Satori
a Japanese Zen Buddhist
word which means:
• Seeing into one's true nature •
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• Enlightenment and a state of consciousness attained by intuitive illumination, not through rational thought •
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• Acquiring of a new point of view in our dealings with life and our world •
It all led to this
Emma's dream to create Satori began over a decade ago, and she's been working hard to actualise it ever since.
Following the loss of Emma's father in 2002 and her own cancer journey in 2007, she began to realise the power of nature.
She also remembered a dream she'd had many years before – to create a healing retreat.
On sharing this dream with an old man, he said, ‘you’ll have to sell your house to make it happen.’ So Emma took the plunge, sold the house she'd worked so hard to buy, and decided to invest in some land instead.
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On 1st July 2014, after years of searching, Satori was founded.
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Since then, with the help of local and international volunteers, Emma has worked tirelessly to develop the infrastructure to expand Satori's offerings.
Her vision - a retreat aligning with nature, encouraging people to live and move as nature intended - has come to life, and she's excited to share it with you.
...the perfect plot of land in Somerset on the Blackdown Hills...
Why nature?
Nature, through walks, crafts, wild foods and creative writing, has been Emma's support in times of stress, depression and anxiety. It helped her during her cancer journey, her father's death, and her mother's demise through dementia.
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Beyond Emma's experience, research strongly supports nature's healing benefits. Connecting with nature promotes clarity and resilience, which is amplified by community and movement outdoors.
Satori's philosophy lines up with these beliefs.
An example, from the Work & Pensions Department, is a report they commissioned with Cardiff & Huddersfield Universities and states that:
'Treating people holistically means that health professionals need to go beyond just curing the biomedical causes of disease to thinking about the social and psychological aspects of how patients are treated'.
Satori is embedded in ecotherapy &
Green Gym principles
Ecotherapy provides opportunities to rediscover the rejuvenating power of our natural environment through engagement in land-based tasks and crafts. By participating in these activities, guests and volunteers have space to share stories, reflect, listen and learn. Physical and mental wellbeing can flourish as we move, achieve goals and become more present.
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The Green Gym, developed in 1997, offers ways to enhance your fitness and health while helping support and sustain the outdoor environment. It is one alternative to attending a conventional gym. Guests and volunteers get involved with various land-based tasks, such as clearing vegetation, building gates, planting and processing firewood.
