You’re invited to join Nicci Cloete at the beautiful gardens of Temenos, in McGregor, for this mid-week silent retreat.
When?
Arrival Wednesday 26th February in the afternoon and depart early afternoon on Friday 28th February 2025 (the exact arrival and departure times will be confirmed but usually arrival from 3pm onwards, and departure after lunch on the Sunday).
pricing?
Regular rate: R5950 per person all inclusive
Early bird / past retreatants rate: 5555 per person all inclusive
Includes private en-suite room, three vegetarian meals a day, and all sessions (breathwork, meditation, yoga)
Full payment confirms your spot.
Cancellation up to 10 days before retreat: 50% refund
No refund for cancellation any less than 10 days before retreat.
Payment plans can always be discussed. If you feel called to attend this retreat but there are financial obstacles in your way, let’s chat.
How does the silence work?
We enter silence after dinner on the Wednesday and gently break our silence mid-morning on the Friday. More information on creating and holding the silence will be shared at the welcome session on the Wednesday afternoon: 5PM IS THE OFFICIAL START TO THE RETREAT and it is essential to the integrity of the retreat that all retreatants are present for this session.
Your host is the only person that will be talking during the silent part of the retreat, and then only to give instructions or information. If you need to communicate with the host, you can write a note to her, however there will be no communicating between retreatants until we break our silence. You are welcome to hand in your phones / devices for a digital detox, and give your loved ones the contact numbers of Nicci / Temenos in case of emergency.
What can I expect?
Prepare yourself for a labyrinth of green pathways, secret gardens and sacred spaces. Spread through the expanse of gardens is a variety of cottages, ponds, and countless picturesque spots to pause and reflect. A welcoming, experienced host and friendly support team will go out of their way to ensure your comfort.
The retreat programme (which you will receive upon arrival) is carefully curated to allow for a balance between structured offerings and free time. All sessions are optional, suitable for beginners, and may include:
🌿 Mindfulness Practices | Guided meditations, breathwork sessions, and twice-daily mindful movement (based on yin and yang yoga)
🌳 Nature Immersion | Gentle nature walks (solo and group) and quiet time in the beautiful safe gardens
✨ Noble Silence | Retreatants are guided in taking a vow of silence for 24-36 hours; co-creating a nurturing and supportive environment, free of distractions, that facilitates a deepening of inner awareness and clarity
💛 Connection | Bond with nature, yourself, and like-minded individuals through shared stillness
💛 Your own private, comfortable en-suite cottage
💛 Three delicious vegetarian meals daily, made fresh with local ingredients and lots of love by the resident chef at Temenos’ Tebaldi Restaurant; coffee & a selection of teas and an afternoon sweet treat
The only compulsory session is the welcome session at 5pm on Friday, where all information around the retreat, setting, silence, housekeeping etc will be shared.
The rest of the sessions are optional, and include sunrise and sunset meditation sittings, breathwork and yoga practice twice a day.
There will also be plenty of free time for you to read, nap, walk, run, daydream, journal, swim, explore… the full programme will be shared with you upon arrival.
It’s your retreat: you get to decide what is going to best support you.
You need not have any experience of silent retreats, meditation, yoga or breathwork.
Everyone is welcome.
READY TO BOOK?
For more information or to book: Please email nicci@metta365.com
In the sweet territory of silence we touch the mystery. It's the place of reflection and contemplation, and it's the place where we can connect with the deep knowing, to the deep wisdom way.
— Angeles Arrien quoted in The Millionth Circleby Jean Shinoda Bolen
What to bring
Upon booking, you will receive a suggested packing list, which includes:
Your own yoga mat and any other yoga props you may have or need (you can borrow from me if you don’t have a mat)
A shawl or blanket to cover up
Warm, comfortable clothes that you can layer
A head torch to light your way if you are walking in the gardens after dark
about the venue:
In the relentless pace of everyday life we often forget our capacity to embrace simplicity and stillness. Temenos’ beautiful gardens have been designed to honor and renew the practice of mindfulness, simplicity, contemplation and the quiet embrace of the present moment. There are many spaces within the grounds where you can withdraw to for quiet meditation or reflection.
What was once a barren piece of veld in 1996 is now the beautiful oasis of Temenos. Their original old homestead built of clay in 1856 is now our restaurant. The old stable still exists to the left of the Restaurant patio. When the property was purchased in 1996 by Billy Kennedy the building was in a state of disrepair and there was no garden except for six trees on the current restaurant lawn.
Over the next years the dream of Temenos gently unfolded into the well-loved sanctuary that it is today.
Temenos is situated in the middle of the small village called McGregor, near Robertson in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is two hours drive from Cape Town International Airport.
The private cottages and rooms are spread throughout the gardens, and there is a chapel, a meditation ‘well’, and the beloved ‘Blue Room’, Temore, with the stained glass windows pictured above, that invites you to turn within. Within the gardens is an extensive library of Health and Healing books for you to choose from and to enjoy either reading in front of a log fire in your cottage or in summer, relaxing at our lap pool.We will dine in a private dining room next door to Temenos’ Tebaldi Restaurant.
About the host:
Nicci is a registered yoga teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance and she has been teaching for over 15 years. She has attended teacher trainings in the USA, India and South Africa in the Sivananda-influenced Integral Vinyasa Yoga style, as well as pre-natal yoga and yin yoga. She is a certified Conscious Connected Breathwork Facilitator and a certified M-Technique massage practitioner.
With a background in corporate and non-profit, Nicci gained two certifications as a professional coach (Executive & Management Coaching in 2018 through UCT; Levels 1 and 2 Professional Coaching in 2019 through Thoughtsmiths) and now works as an accountability partner and executive coach to CEOs and C-suite leaders within corporates and NGO's. She offers group mindfulness and employee wellbeing training to organisations globally, and hosts silent retreats across the country. Clients include Woolworths Financial Services, Food Lovers' Market, The SPAR group, Santam, Byte Orbit, Publicis and more.
Nicci lives in Scarborough with her two children.
Questions?
Email nicci@metta365.com with any queries or WhatsApp +27 (0)78 563 8152
READY TO BOOK?
Banking details: Standard Bank
Account name: metta365 (Pty) Ltd
Account number: 10168459491
Branch code: 050610
BIC Code (Swift): SBZAZAJJ
Please send Proof of Payment to nicci@metta365.com with Temenos + your name as reference.
INTERESTED IN ENGAGING NICCI AS YOUR COACH?
Book a free, no-obligation 30-minute chemistry call with Nicci via www.metta365.com
