Rest to Rise Retreat 2026
“To rest is to prepare to give the best of ourselves”. David Whyte
What is the Rest to Rise Retreat?
This is a very gentle online retreat that takes you through nature poet David Whyte's five stages of rest with audio rest practices and optional live sessions. You can experience the retreat on your own or as part of a quiet group.
It supports us to honour mid-late winter and to wait for the first stirrings of Imbolc and Spring before rushing back out into the world. It encourages us to recognise the restoration, re-organization and re-birthing that occurs in the darker, quieter days of winter and the resting these longer nights ask of and for us .
Rest to Rise is run by GrowFree BY DONATION as a community-building and fundraising activity to support our purpose to make our trauma-informed, nature-based peer support, therapeutic community and education available to anyone who wants or needs it, regardless of the ability to pay. After administrative and digital costs, 50% of the proceeds will go directly into this.
Rest to Rise is for anyone who:
is interested in our natural and seasonal cycles and aligning themselves more closely with them
is keen to become a more rested and, therefore, more full version of themselves
is curious about or enjoys Nature Connection, Mindful Movement, Yoga Nidra, somatic inquiry and journeys into inner worlds and expanded consciousness.
would like five weeks of restfulness supported by David Whyte nature poet's five stages of rest (below), guided audio recordings, optional live sessions and all that this brings.
We'll journey through David Whyte's Five Stages of Rest from the collection Consolations - David Whyte:
the first state of rest is the sense of stopping, of giving up on what we have been doing or how we have been being.
the second, is the sense of slowly coming home, the physical journey into the body’s un-coerced and un-bullied self, as if trying to remember the way or even the destination itself.
the third state is a sense of healing and self-forgiveness and of arrival.
the fourth state, deep in the primal exchange of the breath, is the give and the take, the blessing and the being blessed and the ability to delight in both.
the fifth stage of deep rest and arrival is a sense of absolute readiness and presence, a delight in and an anticipation of the world and all its forms; a sense of being the meeting itself between inner and outer, and that receiving and responding occur in one spontaneous movement.
Meet The Rest to Rise 2026 Team
GrowFree brings together experienced guides and emerging practitioners to co-create fresh and evolving offerings
Emma B
Educator, Yoga Therapist & Somatic & Attachment Trauma Specialist
Trained in traditional yoga, trauma-informed practice and indigenous wisdom, Emma weaves yoga, somatic inquiry, story, sound, nature connection and plant medicine to support healing, creativity and connection. She co-founded the GrowFree Community to nurture new ways of living and being together.
Jon Cree
Ecological Educator, Mentor, Storyteller & Song-holder
Jon has spent a lifetime immersed in ecological literacy and nature connection. A passionate therapeutic storyteller, he has worked with children, young people and adults. Co-author of The Essential Guide to Nature Pedagogy, he is deeply rooted in trauma-informed nature-based wellbeing. He is loved and respected across the UK.
Sophie Darley
Certified Coach, Spiritual Mentor & Firewalk Facilitator
Aberdeen-based Sophie supports people to live with greater authenticity, purpose and meaning. Blending practical coaching with mind–body–spirit awareness, she offers gentle yet transformative individual and group experiences. Sophie will lead an in-person firewalk on Saturday 7 February, marking the transition from Resting to Rising.
Hazel McLaren
3 Principles Coach & I-heart Facilitator for Adults and Children
A co-founder at the GrowFree Community, Hazel specialises in helping people to shift from anxiety to peace, fear to love and wisdom. By helping them reconnect to these innate qualities and their inbuilt sense of security, she supports them into a more conscious and fulfilled life.
Nyx Cook
Breathwork & Life Coach
I help you rediscover the parts of yourself that may have been lost along the way. With a gentle, encouraging presence, I guide you through moments of uncertainty, offering supportive practices, reflection, and breathwork. Together we create a space where you feel safe, seen, and at ease—like talking to a trusted friend—so you can reconnect with your inner wisdom, clarity, and resilience.
Heidi Neal
Somatic Embodiment Coach, Nature Connection Practitioner & Therapeutic Mentor
As a somatic coach I guide people towards experiencing their situations and lives in new ways. I aim to help bring patterns and beliefs into consciousness to discover what might be holding people back and empower them to start living aligned with their values, vision and purpose.
Claire Abbott
Out Beyond Ideas - Practitioner & Coach for Creative Living
Claire is a creative community worker, arts practitioner, musician and Yoga teacher who helps people reconnect with themselves and their lives. She blends Yoga, the Arts and nature connection to open curiosity, and invite reflection through embodied, gentle, and creative practices.
