The solstices and equinoxes have long been important anchor points in the year – moments of orientation and reflection. In that pivoting point within the solar cycle there is a pause, which for me often holds both celebration and some mourning or letting go of what the previous season has brought – before moving ahead again with intentionality. This year, I look forward to marking those natural moments of pause with quarterly retreat days at the beautiful Sauchie Home Farm, in the spacious hills just south of Stirling.

These retreat days can offer the richness of actual silence in the shared meditation spaces with other practitioners, alongside the nourishment of guided mindful compassion practices and evocative poems. We’ll start the day by arriving into the circle together and harvest together at the end, with breaks in silence and a potluck feast of shared lunch. In between, we can also immerse ourselves in the re-wilding land around the farm itself, witness the changes from season to season as we walk the labyrinth or listen to the murmering of Sauchie burn.

For this spring equinox, when everything is quickening, let’s see how we can wake up to what’s stirring itself within and around us, freshly witnessing the miraculous aliveness of it all. Maybe we can get a flavour of what ee cummings meant when he wrote

now the ears of my ears are awakened
now the eyes of my eyes are opened

………………………………………………………………………

Practicalities
Dates: 9.30 arrival for a 10am – 5pm retreat day 14 March, 27 June, 12 September and 12 December 2026
Location: Sauchie Home Farm, Stirling FK7 9QJ, with lift-share options available
For: people with an established meditation practice
Cost per day: sliding scale according to your available resources of £60-£50-£40. If you want to commit to all four days, the sliding scale is £210-£175-£140. If the price is an obstacle to you joining these retreat days, please get in touch!
Book by emailing me at kristine.m.janson@gmail.com.

Things to bring: your own meditation cushion/stool if you like, warm clothes for practising outside and something for a vegan/vegetarian lunch to share.