TESTIMONIALS
TESTIMONIALS
'A Yoga Retreat that feels like a hug...
The best way I can describe Riverheart Retreats in Andalucia is that it feels like a hug. I knew it would be, even before we arrived. The voice messages I received from Samm were filled with her calm warmth, and on meeting her and her husband, Mike I knew that this place was just what my partner and I needed after the stress of a lockdown break-up, followed by weeks apart, an anxiety attack and a decision to get back together, but on new terms.
Samm and Mike are the most welcoming of hosts, providing a calm, relaxed, family atmosphere that is tremendously healing. We stayed in a delightful en-suite cabana with beautifully painted walls and spent our days relaxing in the hammock, meditating, practicing yoga, reading, cooking, swimming in the delightful pool and sunbathing. We also spent time with the family playing with their two young children, Alba and Jesse, who are both little rays of sunshine.
We learned how to meditate with Mike and gained a sense of awareness that neither of us had had before. We learned that when a negative emotion rises up, the process of naming it, knowing it and letting it go, is enormously powerful in managing anxiety and reactive behaviour.
Every morning I spent an hour and a half on the mat doing Hatha yoga with Samm as my teacher. This commitment to spending time just on me at first felt rather self-indulgent, but it made me realise that by doing so, I am better able to cope with all life's ups and downs, more aware and resilient, more able to speak my mind and be true to myself. I also learned about the seven main Chakras and meditated to unblock them, to let my divine energy flow.
So many lessons were learned, so much kindness was shown, so much positive energy absorbed, so much reflection, understanding and self-awareness created that we both left feeling renewed and ready to face the future together.
The best way I can describe Riverheart Retreats in Andalucia is that it feels like a hug. I knew it would be, even before we arrived. The voice messages I received from Samm were filled with her calm warmth, and on meeting her and her husband, Mike I knew that this place was just what my partner and I needed after the stress of a lockdown break-up, followed by weeks apart, an anxiety attack and a decision to get back together, but on new terms.
Samm and Mike are the most welcoming of hosts, providing a calm, relaxed, family atmosphere that is tremendously healing. We stayed in a delightful en-suite cabana with beautifully painted walls and spent our days relaxing in the hammock, meditating, practicing yoga, reading, cooking, swimming in the delightful pool and sunbathing. We also spent time with the family playing with their two young children, Alba and Jesse, who are both little rays of sunshine.
We learned how to meditate with Mike and gained a sense of awareness that neither of us had had before. We learned that when a negative emotion rises up, the process of naming it, knowing it and letting it go, is enormously powerful in managing anxiety and reactive behaviour.
Every morning I spent an hour and a half on the mat doing Hatha yoga with Samm as my teacher. This commitment to spending time just on me at first felt rather self-indulgent, but it made me realise that by doing so, I am better able to cope with all life's ups and downs, more aware and resilient, more able to speak my mind and be true to myself. I also learned about the seven main Chakras and meditated to unblock them, to let my divine energy flow.
So many lessons were learned, so much kindness was shown, so much positive energy absorbed, so much reflection, understanding and self-awareness created that we both left feeling renewed and ready to face the future together.
Riverheart is a difficult place to leave. After 10 days we felt like part of the family and could easily have stayed for ever in this garden paradise where the stresses of life melt away. But leave we must, and as soon as we got home we booked flights to go back again in the Autumn. We still have much to learn, and there is no better place.'
- Andrea Sutton, UK, July 2020
'Riverheart Vipassana Retreat was the best experience I've ever had. Probably the most precious and important one of my entire life. It was difficult and exhausting but extremely rewarding. Everyone involved was just wonderful, Mike is an incredible teacher and an amazing human being. I always felt safe and comfortable having him guiding us through the week. The Olive branch is a beautiful place, the garden especially is a piece of art and the view of the surrounding mountains is astonishing. The food was nourishing and delicious, prepared by the most warm-hearted and caring woman. The schedule seemed well thought through, I don't have anything to compare it to though. However, Mike seemed to be well prepared and everything went so smoothly. I'm very very grateful to everyone for putting together such an outstanding retreat.'
