IT'S LIKE A YEAR OF THERAPY IN A WEEKEND
The Isle of Man is a get the fuck away from it all for men of any age, creed, colour, orientation or disposition.
Come as you are and leave as you want to be. It’s tough, but rewarding. At the beginning, some want to leave, but everyone stays til the end. No one wants to go when it’s over.
Not to be too woo woo about things, but it really is a deeply transformational experience.
WHAT THEY SAY
Here's what some of the attendees from the last Isle Of Man have to say about their experience. The films are unedited, single takes - honest, raw, powerful stuff. Watch them immediately.
WHAT TO EXPECT
a spring clean for the soul
The Isle Of Man is a combination of the psychological and physiological . We’ll be going deep inside, learning to listen actively and feeling the power of being heard. We’ll be bringing our physical selves to life with cold immersion (that's an ice bath, first thing in the morning and your physical self won't forgive you til after breakfast) We'll also give you one of the oldest and most powerful tools we have to heal our body and cleanse our mind - learning to breathe properly (they call it breathwork, but we just prefer 'breathing') And, of course, if you really want to, you can swing an axe in the woods or whittle a tent peg while you sit by the fire. It's all good, man.
All together, this'll give you a spring clean for the soul and restore your faith in yourself and your fellow man. It might even balance your chakras.
WHAT DOES IT COST?
That's up to you
Fucking brilliant retreats like this tend to cost a bomb. That means only people who've got a money tree can afford to come. We don't like that - it feels a bit unfair - everyone should be able to access this sort of thing, right?
So, to level the playing field, we ask you to pay what you can afford or what you think it's worth to you. We do ask for a little deposit of £250, but the balance is what you choose to pay. And if you really feel like it, you can pay more at the end. Or not. Its up to you.
Are we mad? No, we just want to get even.
Interested? Give us a call, drop us a postcard, send up a smoke signal, or just email us.
WHAT DO YOU GET?
4 days
1 coach
1 guide
1 white room
1 turn
4 hours to talk
32 hours to listen
4 microdoses
4 ice baths
8 saunas
4 breakfasts
4 lunches
4 suppers
4 games
2 bonfires
3 tons of wood to chop
100 acres of woods
Unlimited sky to look at
Infinite stars to to ponder
Ingredients
1 group of strangers
Results
1 band of brothers
WHAT WE DO
Every day we do these things.
BREATHWORK
And breathe. We share some simple breathwork practice that helps you feel calm, happy and relaxed. A powerful tool for self mastery.
YUM YUM
Actually, really good food. Cooked for you and with you. Home grown, locally sourced, delicious. 3 meals a day, with a feast every night.
COLD IMMERSION
A dip in a very cold tub of water. Conscious exposure to acute stress in freezing water benefits all areas of wellbeing. Seriously.
THE WHITE ROOM
Talking and listening. No agenda, just a space for us to talk, listen actively and be heard without judgement. Everyone gets their time.
CHOP CHOP
We are in the woods. There's loads of wood to chop, process and cart around to fuel the sauna, hottub and fires. Everyone loves doing this. It's true!
DON'T WORRY
Learn to navigate life's unpredictability
BE HAPPY
Open up to healthier, more fulfilling relationships
FEEL GOOD
Reconnect with your masculinity and nature
GET MORE OUT OF LIFE
We believe that to be happy, it's essential to feel good about yourself and how you’re making your way in the world. But there’s a balance to be struck between being better and more sensitive and keeping our edge, our fire - what makes us men.
The Isle Of Man is about getting the balance right.
GREAT FOOD
GOOD COOKING
At Wood House Space we grow a lot of our own veg, have fresh eggs from the chickens and source as much of our food from local independent producers as possible. When you come for the retreat, we'll do cooking in the round - making food together, if you want to join in.
Food is life, food is one of the oldest ways to connect with each other, and a connection to the natural world. We love our food and we make sure you're fed and watered all the way through the retreat with top notch, home grown, home cooked, ethical and sustainable food.
Yum!
“You don't know that you need it, but you do.”
Ed
"I realised I can show up with openness and curiosity"
Mark
"Solutions or steps forward appear more apparent"
Al
THE WEEKEND
SOME USEFUL DETAILS
We're just in the process of planning our next get together.
We start at 2pm on Thursday.
We finish at midday on Monday.
We want this to be as accessible as possible, so there is no fixed price. Contribute what can afford or what you feel its worth. Whatever you choose to contribute, it includes a 5 day residential retreat,all your meals, a wellenss package of sauna, icebath, hot tub and yoga, pre-work, and membership of our online group.
WHO ARE WE?
NATHANIEL / YOUR COACH
ROB / YOUR GUIDE
We are Rob and Nathaniel.
