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Mindful Mermaids Mini Retreats: Step into nature ~ rediscover calm

Experience the healing power of woodland immersion, contrast therapy, mindful movement, meditation, breathwork, and meaningful community connection

Welcome to Mindful Mermaids...

Step away from the chaos, reconnect with yourself, recharge in nature, and connect with like-minded souls on the journey to wellbeing

Feeling swamped by life's relentless pace? Craving a genuine moment of peace? This is your sanctuary~ a carefully crafted mini-retreat, born from nearly a decade of experience in guiding outdoor wellbeing groups, and designed to melt away stress and rekindle your inner calm.

Imagine a few transformative hours where...

  • Woodland whispers replace digital noise
  • Contrast therapy awakens your body's natural healing response
  • Mindful movement resets your nervous system
  • Breathwork & meditation create space for clarity
  • Community connection reminds you that you're not alone
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A perfect balance of invigoration and energy renewal~ designed to refresh your body and awaken your spirit

What you'll experience...

  • ✨ Woodland Immersion: Ground yourself in nature's healing connection, using principles of forest bathing to enhance sensory connection and reduce stress
  • ✨ Contrast Therapy: Cellular reset through therapeutic heat and invigorating cold immersion
  • ❄️ Cold Water Immersion: Shock your system into peak resilience and mental clarity
  • 🔥 Revitalising Sauna: Deeply cleanse, relax muscles, and boost natural healing mechanisms
  • ✨ Mindful Movement: Restore natural alignment and ease tension
  • ✨ Breathwork & Meditation: Learn techniques to centre yourself anytime, anywhere
  • ✨ Community Connection: Share, support, and grow together

What Mermaids Are Saying

"I arrived overwhelmed and left feeling completely renewed. It was like hitting a reset button for my entire being."
Mindful Mermaids Participant

Ready to experience the magic for yourself?

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Retreat Details

📍 Location: Clevedon Coast & Woodland

⏰ Duration: 3 Hour Intensive Reset

👥 Limited to up to 10 Participants

💷 Investment: £65 (£59 Experience Fee + £6 Sauna Booking)

What’s Included?

🔆 Full retreat experience

🔆 Mandatory sauna booking

🔆 Comfort and Hydration: Chamomile and peppermint teas, and water

⭐ Spaces are limited to ensure an intimate and supportive experience. Secure your place with full payment ⭐

For any questions, drop me an email/message

claire.paul@harmony4life.co.uk

07813 138 171

Remember to watch this space for other retreats.

Why Join Mindful Mermaids?

  • Holistic Wellness: Science-backed techniques that work, refined over years of practical application.
  • Nature Therapy: Blue and green healing in one experience, enhanced by forest bathing principles
  • Community Support: Connect with like-minded souls
  • Practical Tools: Take-home techniques for daily resilience

To find out more about Mindful Mermaids and the evidence behind this read on...

Your transformation awaits ~ Spaces fill quickly...

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Calling anyone who needs a wellbeing boost

Mindful Mermaids is designed for anyone who would like a boost to their wellbeing; anyone who wants to benefit from the great outdoors.

Tune into nature

Let Mindful Mermaids help you carve out time; by tuning into nature and connecting with like-minded people you will boost your mental and physical wellbeing.

Maximise the 'feel good' factor

Mindful Mermaids is designed to help you acclimatise to swimming/dipping in Clevedon Marine Lake and fully embrace the 'feel-good factor' it offers.

Guided mindfulness

Pebble stack representing balance and harmony

Throughout Mindful Mermaids, we’ll incorporate some of the world’s most effective tools and practices to cultivate mindfulness.

Mindful walking

At Mindful Mermaids, we’ll include about 5 minutes of silent mindful walking. Without conversation, it’s easier to calm your mind and fully take in the beauty of your surroundings.

Enjoy Clevedon's Relaxing Walks

A calm scene to visualise for better sleep.

The routes we'll take will consist of nice well marked paths and tracks. However, the terrain will vary and there will be some inclines. The overall walk will be around 1 mile and is 'easy to moderate'.

A great way to warm up

Following your invigorating cold water immersion, we'll take a gentle coastal walk, allowing the fresh sea air and stunning views to gradually warm you and instill a lasting sense of peace.

Tips for Outdoor Swimming

Before we meet you will receive tips on outdoor swimming to help you prepare and enjoy any swims. Feel free to ask any questions as we walk too.