- Vipassana Retreat Student, July 2021
'If you are reading the testimonials now, you are probably intrigued already - just trust your instinct and go! Yes, the place is gorgeous, and yes, Samm and Mike are the most spirited, gifted, and attentive teachers you could possibly hope for. You are lucky to have found this place.
As was I when a trail of incidents and circumstance led me to Riverheart this past September. I bragged to friends about what gem of a place I found even before the retreat started; going just by the spirit of this website and a few emails from Samm. Now that the retreat is over and I realize what privilege it was to be part of it, I will pick carefully with whom I will share the precious secret about this place.
While you will be sleeping glam-style, dear reader of these lines, your hosts don't fuss about consumer pleasures. (In fact, even their chickens have a bigger pad than they!) What Samm and Mike do fuss about is presence, authenticity, humility, love, courage, trust, integrity, care – and the art of practice to keep it all going. Because they know. Because they have a lot of life under their belts.
Sure, you can look forward to food so delicious that you will possibly – like me – buy yourself a fancy plant-based cookbook right upon arrival and foolishly try to recreate it. If you splash out on a massage, you might end up making a silent commitment to take better care of yourself going forward. Nested in nature, you will be forever seduced by the boundless spectrum of colours, scents, and sounds. Be ready to be overwhelmed with gratitude for many pleasures, but also know that it's not these cherries on top that make Riverheart so very special.
It's the real work that will hook you, work that you will do yourselves and for yourselves. If you are – like me - ready to look yourself in the eye, find out who you really are and what's in you, Samm and Mike are your guides. You can absolutely trust them. They will provide you with a structure you can lean on. They will share with you precious tools they have picked up all over the world. They will hold you when you stumble, and they will push you (most gently) so that you can find your own footing and trust therein.
Samm, Mike and their beautiful children, Alba and Jessie, are the secret of this place. They are the heart that beats magic on this Coín river spot – for me, for you, for anyone who seeks support and guidance. You have already found them, now go and meet them. You will be humbled, you will be charmed, you will laugh, and you might cry, but above all - you will learn an awful lot. About life, including your own.'
- Ester Fleischer, Prague, September 2021
As was I when a trail of incidents and circumstance led me to Riverheart this past September. I bragged to friends about what gem of a place I found even before the retreat started; going just by the spirit of this website and a few emails from Samm. Now that the retreat is over and I realize what privilege it was to be part of it, I will pick carefully with whom I will share the precious secret about this place.
While you will be sleeping glam-style, dear reader of these lines, your hosts don't fuss about consumer pleasures. (In fact, even their chickens have a bigger pad than they!) What Samm and Mike do fuss about is presence, authenticity, humility, love, courage, trust, integrity, care – and the art of practice to keep it all going. Because they know. Because they have a lot of life under their belts.
Sure, you can look forward to food so delicious that you will possibly – like me – buy yourself a fancy plant-based cookbook right upon arrival and foolishly try to recreate it. If you splash out on a massage, you might end up making a silent commitment to take better care of yourself going forward. Nested in nature, you will be forever seduced by the boundless spectrum of colours, scents, and sounds. Be ready to be overwhelmed with gratitude for many pleasures, but also know that it's not these cherries on top that make Riverheart so very special.
It's the real work that will hook you, work that you will do yourselves and for yourselves. If you are – like me - ready to look yourself in the eye, find out who you really are and what's in you, Samm and Mike are your guides. You can absolutely trust them. They will provide you with a structure you can lean on. They will share with you precious tools they have picked up all over the world. They will hold you when you stumble, and they will push you (most gently) so that you can find your own footing and trust therein.
