Hey, stop.
Here’s an idea.
Lets take a week away from the usual, a sabbatical, and try to get reacquainted with some of life’s pleasures and enjoy some investment in our selves. Let’s spend these days with some talented people who will re-kindle our interest in some basic skills and endeavours; to put back what everyday life should include. The interesting things that we have forgotten to do. Those pastimes that have passed us by.
Throughout the week there will be classes in painting and drawing, creative cooking, journal writing, yoga, music, techniques in meditation and good old walking and how about, flower pressing. At dinner and lunchtimes we will invigorate our metabolisms with delicious, nutritional meals with a group of people that will fire our interest and enthusiasm.
We hope that this will be something that we can do anywhere we choose. It’s for our benefit and for us to decide as to when and where. The first biggerTable gathering will be in Tuscany, near the town of Lucca, and based in the beautifully restored Villa Boccella. There are 20 places available and although there are some single rooms most are to share with one other, and so we suggest that you may want to do the course with a friend.
Each day plan will follow a similar structure throughout the week and will include all the classes on offer. There will be the opportunity to add additional classes, such as yoga, to the day if you wish. Since we are aiming to get the best out of life we will be offering a totally meat free week of meals prepared in partnership with the local group of the ever more prominent Slow Food movement. And so adhering to the ideals of this group, all the food is locally grown and prepared which will include the wines from the Toscano region.
Let’s re-learn some things that we can take away with us. We can’t do it all in one go, but we can make a start.
The classes.
The classes
- Painting and drawing
- Creative cooking
- Journal writing
- Yoga
- Music
- Meditation
- Walking
- Mindful Therapy
- Flower pressing
The Mentors.
Esther Wai Lin Elverson
Ashtanga Yoga, Art, Massage
Esther teaches yoga, meditation, massage, art, nutrition and healing, drawing and painting. She is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture - Shanghai University and has an Aromatherapy and Shiatsu Diploma and is trained in Thai Yoga Massage. Esther is an artist in oils, acrylics and other medium.
Philippa Frisby
Iyengar Yoga
Philippa studied Comparative Religion at Bristol University and began practising yoga in 1990. Having begun her career as a television researcher for Channel 4, she made two films in India and became interested in the teachings of BKS Iyengar. She qualified as an Iyengar yoga teacher in 2001 and then as a Junior Intermediate teacher in 2008. Philippa now teaches at The Yogic Path in West Hampstead which she helped set up with her teacher Mira Mehta, who is one of BKS Iyengar's most respected pupils.
Dr. Rupert Elverson
Meditation
Rupert is a Doctor of Chiropractic manipulation and healing who trained in California, USA. He is a teacher of sumara meditation.
Beverly Frydman
Creative Journal Writing
Beverly is one of three people acredited in the UK to teach creative journal writing based on the work of author and therapist Kathleen Adams. She holds an MA in creative writing and personal development who believes that as we are all creative beings and that through a combination of writing prompts, exercises and artistic activities help us to learn to access deeper parts of ourself and wake up the inner writer.
Rachel Khoo
Creative Cuisine
Rachel Khoo graduated from Central St Martins with a degree in Art and Design, and after working for a luxury brand in PR she followed her passion for cooking to Paris where she studied French at the Sorbonne and patisserie at Le Cordon Blue. As a food creative she produces, styles, writes about and designs from her Parisian base. Her workshops and culinary events are held throughout Europe and she is currently in Sydney hosting a series of underground restaurant events. Rachel describes herself as a multi disciplinary creative with a fresh approach to all things edible.
Pam Powers
Mindful Therapy
Pam Powers is a psychotherapist who specializes in therapeutic hypnosis and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. She qualified in London at the National School of Hypnotherapy and Psycotherapy (UKCP accredited), and has had a private practice in Italy for the past ten years. She runs workshops in mindfulness-based stress reduction.
The Day Plan.
Here’s the schedule!
As a rough guide each day will begin with yoga and awakening exercises in the gardens of the villa before breakfast. Thereafter each of the mornings will be divided between two of the classes, each day changing as the mentors rotate through the week, before a 1 o’clock lunch and then some time after to settle and be still. The afternoon will again fill with two more classes that carry us to dinner and various evening events, such as our music recitals that will take place at the villa or in and around the town of Lucca.
The beautiful estate.
Villa Boccella
The Villa Boccella, built in 1729, is a fine example of such architecture, and has over the past few years been sympathetically renovated to provide accommodation that is comfortably furnished in the charming Tuscan style. The estate, with its vineyards and olive groves, still produces its own wine and oil. Apart from the gardens close to the house, there is a swimming pool and attractive grounds, offering walks through olive groves.
The nearest town of Lucca, with its famous walls, winding streets, medieval towers, Romanesque churches and Renaissance palazzi, retains an authentic historical atmosphere. Lucca is the birthplace of Puccini and has been described as a town full of pastry shops and bicycles.
Where it is
Five days of peace.
The cost
The cost for the five days is £1000 and that covers the classes, the meals and accommodation at Villa Boccella.
<>p A deposit of 50% is payable on booking and the remainder two weeks before the the week of the retreat. Payment can be by cheque or bank transfer, the details of which will be given when you book.The additional costs and charges to this will be pick up and return to Pisa airport, any additional wine and beverage to that served with meals, extra time spent with the mentors outside the schedule, and any trips to vineyards and Lucca.
Travel information.
How to get there
The nearest airport is Pisa and it is served by Easy Jet, Ryanair, Air France, Alitalia, British Airways and others. All can be found along with any other information, such as car rental, on their really, very good site Pisa International Airport.
We can organise your pick up from Pisa airport from which Lucca is only half-an-hour by car or by train. Or trains shuttle between Pisa’s main station and Lucca about every hour, the main station serves Pisa’s airport, and we will collect you from there. The distance between the airport and Pisa is exceptionally short – around a mile – the service between them operating about every twenty minutes for not much more than a euro.
We would Love for you to come. Please contact us today and book your place.
Form
Contact & Book
Please contact us, Tessa Laws and Alistair Donald, with any questions that you may have, at retreat@biggertable.com.
There will be additional information on the week to come, and we will send that to you once you have registered with us.
To book we will require a deposit of 50 % to secure a place and the balance can be settled at the end of the week, along with any of the additional costs that have been chosen.
