OUR STORY
Here at Let's Retreat our vision all along was to create the most amazing place to practise yoga and pilates. We feel just walking out towards our Yurts in this beautiful location promotes an instant feeling of calm and serenity.
Rachel Hawkins
FOUNDER & THAI YOGA MASSAGE PRACTITIONER
Having decided to make a career change in 2019 I qualified as a Thai Yoga Massage practitioner and have loved every minute of it. My love for Yoga first began in 2002 when I was pregnant with my first daughter and has just grown and grown.
I wanted to train in something yoga related as I love the peace and calm that it brings, it was then that I discovered the massage. In today’s fast paced world it has never been more important, in my opinion, to slow down and reconnect with yourself.
With Let's Retreat I wanted to create a space where people could come to exercise in a yoga or Pilates class of their choice and rest and restore with a massage. Our yurts provide the perfect space. Quiet and close to nature yet warm and cosy, simply being in them is nurturing and I very much look forward to welcoming you to them.
To book a massage please contact Rachel by email or call 07799 880450
Simone Craddock
YOGA TEACHER AND MASSAGE THERAPIST
I have run a personal practice spanning over 25 years and I am a 200 hours Certified Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals. I am also a practicing Sports and Remedial Massage Therapist, Fitness Walking Instructor and Active Isolated Flexibility Practitioner. I bring to my yoga practice an anatomical knowledge and body awareness developed through 18 years of bodywork therapy and have a special interest in the ways in which yoga can unlock the body, both physically and mentally.
Along with traditional forms of yoga, my past experience as a runner and cyclist has led to the development of programmes to help with issues encountered through these sports and I passionately believe that yoga in its various forms has benefits for everyone and should be accessible to all. To that end, I have also trained in Chair Yoga and Yoga for Teens.
I believe that health and fitness need not be complex or draining but should uplift and energise you with the perfect balance of components.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Meghann Thomas
YOGA TEACHER AND HOLISTIC THERAPIST
I am an internationally certified Yoga and Meditation Teacher and Holistic Therapist, teaching Hatha and Vinyasa based Yoga classes - weaving breath, movement and stillness seamlessly together in a divine dance of connection. I guide you to look deeply inside, to reconnect with your body and mind, expand your inner awareness and spark the journey of healing within. I am also a Holistic Therapist, specialising in Reiki, Indian Head Massage and EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). Passionate about holding space for women to come together, I host monthly full moon circles and regular day retreats, allowing a deeper journey of healing and transformation to unfold.
To book a treatment with Meghann at the small yurt, click here.
Hannah Shutt
YOGA TEACHER
I am a certified yoga and mindfulness teacher and breathwork practitioner, specialising in somatic healing and mind-body integration.
I have a deep understanding of the mind-body connection and the importance of integrated approaches to physical and emotional healing. Yoga and other mind-body practices are a pathway to exploring how we can unconsciously hold emotions and stress in our bodies and a beautiful way of bringing this into our awareness and restoring balance in our minds, bodies and hearts, so that we may return our natural state of wellbeing.
Discovering yoga and other heart centred practices has been so supportive and transformative for me in the most beautiful way, and I have experienced and witnessed the incredible potential which exists within all of us when we tune in to our heart.
See our Timetable tab for full class details.
Maddi Woods
PERSONAL TRAINER
I have always had a passion for health, fitness and overall wellbeing, and believe that exercise and nutrition play a pivotal role in a woman’s life and help us to be the strong, confident and independent women we know we are at ALL stages of life.
When I decided to become a PT to educate myself and improve my physical fitness, everything changed. Fast forward to now: I’m a Level 3 PT, group exercise instructor, Level 4 Nutritionist, swimming instructor, and paddle board instructor!
The small group PT classes here at Let’s Retreat are focused around functional movement and building strength that you can take away to help with everyday life. This is where you come to be empowered by exercise at any age.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Kara Bugden
YOGA TEACHER
As a full-time HR professional, I deeply understand the need to slow down, take a breath and prioritise self-care.
My journey with yoga began in 2018 and, in 2022, I travelled to India to deepen my practice and gain the skills to share this transformative experience with others.
Specialising in teaching vinyasa, hatha and yin yoga, I am passionate about the impact of movement on both the body and mind and believe yoga is truly for everyone, and I enjoy helping others embrace the power of slowing down and reconnecting with their breath.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Lucy Fairey
YOGA TEACHER
I am an anatomy enthusiast, yoga teacher and lifelong student. I love bringing together the ancient wisdom and teachings of traditional yoga with modern knowledge on anatomy, physiology and neuroscience to help students and clients feel better in their lives, helping them find ease of movement, strength, stability and clarity of mind.
I am a member of Yoga Alliance Professionals and CIMSPA. Having completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2019, I am continuing my professional development through a 500 hour senior yoga teacher accreditation.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Kathy Gannon
PILATES INSTRUCTOR
My love for Pilates started over 20 years ago in New York. Back in London, fortunate to experience some of the best Pilates teachers available, I could fully understand the enormous benefits that Pilates brings.
It felt natural with all my experience and passion for Pilates to qualify as a Mat Instructor, which I did in 2019. I am now qualified as a Pilates Reformer Teacher with Body Control Beginners/Intermediate and I am also qualified as a Body Control Pilates Low Back Pain Practitioner.
