Welcome to That 'Retreat Feeling'

"Through early childhood trauma and illness from an early age I began to understood the immense healing powers of the body and mind and the innate ability to heal itself if given half a chance. This discovery has led me to a deep and lifelong journey through the layers of  human experience. 

 

During my adolescence the pain of childhood trauma caught up with me, I lost touch with the natural truth and beauty of nature, using the many distractions available to ease my pain including alcohol and the party scene. I was living a fast paced life that wasn’t in alignment with my heart, I was ‘acting out’ and projecting the appearance that everything was ok and was living the dream but inside I was screaming for help, living for the next high, the next material object or person to make me happy, the next great job or fairy tale relationship - this of course was an illusion, hiding fear, anger and anxiety. 

 

There were two pivotal moments in my life the first was the birth of my daughter Ella who due to birth complications during labour acquired a brain injury which led to cerebral palsy. This was a wake up call like no other, I embarked on a rich but extremely murky journey of discovery into unknown territory. I needed to find ways to support Ella’s physical and mental needs plus my own and fast as I was spiralling into a pit of despair pretty quickly -  it was time to revisit the ways of my Grandmother who had shown me the medicine in plants and the wisdom of nature in her Sussex garden where I grew up but I wasn't quite there yet.

 

Ellasfield was born during the early years of Ella’s life as a safe haven for her young friends and their families to learn Conductive Education, an educational system based on the work of Hungarian Professor András Petö that I had found whilst trawling the internet for ways to help Ella, we came together in a loving and positive environment to help the children’s physical needs and to shift the focus on what they could achieve not what the 'system' said they couldn't, it was also a chance for us parents and care givers to feel in community and that we weren't all going mad!

 

After several more years I reached a personal health crisis that was the final wake up call my body was asking me to listen to. After checking myself into a detox clinic I read the most powerful yet simple book by Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hann, this reignited my path to finding my joy and living the life I was meant to.  The first step was finding a wonderful mentor and guide who provided the right ingredients for me to develop my sense of safety in humans and trust again.  Our feelings of safety and belonging can often be fractured during our early years of development but through her never ending patience I qualified as a Reiki Master in 2012 which was the journey I had started over  30 years prior but had laid dormant like a seed in the earth waiting for the right conditions for growth.  After completing my Mindfulness and Meditation Teacher training in 2013 I felt I needed to forge a deeper connection with myself and my body, after googling ‘Gentle  Yoga’ I found the beautiful Cat Meffan who’s down to earth teachings gave me the helping hand I needed, I came to my yoga mat daily and started to cultivate  a kindness towards myself I had never felt before. 

 

Through this shift of direction I took a deep breath into the unknown gathering many tools - from spending time at a Buddhist monastery, delving deep into Vipasssana meditation, traversing through ancient shamanic initiations and completing yoga teacher training. 

 

During this time Ellasfield evolved from opening it’s doors to the many families looking for a positive outlook and a place to feel at home, into a Retreat and Yoga Centre where we welcome solo travellers, couples or small groups a place of genuine kindness where you will remember how to find joy and re connect with nature and yourself. I have a special place in my heart for working with the mother and daughter relationship as they move through times of transition, such as puberty, adolescence or simply navigating life together. 

 

Although we have evolved over the years the heart of Ellasfield beats exactly as it did over 17 years ago, offering a safe and heart felt space to recoup, recharge and find peace at last. 

 

I have taken a special interest in how our life stories and deepest wounds are stored within the body and through finding mentors and teachers we trust the process of healing deep rooted pain can begin, to realign us with a sense of stability and trust deep within our core we can let go of old programs, unhealthy habits and lifestyles that no longer serve us. There are no mistakes, each of our storylines are structured to give us the highest education – a unique, genius script, never to be retold. 

My highest purpose is to be of service to people, plants, animals, minerals – all the beings, to use wisdom found in the depths and darkness, to assist others into the light."

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Love Kim and Ella x