Despite a successful career, a loving wife and happy kids, it turns out achievement isn't all it's cracked up to be and happiness isn't guaranteed, because Rob managed to fuck it all up pretty badly on all fronts, all at the same time. Thrashing around in the depths of depression and self-loathing, he went in search of the usual self help and therapy stuff we think will solve our problems.
Then he met Nathaniel. Nath is a life coach. Now, Rob was, and still is, suspicious of such things, but Nath is different. And Rob likes that. What’s so different? Well, rather than offer tons of advice, Nath runs White Room sessions, where he listens. And asks a lot of questions. Questions that leave you nowhere to hide. From yourself or from him. It's remarkable what happens when you can speak your mind and not feel judged. At worst, it's really fucking helpful, and at best it can be utterly life changing.
Nath has been running one-to-one White Room sessions as part of his coaching practice for a long time and in the last couple of years opened them up with great success to men's groups. Rob is a master host with a beautiful house that's perfect for retreats.
Together we created The Isle Of Man and we would love you to join us.
ACCOMMODATION
There's quite a bit of choice at Wood House Space
THE BIG HOUSE
4 rather nice bedrooms
THE HYMER
Sleeps 4 in style
THE BELL TENTS
2 luxury tents
THE COTTAGE
2 cosy rooms
THE WOODS
Into the wild - camp out at Eagle's Rest
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS. ANSWERED.
WHERE IS THIS PLACE?
Sadly, it's not on a real life island. But it is in an amazing house in the middle of some beautiful woods, a reasonable distance from anywhere. You’ll love it.Take a look around
HOW LONG CAN WE STAY?
The experience runs over a long weekend, from Thursday lunchtime through to lunchtime on Monday.
WHAT HAPPENS THERE?
Well, you can chop wood, climb a tree or howl at the moon, if that’s your thing. Alternatively, you can cook, do some gardening or just sit around staring at the sky. But most of all, we’ll talk, share and listen. That’s it. We don’t teach you anything, you don’t have to take notes and there’s no 4 point self-improvement, mantra, chest beating masculinity stuff either. Thank fuck.
I'M DOING PRETTY WELL IN LIFE, I DON'T THINK I NEED THIS
This is not a dick swinging contest. We leave our egos at the door and connect as equals. There is something to learn from everyone and one of the most powerful things any of us can do is drop our judgements and really listen to other people. Wherever you’re at in life, slowing down and paying attention to yourself and others will help you.
HOW WILL I FEEL?
Good question. Hard to say, but on the whole, when people arrive, they’re full of the general stresses of life in one form or another and when they leave, they tend to have found their own peace with and within their world. We don’t make that peace, you do. We just help you find it, and we'll show you how to get back there whenever you want.
IS THIS A SUPPORT GROUP?
Kind of. That’s not a perfect answer, because the truth is that everybody gets something different from the experience. A feeling of being supported and part of a group is certainly an element of it, but there’s a lot more goodness to it, as you’ll discover.
IT SOUNDS REALLY INTENSE, I'M NOT SURE I'M READY
Deep conversations can feel intense sometimes and that’s the reason it’s so important. And, a huge part of this experience is giving yourself space. Space to think, to reflect and to just be. We’re all running so fast in our lives that consciously creating space for ourselves is often something that falls by the wayside. The design of the retreat is such that there is plenty of space for you. Late starts, long breaks, time for you to chill on your own, sleep in or go for a wander in the woods. Whatever floats your boat.
I'M NOT UP FOR SHARING MY SHIT WITH PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW.
Who is? But something utterly remarkable happens when you find the courage to talk and share. That’s why we’ve created The Isle of Man. On the whole, sharing isn’t a man thing, so it’s bound to feel uncomfortable, unnatural and just plain odd. This is where you learn that it's not. This is where you find out that it's OK and that there’s tremendous power in something so simple.
I'M NOT SURE ABOUT JOINING A GROUP OF PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW.
That’s ok, we get it. The first time we went to something like this it felt a bit odd. There just aren’t many spaces for men to connect like this so it will feel a bit weird at first. And, if you really feel uncomfortable coming on your own, then we encourage you to bring a friend. Who else do you know who would benefit from this?
WHAT'S NEXT?
GIVE US A CALL
If you like the sound of this and think it's the right thing for you, then book a call with Nath and Rob.
We take great care to curate an incredible experience and a huge part of this is getting the right mix of people together, so when we talk, we'll explore where you're at, and explore if this is the right thing for you.
If we all agree that it is, you'll need to drop us a small deposit to hold your place.
And just so you know, The Isle Of Man is a tiny, weeny group - never more than 8 of us, which isn't really that many when you think about it.
copyright 2023 the isle of man