When booking a Soul Sanctuary retreat, you will be asked to agree to these terms and conditions.

This agreement is between the guest and Soul Sanctuary retreats (Alma Escapes Ltd). Soul Sanctuary retreats include, but are not limited to, yoga, meditation, conscious connected breathwork, hiking, surfing, dancing and fitness. You must be 18 years or older to attend a Soul Sanctuary retreat.

We do not accept any liability for anyone who withholds information about their physical or mental health and dietary requirements.

We reserve the right to ask a guest to leave the retreat or to stop taking part in activity if we find information submitted here to be untrue.

1. Booking

(a) Your booking is not considered definite and no contract will exist until we receive a 35% deposit from you and you agree to these terms and conditions.

(b) We do not share customer details with any 3rd parties.

2. Payment

(a) The price is the exact amount to be received by us in GBP.

(b) The 35% deposit is fully non-refundable. Travel insurance is recommended. We do not give refunds in any circumstances on the non-refundable deposit.

(c) The balance payment will be made 8 weeks prior to the retreat starting (date shown on your initial invoice). If the balance payment is not made by this date, the customer will lose both the deposit and the space on the retreat. We can set up payment plans for guests to allow a more flexible payment structure.

(d) All payments are to be made via bank transfer to Alma Escapes Ltd. Overseas payments can be made via Wise. We do not accept credit card payments.

3. Travel

(a) Travel insurance is highly recommended. If you choose to buy insurance we require that your travel insurance covers the activity of this retreat as well as unexpected cancellation, sickness, losses and all the usual risks. You should bring the policy with you in case of an emergency.

(b) All travel arrangements are your responsibility and at your own cost. We shall not be held liable for any consequences arising from delays or cancellations made by any of the companies you may have made arrangements with, or for any irregularities in your documentation required for travel. Transfers to and from the retreat are at your own cost, unless otherwise specified.

4. Your Health

(a) It is your responsibility to let your Cat Meffan and the Soul Sanctuary retreat team know if you have any injuries and to be mindful at all times of your own body’s capability during the retreat. If you experience any injury or discomfort during any activity during the retreat, then you must desist and tell a member of staff immediately.

(b) It is also your responsibility to consult a doctor with an understanding of yoga to check that you are sufficiently fit and healthy to undertake yoga classes and other physical activities that you may choose to do whilst on the retreat. These activities include and are not limited to dancing, yoga, workouts, hiking, swimming and surfing.

(c) Please advise us of any mental or physical health conditions before you transfer your deposit. If you have health conditions that may be affected by the activities offered on our retreats, we reserve the right to advise you to desist and in the interests of your wellbeing, or others, we may decline your stay at the retreat.

(d) Whilst all measures are taken to ensure a high standard of health and safety, some of our retreats are situated in the countryside where the land is uneven and we shall not be responsible for any injuries caused by uneven terrain.

(e) Women who are 12 to 28 weeks pregnant should provide a letter from their health practitioner specifying that they are fit to travel and able to engage in the activities that we provide. We do not offer pre and post natal specific yoga classes, so a level of understanding of yoga and experience with it is necessary if pregnant.

(f) You will be required to answer some questions about your current and past health conditions – both mental and physical. This is so that the Soul Sanctuary is aware of any issues that could arise during a retreat.

5. Disclaimer of liability: breathwork

Spiritual and emotional work, breathwork, yoga, meditation and any other form of alternative healing should not be construed as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician, medical or psychiatric examination, diagnosis or treatment. Anyone interested in breathwork is also responsible for seeking the specific medical or psychiatric attention they need, should they need it.

The information and content available is intended for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat or cure any disease or condition. Individuals should consult a qualified health care provider for medical advice.

How to Determine if You are a Candidate:

Breathwork results in certain specific physiological changes in the body and also can result in intense physical and emotional release. As a precaution, the following conditions are contraindicated in certain breathwork practices. It is crucial that you inform your breathwork practitioner if any of the following conditions are relevant to you.

If any of the following contraindications apply to you, breath medicine has the potential to cause harm and is currently not something that is of benefit to you:

Epilepsy, History of Seizures, Detached Retina, Glaucoma, Kidney disease, Cardiovascular disease including angina, previous heart attack or stroke, Diagnosis of aneurysm in the brain or abdomen, Uncontrolled thyroid conditions, Diabetes

For any of the following contraindications, it’s important to bring these to the attention of Cat Meffan and Soul Sanctuary Retreats and we can discuss if this work is in alignment for you at this time:

Pregnancy

Severe PTSD

On recreational drugs – must be off recreational drugs for at least 72 hours prior to a session

High Blood Pressure

Severe Asthma – for mild to moderate asthma, we can discuss but you must bring your inhaler to the session

Recent surgery or injury

Taking any medication that alters brain chemistry like anti-anxiety, anti-depressant, etc.

