THE COMING HOME RETREAT:
South Goa, INDIA
January 2027
A midwinter return to yourself to restore your energy, listen honestly, and remember what matters now.
This retreat isn’t about escaping your life.
It’s about stepping out of it long enough to hear yourself again.
Every January, as winter settles deep into the bones, a group of women gather with me by the ocean in South Goa. For over a decade, this week has become my signature retreat, shaped and refined across 14 seasons, and quietly woven into the lives of hundreds of women at different stages of their midlife journey.
Women don’t come because everything is falling apart.
They come because something inside them is asking for attention.
A need for more space, more truth. For warmth - not just of the sun, but of connection.
This retreat is for women who have lived, led, built, cared, and carried a great deal – and who know, from experience, that clarity doesn’t come from pushing harder, but from listening more honestly. They just need to space to think, feel and be again, in a space and in the company of people who 'get it'.
Most aren’t at the beginning of their journey.
They’re capable, thoughtful, often holding work, family, responsibility – and unspoken questions about what’s next.
This week offers a rare combination of space, structure, and skilled guidance. The rhythm has been refined over years of leading retreats and walking this path alongside women in midlife. The structure is gentle, but the work is intentional.
It’s not just a yoga retreat.
It’s a return to yourself. A softening of the armour, without asking you to fall apart.
Drawing on over 20 years of teaching yoga and meditation, training teachers, and working in transformational coaching and somatic practice, I bring together body, nervous system, and inner life in a way that works on every level.
Through movement, meditation, breathwork, rest, and group coaching, we gently untangle what’s no longer true and reconnect you with the quiet inner authority that already knows what matters next.
Nothing here is about fixing you.
It’s about helping you come home to what’s already true.
Seven days of ocean air, slow mornings, deep rest, and soulful conversation. Time to meet yourself as you are now – not who you’ve been, and not who others need you to be – but who you are becoming.
Whether you’re at a crossroads in career, relationship, or identity…
longing for more meaning or spaciousness…
or simply exhausted from holding everything together for too long…
This retreat offers you a chance to step away from the noise – and listen.
For many women, this week becomes a landmark in their year.
A line in the sand that says, “Not this year. I’m doing this differently.”
What You’ll Leave With
Women often leave this week feeling:
• More settled in their body – sleeping better, breathing deeper, less reactive
• Clearer about what actually matters now (and what they’re ready to let go of)
• More confident in their inner authority – less second-guessing, less people-pleasing
• Rested in a way that isn’t just physical, but emotional and nervous system deep
• Quietly energised – not hyped or reinvented, but steady and grounded
But perhaps most importantly:
They leave knowing how to recognise their own voice again.
Not the voice of fear, or habit.
But the one that feels calm, clear and self-respecting.
This isn’t about dramatic reinvention.
It’s about honest recalibration that helps you get clear, brave and excited about your life again.
Why This Retreat Works
This isn’t an accidental week.
The rhythm has been refined over 14 seasons.
The venue and local team know and support this container intimately.
Between 40–100% of each group is made up of returning women.
But beyond logistics, something deeper is happening.
You are removed from your usual context –
the roles, the inbox, the expectations.
Your nervous system begins to settle and your body softens.
And when that happens, clarity becomes available. The combination of:
– daily embodied practice
– structured reflective coaching
– shared conversation with women in a similar season
– and genuine rest
creates the conditions for honest listening.
And honest listening is where real change begins.
The work is spacious, but it is not vague.
It is gentle, but it is not passive.
It is intentionally designed to support women in midlife who are ready to stop postponing themselves.
The Setting
Why India?
India has a way of slowing you down without asking permission.
The colours, the sounds, the rituals, the contradictions - they gently interrupt the habits of overthinking and overfunctioning. The nervous system settles. The body remembers itself and our perspective widens.
For many women, this retreat is their first time in India. What makes it possible is the container:
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A trusted, well-held setting in South Goa
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A steady daily rhythm
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Clear, gentle and spacious structure
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A small group of thoughtful, like-minded women
You’re not here to “do India”, (although there are plenty of options for onward travel). You’re here to be met by it – safely, slowly, and with support.
Many women choose to travel onwards afterwards (Kerala, Rajasthan, the Himalayas). Others go straight home, deeply nourished. Both are welcome.