Madeleine Besson
Artist & Intuitive Sound Healer
Madeleine channels light codes into all her creations, activating energy bodies at a cellular level. She works with sound to create activations, transmissions and meditations through her voice, light language and instruments. She's also a singer/songwriter, actor/writer/director & painter.
Nathalie Gaglione
Somatic Intimacy, Dating & Relationship Coach
A trauma-informed Somatic Intimacy Coach weaving nervous-system regulation, body-based healing, and soulful relational work. I help clients transform anxious or avoidant patterns, build emotional resilience, and experience intimacy with confidence, clarity, and ease, without bypassing the deeper layers that truly shape love.
Dates & Live Sessions
Rest to Rise dates and live sessions. You can join some of the live sessions individually by donation.
Saturday January 3rd 2026
Rest Practice 1 Released
The first audio Rest Practice is provided through email, WhatsApp and/or online platform along with guidance on Yoga Nidra with intention setting as a practice.
Sunday January 4th 2026 | 4-5.30 PM
Opening Circle & Wintering Well with Jon Cree
An early evening together online to open the retreat. We'll be tuning into the elements, whispers and patterning of the winter months as our guidance for this time of year. Jon will share his deep attunement with nature, love of poetry, insightful storytelling and enlightening meditations as we feel for and share our intentions for the retreat. This session is also accessible on its own.
VIA ZOOM.
Sunday January 4th to Thursday February 6th 2026
Rest to Rise Audios & Live Sessions
A new Rest to Rise Practice Audio will be released each Saturday during the 5 week retreat. The recommendation is to set aside 20-30 minutes each day to listen and practice deep rest.
There will be further exploration of the 5 stages of rest through optional live sessions - on Sundays and Wednesdays. A finale on-the-ground Firewalk Ritual is also being offered for those local to the north-east of Scotland.
⚪Wednesday 7 January 6-7.30pm - Slow Somatic Sanctuary with Emma B
⚫Sunday 11 January 4-5.30pm - Return To The Body: Attuning the Living Instrument with Madeleine Besson
⚪Wednesday 14 January 6–7.30pm - Yin Yoga & Mindful Mark Making with Claire Abbott
⚫Sunday 18 January 4-5.30pm - Feeling Your Emotions: A Somatic Journey with Nathalie Gaglione
⚪Wednesday 21st January 6-7.30pm - Living From the Inside Out: The Creative Wisdom of Inner Compassion with Hazel McLaren
⚫Sunday 25 January 4–5.30pm - When the Mind Softens, the Body Leads: A Breathwork Journey with Nyx Cook, The Breathwork Goddess
⚪Wednesday 28th January 6-7.30pm - In the Flow of Connection: Embodying Reciprocal Joy with Emma B
⚫Sunday 1 February 4–5.30pm - Feeling into your future through Embodied Visioning
with Heidi Neal⚪Wednesday 4th February 6-7.30pm - Closing Circle with Emma B + Available Practitioners
🟡Saturday 7th February 2-9pm tbc - A Ritual of Emerging Light Firewalk with Sophie Darley at The GrowFree Gathering & Growing Site.
What Have People Said?
Rest to Rise Feedback
This created such a safe bubble for me. I've never started the year so peacefully. It spilled noticeably into my creative practice.
Jacquie S
Artist
It was such an honour and pleasure to journey with this beautiful community in the quiet of late winter.
JC
Nature Practitioner
Yoga Nidra has become such an important practice for me since my first of two Rest to Rise Retreats. I realised just how little actual rest I was getting before that. My vitality is returning, my long term health condition is shifting and I have such a sense of belonging at GrowFree.
Lisa A
GrowFree Community Member
I joined the retreat through the audio practices only as I needed my own space and quiet. It was so powerful and I still felt held by within the retreat, knowing I was being guided and that there were others on the same journey.
GP
Mother, Yoga Teacher & Writer
This January I fully embraced the Rest to Rise principle in a way I haven’t been able to ‘winter’ before. I particularly benefitted from the meditations and in fact I really don’t know how I will cope without them in my life.
SR
Freelance Organisational Consultant
Rest to Rise is a total foundation for me. It's the part of GrowFree that really made the rest of the magic start to fall into place.
Allanah F
GrowFree Member & Media Creator
I am somebody who is always wanting to make the most of life (in spite of past trauma). I never realised how much I needed to just ‘stop’. I also realise that the impulsion to be busy, busy, busy, arose many years ago, really as a way to stop my brain kicking in with unwanted thoughts. Rest to Rise has actually shown me how exhausting that can be over time.