Prior diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or previous psychiatric condition

Hospitalisation for any psychiatric condition or emotional crisis within the last 10 years

Any other medical, psychiatric or physical conditions which would impair or affect ability to engage in any activities that involve deep physical and/or emotional release

*These are globally recognized breathwork contraindications upheld by the International Breathwork Foundation. Breathwork changes pressure, chemistry, and opens us to powerful emotional work. If it isn’t suitable for you, it just means there are other practices that are of much higher benefit to you at this time.

6. Dietary Allergies and Intolerances

(a) Soul Sanctuary retreats only offer a plant based menu. If you are unable to eat a plant based diet, unfortunately we will not be able to cater for you. Animal products are not welcome on Soul Sanctuary retreats, and if a guest is found bringing meat or dairy products into the retreat space we reserve the right to ask you to remove them. If this is not done after a first warning, we reserve the right to ask you to leave.

(b) Though some of the food we create on Soul Sanctuary retreats is gluten free and we can often cater for gluten intolerances, there may be some retreats where we cannot guarantee cross-contamination. If you are coeliac, please discuss this with our team before paying your deposit.

(c) We do not serve or allow the consumption of alcohol on any of our retreats. This is for the benefit of the practices.

(d) All dietary allergies and intolerances should be made clear to the team upon booking. If these intolerances change between signing the waiver and the retreat happening, you are responsible for letting the team know well in advance.

(e) Any dietary allergies and intolerances that are not disclosed at the time of booking may not be able to be catered for.

7. Cancellation by the guest

(a) You may cancel your booking at any time, provided that the cancellation is made by the person submitting the booking form and is notified to us in writing/email.

(b) In all cancellation circumstances, the non-refundable deposit will be lost.

(c) If a cancellation is made within 8 weeks of the retreat starting, no refund will be possible on either the balance or the deposit.

(d) Bookings are for the stated period of the retreat. There are no refunds for an unused portion of the retreat. If the reason for cancellation is covered under the terms of your Insurance Policy, you may be able to make a claim on your insurance.

8. Amendments by the Soul Sanctuary

Occasionally, changes may have to be made (e.g., yoga teacher, class times or other arrangements), which we reserve the right to do at any time.

9. Cancellation by the Soul Sanctuary

If a cancellation is made by us, we will transfer you onto another retreat of the same value or we will fully refund all payments made to us.

10. Our liability to you

(a) We accept responsibility for ensuring that the retreats are supplied as described and that the services we are contractually obliged to provide are to a reasonable standard.

(b) We do not accept any liability for cancellations, delays or changes caused by war, threat of war, terrorist actions or threats, closure of airports, civil strife, industrial action, natural disaster, international epidemic, technical problems to transport, staff cancellations, unforeseen changes in your personal circumstances or other events beyond our control.

(c) We are not liable for any injuries you may incur. All classes are undertaken at your own risk. We are not liable for any medical or psychiatric conditions, which may develop during or subsequent to the retreat. We are not liable for loss of, or damage to, your personal property.

11. Group Bookings

(a) Where a booking is made on behalf of several individuals, the booking is conditional on the person(s) paying having authorisation from all the individuals named on the booking form to enter into this contract. The terms of this contract will apply to each member of the group as though they had paid for their own retreat individually and directly to us.

12. No Liability for possessions

(a) It is your responsibility to ensure that your possessions are kept safe at all times.

13. Complaints

(a) If you have a problem during your retreat, please inform a member of staff immediately and we will endeavour to put things right.

(b) Please note that we cannot be responsible for the individual behaviour of any group member or other guest sharing your accommodation.

14. Privacy Policy

(a) We do not share customer details with any 3rd parties. Any personal information that you provide to us will be used only for the service you requested. This information is used only for administration of the site system and in the compilation of statistics used by us to assess the use of the site. This privacy policy does not cover the links within this site linking to other sites.

15. Photography & Videography

(a) Soul Sanctuary may invite a photographer and/or videographer on retreats. This is to both capture promotional content for the Soul Sanctuary and for guests to have memories in photo form.

(b) You will agree to authorise Soul Sanctuary, Cat Meffan & Alma Escapes Ltd to use photographs and videos of me on social media channels and the Soul Sanctuary website.