Samm, Mike and their beautiful children, Alba and Jessie, are the secret of this place. They are the heart that beats magic on this Coín river spot – for me, for you, for anyone who seeks support and guidance. You have already found them, now go and meet them. You will be humbled, you will be charmed, you will laugh, and you might cry, but above all - you will learn an awful lot. About life, including your own.'
- Ester Fleischer, Prague, September 2021
'Riverheart -
It's next to a river and it's got more heart to it than a thousand lovestruck Valentine's Day cards, so straight away, full marks for honest advertising!
A pithy review for a profound place. But it's hard to encapsulate Riverheart in words. There may be a certain kind of irony in that. Spending a week at an excellent writing retreat, learning how to effortlessly spill the words directly from the heart to the page, only to find yourself unable to accurately recount the experience. Perhaps it's some strange law of nature that all good writing courses defy description. Like a brush trying to paint itself.
Basically, Riverheart is pretty magical. Not the wand-waving kind, but the kind where sometimes it feels like your pen has been brought to life and is writing of it's own accord, and you're just there to turn the pages and marvel at what the pen has to say.
If you're not sure what you're looking for, you may well find it in Riverheart. Especially if what it turns out you were looking for was good ambiance, good company and mouth-wateringly good food.
I didn't know what to expect that first day. But by around the time I'd shut the door of the taxi that brought us there, I was already at ease, confident that I'd come to the right place. A rare feeling. From Samm's genuinely warm welcome, as if we were long lost friends finally reacquainted, to the artistic decor and lush surroundings, there was a kind of effortless tranquility to Riverheart, and it resonated with me immediately.
(I say effortless, there was probably a lot of effort put into the construction, but it all felt harmonious by the time I got there)
Even before arriving, just from the conversations with the other guests in the taxi on the way there, the signs were looking good. We gathered at Málaga airport as strangers, but we quickly formed a camaraderie. No two of us were arriving from the same country, but we all shared the same destination, and this was reason enough to open up and quickly come to trust one another. It was clear that we were there almost to learn as much from each other as we were from Samm.
But that's Samm's style as teacher and facilitator: always accommodating, generous of spirit, patient, actively listening. This was seven days free from external judgements, distractions and criticism, allowing Samm to gently work on the barriers really holding us back: the self-judgement, the distractions of the mind, the inner critics.
Riverheart won't teach you how to conquer your inner demons exactly. It's more about Samm guiding you to a stage where you're ready to turn and face the demon, give them friendly nickname, and finally listen to the tale they've been longing to tell you, until their monstrous form starts to shift, shrinking down to the size of a small cat that curls up by your side and naps while you at long last write in peace.
So in one way it's not a Retreat at all. It's a Writer's Advance.
A Writer's Advance with really good vegetarian food. All prepared lovingly by a local chef who was somehow able to casually whip up entire feasts in the same time it would take us to do a yoga session. There may have been magic at play there too. Enchanted kitchen utensils or something. Even the most resolute meat eaters amongst us were disappointed to learn there was no cook book being sold at the end of the week.
Whether you favour poetry or prose, fiction or memoir;
Whether you're an established author, a struggling artist, or a petrified beginner;
Whether you've never done yoga a day in your life, and the idea of sitting still and meditating makes you want to run for the hills (there are plenty of nice hills),
trust me, a complete stranger, but a stranger who might have been looking for the same thing as you, that there is plenty to be gained from a week at Riverheart.
And in case I've given the wrong impression that this place might be a bit too New Age for you, I have a very low threshold for any 'good vibes only' kind of toxic positivity, and I'm happy to report that this is not that. Samm and Mike are the real deal. This is not about manifesting happiness. It's about creating an environment where any and all emotions are welcomed on to the page, without fear of judgement, be they bright, dark, funny or sad. The joy just naturally seems to follow that process, but it is never forced.
I could have easily stayed on for another month. Especially in one of the cosy cabanas. But you also take a lot of Riverheart home with you, and there is plenty to contemplate after only a week's stay.'
