Float and Ground in Somerset August 2026

  • Inspire and expand your practice

    The brief:

    20th - 23rd August 2026

    Join myself and fellow teacher Oceana Mariani as we soak up some Summer sun on a nourishing four day (three night) retreat in Somerset, England.

    We’re often described as a yin and yang pair. What connects us is a sense that yoga is about learning to inhabit both qualities equally. Effort and ease. Lightness and heaviness. Strength and softness. Across the retreat, we’ll explore these polarities through yoga and somatic practice; not as opposites, but as experiences to move between fluidly.

    Mornings will be a little more dynamic though friendly to all levels and abilities - building clarity, warmth, and attention. Expect some workshops and free time to just be, then evenings will soften into slower, quieter practices that offer us a space to settle, listen, and integrate. The intention isn’t to arrive anywhere in particular, but to spend time in a more attentive relationship with our bodies, our experiences, and each other

  • Our wish for this weekend is to provide a soft landing for your body and mind. To create a space that allows you to slow down and pour into yourself for a few days. While on retreat there'll be time for both activity and quietness, alone time as well as connection.

    Whether you’ve been practicing yoga for years, a few months or, if we’ve never met before and you don’t have any experience at all - we warmly welcome you to join us on retreat. We know there is so much for you to gain from this experience. 

    This retreat is for you if:

    • You need time to unwind, relax and rejuvenate

    • You could use a digital detox and/or a dose of nature

    • You have a yoga practice and would like to deepen your embodied understanding

    • You’re new to yoga, but open-minded about what it can do for you

    • You want to feel more at home in your body

    • You’re looking to re-connect with yourself 

    • You want to experience positive connections with others 

    • You want to experience the peace, stillness and creativity of a relaxed mind

    Please email us if you have any questions about whether this retreat is right for you.

  • Set quietly between rolling fields and soft limestone hills, Norton St Philip carries a sense of time that doesn’t rush. The village unfolds in warm honey-coloured stone, its cottages gathered along winding lanes as if shaped by centuries of footsteps rather than design.

    There is a softness to the landscape here. Fields open gently rather than dramatically, stitched together by dry stone walls and narrow paths that invite wandering. It is a place that doesn’t ask to be seen all at once, but to be noticed - slowly, and in parts.

    At its heart stands the imposing silhouette of Church of St Philip and St James, its tower rising above the hedgerows. Nearby, the long, low form of The George Inn leans into the road, its timbered frame and uneven floors holding the quiet residue of travellers, conversations, and winters that have passed through its rooms.

    Next door you’ll find your destination: The Malthouse. Our home while on retreat.

    Originally raised in service of its neighbouring Grade I listed pub, this building carries the quiet imprint of centuries of use and adaptation. Inside, the structure reveals itself through details: oak roof trusses rising in an ‘A’ frame, a worn archway once wide enough for carts and coaches to pass; a narrow turret staircase turning upward in its own rhythm. The stone-tiled roof settles overhead in diminishing courses, while in one corner, an inglenook fireplace fills the space with warmth.

    More recently, the building has been carefully restored by the award-winning architectural practice Knox Bhavan, its historical character preserved without being fixed in time. What emerges is not a static monument, but a softened, considered interior that will offer us a place to land, rest, and unfold ourselves while on retreat.

  • Travel to and from Norton St Phillip (we can help plan)

    Travel insurance (recommended)

    Excursions or day trips

    Alcoholic beverages or fizzy drinks

    Extra food, drinks or any entry fees while out and about

    Please bring your own yoga mat

  • Although we are offering a full retreat programme, there will be down time for you to use however you'd like. Some options for outings include:

    Take a stroll through the local village

    Visit the 14th-century church of St Philip and St James and explore the picturesque surroundings in Church Mead

    Challenge someone to a game of table tennis at the manor

    Take a country side walk through the parish

    Explore the Roman city of Bath, where you’ll find the Royal Crescent, Pulteney Bridge, the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, Thermae Bath Spa and, the museums and theatres of Bath (20 mins drive)

    Stroll through the picturesque town of Frome (20 mins drive)

    Visit Longleat House and Safari Park (20 mins drive)

    Visit a nearby village such as Corsham (30 mins drive), Lacock (35 mins drive), or Castle Combe (40 mins drive)

    Take a trip to the Wookey Hole caves (40 mins drive)

    Visit Stone Henge (40 mins drive)

    Drive to Cheddar Gorge (50 mins drive)

  • Norton Saint Philip is a quaint village, easily accessible by road and well-connected by excellent rail links.

    BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Bath is the nearest railway station served by frequent direct trains from London’s Paddington station (75 mins travel time). From Bath a direct bus (D2) will drop you off at Norton St Philip (30 mins travel time), or you could hire a taxi (20 mins travel time).

    BY CAR: It takes around 3.5 hrs to drive to Norton St Philip from London via the M3 and A303. Parking is provided on site.

People gathered on a lush green lawn outside a historic stone house with a garden of colorful flowers under a blue sky.
Woman smiling with curly hair, sitting on a yoga mat, supporting her chin with her hands, in front of a large plant, with a large studio lamp in the foreground and a beige wall in the background.

Our Team

Echo is one of London’s most loved senior yoga teachers with over ten years of teaching experience. While she is known for her skilful and creative approach to asana, Echo’s teaching extends far beyond the physical practice. The depth of her offering is rooted in her lived experience and a profoundly authentic, contemporary understanding of yoga philosophy.

