Two friends find a tonic for body and mind with Saol Beo Retreats in Ireland

Caroline Sylge and Elly Reid arrive at a private wellbeing retreat in County Kilkenny in different states of body and mind, but are restored with delights arranged by their multi-talented host Tara O’ Rourke

Tara O’Rouke

Caroline writes:

I’ve been writing ferociously in my journal for an hour on the garden terrace of Saol Beo Retreat. A jug of coffee beside me, the enlivening autumn air filling my lungs, my brain feels alive as I offload the last few months onto the page. I’m in my element, with tall green trees on which to rest my eyes, and a violet bed of lavender and agapanthus before me.

Inside, my dear friend Elly is sleeping on the sofa after our morning yoga session. Life has exhausted her recently, but we couldn’t be in a better place on this three-night private retreat created by Tara O’ Rourke, our gorgeous, multi-talented host who is a therapist, coach and yoga teacher.

My terrace journaling has been inspired by an individual coaching session with Neeve Guinnane, whom Tara has chosen to be part of the many joyful things on offer here. Neeve has got me thinking about all sorts of things, including how to reframe my limiting beliefs into empowering ones. She’s clever and direct, with huge experience of the issues women face in business as well as life, and I like her enormously.

Elly and I are relishing our base - a peaceful, stone-floored modern bungalow near the village of Inistioge. We have it to ourselves for the duration of our stay, with a bedroom and bathroom each. Sensitively designed to make the most of the outside light and garden views, the house has plenty of nourishing details to lift the heart, from colourful mohair blankets and shawls to the array of pretty trays and designer ceramics on which Tara serves us scrumptious and fuelling veggie meals.

We’re here for a mix of daily yoga, life coaching, local walks, treatments, rest, creativity and time together. Throughout our stay Tara’s energy is remarkable, but she is also appropriately sensitive, knowing when to intervene or leave us to be alone or chat quietly away.

I love the gentle but strong hatha yoga sessions each morning, and the evening restorative practices, which Tara peppers with quotes and nuggets of philosophy, and which we do looking out at the draping trees and changing light through floor-to-ceiling windows.

The long weekend also makes me a convert to organic Dr. Hauschka products, which Tara specialises in. I am deeply relaxed by her 90-minute Mindful Face and Body Treatment and delighted by the fragrant facial toner she gifts us with at the beginning of our stay.

Time moves slowly as we start to unwind. There’s an extensive library of books, which I enjoy browsing, finding a jewel in Silence: In the Age of Noise by Erling Kagge. I read it from cover to cover, wrapped up on the sofa with a hot water bottle, feeding off the wisdom inside the book as a I sip a Pukkha tea.

On another afternoon Tara drops us off at nearby Woodstock Gardens, from where we follow a walking trail through woodland and beside the River Nore. That evening, in true girlfriend fashion, we cosy up in front of the wood burner to watch the film of Maeve Binchy’s novel A Circle of Friends, which was filmed in Inistioge.

On our way back to Dublin on our last day, Tara treats us to a ceramics session with Irish artist Olga Fitzpatrick at her seaside studio in County Wicklow, which is altogether gorgeous and uplifting.  Just before we leave, I find another gem of a book, this one by Brianna Wiest, and flick through it. ‘You are not meant to spend your life waiting for your life to begin,’ I read. Going on a Saol Beo Retreat had been a perfect way to remind myself - and a dear friend - of this.

“I find myself truly switching off and tuning in to my body’s needs. I haven’t felt quite so ‘held’ since childhood stays with my grandma”

Elly writes:

Caroline and I have been close friends for over 25 years but living far apart we rarely see each other, so our annual weekend away is always a highlight of my year. It usually entails a bit of walking and lots of catching up over glasses of wine.

The past 12 months have been particularly challenging for me, as I’ve navigated my way through difficult divorce proceedings and have had to adapt to life as a single mum to three teenagers. I’m utterly exhausted and have never come this close to burnout, so when Caroline suggests we ditch the alcohol in favour of a few nights away together on a private bespoke retreat for two, I’m all in.

The comfortable two-hour train journey from Dublin Airport gives us the perfect opportunity to catch up; we talk non-stop in the way that old friends do and in a blink of an eye we’ve arrived at our destination, where retreat owner Tara is waiting to collect us for the short car journey to Saol Beo.

As we arrive, the sun is just beginning to dip behind a row of shimmering poplar trees that stand by the river at the bottom of the garden. I take a moment to stand in the warm evening light and drink in the bucolic view before stepping inside the rather luxurious-looking, contemporary bungalow, where I’m delighted to discover the main living area has floor-to- ceiling windows that allow the outside in. While we make ourselves at home, Tara prepares tea and cake.

We’ve designed our retreat to include an array of wellbeing activities, but my body has other intentions and I’m surprised by the speed in which it descends into deep relaxation and the need for sleep. I find myself perfectly content to stay put at Saol Beo with its tranquil, warm and cocooning energy. Paired with the multi-gifted Tara, I find myself truly switching off and tuning in to my body’s needs. I haven’t felt quite so ‘held’ since childhood stays with my grandma.

Tara’s culinary skills only add to our experience - her passion for cooking is evident in every dish she brings to the table, and we feast on plentiful, flavour-laden vegan and vegetarian fare. I particularly love Tara’s Irish twist on lasagne, which she makes with layers of potato and a herby mix of tomatoes, shallots, garlic and courgettes. We’re also treated to local delicacies, including delicious cheeses and chocolate from local artisan chocolatier, The Truffle Fairy. 

I will admit to being apprehensive about the yoga. Caroline’s an expert, while I can barely touch my toes, and haven’t taken a yoga class since the last time a friend forced me into it, but I’m hugely surprised by how much I enjoy Tara’s hatha practice, which she tailors to both our needs; while Caroline is upside down in headstand, I feel perfectly comfortable practising bridge pose.

I particularly love our restorative evening sessions. Lying under blankets and listening to Tara’s gentle, melodic Irish accent reciting poetry, I’m transported back to childhood and the simple pleasure of drifting off to sleep with a bedtime story. Over the course of our three-day stay, I find myself falling in love with yoga for the very first time, and although I don’t feel I will ever be able to achieve a headstand, I believe I could become a master of Savasana!