Susan
Charity Fundraiser
I got so much validation and permission from being part of Rest to Rise. It offered new permissions to me to take care of myself and was the start of creating a big difference in my life.
CG
Father & Financial Management
Choose Your Donation Package
Select a purchase option here or choose your own amount below.
Rest to Rise 2026 Empowered ALL IN £90
For £90, access all GrowFree Rest to Rise Retreat materials, online sessions, and the in-person Firewalk on Sat 1 Feb.
Thank you for your donation.
Rest to Rise 2026 Empowered £75
£75 gives you access to all materials and online sessions, supporting our admin and trauma-informed peer support work. Thank you!
Thank you for your donation.
Rest to Rise 2026 Big Contributor £60
£60 gives you access to all materials and online sessions, helping cover costs and support trauma-informed peer work. Thank you!
Thank you for your donation.
Rest to Rise 2026 Contributor £45
£45 gives you access to all materials and online sessions while supporting trauma-informed peer work. Thank you!
Thank you for your donation.
Rest to Rise 2026 Supporter £30
£30 gives you access to all materials and online sessions - thank you!
Thank you for your donation.
Rest to Rise 2026 Valued Member £15
£15 gives you access to all materials and online sessions — thank you!
Thank you for your donation.
OR CHOOSE YOUR OWN DONATION HERE:
All access details will be sent to you by email when you sign up below.
Purchase above to join or make your donation here via PayPal at www.paypal.com/paypalme/GrowFreeEmmaB
Once administrative and digital costs have been met, ALL proceeds go towards trauma-informed peer and family support.
The materials and links to join live sessions will be provided in three ways: A Whatsapp Group, email and our online community platform on Mighty Networks. You can choose any or all of these.
Yes! In the absence of a more seasonally aligned culture, we can still make small changes that are supportive at this time of year. The rest practices are 20-30 minutes long and can be taken at any time of day that suits you. Hopefully these along with the rest of the curation of the retreat will infuse more restfulness into whatever your routine is.
Yes. They will be provided as soon as practical.
We'll leave the material up in the community platform and YouTube until around Spring Equinox at least. You will be able to download and save the rest practices on your device so you have access to them whenever you choose.
Providing this on a donation basis means that everyone can choose what is comfortable for them to pay.
As space-holding practitioners providing live sessions, we are donating our time. As an admin team and online resource there is significant time inputted and some platform and technical costs. Once a 50% contribution is made to these costs, ALL proceeds will go towards the provision and access of GrowFree trauma-informed peer support for free for those who need it.
We know there is a great value in this retreat offering. If you can pay £60-75 that would be amazing. If you can pay £90, you will also be contributing to your own or someone else's participation in the in-person Firewalk.
If £40-50 is comfortable that is also so helpful. If £20-30 is manageable you will still be making a great contribution. If you need to access all of this for £5-15 just now, allow yourself to be supported. We are only a community with a mission when we serve those who need our offerings. We value your taking part all the more.
We recommend making at least this level of contribution as it requires an investment from you that will support your commitment to making a positive change.
HOWEVER, if you need to ACCESS FOR FREE just now, we WANT YOU to JOIN as well. Please email emmab@grow-free.com to let us know so that we can make sure you have any support you need so that this becomes a safe space for you.
Still have a question . . .
. . Ask Us Below
Send us a message now to register your interest in the retreat or other event. Let us know your question or just tell us a little more about you, what draws you to our journey and anything else that feels important to you. We can arrange a chat to see if we're a fit.
PS. We're still wintering. We'll get back as soon as this allows!
GrowFree is a sole trader operated by Emma Baxter.
Business Address: Woodend Farmhouse, Castle Fraser, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire AB51 7LA
Contact email address: emmab@grow-free.com
Contact telephone number: 07590815175
Rest to Rise 2026 is being run by GrowFree as a community-building and fundraising activity for The GrowFree Community.
GrowFree Community Foundation (GFCF) is an unincorporated Community Organisation with constitution and asset-lock run by a committee of founding members. We're planning to become incorporated in 2026. GFCF is the beneficiary of all proceeds once administrative and technical costs have been met.
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Because Rest to Rise is being run on a donation basis, we don't give refunds. We may consider exceptional circumstances and if you feel strongly that you would like your money back, please email community@grow-free.com and .
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Business Address: Woodend Farmhouse, Castle Fraser, Kemnay, Aberdeenshire AB51 7LA
