Featured Article

We’re always looking to enhance and improve the Love Soul Choir membership experience and have an interest in helping to improve the lives of those who sing with us. We know the incredible ways that singing in a choir can help improve mental wellness.

Choirs create a strong sense of community and social inclusion, providing a vital antidote to loneliness and isolation, which are major risk factors for poor mental health. Regular interaction and the shared goal of creating music together foster meaningful connections and friendships among choir members. Participating in a choir requires teamwork, cooperation, and communication, thereby improving social skills and the ability to connect with others.

But, we wanted to do more…

Dan Cooper (our Choir Leader) has really benefitted from meditation, mindfulness, journalling and trying to live more in the present moment over the past few years and wanted to encourage members of Love Soul Choir to try these activities too! 🥰

A few years back, Dan connected with George Bettany, co-founder of Sanctus and quickly realised that they both share a similar passion, vision and mission in the work that they do. George now runs MARA and is hard at work growing an incredible community built upon the practice of running. As part of their offering, the team at MARA deliver regular Retreats and this seemed like the perfect way for Dan and George to get the opportunity to work together. They’d wanted to find a way to bring their passions together for a number of years! 

In May 2025, we hosted our first ever Wellness Retreat, co-facilitated by George & Chrissie of MARA.

This phone free event was designed to help people practise being in the present moment. In life, we all have a lot going on and can often spend a lot of time in our own heads. A lot of stress, anxiety & pain (emotionally) comes from spending too much time in the past or future. The more we can practise being in the present, the happier we’ll be. 

We told members to be prepared to disconnect from the outer world and connect with their inner world in a safe and supportive environment.

The event took place at Tile Barn Outdoor Centre in Brockenhurst and it was the perfect venue. The weather was incredible too. We’d spent a number of weeks planning an awesome schedule of activities to ensure members could connect to themselves and each other. Upon arrival, we had fruit, biscuits and drinks available and instantly created a safe space for those who were participating.

The day started with a meditation, breath-work and journalling session. It was such a wonderful  part of the day.

Meditation calms the mind and body, fostering self-awareness and emotional regulation whilst breath-work directly influences the nervous system, reducing stress and enhancing focus through conscious breathing. Journaling provides an outlet for processing emotions, increasing self-understanding and aiding problem-solving. Regularly incorporating these practices in your daily life can cultivate inner peace and reduce anxiety.

One member said: “Breath-work helped me instantly relax my body. Focusing more on my breath and the sounds around me helped take my mind away from worrying about the past and stressing about what might happen in the future. Will definitely try and incorporate a few minutes into every day now.” 

After this, Chrissie led a flow movement session. This was designed to get participants moving a little whilst still feeling connected to their bodies. We then headed out for a walk in nature.

The walk started in silence. This was initially pretty uncomfortable because it’s not something we often do but after time, the silence allowed participants to connect with the nature around them. This actually ended up being a highlight of the day. One member said:

“I loved the opportunity to walk in nature, in silence. I felt like my senses were awakened in such a beautiful setting. I rarely have the opportunity in my life to be so quiet!”

Another member went on to say: “It was just beautiful so so peaceful and the silent times just gave me the opportunity to really appreciate my surroundings and the beauty of nature.”

Mid-way through the walk, George encouraged members to pair up and then to practise actively listening. It was such a connecting experience and allowed participants to connect on a deeper level. Such a wonderful experience. 

After the walk, we headed back to ‘base camp’ for lunch. The venue provided a huge option of different sandwiches, crisps, snacks and incredible cakes too. The perfect refuel before the afternoon.

For the afternoon, Dan, George & Chrissie came together to host a group chat. This was an opportunity for everybody to share their thoughts and experiences with each other. It was such a powerful part of the day with many sharing vulnerable stories and experiences with the group. It was also incredible to hear how much better people felt being away from their phones for a few hours. Many members really wanted to reduce their phone use following the event. We know that everybody has a different and individual approach to phone usage but it’s common that many people feel like they need to be contactable at all times. This fear can also take us out of the present moment. One member said:

“It did initially make me feel anxious as I needed to explain to my son that I wasn’t contactable. I had another emergency contact in place incase but taking this step was actually really big for me. It has shown me that it is actually possible for me to do this more and was a really positive experience for me!”

After the group chat, we ended the day with some reflections, using the journals provided. It was wonderful way to reflect upon the day and to look at the things participants wanted to take away with them.

“Journalling was so powerful. It is not something I’ve done before and it released so many locked up emotions – it was very healing.”

Overall, the retreat was an incredible experience for all involved. We were inundated with positive comments following the day.

“I had the worst experience at work. I came to the retreat still feeling quite numb about the whole situation. I can’t thank George, Chrissie and Dan enough for organising the whole day. It really uplifted me and put everything into perspective. Made me realise that I’m not alone in anything and we are all fighting different battles. Thanks again I feel like I’m starting to feel a bit more like me.”

Every attendee ended up leaving the event feeling better than when they attended. That’s what it’s all about, right? We can’t wait for the next one! 💯