedd is a place that offers something increasingly rare: space, silence and a way of entering another world where one leaves behind distraction, noise and activity. Set within an UNESCO heritage Geopark - and soon to become a protected dark sky area - Nedd offers a way of reconnecting with nature to completely nourish the body and mind but also to connect with something much deeper: the landscape itself. Ancient landscapes heal us through evolutionary connection, sensory calm, and a deep sense of perspective. Our bodies evolved in these natural settings, and being in them and deeply connecting with them, is naturally restorative. Scotland offers a raw elemental beauty and is known for its geology, dramatic glacial carving, wild and untamed landscapes featuring rugged mountains, sea cliffs, deep freshwater lochs, and its vast open spaces. Nedd offers the perfect setting to explore stillness and inner peace through contact with the landscape, the practice of yoga, a stay in a beautiful shepherd hut and plenty of stunning wild swims available locally. When the noise and activity of our lives ceases, we can reconnect with ourselves and rediscover who we really are.

Yoga and Wild Swimming at Nedd
Nedd, Drumbeg, north-west Highlands, Scotland
Includes accommodation in luxury shepherd huts at West Coast Hideaways https://westcoasthideaways.co.uk/, yoga twice daily with styles and practices to suit individual needs. Kari teaches Hatha, Yin, Restorative yoga styles and practices and is specialist at Yoga nidra, a deep relaxation, and mindfulness practices including meditation and self-compassion. Yoga will be provided each day suited to the seasonal changes and depending on the energies and particular needs of individual. There is a meditation circle and firepit on the croft and the croft itself is a wonderful space to explore. Guests will be expected to self-cater during their stay. Swedish hot tub is available but needs to be booked in advance of your stay.

Wild swimming will be offered in areas local to Nedd. Loch Nedd is a short walk away and there is an inland loch through the hills which is a beautiful spot. There are waterfalls and beaches not far from Nedd and you can have them all to yourself!

Dates to suit the individual. Two-night retreats can be arranged during weekdays or at weekends. Availability can be searched in the booking section of West Coast Hideaways website since you can see what availability there is in the diary. However, for booking please contact Kari directly. Bookings are open to individuals or couples or groups. Prices vary according to lengh of stay and whether you are a couple or single individual.

https://westcoasthideaways.co.uk/booking/

Since 2023 my partner Stefan and I have ventured into this new an interesting life in Scotland having spent much time in the wilds of Sweden and East Anglia. We are currently re-wilding the croft with partial grazing to encourage flower biodiversity and have planted 300 trees to support and sustain the temperate rainforest we are lucky to have on our croft. We have also built a timber growing tunnel - the guests here benefit from home produce. Nedd is very wooded and it sits in a cove looking out to the Minch, the sea that separates the mainland from the islands of the Outer Hebrides. There will be times to simply listen and merge with nature, bird-watch, wild swim, take a canoe on the loch (only to experienced enthusiasts), discover areas of unspoilt beauty nearby and enjoy some truly chill-out time in the beautiful, self-catering shepherd huts.

Sound healing modalities

Wellness Yoga and Meditation Retreat at Nedd
Nedd, Drumbeg, north-west Highlands, Scotland.

This retreat is for those undergoing a life changing illness or who are in recovery from cancer or have found themselves burnt out by modern life. The retreat focuses more on relaxation and includes restorative yoga, restorative yin, self-compassion practices, simple movement with the breath, Pawanmuktasana (an energy releasing practice) and breath-awareness meditation also known as Mindfulness of the Breath meditation. The accommodation aviailable is in luxury shepherd huts at West Coast Hideaways https://westcoasthideaways.co.uk/ and is self-catering. Guests are welcome to bring a loved one or carer during their stay.

https://westcoasthideaways.co.uk/booking/

For many an illness can become a life-changing call for attention and an opportunity to re-assess lives and priorities: an illness can become a catalyst for healing, spiritual growth and transformation. Yoga, mindfulness and self-compassion practises can play a significant role in this transformative healing process, and learning these practices can help an individual move forward from this profoundly critical point in life. The retreat will help you explore the ways in which many practices can support and nurture the individual in their efforts to cope with their disease and their treatment; and to consider how yoga can contribute generally to recovery and healing.
Learning to sit quietly in meditation offers an individual insights into the potentially overwhelming emotions a life-changing illness brings with it, and how mindfulness and meditation can help us to acknowledge, accept, and process these emotions.