Our 3 pillars  

Each of our retreats, day retreats and workshops combines the three strands of Fit, Food and Feel, to help you move forward to a happier and healthier way of life post-baby, in the midst of family chaos, and in the peri/menopause.

Get Fit 

FIT - At &Breathe, we believe in doing exercise right. That means we focus on proper form, functional fitness, and feeling good whilst you do it. It also means that unlike other fitness retreats, we take the time to get to know you before we launch into our tailored classes.

By doing this we enable you to rehabilitate properly and gain strength in the right way for your body and experience. Your childbirth or menopause experience and unique balance of hormones, plus how your body has recovered (or not) all make a massive difference to your fitness levels and how your body reacts to training.

We focus on rehabilitating your body, building strong foundations and growing strength - NOT “bouncing back”! Exercising mindfully and sustainably, whilst increasing load appropriately are key to ensuring you progress in a realistic way, which you can continue to build on when you return home.

Our team of expert Personal Trainers are all trained and (more importantly) experienced in pre-natal, post-natal and peri/menopause exercise, led by our brilliant Head PT, Caroline Bragg. As well as being minimum Level 3-qualified and holding the appropriate specialist training qualifications, our trainers complete &Breathe’s own training course.

We ask that all our female guests see a Women’s Health Physiotherapist for a pelvic floor and core check up pre-retreat so that we can incorporate those notes into the training programme. Male guests will also benefit from a check at a Physiotherapist before coming to retreat. All postnatal clients should receive 6-week postnatal GP sign-off before attending any &Breathe retreat. Very gentle rehabilitation exercise is possible before this point, but not the full &Breathe restorative and strength-building experience.

Eat Well

FOOD - When we’re tired and overwhelmed, and hormones are all over the place, we end up eating easy, processed and sugar-heavy foods. Which usually make you even more fatigued on the sugar crash, so you end up reaching for the biscuit tin again.

It’s a hard cycle to break, because the idea of cabbage soup or lettuce for months isn’t usually so appealing. But that’s not what &Breathe is about. Our EAT WELL philosophy is not about diet rhetoric or deprivation, it’s about eating proper, nutrient-dense food that will keep you full with the right nourishment. Nourishing yourself properly evens out those sugar rollercoasters, making sure you’re not on constant lookout for a Twix.

Our focus in on recipes that are delicious, healthy and easy to re-create. You’re not going to take any lessons home with you if menus are unrealistic, and we want to give you all the tools we can to continue building good habits when you get home. We work with nutritionists and guest chefs to bring you inspirational and meal plans, and our resource area means you can access them when you get home too!

Don't worry, we do know you're on holiday, so there's also a treat or three and wine with dinner.

Feel

Having a baby, going from one to two (or more) kids, juggling work/life/family/your own identity, and entering the peri/menopause are massive life stage moments and can be a real shock to the system, emotionally as well as physically.  

From your hormone fluctuations, body changes, and haywire metabolism to identity change/loss, relationship difficulties and keeping an eye on your mental wellbeing, it’s a trying time.

&Breathe cultivates a friendly, safe environment where everyone is going through the same thing - don't be shy!  The safe environment of &Breathe retreats is unlike any other family or menopause holiday, trust us, there’s no judgement here.

As well as time for you in our fitness and rehabilitation classes, you get the chance to truly relax with a divine massage, take some time for yourself whether that’s through childcare, or date night on family and postnatal retreats, or with some much needed peace and quiet to read, listen or think, on our menopause retreats.

We introduce gentle mindfulness and meditation techniques to the week via optional sessions - a chance to get to know your breath and focus on your mind. Our Resident Happiness Coach, Olivia Horne has created an &Breathe introduction to mindfulness course which all our guests can access both on and after the retreat too. We also work closely with our Resident Psychotherapist Dr Alex Kasozi on our retreat content and approach to guests to ensure they are appropriately sign-posted and given the right resources.

All guests get access to the &Breathe Club area - a password protected library of information and content that you can dig into whenever you want.

Wanna know more?