- Kevin, Graphic Designer, Activist, and occasional Scriptwriter, Ireland
It's next to a river and it's got more heart to it than a thousand lovestruck Valentine's Day cards, so straight away, full marks for honest advertising!
A pithy review for a profound place. But it's hard to encapsulate Riverheart in words. There may be a certain kind of irony in that. Spending a week at an excellent writing retreat, learning how to effortlessly spill the words directly from the heart to the page, only to find yourself unable to accurately recount the experience. Perhaps it's some strange law of nature that all good writing courses defy description. Like a brush trying to paint itself.
Basically, Riverheart is pretty magical. Not the wand-waving kind, but the kind where sometimes it feels like your pen has been brought to life and is writing of it's own accord, and you're just there to turn the pages and marvel at what the pen has to say.
If you're not sure what you're looking for, you may well find it in Riverheart. Especially if what it turns out you were looking for was good ambiance, good company and mouth-wateringly good food.
I didn't know what to expect that first day. But by around the time I'd shut the door of the taxi that brought us there, I was already at ease, confident that I'd come to the right place. A rare feeling. From Samm's genuinely warm welcome, as if we were long lost friends finally reacquainted, to the artistic decor and lush surroundings, there was a kind of effortless tranquility to Riverheart, and it resonated with me immediately.
(I say effortless, there was probably a lot of effort put into the construction, but it all felt harmonious by the time I got there)
Even before arriving, just from the conversations with the other guests in the taxi on the way there, the signs were looking good. We gathered at Málaga airport as strangers, but we quickly formed a camaraderie. No two of us were arriving from the same country, but we all shared the same destination, and this was reason enough to open up and quickly come to trust one another. It was clear that we were there almost to learn as much from each other as we were from Samm.
But that's Samm's style as teacher and facilitator: always accommodating, generous of spirit, patient, actively listening. This was seven days free from external judgements, distractions and criticism, allowing Samm to gently work on the barriers really holding us back: the self-judgement, the distractions of the mind, the inner critics.
Riverheart won't teach you how to conquer your inner demons exactly. It's more about Samm guiding you to a stage where you're ready to turn and face the demon, give them friendly nickname, and finally listen to the tale they've been longing to tell you, until their monstrous form starts to shift, shrinking down to the size of a small cat that curls up by your side and naps while you at long last write in peace.
So in one way it's not a Retreat at all. It's a Writer's Advance.
A Writer's Advance with really good vegetarian food. All prepared lovingly by a local chef who was somehow able to casually whip up entire feasts in the same time it would take us to do a yoga session. There may have been magic at play there too. Enchanted kitchen utensils or something. Even the most resolute meat eaters amongst us were disappointed to learn there was no cook book being sold at the end of the week.
Whether you favour poetry or prose, fiction or memoir;
Whether you're an established author, a struggling artist, or a petrified beginner;
Whether you've never done yoga a day in your life, and the idea of sitting still and meditating makes you want to run for the hills (there are plenty of nice hills),
trust me, a complete stranger, but a stranger who might have been looking for the same thing as you, that there is plenty to be gained from a week at Riverheart.
And in case I've given the wrong impression that this place might be a bit too New Age for you, I have a very low threshold for any 'good vibes only' kind of toxic positivity, and I'm happy to report that this is not that. Samm and Mike are the real deal. This is not about manifesting happiness. It's about creating an environment where any and all emotions are welcomed on to the page, without fear of judgement, be they bright, dark, funny or sad. The joy just naturally seems to follow that process, but it is never forced.
I could have easily stayed on for another month. Especially in one of the cosy cabanas. But you also take a lot of Riverheart home with you, and there is plenty to contemplate after only a week's stay.'
- Kevin, Graphic Designer, Activist, and occasional Scriptwriter, Ireland
'Samm offers a really well balanced yoga class, her deep understanding of the body and it's connection to thought offers a level of stillness and presence that I would like to bottle.'