Echo Elliott

A young woman with brown hair and earrings is raising her arm, with her hand close to the camera, against a plain light background.

Oceana has been teaching yoga for the past nine years, since graduating from the Royal College of Art. She completed her advanced teacher training with ISHTA yoga in London and uses her practice to explore the intersections between tantric philosophy, the subtle body and somatic movement, completing my Feldenkrais practitioner training in 2024.

Oceana Mariani

A quaint village street with old stone houses, a sloped road, and colorful flowers on the left.
Living room with high vaulted ceiling featuring exposed wooden beams, a large window with curtains, comfortable seating including two armchairs with green pillows, a window seat with cushions, a flat-screen TV on a wooden stand, and a small round wooden coffee table, with greenery visible outside.
Living room with a lit wood stove, a brick chimney, and a built-in niche with candles. Adjacent room with sofas, large windows, and a high vaulted ceiling with exposed beams.
A cozy bedroom with a white bed, yellow pillows, and two bedside lamps. There are yellow curtains and a window with a bench, a fireplace, and a mirror.
A stone cottage with a small porch, wooden bench, and stacked firewood outside. The building has several windows and a tiled roof, with some plants near the entrance.

Our Rooms (August 2026)

A cozy hotel room with a large bed that has white sheets, red pillows, and a dark blue bedspread, a small bedside lamp, a wooden dresser with a mirror, a sitting chair by the window with blue cushions, and a patterned rug on a wooden floor, with exposed wooden beams on the ceiling.
A cozy bedroom with a white bed, yellow pillows, bedside lamps, a window seat with yellow cushions, and a colorful rug.
A neatly made bed with white bedding, decorative pillows with floral embroidery, a patterned throw blanket, beside two white nightstands with lamps, in a bright room with curtains and a window.
Cozy bedroom with a white bed, rolled towels, wooden ceiling, armchair, small table with lamp, fireplace, and window with curtains.

Large super king or shared twin room with shared bathroom on first floor.

At the end of the first floor landing, this is the primary bedroom (super king). Flooded with light from dual aspect windows, beautifully decorated, with an original fireplace (feature only) and window seat overlooking the courtyard and garden. There is an additional seating area just before the bedroom and the bathroom.

This room shares a large bathroom with ‘Damask.’

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

£1,080 early bird / £1,200 standard (single occupancy with shared bathroom)

Cartway (Sold out)

Spacious king or shared double bedroom with ensuite bathroom on ground floor.

‘Cartway’ (king) is just off the original arched cartway entrance as you come through the large wooden oak door. An easily accessible bedroom with its own ensuite, it has a wall-to-floor thick glass window looking onto the Cartway. There is the option to have the blind up or down for privacy.Thick curtains give it that cosy feeling. If you’d rather avoid the wooden turret staircase that connects the rest of the house, then this is the bedroom for you.

£891 early bird / £990 standard per person (shared occupancy with ensuite bathroom)

£1,125 early bird / £1,250 standard (single occupancy with ensuite bathroom)

Mulberry (Sold out)

Large king or shared twin room with shared bathroom on first floor

‘Damask’ (king) is at the front of the house, facing East to catch the morning light. This bedroom has a rather unusual bath stone cornice around what was once a door, as well as a feature fireplace and thick long curtains to keep the warmth in.

It shares an additional seating area just outside the bathroom, and a large bathroom with ‘Mulberry.’

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

£1,035 early bird / £1,150 standard (single occupancy with shared bathroom)

Paisley (sold out)

Shared twin room with shared bathroom on first floor

‘Paisley’ (super king) has views West and North over the garden and cobbled courtyard. The room is large and spacious with an original inglenook stone fireplace adorning the corner of the room. The bed will be split into two twins.

It shares a large bathroom (including a double walk-in shower and bath) with ‘Elephant.’

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

Damask (sold out)
Sign me up!
Two beds with white sheets and pink blankets in an attic bedroom with sloped ceiling and exposed wooden beams and windows.

Shared twin with shared bathroom on second floor

Leading on from Toile behind a heavy curtain and up a few steps, ‘Truss’ (twin) has a unique view of the ancient Malthouse roof structure through a floor to ceiling glass window. Original beams enrich the atmosphere of the whole of the top floor.

This room shares a bathroom with ‘Toile,’ which includes a bath and overhead shower.

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

Truss
A cozy attic bedroom with a bed, bedside lamps, wooden dresser, and small seating area by the window, featuring exposed wooden beams and white walls.
A bedroom with two beds share a nightstand, white bedding, and decorative pillows. A window with floral curtains is in the background, and there is a chair with cushions by the window. The room has wooden floors and minimal decoration.

Shared twin with shared bathroom on second floor

As you ascend the rope bannister to the second floor you’ll find ‘Toile’ (super king). A bedroom with views of the garden and surrounding countryside, including the church and Church Mead. Original beams enrich the atmosphere of the whole top floor. 

The bed will be separated into two twin beds. This room shares a bathroom with ‘Truss,’ which includes a bath and overhead shower.

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

Elephant

Shared twin with shared bathroom on first floor

‘Elephant’ (twin bedroom) is at the front of the house, facing East to catch the morning light.

It’s been named after the thick elephant fabric curtains which have been handmade and, is full of character with its ancient sloping floor.

It shares a large bathroom (including a double walk-in shower and bath) with ‘Paisley.’

£855 early bird / £950 standard per person (shared occupancy with shared bathroom)

Toile