What to expect

Swimming can be a great form of Exercise Therapy

If you are new to outdoor swimming it's important to familiarise yourself with what to expect before you arrive and remember you swim at your own risk.

About you...

Mindful Mermaids can help you if you agree with ANY of the following points:

  • I feel I need a wellbeing boost
  • I would like to walk in a group
  • I would like to meet people who want to go outdoor swimming
  • I know I need to get out and socialise more
  • I have symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression
  • I work from home and feel isolated
  • I am interested in mindfulness
  • I would like to get fitter
  • I am committed to practicing techniques to help my physical and psychological wellbeing
  • I am not sleeping well
  • I would like to meet up with a supportive group
  • I would like to benefit from blue and green therapy
  • I'm interested in addtional evidenced based techniques to increase my wellbeing
  • I would like to be in touch with like-minded people
  • I would like to be outdoors to get the benefits of nature & sunlight
  • I would like to exercisee regularly but lack motivation
  • I am more likely to swim outdoors if I'm with other people
  • I work from home a lot

About me...

You may be wondering about me and how my skills and experience lend themselves to facilitate Mindful Mermaids. I have a strong background in Psychology and have been using this to help people since 2006. I have completed a Natural Mindfulness course and would like to help others discover a deeper more mindful connection with nature.

I am passionate about the benefits of the great outdoors, exercise and social connection. I started outdoor swimming all year round in 2016 and set up a group to help others discover the benefits of this a year later. From this I know the impact of various factors that apply both to this and Mindful Mermaids- being outdoors, exercising, moral support, to mention just a few.

Social connection can benefit anyone at any time and if you feel your wellbeing isn't as good as it could be this will be even more important for you. It may be that joining a group feels daunting but please be assured I am warm and welcoming and strive to help everyone feel included and at ease.

I know how rewarding exercise can be in so many ways. With a background in Psychology and someone who enjoys exercise I am especially interested in it's psychological impact. I have experienced this throughout my life and want to inspire others so that they can experience it too, especially during what can be a challenging time of life.

The following concepts underpin this retreat:

  • Exercise coupled with psychological techniques is really powerful and can help in many ways
  • By addressing both your physical and psychological wellbeing, we can alleviate stress, anxiety, and low mood, fostering greater resilience
A calm scene to visualise for better sleep.

The unique blend that makes up Mindful Mermaids

Developing Mindfulness

As little as 5 minutes of mindfulness at the start of your day can have a huge positive impact. It can boost your ability to focus, increase productivity, reduce stress and enable you to be fully present throughout the rest of your day.

A short guided mindfulness session is planned to start each retreat. If the weather is not kind to us we may use a short period of 'silent walking' instead. This can be treated as a time to 'mindfully walk' (information about this will be in the joining instructions), to be able to tune into nature and notice the landscape, weather, etc.

The guided mindfulness or silent walk serves as a 'mental palette cleanser,' facilitating your transition between your prior activities and the retreat experience.

It can help you disconnect from the former and prepare you for the latter. This is particularly true because mindfulness by it's very nature is about tuning into the present moment.

But what are the science-based benefits of mindfulness and how might they apply to you. To find out click on 'learn more'.

To reap more benefits of mindfulness you can choose to opt into the online cognitive behavioural programmes. I can prescribe one or more of these so that you can access them for free (read the '7 Steps to Wellbeing' section below to find out more).

Proof that it really can be short and sweet

Mental health professionals practicing mindful meditation just five minutes a day for a week experienced significant reductions in stress (Lam, 2015).  This proves that just a little bit of mindfulness can make all the difference.

Ease aches and pains

One study suggests 80 minutes of mindful meditation could reduce the perception of pain by nearly 50% (Zeidan et al 2011).  Backing this up is a study of Zen meditators who were found to have a significantly higher pain threshold than non meditators (Grant et al 2010).  So, if you experience aches and pains in your back, neck, hips or other areas of your body mindfulness could really help.  

Improve your decision making and become smarter

Research shows that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification, or folding of the brain’s cortex, compared to non-meditators (Luders et al, 2012).  The benefits of these extra folds is faster information processing and avoidance of ruminating on past events, which can distort thinking and decision making.  

Practicing as little as one 15-minute focused breathing meditation can get you out of your head, remove the bias from your brain and help you think more clearly. 

