Yoga - Breathwork - Herbalism - Story Telling
There comes a point for the women moving through the perimenopause and menopause when something quietly refuses to continue in the same way
What was once manageable can begin to feel heavy and what was once acceptable may no longer feel aligned.
This stage of life is often described biologically, yet many women recognise that something deeper is happening.
There begins a powerful shift in energy. A need to reassess what truly matters and a growing refusal to continue living out of obligation and strip back to what is essential.
We are no longer the woman we once were, yet also not recognised as elders. So we find ourselves in an in-between territory that our culture rarely acknowledges and yet this threshold carries a lot of meaning.
A time to slow down and be witnessed
Historically, women gathered together at times of deep change, recognising that important life passages are not meant to be navigated in isolation.
When space is given to this passage, many women begin to feel a different clarity emerging. The need to please softens. The need to constantly manage everything relaxes and the truth becomes harder to ignore.
Introducing EMBERS & BONE, a small, carefully held gathering for women who recognise themselves in this movement. Here we offer a time to slow down enough to listen to what is already present.
The name Embers & Bone was chosen because it carries an archetypal resonance with the menopause. It reflects a stage of life in which the outer layers that once shaped us begin to fall away, revealing something more essential. The embers suggest a steady, enduring vitality, a quieter fire that no longer needs to burn outwardly to prove itself. Bone represents structure, truth and what remains constant through change. Together they speak to a refinement rather than an ending, a movement toward what is lasting, grounded and feels more deeply aligned.
Across four nights and three days, the gathering follows a simple arc recognised in psychology, mythology and lived experience. The journey is explored through three centres of experience: The womb, heart and voice, and held within three movements: letting go, descent and return. The structure is spacious and invitational, allowing each woman’s experience to unfold in her own way and at her own pace.
Letting go
Womb - instinct, limits, life force
Across many cultures, the womb has been associated with life force, creative capacity, instinct, continuity and cyclical renewal.
Over the years the body has moved through rhythms of preparation and release.
As reproductive cycles begin to change, energy often becomes available for discernment, self-definition and a reorientation of priorities.
Many women notice a stronger instinct to protect their vitality and less willingness to continue patterns that feel depleting.
The womb phase relates to conserving energy, returning to instinct and allowing something that has run its course to come to completion, creating space for a different expression of creative life force.
Descent
Heart - feeling, meaning, reorientation
Fluctuating hormones can increase emotional sensitivity and bring long-standing dynamics into clearer awareness. Experiences that were previously manageable may begin to feel less aligned.
Often women tend to find themselves reassessing responsibilities, relationships and roles that have shaped their lives for many years.
There is usually grief during this phase for the ways one has adapted or self-silenced, alongside a growing compassion for earlier choices made in different circumstances.
Return
Voice - expression, boundaries, integrity
As this internal reorganisation unfolds, many women notice greater clarity and less willingness to compromise what feels true.
Communication often becomes more direct and less moderated through the need to please or maintain harmony at personal cost.
Women find a quieter sense of authority in this phase with increased trust in their own timing, and a reduced need for external validation.
The role of the land
The gathering takes place within protected woodland, where the pace of the natural world offers a different reference point from everyday life.
Time spent outdoors allows attention to widen and the nervous system to settle without effort.
Walking, observing and simply being within a living landscape often allows insight to arise more naturally than when everything is structured or explained.
The land provides context for change, reminding us that transition is a natural part of life.
Who this may resonate with
Women in peri-menopause, menopause or post-menopause
Women sensing an internal shift they cannot yet fully name
Women feeling less willing to continue living according to expectations that no longer feels in integrity
Women wanting to reconnect with instinct, creativity, voice or body trust
Women longing for spaces where complexity is welcome.
Women drawn to nature as a place of reflection and recalibration.
Women who value depth, sincerity and psychological maturity
And afterwards you'll feel
• More settled in yourself
• Less alone in what you are experiencing & a sense of belonging
• Clearer about what matters now, and what no longer does
• More at ease honouring your boundaries
• Less pressure to keep holding everything together
• More able to listen to your body rather than push past it
• More comfortable expressing your truth & less inclined to silence yourself to keep the peace
• More accepting of this stage of life as a rites of passage
• More connected to a quieter inner steadiness
• More awareness on what nourishes you and what depletes you
• Forgiveness & acceptance towards the life you have lived
• More knowledge in caring for your nervous system and energy
The Experience...
