The movement of the Heart
Using Franklin Method® heart imagery to discover spinal freedom and improve vagal tone during our Shrewsbury day retreat at Newton Meadows. Our heart can be experienced in movement, breath, sounding and deeper listening, and working with our heart is beneficial for balancing vagal tone and creating a calm, rested and embodied state.
Returning Home: The Felt Heart - my women’s somatic day retreat in Shrewsbury for strength, calm & inner renewal in the midlife.
15 February 2026 10.00-16.00 Newton Meadows, Shropshire
Join me for a deeply nourishing day of connection, reflection, and embodied presence. Sometimes life can leave us feeling scattered, stressed out, overwhelmed and not really quite like ourselves. It can happen to the best of us, because modern day life is full of stressors and if you are female and approaching midlife these feelings can be magnified.
Returning Home: The Felt Heart is my invitation to pause and return to yourself - through movement, breath, and stillness.
This is a space to feel grounded, supported, and fully at home in your body connecting into your heart in movement, breath and sound and its inner wisdom and messages. It’s a place to discover you inner and outer support and practices you can take with you at the end of the day to aid you wellbeing in your mind, nervous system and physical body and your emotional body too.
The perfect setting for deep rest and nervous system regulation: Our meditation room overlooks the tranquil Newton Meadows gardens. A warm welcome awaits you at our next Shrewsbury retreat.
Through an expert blend of Buff Bones®, Franklin Method®, and polyvagal-informed somatic practices of the Leven Institute you can expect:
Somatic Movement of the Heart - Explore somatic movement through the use of embodied anatomy, physiology and dynamic imagery of the Franklin Method®. Learn how this organ can be used as a joint and improve our movement and sense of wellbeing and relieve tension from the ribcage and spine. Tune into the subtle movement and sensation of your body and deepen self-awareness through gentle, guided practices which can really improve you movement practices in other modalities such as Yoga or Pilates. How do you really lift your heart? What does it mean to have a high heart?
Buff Bones®️ for Grounded Strength through the whole body -Explore bone and joint health in a way that feels empowering, accessible, and deeply supportive for your nervous system. Buff Bones® has been designed for female healthy bones and joints and puts the wellbeing of the midlife female body at the centre.
Heart-Centred Breathwork - Awaken the felt sense of the heart and its movement in breath, calming the mind while creating spaciousness within and have tools to improve your vagal tone which impact the health of the heart and your feeling of wellbeing and well as support the health of your heart.
The Art of Self Soothing to regulate the nervous system - through somatic self touch and sounding using the work of Franklin Method and the Leven Institute which creates a sense of ease and calm and integration of mind and body.
Reflective Journalling and Space in an Embodied way - Journalling prompts and soft somatic practices to guide you inward with care, discover how we can deepen into our own experience and become less reactive towards stressors of life - discover a wellbeing practice from the toolbox of Somatic Therapy and the work of the Leven Institute.
Our setting is the beautiful Garden Rooms at Newton Meadows, where, weather permitting we will venture outside and carry out some of our practice. There are beautiful gardens to explore, the pine trees and on a clear day views of the Shropshire Hills. Inside we have a cosy log cabin for the day and real fire to active our own sense of inner cosy and wellbeing!
A light vegetarian lunch is provided, and of course chocolate cake and hot chocolate, because life is about balance and chocolate is always something to be passionate about!
This retreat is for you if:
You need space to slow down, reconnect with your body, and feel more grounded and present. Whether you're navigating midlife and exploring practices that can really support you and your body, seeking deeper embodiment, a movement professional that wants to work with Franklin Method® and Somatic Movement in person, or simply in need of a day to realign - you’ll be held in a space of warmth, professionalism and care by me, a regulated ISMETA Master in Somatic Movement Education and Somatic Movement Therapy as well as a faculty member of the renowned system of movement that is Buff Bones® designed for the needs of midlife women.
Leave feeling:
Replenished. Reconnected. Rooted in your body.
Empowered through softness.
And home.
Meeting yourself. Just as you.
Spaces on all of my retreats are limited to ensure a personal and spacious experience.
Reserve your place now and give yourself the gift of coming home.
Led by me, Sarah Pritchard - MSMT MSME, Level 4 Expert Franklin Method® Educator, Faculty Member of the Buff Bones® movement system which is designed for healthy bones and joints for women, Comprehensive Pilates Teacher, and Somatic Therapist completing her clinical supervision (Leven Institute) this immersive day retreat weaves together movement, mindfulness, and nervous system education to support deep restoration and lasting resilience. All of my work is regulated and externally verified giving you assurance of my qualifications, continuous training and expertise.
I’d love to welcome you to Newton Meadows in February…
…and support you back into your body for the season ahead with the special work and power of somatic movement and therapy and my unique expertise which comes from my lived experience.
Discovering the Felt Heart -Somatic Movement using Franklin Method®
Bridging the gap between biomechanical precision and nervous system regulation: Teaching the Franklin Method® to unlock the body's natural design at our Newton Meadows Garden Rooms retreat.
Join me in February and…
Find your ground.
Come home to your heart. Rest into your breath. Reconnect with your calm.
Rediscover you.
Find calm and serenity in the tranquil gardens of Newton Meadows Garden Rooms. The perfect outdoor space for mindful movement, somatic breathwork, and quiet contemplation during your day retreat.
“Personally, I valued the space and the small group which created a very personal experience with a clear connection to the other participants, whose stories were very powerful. I loved the softness of the approach and the connection to the beautiful and powerful act of breathing and how breath connects to all systems of the body (the soma) including physical, emotional and spiritual. Breath is apparently such a simple act and yet such a beautiful act of self care and healing which can easily be incorporated into daily life and practice.”
“I attended your pelvic floor workshop about a month ago, and I wanted to thank you again. It was truly eye-opening for me, and I deeply value everything I learned. I can honestly say that the embodied approach you teach feels like something my body needs and deserves—especially after years of pushing my body and dealing with pudendal nerve inflammation a little over two years ago”
“The retreat day was so relaxing in terms of location- beautiful rural scenery, warm almost festive sense of comfort from the fire, and healthy snacks and drinks on offer. Sarah brought the potentially baffling area of somatics to life and made it really relatable. For someone like me with a significant eye issue I learned techniques to refresh tired eyes and feel more comfortable. It was fascinating to hear about the vagus nerve and how your well-being can be enhanced and senses enlivened and refreshed with somatic movements.”