Develop your ‘mental armour’

Mindfulness can also help protect you from emotional events.  One study followed marines who prepared for deployment by practicing mindfulness meditation for two hours each week, over an eight week period.  The study found it helped them stay alert and in the moment without becoming emotional, giving them a kind of “mental armour”.  

Boost your attention span and focus

By freeing the mind from distraction mindfulness meditation has been shown to help with attention span.

In a 2008 brain-scan study, experienced Zen- meditators’ returned more quickly to their pre-interruption state.  It is suggested this is down to the ability to clear their minds of distractions.

This and other research shows that focus and attention is significantly better for those who practice mindfulness.

Increase resilience and equanimity

In 2003 Richie Davidson and Paul Ekman studied a monk with over 30 years of meditative experience.  The purpose of this was to assess meditation as mind training and whether this can help us handle destructive emotions better.

Davidson and Ekman reported that the activity in the monk’s prefrontal cortex indicated high levels of equanimity, well-being, and resilience to setbacks.  This suggests his discipline of mindfulness  certainly paid off!

References

Effects of Five-Minute Mindfulness Meditation on Mental Health Care Professionals; Lam (2015)

Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation; Zeidan et al (2011).

Cortical Thickness and Pain Sensitivity in Zen Meditators; Grant et al (2010).

The unique brain anatomy of meditation practitioners: alterations in cortical gyrification; Luders et al (2012).

Thinking about Not-Thinking: Neural Correlates of Conceptual Processing during Zen Meditation; Pagnoni et al (2008)

Social connection

Our relationships are really important for keeping us happy and healthy. Lockdown highlighted our need to connect with others in real time and there's never been a better time to meet up outdoors.

Mindful Mermaids brings people together with shared interests and experiences. This plus walking and being able to enjoy the scenery facilitates natural connection even for those who may feel a bit shy.

‘The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking,’ said Mark Twain.

It’s important we take more time to do what we do best: connect with each other.  One of the most obvious benefits of a meetup is an opportunity to do just this.  

Social connection means the feeling of belonging to a group and generally feeling connected to people.  This is one of the ‘7 Steps to Wellbeing’ because scientific evidence shows it’s a core human need; one that’s essential for us to feel satisfied.

You may have a whole raft of reasons as to why you want to increase social connection…  maybe you want to start the day off in the right way.  Connecting at the beginning of your day if you are working from home or feeling isolated in any way is a great way to boost positivity for the whole day.  Maybe you just want a support network around this phase of your life. 

Perhaps you have found that you are growing out of an old lifestyle choice, such as drinking in pubs, and want to create new friendships around outdoor activities.  Mindful Mermaids creates the perfect opportunity to form new friendships, or to develop existing ones, if you come along to the group with someone you already know.

Whatever your reasons there are many benefits to social connection and one that is important in Mindful Mermaids is giving to others through smiles, listening and sharing.  Learning will naturally occur when we listen and we can learn so much from other people.  The meetups are intended to provide a positive space for you to share your experiences and wellbeing ideas. 

Research shows that as well as exercise alone releasing endorphins, group settings can do this through smiling.  So when you’re walking with a great group of people like the Mindful Mermaids you will naturally feel better and more energised due to this double whammy of endorphins.  These feel good factors are infectious and spread throughout the group like wildfire, benefitting everyone.

Science also shows that when we socially connect the pleasure-inducing hormone oxytocin is released, which reduces anxiety and improves concentration.  In addition to this our cardiovascular and immune systems are given a boost helping us to function better.

Mindful Mermaid meet ups generate a sense of camaraderie, because everyone is there for the same purpose.  The people you see each week will hopefully become like family and you may feel a sense of accountability.  For most of us it’s a challenge to be consistent with exercise but being part of a group provides the motivation and accountability to keep going.  

Research suggests people enjoy exercise more with others than when they are alone.  Furthermore, they’re more likely to maintain exercise if they’re outdoors in green spaces with other people.  

In one study (York, 2017) group exercise participants showed significant improvements in three quality of life measures: mental, physical and emotional.  This may be another reason people are more likely to stick to the routine of group exercise.  

The Köhler Effect also means that we want to avoid being seen as the weakest link in a group.  This translates to us pushing ourselves harder.  Mindful Mermaids will hopefully benefit from this both during and outside of meetups when there is the opportunity to put wellbeing tips in place.