Our location
Our home for the week is a peaceful beachfront sanctuary on the quiet shore of the arabian sea, South Goa.
This hidden gem is set back from a quiet, traditional Indian village where you can meander to take in village life. It's truly like going back in time.
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Private en-suite luxury cabanas and huts with sea or countryside views. with aircon, balconies hammocks, and comfy beds.
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Ocean-view yoga shalas and lush gardens
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All meals included – nourishing, delicious Goan-inspired vegetarian dishes
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Onsite spa, beach walks, hammocks, and plenty of time for rest and play
Rooms: You can enjoy a single en-suite room to enjoy space to yourself. Or you may prefer to share with someone.
This stunning location is the perfect place to step back and make space for inspiration and clarity
Who is this Retreat For?
This retreat attracts women from many backgrounds:
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Women newer to yoga and meditation
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Yoga teachers and long-term, seasoned practitioners
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Leaders, creatives, therapists, executives, entrepreneurs, busy mums, and carers
What matters isn’t how flexible you are – it’s your willingness to listen, reflect, and be honest with yourself.
Practices are layered and adaptable, with depth available without pressure or hierarchy. There is no performing here. No keeping up. No fixing.
Just real women, in real bodies, meeting themselves where they are.
Why women return
Between 40–100% of the women on each retreat have been here before.
Not because they lack imagination, but because novelty eventually stops answering the deeper questions of midlife. Returning meets a different version of them each year.
Some years call for adventure. Some for rest. Some for truth. And some for a place that already knows you – so you don’t have to start again from scratch.
Returning women help create the depth of this retreat. They hold the field with a frienly and supportive familiarity, steadiness, and a shared language that allows the group to settle quickly, go further and become 'community'.
Food
...to nourish your soul
There's no question, Indian food is DELICIOUS! Our food is made with love using locally sourced ingredients.
Sunrise fresh power juices, tropical fruit salad, and teas. Brunch & Dinner are delicious Goa inspired vegetarian delicacy buffets with fresh salads. Unlimited filtered water, afternoon teas and cookies. Optional extras are available from a mouth watering a la carte menu.
This week of delicious, nutritious vegetarian food will help you enjoy maximum energy and buzzing vitality throughout your stay.
Dietary needs lovingly catered for incl vegan, dairy-free, diabetic, wheat/gluten-free and coeliac.
Your Guide
Hi, I’m Deborah Berryman – Senior Yoga Teacher, Somatic Movement Educator, and Coach.
After 20+ years of teaching, running my own yoga studio, and training teachers, I’m on a quiet mission to help women return to their wholeness – especially in midlife, when the noise of the world can drown out our deeper knowing.
This retreat is not about becoming someone else. It’s about returning to who you really are. And doing it in the company of kind, curious, courageous women.
Liz Truckle, Austria
“ it's a retreat with a difference! A REAL opportunity to REALLY look at life in a different way and get some perspective of what you may want to change. ."
Gillian Ryan, Spain
"Deborah is a wonderfully authentic teacher who has a beautiful gift in translating deep spiritual teachings in a way that is fun, joyful and inclusive."
Joan McNally, USA
“An amazing week! I'm back again this year as I love Deborah's spiritual teachings woven through a beautiful, joyful practice.”
Retreat Dates
24 - 31 January 2027
Arrival from 2pm | Welcome session at 4pm
Final morning practice session + farewell brunch on departure day
A note on timing
There are years when a retreat feels optional, and years when it feels quietly necessary.
Not urgent. Not dramatic. Just a steady inner knowing that says: this is the year I need to come back to myself properly.
If that’s present for you, trust it.
How to join
If you already know this retreat is for you, you can book directly below.
If you’re curious but not ready to decide, you’re very welcome to message me with questions.
Retreat Price
What’s Included:
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7 nights luxury beachfront accommodation (private en-suite rooms)
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Two daily practices including energising yoga, restful somatic movement and restorative, meditation, breathwork
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Group coaching + heartfelt conversations
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Pre + post retreat Zoom calls to help prepare + integrate
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All meals + snacks
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Private WhatsApp group for community + connection before and after
From £1,165 - includes everything above.
A £250 deposit secures your place and room choice
Two further instalments: 1 June and 25 Sep
Prices shown in GBP are approximate; final balance is due in euros.
This retreat sells out every year.