Arrive Saturday 3rd June
Leave Saturday 10th June 2023
Retreat Information
LOCATION: Los Salesianos Retreat Centre, Muchavista Beach, El Campello, Alicante, Spain
FLIGHTS: Fly into Alicante Airport
ACCOMMODATION: Single room en suite +air-con +wifi
FOOD: Half Board with special diet options (+pack lunches if required for beach)
CLASSES:
- Morning 11- 1pm – Mindfulness & Spiritual Wellbeing with John
- Afternoons 2.30 – 4.30pm Soul & Nature with Eileen Pugh
- Evening Trips to Alicante Old Town & Cathedral, Altea Artist Centre, Gold Mountain Walk, Caves of Canelobre, Local Market in Campello
1-1s Optional available every afternoon
- Massage, Reiki
- (Most treatments are €50 per hour)
- Yoga on the beach
Airport: Pick up and drop off (if your airport pickup or dropoff is outside of normal working hours there is a €25 surcharge)
Extra Time: You can book extra time at the retreat centre B&B, half or full board after the retreat ends if you want to stay longer
Retreat Centre Accommodation & Costs
- Accommodation / wi-fi / aircon / Single en-suite Room
- Shared TV Lounge Room
- Café / Bar on Grounds – walks on grounds
- All meals are Spanish with lots of food options
- Retreat Centre is attached to school
- (kids will be in playground at certain times nearby in the mornings)
- 1 Minute walk to beach
- On Tram Stop (Los Salesianos)
- 1-1 treatments of massage or energy healing can be arranged on site
- Fees include airport pickup and drop off, Half Board Accommodation, All Classes and Workshops
- Not Included: Flights and Evening Meal
- Investment Cost per Person €950
- A Deposit of €300 secures your place!
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Average Temperatures
Venue Location
Any questions?
Please feel free to email Eileen Pugh at eileenpugh1@hotmail.com
€€€ Click here to access our Payments Screen €€€
Hi I’m Eileen Pugh, my background is in Applied Spirituality, Retreat Facilitator and Supervisor, I have been working with groups for 32 years.
My beloved husband Derek, my soulmate died in April 2020 from Bowel Cancer at the age of 56. We had been together for 39 years, and have four beautiful Adult Daughters and six adorable Grandchildren.
“Love is Eternal” and “The Universe is our Teacher”, Derek’s words continue to console me. I was propelled into an inner world overwhelmed with grief, a world I had no idea how to Live in without him. I was the first among my generation in my family and friends to be widowed. I was devastated and continue to grieve our lives each day but now with Hope and Courage. I wrote poetry, took one day at a time and embraced all the good hours. I could find no Retreats specifically for Widowed People.
I changed direction in September 2021 to focus specifically on workshops about Death Dying and Grief and then specifically for Soul & Nature Retreats for Widowed People. Death Dying and Grief can be taboo for so many, I felt it was vital to raise awareness having been through the deepest and most transformative experience of my life. The awkwardness, avoidance and secondary losses I encountered affected me. I needed to find Soul-friends “Anam Cairde” who understood what I was going through. I knew if I needed this so must others as well. Together we are Better. “Better Days Are Coming” by Dermot Kennedy was our Theme Song. Grief has no ending, it is Spiral, people came to me ranging from months to seventeen years on their Grief path.
Our grief is different to other grief and I realised only those of us who have the personal experience can get it. Our Souls yearn for connection. Grief has taught me our capacity for love expands around our grief in ways I couldn’t have imagined. Nature has been my inspiration and healing. I ran the first Soul & Nature Weekend Retreat in December 2021, at The Dominican Retreat House in Tallaght Village, many beautiful broken hearts showed up. The tranquil healing space, walled gardens and being together nourished each one of us. The experience and deep connection and friendships made had a profound impact on the whole group. A space where our stories were warmly received, our loved one’s names are spoken freely, our grief shared and honoured. Tears, joy and laughter shared as we restore and try to rebuild and find meaning through our journey together.
Death and dying teaches our souls so much about Living, the Cycle of Life. Here we choose courage to heal our pain, so that we do not transmit it. Like sunflowers we can face The Light and befriend The shadows, when there is no light, we can turn to each other for support. Our sessions included poetry, song, dance, mindful walks in The retreat house gardens, clay and meditation, Self-care, energy or holistic massage, mindful craft. Everything was optional and by invitation, in a safe and nurturing space.
This gave me the courage to bring a group to Spain for one week Soul & Nature Retreat with my long-time friend and wonderful co facilitator John Doherty. John facilitated on previous Applied Spirituality programmes I had run alongside Derek. They also studied together for two years. The connections came full circle. Nature invites healing, and in El Campello, Alicante, Spain the location is ideal for all of the activities: mindful attention in the mountain, wild flower strolls, or by the miles of sea in both directions. Here our Theme song became “Cover me in Sunshine and tell me everything will be alright” by Pink.
I thoroughly enjoyed John’s sessions as I knew I would from previous experience, his humour, deep loving disposition and skill with groups in mindfulness, healing and restoring has me looking forward to 2023 already! Working together with John and his beautiful Spanish wife Maria who facilitated a powerful session in her SEN Centre, and offered 1-1 treatments to the group each afternoon as well as joining us for some excursions was a wonderful experience.
Hi, I’m John Doherty and my background is in Mindfulness, Healing, Spirituality, Spiritual Development, Psychology, Spiritual Counselling, and Supervision. Coming from a life where I experienced much emptiness, depression, and rejection I have spend my time looking for answers, healing and freedom from suffering. I emersed myself in the world of therapy, spiritual development (in many traditions) and healing hoping something might rub off. To that end I now offer what I have learned to others in the hope it might help them as it helped me.
It was a real privilege to co-facilitate and organise the Soul and Nature Retreat with Eileen Pugh in El Campello, Alicante, Spain. I had fond memories of Eileen and Derek from so many years ago working and studying together. The work with Eileen flowed so well and we co-created such a beautiful, healing and safe space for everyone. Maria Jesus my wife also contributed to this with 1-1 Massage, Energy healing and Journeying in her centre SEN, along with some great excursions, restaurants and the restoring energy of the sun, beach and mountains. I look forward the next retreat and walking alongside all the people who join us.