Four Nights in a modern Yurt, Bell Tent or Dorm - a sanctuary with valley views, private terraces, cozy space for evening stargazing and morning coffees.
All-Inclusive Meals - local, seasonal and specially sourced ingredients that support menopause.
Wild Spa Access - wood-fired hot tub with soft LED glow, hammock nooks, and starry-night evenings for total relaxation.
Outdoor Cinema - In the large open barn
Private Sacred Roundhouse - timber sanctuary for stillness, reflection, or simply being together.
The Schedule:
Arrival at 5pm on the 2nd September
Daily Rhythm
Breakfast 7:30
Start time: 8:30 Daily Yoga & Breathworks Practice
Lunch: 1pm
Start time 2:30pm (last day 2pm) Herbal Wisdom/Voice Activation/Story Telling
Close 6pm
Dinner 7:15pm
8:30pm - Optional Fireside Stories & Songs
Quiet time 10:30pm
Depart at 11am on the 6th September
Timberframe Roundhouse - handcrafted sanctuary with living roof and central hearth
Organic Gardens - fresh, seasonal produce grown on-site.
Free-Roaming Chickens - colorful, curious birds in a permaculture habitat.
Earthship Showers - bathe under the sky in natural earth and glass bottle designs.
Cob Pizza Oven - wood-fired meals baked outdoors under the stars.
A living-roof outdoor kitchen that blends seamlessly with nature, nourishing both body and soul.
You can also…
Tune into the night’s soundtrack of crickets, frogs, owls and nightjars.
Discover wild orchids blooming on the prairie’s edge.
Marvel at the unpolluted nightsky and milkway
Walk the ancient Compostelle pilgrimage route, rich with story and soul.
Meet the Women Supporting the Gathering
Niki Taylor - Breathwork, Yoga & Nature-based Process
Niki is the founder and land steward of Talbérou and hosts Embers & Bone by guiding breathwork, gentle yoga and nature-based reflective practices that support women through meaningful life transitions.
Her work draws from eco-psychology, traditional yoga, nature connection mentoring and body-based therapeutic practices. She trained in Hatha and Kundalini yoga in Rishikesh in 2015 and holds qualifications in holistic massage, aromatherapy and Reiki, alongside a diploma in Eco-Psychology, NVC and studies in the 8 Shields approach to human development through relationship with the natural world. She is currently training as a breathworks facilitator with the Air School of Breath.
Her approach is rooted in the understanding that environments can support psychological and physiological change. She has been mentored by Rebecca Card, whose approach draws from the Animas Valley Institute, and has studied myth with Martin Shaw. These perspectives inform the retreat’s gentle recognition of menopause as a meaningful life threshold. Her work is particularly interested in how life transitions invite a reorganisation of identity, priorities and energy, and how being in relationship with the land can support this process in a grounded and embodied way.
Nicola Bradshaw - Medical Herbalist & Plant Wisdom
Nicola joins Embers & Bone as the principal herbal practitioner, sharing over twenty years of experience working with medicinal plants and their relationship to physical, emotional and hormonal health.
She is a qualified Medical Herbalist (BSc Hons, MNIMH) trained in clinical herbal medicine, botany, anatomy and physiology, and is currently continuing studies in functional immunology. For the past twelve years she has worked with Neal’s Yard Remedies, leading the Herbal Tincture Unit producing organic extracts grown on Soil Association certified land. Nicola is also a herbal researcher with Herbal Reality, contributing to educational resources that examine how medicinal plants can support human health.
Her work bridges traditional plant knowledge with contemporary understanding of the nervous, endocrine and immune systems. She has practised in clinical, community and educational settings, and previously worked in psychology and harm reduction supporting vulnerable adults.
Nicola’s approach supports women to understand how plant medicine, rhythm and daily practices can strengthen resilience and vitality during periods of transition, helping restore confidence in the body’s capacity to rebalance.
Nicola will offer a small number of individual sessions for those who feel called to receive more personalised support. These are arranged privately and sit outside the group schedule.
Anne Saana Saya - Voice Activation & Somatics
Anne joins Embers & Bone by hosting a psycho-somatic voice liberation workshop and optional bodywork sessions to support your integration during the retreat.
She’s a guardian of nature’s cycles and has over 10 years of experience in women’s yoga, psychosomatics, bodywork, voice liberation and ritual.
She’s cultivated a grounded presence and deep knowledge where science, female physiology and mystery lead together.
Her spaces focus on sacred regeneration & rest for women in all stages of life, supporting you to tap into the frequency needed to tend to your current experience and recreate yourself anew.
