Sweat and Serenity is a rejuvenating and reviving spring retreat held on the banks of the river Thames. Returning for its sixth year,  one of our most popular retreats opens its heart again for 2026.

Using a spectrum of carefully and thoughtfully curated ancient and modern cleansing techniques, this intimate gathering will enable you to shed outer layers of stress and strife, revealing your pure nature within. 

Over the weekend you will have the unique opportunity to participate in a traditional sweat lodge ceremony, hosted in a specially designed sacred hazel pole dome and led by experienced leaders with chanting and shamanic drumming. A rare opportunity to experience this transformative practice in the rolling nature of the Thames Valley.

This retreat is for those who want to remove all barriers to lasting serenity. Release what is not serving you through the cleansing power of the fire and supportive ceremonial strength of the sweat lodge. Discover the obstacles facing your unique Ayurvedic constitution when you sit to meditate and how to best combat them for lasting inner peace. Move forward into summer with a fresh perspective and new grounding in your whole self.

There will be reviving yoga practices and wild swimming in the glistening river waters. Guided meditations with ancient trees and mindful journeying through the intuitive artistry of words will show you the way to reconnect with your divine nature. The resonance of spirit mantra will restore and replenish you, and storytelling and singing by the campfire will give you the heartwarming gift of community connection. 

We will be eating fresh, organic, locally grown plant based meals lovingly prepared according to Ayurvedic principles. As much as possible of our gorgeous fruit and veg will come from Tolhurst Organic farm, based on site, who use stock free farming to produce the lowest possible carbon footprint, cruelty free food. Their work is truly inspiring and aligned with our ethos of re-connecting and re-aligning with mother nature to live in more harmony.

The retreat begins on Friday evening 22nd May and ends on bank holiday Monday morning 25th May 2026.

Camper vans & caravans are welcome, dogs must stay at home! 

This retreat is free from drugs, alcohol or intoxicants which cloud the mind.

Surround yourself with hundreds of year old trees, wild flower meadows, stunning scenery, magical sunset views, wonderful wildlife & your community.

The lodge during the retreat will be hosted by Buzzard Medicine.

It is an honour to be able to share this sacred ceremony with you in such beautiful organic surroundings. The lodge calls you to gather in circle to honour our ancestors, our grandmother the earth, the sacred fire, grandfather rocks, water and air - bringing them together to create a powerful cleansing medicine. 

This traditional lodge is made from bent hazel poles, smudged and blessed and covered with blankets and insulated to make a dome. Special stones that have been heated in a wood fire are brought inside and herbs and water are applied to release an aromatic cleansing vapour. Participants engage in several cycles of sweating and chanting with the opportunity to rest and cool down in between each cycle.

The lodge has a strong purification and transformative power for many people; so do give yourself time after the lodge to integrate. The lodge is a powerful place for prayers and healing. 

We advise drinking lots of water on the day before the lodge so that you are well hydrated. Water will be available during the day. We ask that you refrain from any recreational drugs or alcohol for at least 72 hours before and after the ceremony. 

The sweat lodge is a powerful ceremony and can help in healing processes but it is good to check with your health professional if you are concerned about any medical conditions - in particular heart conditions, high blood pressure, migraines, pregnancy, panic attacks, claustrophobia, strong back pain, diabetes, asthma or breathing difficulties, mental health issues or drug addiction.

We hope to be able to accommodate all who are interested & feel drawn to come together as a community.  

We have tickets available for the Full  Retreat: Friday evening - Monday afternoon which are limited in numbers to facilitate deep experience cleanse, rest and reconnection as a community.

Your Tickets include:

4 Day immersion into sacred lands and your beautiful self!

✔️ All 4 days of the retreat.

✔️ Sweat Lodge Ceremony

✔️ All activities, classes and workshops.

✔️ Delicious Ayurvedic food: Friday dinner, 3 meals a day on Saturday to Sunday and breakfast and lunch on Monday. A selection of hot drinks will be available throughout the day.

✔️ Ground for your own tent.

For those who would like to combine the fun of the retreat and karma of the service we have few Seva Tickets. These tickets are designed for those who enjoy getting involved in the running of the retreat by giving the core crew a hand with whatever is needed to be done on the day, or those who can't afford the full price of the tickets but still want to come.  If you’re keen to be involved, please click here to complete our online application.

The tickets can be booked in the Available Packages section below. 

Our retreat takes place in a secluded and serene riverside setting on a community run rural estate in the Thames Valley. Surrounded by lush green forests with ancient oaks, rare wildflower meadows with astounding biodiversity and the glistening waters of the upstream Thames, this unique location is easy to get to, yet feels deeply held in wild nature.

