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nominate a friend for a FREE place

Nominate a friend for a FREE place on our next retreat!

hands on heart

Taking time away from what we usually do is so important for our sense of who we are because so often we become consumed in being there for other people (at work or at home) and we forget to be there for ourselves.

My goal with take time retreats is to create a space where busy women can let go of their day-to-day life and focus on themselves for a few days. We provide everything you need to do that – great food, luxurious accommodation, restorative movement & mindfulness sessions, massage and creative workshops – along with space and time to do your own thing if that’s what you need most.

At the same time, I know this is a luxury that not everyone can afford, which is why I have set aside a twin room for two women who deserve this, even if they are not in a position to fund it for themselves at the moment.

Which is where you come in…

Is there someone you know who would love to join us on our retreat & deserves to have some time to themselves, but would never think of spending money on themselves?

If you have a friend who fits the bill, you can nominate them for one of two FREE places in a shared twin-bedded room. If selected, they will receive the full retreat package, including:

  • 3 nights in a shared twin-room with luxury en-suite shower room & locally-sourced aromatherapy toiletries
  • welcome pack on arrival
  • luxury towelling robe and slippers which are theirs to take home at the end of their stay
  • a full-body relaxation massage with one of our Jing-trained therapists
  • all meals & drinks
  • all activities, workshops, classes, guided sessions and demonstrations
  • a recipe pack of all the dishes covered in the ‘cooking with spices’ and ‘raw chocolate’ workshops, along with some of the other recipes we use at the retreat
  • a take-home pack on departure

Before nominating your friend:

Please forward them the link to this page & ask them to have a look at all the retreat details, including the take time retreat information & terms and conditions.

When they’ve done that, check that they:

  • would love to join us
  • can be available to join us for the whole event, 7th-10th November 2017 in Goudhurst, Kent
  • feel comfortable sharing a room
  • are happy for you to nominate them

If they answer yes to all of the above, please nominate them by emailing me (jane@taketimeretreats.biz) and telling me why they need or deserve this gift. Please summarise why you think they deserve a FREE place on our November retreat in no more than 150 words. You will also need to include their name and email address so that I can get in touch if they are selected. It’s as easy as that!

The closing date for nominations is 16th October 2017.

I look forward to hearing from you with your nomination.

Who will you nominate? Who do you know who really needs this?

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A few terms & conditions:

  1. this prize represents my genuine wish to include two women who would otherwise not be able to attend the event and I trust that all nominations are made in respect of this
  2. the take time retreat is a women-only event, designed for women aged 45-60 – nominees will therefore need to fit these criteria
  3. two separate nominees will be chosen, by me, from email nominations received no later than 16th October 2017; nominations received after this date will not be considered
  4. my decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into
  5. the two successful nominees will share a twin room and will each receive the full retreat package with my compliments
  6. in accepting their place on the take time retreat, the successful nominees will be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions for the event
  7. there is no cash alternative and the free place cannot be transferred or exchanged
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moments for you

aromatherapy

I attended an event on Saturday morning and had the privilege of hearing Dame Kelly Holmes speaking about her career and her mental health. What a humble & inspirational woman! I had goose-bumps watching her watch her own Olympic success when she finished her talk with a video of her double-gold medal achievement in 2004. I wonder if she gets goose-bumps too?!

What really hit home to me was when she spoke about how it felt for her to be living her dream life but not actually enjoying what she called ‘moments for me’. She spoke of how people would recognise her in the street and feel that they knew her, when all along she didn’t feel like she knew herself at all.

If we’re not public figures we might not feel it in quite the same way, but I think that feeling of being disconnected is huge for many of us, whether we recognise yet or not. Do you sometimes feel like you’re living on auto-pilot, going from one day to the next without taking time to check-in with yourself?

I definitely have this feeling at times and I know that I’m not alone.

Of course it is hard to find these ‘me-moments’ when we’re chasing our dreams/careers or in the thick of raising a family, but it’s these moments that help us to connect with who we are in the world and I think that’s so important.

When did you last take a moment for you?

yoga

I set up take time retreats because I had been looking for something like this for myself, but never found quite what I was looking for:

  • a place to escape and feel nurtured
  • a varied program covering a range of different activities
  • luxury bedrooms that I didn’t have to share with a stranger
  • great food and
  • the space to be with others or alone, depending on my mood.

I’d love to share all of this with you on our luxury retreat in November and there are still a few spaces available if you would love to join us.

You will go home feeling rested, nurtured, nourished & supported; reconnected to what is important in your life and re-energised for whatever comes next.

And (*whispers this*) you won’t have to think about Christmas for a few days either!!

Please contact me if you have any questions at all about take time retreats or click here to book now.

Jane x

PS there’s a split payment option until this Saturday so book before then to spread the cost of your booking

 

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raw chocolate making

raw chocolate making

I love making raw chocolate. It tastes so much nicer than mass-produced bars and when you make it yourself you can tailor it to suit your palate.

Here’s my basic plain raw chocolate recipe used for the fruit & nut bars in the picture.

Being creative in the kitchen is a great way to de-stress and having a whole heap of raw chocolate at the end of it is an added bonus! What’s not to love?!

We’ll go more in-depth and try out several raw chocolate recipes in our raw chocolate making workshop on retreat (click here for details and bookings) but if you want to have a go at home in the meantime I highly recommend www.elementsforlife.co.uk for all your ingredients

Jx

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how do you reconnect with your soul?

yoga

Taking time away from what you usually do and what people usually need from you is, I think, the best way to reconnect with your soul and your unique values. It might be a walk with the dog, a long hot bath, getting lost in a good book or a creative project, taking a day off work, having a weekend away or booking a retreat…it doesn’t really matter how you get there, but stepping off the treadmill sometimes is invaluable.

Two weeks ago I joined Charlotte Preston Yoga & Massage Therapy for a yoga retreat day in a spectacular tree-house in the heart of the New Forest and I gained so much from it. The yoga and qigong were fabulous & lunch was delicious, but aside from that, I felt such a benefit from taking time for me. I even felt proud of myself for doing it!!

It was a great reminder of what I know deep down and sometimes forget to practice – taking time (or stealing time as I sometimes think of it) is truly important for us all.

Left to my own devices, I can become a bit reclusive and shut myself away from the world, and the more I do it, the harder it becomes to not do it. But all of that makes it all the more empowering when I do something at odds with my natural tendency and step out into the light and reconnect with myself & the world at large.

[note to self: taking time for me helps to put more life in my days – which has to be a #1 lifegoal]

What do you do to take time? How do you reconnect with your soul? Would love to know Jx

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welcome to take time retreats

take time retreats

I launched take time retreats earlier this year as a means to create and hold space for women, like me, who sometimes forget how important it is to do this for ourselves.

I have spent the past 22 years working in all areas of health & fitness, starting as an exercise to music instructor, moving onto the gym floor, into leisure management, back to the gym, and 7 years ago into my own personal training and massage therapy business.

My thinking has evolved in that time along with my own fitness regime, which has softened and become more holistic in recent years. Instead of always pushing myself to the limits I now understand the value of time spent with my feet up the wall!

Take time retreats has been growing in my head for several years and I am really excited to bring it to you.

We offer busy women the chance to take time for themselves, with mindful movement, amazing food, plenty of time to catch up on sleep in our luxurious en-suite bedrooms, a creative focus, and the opportunity to reconnect through sound and massage therapy.

These are all elements that I have found to be truly important in my life, in helping me to manage my own mental health and learn to listen to my heartbeat, and I can’t wait to share them with you Jx