My aim is to show how Pilates can serve you and allow you to leave stronger, happier and healthier.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Verity Megan
YOGA TEACHER & SOUND THERAPIST
I first came to the mat over 20 years ago when I discovered the transformative powers of movement, opening pathways of presence with space to assimilate life and process emotions.
Passionate about sharing integrated, kind, gentle, seasonal and intuitive approaches to wellbeing, I have devoted my life to this work.
Now an experienced teacher in the ISHTA Yoga tradition, I have been teaching and sharing Yoga since 2017. I’ve also studied Ayurveda, Shakti Yoga Therapy for Women, Somatic Psychology, Mind-Body Integration, Reiki and Sound Healing, which I’m looking forward to offering in the small yurt.
I fuse my Eastern training with progressive practices in harmony with the shifting seasons, to live in relationship with these living, breathing, ever-evolving rhythms.
My work emphasises our relational interconnection with nature, self, and each other, validating the living wisdom of the body as part of the animate Earth.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class, and you can email me to book a treatment.
Helen Cooper Harding
PILATES INSTRUCTOR
My teaching practice has evolved through my studies, qualifications and inspiring teachers who have enabled me to become the teacher I am today.
I care deeply about what I do and about helping my clients. I love an organic flow – bringing mind and body together in harmony. My mat work and reformer classes are holistic and fun, challenging and uplifting.
I am now qualified in Advanced Level Pilates, Pre and Post Natal Exercises, Vertical Fusion Pilates, Barre Fitness, Hypermobility and Breast Cancer Rehabilitation Pilates.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Rhi Hamilton-Shaw
YOGA TEACHER
My yoga practice has been a great companion which has guided me into my adult life, helping to relieve anxiety and support me through relationships, pregnancy and into motherhood.
Most people see yoga as a physical practice but it’s so much more than that.
Yoga can meet you where you are on any given day and support your needs. All it asks is for you to be patient and listen to your body.
I am fully trained in Yoga Nidra, Trauma Informed Yoga, Pregnancy and Post Natal Yoga, Infant Massage and Baby Yoga and Massage.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Louise Windsor
YOGA TEACHER
My journey of self discovery, to find out what would really light me up, led me to yoga!
I have always loved helping people to connect with their authentic selves and to create a life they love and value. My fulfilling career in yoga appeared on my path from being a life coach.
Since 2012, I have taught over 4,000 hours of yoga classes. I run Yin Yoga Teacher Training in Brighton and Goa, and I have extensively studied various yoga practices, including Chair Yoga, Yoga for Seniors, Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Dream Yoga, Pre and Post Natal Yoga and Breath as Therapy.
I have also been practicing Reiki for the past decade.
See our Timetable tab for full class details and to book a class.
Lisa Brett
YOGA & PILATES INSTRUCTOR
It was in the early eighties when a friend invited me to a yoga class and I fell in love with it. Since then I have worked and travelled throughout Asia attending many schools of yoga, gaining experience and knowledge of the subject. After a life-changing event I took the decision to train as a Yoga teacher and gain my advanced qualification, as well as an Ayurvedic practitioners certification, through the British School of Yoga.
For the past few years I have been an instructor for Cancer United delivering specialist fitness programmes for members with or recovering from cancer, as well as offering classes all over West Sussex. After a back injury I wanted to train further and qualified as a Pilates teacher, underpinning all this I am also a level 4 REPS personal trainer.
We have a group of wonderful teachers providing a range of classes at the yurts. I am now based in Somerset so I don’t hold weekly classes, but I’ll be back to host regular Yin Massage Workshops and Retreats with Rachel!
Email Rachel to book on to a Yin Massage Workshop!
Annette Mundy
YOGA TEACHER
My first introduction to yoga was when the company I was working for about 20 years ago put on yoga classes for their staff during the lunch break. It was then that I realised I was ‘good’ at it. When I left the company, I regret that my practise did too. I then didn’t get back into yoga until another 4-5 years later, when my mum was sadly diagnosed with cancer. It was then that I found what yoga could do for you mentally as it helped me navigate my journey back.
Since then, yoga has become a way of life for me, both physically and mentally. Having experienced the mental benefits, I then wanted to help others in the same way. I decided to do my teacher training in the year before lockdown, initially training in Hatha yoga. Since then, I’ve gone on to qualify in Yoga Nidra, Vinyasa, chair yoga, Yin and Restorative yoga.
I love that yoga is suitable for all levels and ability. There is such a variety on our timetable to suit everyone, and I very much look forward to seeing you on the mat and practising with you.
See our Timetable tab for full class details.
Harriet Dury
YOGA AND PILATES TEACHER
After training in the performing arts, I then gained my 1st Class Hons degree in Fitness and Dance whilst also achieving my level 2 exercise to music qualification, level 2 fitness instructors qualification and level 3 personal training qualification as well as Zumba and Aqua Zumba certifications.
Whilst I was teaching, I decided to take a full-time fitness instructor position overseas with Neilson Active Holidays. I worked in different resorts across various countries for several years, during which time I gained my multi-style yoga instructor qualification and Paddleboard yoga certification.
I then moved to Dubai to work as the fitness coordinator at high end hotels, marinas, and yacht clubs, which led me to my career working as a PT/Yoga/Pilates stewardess on superyachts.
Now back on dry land, I am excited to be part of the Let’s Retreat team running classes at the beautiful Decoy Ponds.
See our Timetable tab for full class details.