All accommodation is in our secluded riverside campsite. There is fresh water available, hot shower cabin, riverside sauna, composting toilets, and a sparkling river to swim in! Additional flush toilets are right next to the camping field.

Workshops are held in an open structures, and out in the meadows and forests to truly experience immersive nature.

Hardwick estate is only 40 minutes by train from London (Paddington), and just 20 minutes by car from Junction 12 on the M4.  Easily accessible from the main transport hubs at Reading, yet set in the rolling countryside of the Chilterns AONB, Hardwick is ideally located for a weekend getaway of peace and tranquility.

By Air

The closest airport is London Heathrow - LHR - which is only a 1 hour car journey from the retreat venue. There are direct train and coach services from LHR to Reading, our closest city. From Reading it is a a seven minute onward train journey to Pangbourne, our closest village or a 20 minute taxi or car journey to the retreat venue.

By Train/Taxi

There are direct trains to Pangbourne, our closest village, from London (40 minutes) , Reading (7 minutes) and Didcot Parkway (20 minutes). From Pangbourne it is a 40 minute walk or a 10 minute taxi or car ride to the retreat venue. We give out some local taxi numbers in our booking confirmation, and we recommend you make a reservation with them for your journey if you plan to travel this way - we are in a rural location so they do not wait by the station and there is no Uber!  

By Car

The retreat venue is just 20 minutes by car from Junction 12 on the M4, halfway between London and Bristol.

If you have a spare seat in your car and are happy to share a ride, or if you need a lift to the gathering, join the link to the our retreat community WhatsApp group.

We will welcome you to our beautiful location between 3-5pm. There will be time to settle and orientate, put up your tents and relax into your space before we gather. 

On the first evening we will talk a little bit about your ayurvedic self, and how that will help shape your practice over the retreat. We will then enjoy our first meal together before holding the opening circle around the camp fire.

As we settle in, grounding deeper into ourselves and the land surrounding us we will take the opportunity to embrace the earth element through song around the evening fire. Offering a musical space for connection with the trees that fuel the fire and produce the seeds for growth and life’s cycle of endings and beginnings.

*You are welcome to participate in the program as much or as little as you would like. This is a sample itinerary and subject to change. 

Dive straight in with a refreshing wild swim in the river Thames as we wake.

Revived from the waters we will flow into a morning yoga practice, focused on awakening the body and introducing yogic cleansing techniques.

After breakfast we will head to the sweat lodge to spend the day in ceremony and sweat.

Returning bathed by the cleansing fire from the sweat lodge,  a restorative meal will be served. There will then be an opportunity for rest, or to explore the gorgeous surroundings during some free time.

We circle back together to chant Om in a powerful mantra meditation, deeply embodying the earth's vibration.

Our evening around the campfire brings you music and songs that reflect the element of water and its ability to cleanse us, to shed old layers and embody a fresh perspective, making way for renewal. Appreciating the movement and fluidity of water, its tidal rhythms and how this transpires through the body and the healing powers of sound.

*You are welcome to participate in the program as much or as little as you would like. This is a sample itinerary and subject to change. 

Another unique opportunity to experience the cleansing water of the Thames, as we wild swim when we wake.

The morning yoga practice will awaken the body and build on the yogic cleansing techniques learnt the previous day.

After breakfast we will delve into the topic of how our daily habits and routine can serve the process of cleansing and rejuvenation. Called dinacharya in the yogic texts, this important and fundamental ayurvedic tool may look different for each of us depending on our constitution, but is a vital first step in bringing about daily wellness. Try out the different recommendations to see how clean and cleansed you feel!

We rest and relax over a shared ayurvedic lunch, lovingly comprised of carefully chosen cleansing ingredients.

In the afternoon we walk to sit with one of the many ancient oaks on the land at Hardwick, tapping into their innate and profound serenity with a guided tree meditation. Breathe with these immense and timeless beings, and use their radiant energy to bring you to a state of deep connection and oneness.

There will be time for dinner and rest.

Gathering around the fire in the evening to find our own unique and natural conclusion to our journey, as we branch and flourish into our full being through the medium of story and song. Embodying the element of fire with its warmth, light and energy and its power to transform matter to ashes through flames and embers, we will reflect on the ashes we wish to leave behind and the embers we intend to carry forward.

*You are welcome to participate in the program as much or as little as you would like. This is a sample itinerary and subject to change. 

We start the day with the third morning swim of the retreat to wash away the layers you have shed during this cleansing weekend.

Our final morning yoga session will bring our awareness deeply into our bodies, mind and beyond with the last instalment of your introduction to yogic cleansing.