Exercise for physical and mental wellbeing

Do you get 2.5 hours exercise every week? The NHS recommends this and Mindful Mermaids will help you incorporate extra exercise into your week or month more easily.

The mental health benefits of exercise are of course huge; it can help with low mood, anxiety, stress, confidence and self esteem. The great news is that simply getting out for a sociable walk will help.

There are many barriers to exercise. Maybe finding the time and the motivation is a challenge. Mindful Mermaids meetups are kept short for those under time pressure. For those with extra time there’s the option of a cuppa or outdoor swim.

Feeling self conscious or not good enough to do traditional forms of exercise can be a real block to getting started. Other barriers to exercise can come in the form of tiredness,  achy joints and other physical issues.

Exercise works by improving muscle mass, strength, balance, and coordination. Therefore, unlike treatment with medicine, exercises work simultaneously on various aspects of one’s health.”

Walking at a set time on a regular basis is an obvious choice for exercise. This gives you routine plus the sense of belonging and feeling supported by a group. This will increase motivation to attend and therefore help you get regular exercise. Also knowing that you will be doing gentle exercise compared to going to the gym or running will hopefully help you maintain this.

Positive vibes

Ever wondered why you feel so good after a woodland walk, going to the beach, being by a river, in the mountains or just breathing in the fresh air after its rained?

This is because negative ions (small molecules that gain a negative electrical charge), are highly concentrated in places of nature. For nearly 100 years researchers have explored how they positively influence the mind and body.

Typically, rain, wind or sunlight causes an atom to break apart which produces negative ions.  Therefore forests, beaches, waterfalls, rivers and just about any natural space will have high concentrations of negative ions.

They can bring more energy and vitality and help stablise mood.  This can therefore help depression and seasonal affective disorder.

One of the key findings of research over the years is that negative ions positively impact serotonin levels in the brain.  In contrast positive ions make us feel bad and we are often over-exposed to them via electrical equipment such as computers and mobile phones. This can affect our magnetic field by leaving us feeling depleted of energy so that we feel lethargic and tired.

So in the Mindful Mermaids meetup you are invited to turn off your mobile devices and breathe in the fresh air.  This is especially important if you are unable to freely access the benefits of negative ions in your everyday life.

Use the below link to find some more benefits of being outdoors:

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/70548/11-scientific-benefits-being-outdoors

Try ladies walk talk therapy to overcome anxiety, release stress and build confidence and much more

Walking to Wellbeing

Mindful Mermaids aims to seamlessly facilitate interaction with nature, social interaction, and physical activity. Escape your immediate surroundings, take in the sea air and walk by the water whilst chatting to others- you won't even notice you're exercising.

‘Walking is man’s best medicine,’ said Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates. Indeed, once you commit to regular exercise it can be more effective than taking medication.

The simple act of putting one foot in front of another is said to be 'the perfect exercise'; one that is both meditative and rejuvenating. But what are the other benefits of walking?

At least 30 minutes of brisk walking or other physical activity is recommended five times a week. ‘Brisk’ meaning your heart rate will increase, you will feel warmer and breathe a little faster than normal but are still able to carry on a conversation.  This is perfect for Mindful Mermaids!

Even a short walk as little as 10 minutes can have a whole raft of benefits.  A Ramblers factsheet lists the following mental health and wellbeing benefits:

* Physically active people are nearly 30% less likely to become depressed and staying active helps those who are depressed recover (Walking for Health)

* According to the NHS, 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children experience a mental health problem in England https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/

* Being physically active helps people manage stress, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. It can also help improve self-esteem and mood (Mind, 2019)

* Regular physical activity can also reduce your risk of becoming depressed by 30% (Public Health England, 2019)

* Being active on a regular basis can also lead to people having more energy, feeling more relaxed and having a better concentration and memory (British Heart Foundation, 2018)

* People who walked to work reported greater job satisfaction and wellbeing in a study of over 26,000 employed people living in England (Chatterjee etc, UWE Bristol, 2017)

Being active also improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality.

Walking has numerous benefits, some of which are already mentioned above.  Studies show it improves mood and reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue, all of which can affect us at different times in our lives.  It can also ease brain fog and improve concentration.  This is because getting fresh air and natural light whilst being active can increase focus.