- Natalie Prior, UK, August 2019
'What a beautiful and peaceful morning filled with love. It was amazing to be included in such a beautiful group of people and be led by 3 of the most wonderful women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting here in Spain. It was soooo good to stretch the body guided by Samm in the most relaxing and sensitive way and how amazing to be touched and massaged by body workers Maria and Poline. There was a beautiful energy in the room and a sense of all was safe, well and welcome. The singing at the end finished the session perfectly. Thank you again, a beautiful reminder of the importance of connection and love.'
- Elizabeth Wynn, Spain, April 2021
'I'm very impressed, not only by the yoga but by you as a person and your colleagues. You all inspire and motivate me to do my best to get out of all I've learned by my head.'
- Nicole, Spain, April 2021
'I realy enjoyed learning how holding a pose in yin yoga activates the parasympathetic nervous system - this is something that all people in society, and particularly in uncertain times, can benefit from. It was what I held onto during some poses where it felt challenging to hold - this reminder that being still helps to heal my whole body and nervous system. It also paired perfectly with the shiatsu massage as we could again focus on this healing stillness. Thank you for a beautiful day.'
- Yin yoga & Shiatsu participant, March 2021
'Thank you so much to Riverheart Retreats - my daughter and I went on the family yoga retreat in summer 2019 and are still talking about our special time there to this day. From yoga with Samm, to family playtime and yoga with Robbie, the amazing mouthwatering vegetarian food, comfy cosy accommodation and the welcome little pool set in such a tranquil, beautiful nature setting all I can say is what our hearts and souls needed, Riverheart Retreats provided. In rest or meditation when I need to switch off Riverheart has become my mind's go-to happy place!'
- Shannon, Ireland, August 2019
'I learned so much and my words cannot do justice to the experience I had at Riverheart. Do yourself a favor. Go.'
- Soraya Bey, Spain, June 2019
'If you want to get away from it all and spend time for you, you won’t find a better place to relax and recharge. I hadn’t ever done yoga before I went and wasn’t sure what to expect, but from the first moment you get there you are made to feel welcome and part of the family'
- Gaynor Fisher, UK, July 2019
'If you need a restorative retreat, go. It will fill you with love and nourish you heart, body and soul.'
- Tiu de Haan, UK, April 2019
'My heart is full. Thank you to the whole family for creating this safe space. I liked the freedom I felt to be, eat, sleep - and the food was delicious!'
- Emilyne Mondo, Retreat Guest
‘I participated in one of Samm’s creative writing workshops with the intention of exercising my creativity. I was immediately struck by the ease with which Samm opened the workshop and how she created a safe, relaxed and inviting space for all the participants.
Within a very short space of time I was feeling and being more creative than I had been in a long time. Samm’s warm and curious nature allowed people to share their work in a way that really added to the overall experience.
The impact of this single workshop for me is that I’m more in touch with myself as a creative and I have a greater belief in myself to create inspired written pieces when I put pen to paper.
I highly recommend Samm to anyone looking to develop their own creativity or that of another group of people. Samm has a special gift, where she is able to not only create an engaging experience but is also able to draw out the unique potential and qualities of those lucky enough to be participating in one of her workshops or classes.’
- Baljit Singhd, Writing Student
'Special place with special people. Loved every minute I spent there. Beautiful location, gorgeous hospitality and care. Wonderful mountain air, Spanish sun, a great place to learn to play! Just go!'
- Marcus Usherwood, Riverheart Guest
‘It’s like learning to ride a bike; at first we’re banging our knees and scraping our shins, learning how to use these tools – sometimes a bit awkwardly at first – but in a week’s time we find they’ve crept their way into our writing without us even knowing it, and we’re better writers for it.’
- David Waters, Writing Student
INSPIRING A GREATER LOVE OF LIFE