After breakfast we will reflect on our experience and intentions going full circle back to our daily lives. We expect the closing circle to end around 11.30am, after which time you will be invited to pack down your belongings and begin your journeys back to your homes, resting in the freshness of your new self.

*You are welcome to participate in the program as much or as little as you would like. This is a sample itinerary and subject to change. 

Sophia Efthimou

Sophia is a musician, singer, composer, arranger, teacher, vocal coach, choir leader and beautiful human. Her work is all about supporting people to find an authentic and embodied relationship with their voice - to experience the truth of ourselves as resonant beings within a vibrational world, supporting a deep remembering, and ancient sense of belonging.

Over the last 17 years, she has founded 4 community choirs, facilitated workshops at festivals, weddings, funerals and corporate events across the UK, Europe and the US, led singing holidays in Turkey and Italy, and created 'Embodied Song Retreats'. At these trainings, she shares her wealth of experience, inspiring others to develop their ability to hold space for harmony singing.

She runs the Hackney Harmony Choir in London and Zu Choir in Lewes, along with her wildly popular online choir sessions. She organises and teaches Song Leader trainings in Wales and France and will be hosting sound and embodied movement retreats in the UK and Switzerland this year.

Sophia will be holding space for us each evening at Sweat and Serenity, taking us on a musical journey of participative voice, performance, song and harmony throughout the retreat. What a fantastic addition to our team!

Sophia says, 'We are sound makers. We are vibration. We are resonant beings. When we sound, every cell vibrates, when we sing, every cell is singing. Through our voice we meet the world, through our song our soul meets life,

singing together our hearts meet each other. I have complete faith in the human potential for healing and empowerment through connection to the earth, our own hearts and each other. My prayer is that we all rediscover and reclaim our innate nature as a sound beings and music makers.'

Andy Jupp

Andy Jupp is a father, gardener and sweatlodge leader. Buzzard Medicine is a sweatlodge ceremony that has been gifted from Canada and the Sundance.

By using indigenous teachings together with song, prayer, water, fire, rock and air a holistic healing medicine is created which touches the four parts of us, mental, emotional, physical and spiritual.

He has been working in these ways for 12 years and this ceremony has now been well established in the spirit of this land at Hardwick. Andy is grateful to be able to offer and sharing this sacred ceremony with you.

Karen Buckland

Crafting beautiful, nourishing and heartfelt food is Karen's way of fulfilling her highest purpose. Serving people with joyful, nutritious meals made from earth-kind plant ingredients, is honouring the abundant and sensuous gifts of the planet's divine nature.

Karen spent many years at the top of the restaurant industry working as a Head Chef in London running fine-dining kitchens, and successful event catering businesses at large events getting top reviews in Guardian and other media. Using this experience combined with a keen interest in holistic health and environmental sustainability, along with an understanding of Ayurvedic approaches to cookery and diet, Karen weaves the alchemy of food to make your whole self feel more vibrant, more alive, and more healed.

Karen is a co-founder of Sadhama, running wellbeing retreats throughout the year and teaching online courses and classes.

Kiranjot

Kiran means the ray of sunlight, and jot means to hold. For the past 16 years, that's exactly what Kiranjot has been doing with her yogic practice - helping people better navigate life’s challenges, maintain vibrant energy, and cultivate ease in their relationships. 

The yoga Kiranjot teaches provides emotional support, healing, and empowerment, enabling people to recognise their inner strength and lean into the courage required to navigate change and create a happier, healthier life with more inner peace. 

Specialising in Kundalini yoga, this accessible practice that Kiranjot teaches is perfect for the spring cleansing we undertake at Sweat and Serenity. Tried and tested kriyas, each with a clear directional focus, the clarity of consciousness it gifts help us make more aligned and empowered decisions for ourselves. 

Join us and Kiranjot in guiding you into a deeper connection with your divine vessel, your body and joining the dots between your heart, mind, and spirit. 

Dmitry Glazkov

Dmitry has been teaching yoga, meditation and breathwork for a decade. He shares a deep and powerful toolkit of techniques, drawing from Yogic traditions, as well as concepts of meditation and mindfulness taught by Buddhas.

Dmitry has undergone teacher training in Hatha and Kundalini and as an Ayurvedic practitioner and Pancha Karma facilitator. He dedicated himself to studying and practising Satipatthana Vipassana through sitting extended silent retreats and teaching at a Vipassana centre in Thailand.

He is passionate about studying the original texts to get to the ultimate and authentic sources of knowledge. By highlighting the fundamental and infinite number of characteristics which make each one of us unique, practices taught by Dmitry are tailored, bespoke and deeply transformative for each individual, as they connect with their true nature.

Dmitry is a co-founder of Sadhama, running wellbeing retreats throughout the year and teaching online courses and classes.