The Intelligent Body: A Weekend Retreat
Exploring the intelligence of the body through yoga and somatic movement
When & Where
15 May 2026, 18:00 – 17 May 2026, 13:00
Yarn Ballycastle, 24-26 Ann St, Ballycastle BT54 6AD, UK
About
Join us for The Intelligent Body: A Weekend Retreat, a two-day immersion in somatic movement, yoga, breathwork, and guided awareness practices designed to deepen how you move, rest, and pay attention. Guided by Freny Pavri, the weekend unfolds through structured sessions and unhurried pauses, supporting physical ease and mental clarity with practical tools to carry into everyday life.
This retreat is for people who want to:
Connect with the intelligence of their body
Improve the quality of their attention and focus
Reduce tension and stress through movement and meditation
Learn to access the power of the imagination
Experience and understand fascia flow and hydration
Improve physical and mental strength, balance, agility and coordination
Learn easy and essential breathwork principles that you will ever need
Over the weekend, the work includes:
somatic movement and stillness
guided attention, awareness, and meditation
gentle work with balance, weight, and coordination
simple rhythmic and breath-based practices
time for rest, integration, and reflection
This retreat is centred on the holistic principles of yoga philosophy and fascia-based science. Focusing on the foundational principles of movement and alignment, we will discover how closely these physical patterns are connected to the mind and the emotions, leading us to an enhanced awareness of the nervous system.
The emphasis is on somatic movement, a gentle practice that focuses on internal physical sensations rather than external form or fitness goals. It also focuses on bodily orientation and sensing how the body naturally finds balance, mobility, and clarity when given the right conditions.
We will be moving away from rigid structures and compulsive forms that may cause harm and learn to identify principles of healthy movement that can increase our chances of good health and longevity.
FOOD
Throughout the weekend, catering will be provided by Ursa Minor, whose cooking focuses on ingredient-led dishes highlighting local, sustainable, and seasonal produce. All meals will be vegetarian. On Saturday evening, Ursa Minor will also host a special ticketed dinner in their café, themed “Food as Medicine”, a communal and intimate shared meal that includes a welcome drink. Spaces will be reserved for retreat participants while also open to the wider Ballycastle community, and dinner tickets can be purchased alongside your retreat booking.
Please note: Ursa Minor’s Saturday Dinner tickets are reserved for those attending The Intelligent Body: A Weekend Retreat. If you are joining the retreat, you can add a dinner ticket during booking (Full Residential tickets include dinner). If you are not attending the retreat and wish to join the dinner, please purchase your ticket directly via Ursa Minor.
ITINERARY
Friday: Welcome
6 pm - welcome with a light bite and hot drinks
6.30-8 pm - Introduction to energy and prana with some simple warm-ups and a focus on movement as meditation, and establishing flow without effort
Saturday: Somatic Movement and Physical Intelligence
8-9 am - Movement class (on an empty stomach!) Wake up to the benefits of moving first thing in the morning. This session will warm up the body, kick-start circulation, improve digestion, reduce stiffness and tension, and set up your spine and alignment for the rest of your day.
9-10 am – Breakfast
10-11.30 am - Flow, Fascia and the Nervous System. Listening to the body and establishing direction and communication before movement.
11.30-11.45 am - Tea and snack break
11.45 am-1 pm - Balance: Elements and Environment: Connecting to body weight, gravity, space, rhythm, direction, spiralling and breath.
1-2 pm – Lunch
2-3.30 pm – Meditation and the Imagination. Perfect after food. Expressing the body through improvisation.
3.30-4 pm – Tea and snack break
4 -5 pm – Yoga Sutra in Action: Dynamic movement and philosophy as lived with time for reflections, meditation and questions
7 pm – “Food as Medicine” dinner at Ursa Minor (ticketed separately)
Sunday: Authenticity and Practice
8-9 am - Movement class (on an empty stomach!) We will repeat the warm-up from the previous day’s class and introduce specific movements that can help you build power, strength and flexibility.
9-10 am – Breakfast
10-11.30 am – Quality vs Quantity: What “yoga” really is and what it isn't. We’ll look at how to practice yoga safely and effectively, while dealing with obstacles to consistent progress
11.30-45 am – Tea and snack break
11.45-1 pm - Classical Yoga: Incorporating aspects of yoga asanas, and understanding the dynamics and control in movement and static positions. Becoming natural and authentic in your body and emotions, rather than performing a rigid series of postures. Followed by meditation and final reflections.
About Freny Pavri
This retreat in Ballycastle is guided by Freny Pavri, whose work is shaped by a lifetime of embodied practice. Freny grew up in India and began practising yoga from an early age, learning it both as a philosophy and as a daily physical practice at school. She completed a two-year Teacher Training at The Yoga Institute in Mumbai, founded by Sri Yogendra, and began teaching formally in 2021.
Her understanding of the body and creative practice developed through a highly physical childhood and later through extensive training across dance, martial arts, physical theatre, music, and art. She currently works as a dancer, artist, and movement researcher, alongside teaching a yoga-based somatic movement practice.
For more information, visit www.anahat.uk
Tickets
Full residential ticket
Includes two nights' accommodation (Friday and Saturday), food across the weekend, and attendance at Ursa Minor’s Saturday evening dinner
£550.00
+£13.75 ticket service fee
Non-residential ticket
Full weekend retreat, including food (does not include Ursa Minor’s Saturday evening dinner)
£200.00
+£5.00 ticket service fee
Saturday half-day ticket
Retreat attendance on Saturday from 8 am-1 pm, including breakfast and lunch
£70.00
+£1.75 ticket service fee
Ursa Minor’s Saturday Dinner
This ticket option is only available to those purchasing a retreat ticket. If you are attending The Intelligent Body: A Weekend Retreat, you can add the dinner during booking. If you are not attending the retreat and wish to join the dinner, please book directly through Ursa Minor’s website.
£55.00
+£1.38 ticket service fee
Total
£0.00