Also, as slow movement pioneer Carl Honoré says, “travelling on foot can be meditative, fostering a slow frame of mind. When we walk, we are aware of the details around us – birds, trees, the sky, shops and houses, other people. We make connections.” 

Use the following link to discover more health benefits of walking- ‘the wonder drug’:

https://walking.heartfoundation.org.au/

Blue and Green Therapy

Spending time outdoors in Clevedon is really rather special.... it offers truly superb green and blue therapy. '

I strongly believe connecting with nature and absorbing it's effects is a massive boost to wellbeing for both body and mind but does research back this up?

Firstly, what to expect from a Mindful Mermaid walk…

As stated above and it’s worth repeating… walking in Clevedon is really rather special.  It has “the most beautiful pier in England” according to John Betjeman. This was opened in 1869- a great part of Clevedon history and well worth a tour.

Poet’s Walk is simply magical and a fantastic way to see more of Clevedon.  We start with a dose of blue therapy as we walk beside the stunning Marine Lake (opened in March 1929), which is said to be the world’s largest sea water infinity pool. This walk also takes in woodland and grassy areas, increasing the benefits of green therapy.

A trip advisor review says:

“Poets Walk (named to commemorate Coleridge, Tennyson, Hallam and Thackery) circles Wain’s Hill (Iron age fort) passing a WW2 pillbox affording panoramic views over the Quantock & Mendip Hills, the River Severn, the Brecon Beacons, Clevedon Pill, the islands of Steepholm and Flatholm, Cardiff and Penarth and distant views of Exmoor and Dartmoor… returning via St.Andrews church (of Broadchurch fame).
This walk is delightful any time of the year.”

Mindful Mermaids routes walks will vary depending on the weather; you may walk up Wain’s Hill and Church Hill, passing by the Pill Box, the site of the Three Apostles and The Lookout.  Your experience will also change with the weather of course.  On a clear day you can look over to Wales and at other times it may be misty and overcast making it more atmospheric yet still very beautiful.

There is a range of wildlife including  shrews, rabbits, peregrine falcons and a variety of other birds to mention but a few.  Deer and badgers have also been spotted in the area.

Walking along the cliff-tops you can listen to the beautiful bird song as you observe the constantly changing views of the Bristol Channel, which has the second-highest tidal range in the world. 

Mindful Mermaids walking routes will always include the sea front as this can be most uplifting and revitalising. Over the years I have walked these routes regularly with clients and now I want to share them with the Mindful Mermaids.

Use the following link to find out more about Poet’s walk:

Poets Walk and Clevedon Seaside Stroll

Now for the research behind green and blue therapy…

A survey carried out in April 2021 by the Mental Health Foundation outlined the following positive impact of engaging with nature:

* Improved mood (reported by 70%)
* Positive emotions such a joy, calm and wonder (reported by 65%)
* Being able to cope with stress (reported by 49%)
* Less worry and anxiety (44%)

Research suggests that spending two hours a week in nature significantly boosts health and wellbeing. Interestingly prior to the pandemic the Mental Health Foundtaion survey found that 12% of adults were in nature for one hour or less. If you are one of these people coming to Mindful Mermaids can contribute towards your two hours to help your health and wellbeing.

The Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation Mark Rowland said:

“Nature can be a powerful ally in protecting our mental health, preventing distress and ensuring good mental wellbeing.  During the pandemic, millions of us discovered nature’s power to relieve stress, worry, anxiety and restore us with positive emotions, such as joy.

While nature won’t solve all our problems – prioritising time in nature can really help support good mental health. However, the most important thing is the quality of the experience and feeling like we connect with nature by noticing its beauty and absorbing its sights, sounds, and scents.”

The benefits of walking and exercise are akin to being in nature or observing it.  You may notice how much better you feel after a walk as it can improve mood and reduce anxiety. 

This is partly because you can find it easier to focus on the present moment and your mind is distracted away from daily stress and tasks.  Mindful Mermaids focuses on reinforcing this so you can dial into your senses and be in the here and now.

Forest bathing was introduced in the 1980’s by the Japanese government to address a society prone to overworking.  Time in nature was prescribed to reduce stress, anxiety and blood pressure.  The main objective of forest bathing is to be in the moment by immersing your senses in the natural world.  This serves to help you move away from focusing on what has already happened or what is (potentially) going to happen.  Mindful Mermaids is based on this very concept.

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