Why I Chose Laurel Park: A Place of Transformative Rest

When I first visited Laurel Park back in June 2019, it was after a recommendation from friends who described it as a peaceful spot in Lincolnshire — quiet, clean, and wonderfully child-friendly. I was looking for somewhere close to home where I could slow down for a few days and breathe more deeply. When I arrived, I knew straight away there was something special about the place.

At that time, Emma and Andy had only recently taken ownership, and the yoga barn hadn’t yet been created. It was simple but already beautiful — a landscape that felt held, cared for, and full of possibility. The air was still, the fields wide, the skies enormous. Even then, before it became the haven it is now, I could feel that Laurel Park had a rare kind of peace threaded through it.

That first visit holds such happy memories for me — campfires, laughter, and long summer evenings that seemed to stretch on forever. When we returned in July 2020, camping was one of the few holidays that still felt possible in the middle of Covid. The world felt uncertain and constricted, but here, there was space again. You could feel how the place was growing — new touches, thoughtful improvements — and I remember thinking how lucky we were to have found somewhere that felt so grounding and safe. I hadn’t yet begun my yoga teacher training then, but the seed of that next step was already quietly planted.

My next visit was a solo one, in September 2021, when I’d started my YTT journey. I booked myself onto a weekend yoga retreat with Emma — a gift to myself, a pause in the middle of all the learning and doing. That weekend changed something in me. Laurel Park was closed to campers and open only for the retreat group, and the energy was completely still. The noise of everyday life seemed to drop away, and I could finally hear my own thoughts. I journalled, I rested, I practised, and I allowed myself to simply be. That weekend became a turning point — the moment I understood how essential rest and stillness are to transformation.

When I think of Laurel Park now, I instantly feel calm, happy, and hopeful. It has become, for me, a place of healing, rest, and creativity. The landscape itself seems to mirror that feeling of transformative rest — soft, spacious, and unhurried. The wide Lincolnshire skies remind you how small your worries are, how much room there is to breathe. At night, the stars are incredible — bright, steady points of light scattered across the vast dark. I’ve sat by the fire, and I’ve floated in the hot tub, both times gazing up in awe at the same expansive sky. The soundscape is part of the magic too — the rustle of leaves, the distant call of owls, the quiet hum of nature all around.

The accommodation is just as thoughtful as the landscape. Luxurious but simple, warm and cocooning. The beds are soft and inviting, the communal areas cosy and beautifully kept. It’s always a toss-up between curling up under a blanket to chat around the fire or retreating early with a book to read in bed. Even the showers and washrooms feel like part of the retreat — clean, comfortable, and far from the rough-and-ready camping you might expect.

Laurel Park has brought me closer to nature and to rest in ways I couldn’t have imagined years ago. It’s taught me that rest isn’t laziness or escape — it’s a return. When we step away from the noise, we find ourselves again. That’s exactly what I want to offer through my Transformational Rest retreat next July: a space where other women can come to feel the same deep exhale I’ve felt here so many times.

This land, this sky, this gentle, unpretentious beauty invites you to slow down, soften, and

rediscover your own rhythm. Laurel Park feels sacred to me, not in a grand or formal sense, but in the quiet, personal way that certain places simply are. I can’t imagine a more perfect setting for this first weekend retreat, and I can’t wait to share it with the women who choose to come. A huge thank you to Emma and Andy of Laurel Park and Learn Live Give for everything they have created and continue to create.

If your heart is calling for rest — the kind that doesn’t just refill your cup but transforms the way you move through life — I would love to welcome you to Transformational Rest at Laurel Park next July. Come and experience the peace of this beautiful place for yourself. Find all the details and booking information here: here: https://www.sjholisticyoga.co.uk/transformational-rest-2026

I have 5 spaces available at the time of writing, you can secure yours with a £150 deposit and the remainder is payable in April 2026.