To welcome the medicine that lays within each female threshold, deep presence, somatic truth and consent have become her work’s grounding pillars. Anne guides you into the depths of your own psyche, body and soul - whether it’s through using her wisdom of somatics, voice, touch or ritual - so that you can confidently ride the waves of life’s experiences, take its fruits and inner stand the energetics at play, so that you can actually start enjoying this female experience.
Let’s unravel the dark mysteries of life together and let it take you towards the deepest revelations of love.
Anne will be available for a limited number of individual sessions during the gathering. These can be arranged privately and are offered separately from the main programme.
Gabrielle - voice, sound and creative expression
Gabrielle is a musician and voice practitioner whose work explores the relationship between sound, presence and emotional expression.
Originally from Belgium, she has spent over fifteen years working internationally as a singer-songwriter, performing across the UK and Europe and releasing four albums.
Alongside her musical career, Gabrielle developed a deep interest in the relationship between voice, breath and inner experience. Her exploration of Kundalini yoga and mantra practice opened new dimensions of vocal expression that extend beyond performance.
She now facilitates sound-based practices that support participants in experiencing voice as vibration within the body. Through gentle exploration of tone, resonance and breath, participants are invited to rediscover voice as a natural form of expression rather than something that needs to be perfected.
Her work supports emotional release, creativity and the experience of being heard without needing to perform.
Daisy O'Clee - Rebirthing Breathwork Facilitator
Daisy is passionate about supporting women through the challenges and transitions of perimenopause and beyond.
Having trained in Rebirthing Breathwork and the Buteyko Method, she combines science with embodied tools to help women navigate symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disruption, fatigue and hormonal shifts.
She helps women understand how breathing patterns change during this time, and how restoring functional breathing can have a powerful impact on both physical and emotional wellbeing.
A trained journalist by trade, Daisy loves researching breathwork and translating complex science into accessible, practical tools.
She sees midlife as a pivotal moment - a time when many women begin to reassess their identity and purpose. Through gentle yet powerful Rebirthing Breathwork, she supports women to reconnect with themselves, build inner confidence and find steadiness during what can often feel like a tumultuous phase of life.
Exchange:
:
£575 (€665) in Full
Complete in full or in three instalments:
• Deposit £190/€220
• Second installment £190/€220
• Final installment £195/€226
Two supported places available. Please contact Niki at niki@talberou.fr
It is extremely easy to travel from these airports, jump on a train to Penne (via Agen). Sit back, relax and enjoy the beautiful French scenery. Taxi can be arranged from the station, which is ten minutes drive from Talbérou.
From Bergerac you will need an Airport transfer arranging for an extra fee, as there are no trains from there.
- Yes. While the gathering is designed to be immersive and soulfully curated, we know some guests may wish to explore the surrounding beauty. From medieval villages and farmers’ markets to kayaking or wild swimming in rivers & lakes and vineyard strolls, we’ll happily provide recommendations tailored to your interests
Not at all. Everything is an invitation - you go at your own pace. This time is all for you. The gathering is designed to be spacious and slow.
Some decent walking shoes, swimwear, sunglasses & hat (you will be sent a list in your welcome back)
You'll get away with bringing next to nothing, which will save you paying for extra luggage on the flight.The gathering is specifically tailored for women going through peri-menopause and menopause
Everything is optional. It is important that you speak your boundaries. All the practices are done safely and with consent.
Yes there is a fridge in the outdoor kitchen to store your own food or medicines.
Not at all! But the area is safe and you can enjoy the natural beauty without any worries.
Yes and with a small discount - you will need to provide your own bedding.
There hopefully won't be so many as we will be coming out of the high season but bring protection, just in case.
Because spaces are limited, all payments are non-refundable - securing your spot guarantees you an unforgettable, carefully curated experience.
That said, we offer flexible options:
You can transfer your booking to another person at any time at no extra cost - perfect if a friend or family member would love this experience instead.
You may transfer your booking to a later retreat date (one time) if requested at least 45 days before the retreat, giving plenty of advance notice to plan.
With less than 30 days’ notice, transfers aren’t possible as preparations will already be in place, ensuring everything is perfectly ready for your arrival.
And in the unlikely event that we need to cancel for any reason - illness or unforeseen issues, you’ll receive a full refund or the option to transfer to another date, so your investment is always protected.
Our approach ensures your experience is secure, flexible, and stress-free.
We encourage digital detox during the retreat, but Wi-Fi is available around the site if needed.