Every journey begins with someone who has walked the path before, transformed by it, and feels called to hold space for others to find their own way.
In 2026, I will be your host and guide for these darkness journeys. Let me tell you a bit about myself.
Compared to many people whose life stories I've been honoured to hear over the years, my childhood was very blessed. However, several formative moments shaped my life and personality, leading me to sabotage my potential with drugs and decadence from my mid-teens onward.
I feel deeply fortunate to have had caring people around me to guide me toward healing. Through grace and persistent work, I've found my cup overflowing and feel blessed to serve others who wish to find themselves and heal.
Meditation & Contemplative Practice:
Movement & Body Wisdom:
Consciousness Exploration:
Energy & Spiritual Healing:
Service & Experience:
I will be in service to both your practical needs and the deeper space-holding required throughout your journey. Hestia is not only a retreat space but my home, and I have personally designed both the venue and the processes to maximise the transformative potential of your experience.
Sacred Tree was formed to gather together all the practices I offer. As someone who has needed significant healing in my life, I've been blessed to find incredible guides and practices. Some practices have been so profoundly transformative that I’ve learned them myself so I can share them with others.
What I discovered through my own healing journey is that the root of all healing is spiritual. Finding my purpose and living close to what inspires and challenges me most means that what I do has a deeper sense of fulfillment. When I'm doing what I love and what I feel I'm here for, there's less stress in my system and the roots feeding my emotional, psychological, and physical wellbeing are naturally nourished.
This philosophy is embodied in the tree itself: when the roots are cared for, the trunk grows tall and strong, producing healthy leaves and abundant fruit. My cup overflows now, and I can serve others, thanks to the help I've received.
The fruits of this work—my core values and what I offer—are:
These values are held as sacred in all my work.
I discovered these values in reverse order. I started studying my mind and body, then realised my emotions and subconscious were actually in control of them. Working with emotions and subconscious patterns, I eventually understood I needed to heed the calling of my soul and transform the gifts from my pain into the gold of my life.
Darkness played a pivotal role in learning to know myself and witness and transcend my monkey mind. After experiencing darkness retreats with five different organisations and teachers, none completely satisfied my vision of what this work could be. I took that as a calling to create what I would want to find myself.
Since creating my own model and beginning to offer retreats in 2017, I've used four venues for over 20 retreats, guiding approximately 100 people through their darkness journeys. Now I have the opportunity to create the perfect venue and bring solo darkness retreats to the UK.
Layla is an experienced therapeutic educator and healing practitioner dedicated to supporting children and adults as they grow, heal, and overcome unresolved trauma. With a degree in Media Studies and Educational Studies, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education specialising in Citizenship, she brings a strong academic foundation to her work.
For more than 15 years, Layla has worked in therapeutic teaching for children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), specialising in Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH). Her career includes senior leadership and consultancy roles across SEMH education, with a particular focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed practice. She is deeply committed to creating compassionate, supportive environments where children with diverse and complex needs can learn, grow, and thrive.
Over the past five years, Layla has expanded her practice into holistic and integrative healing. She has cultivated skills in sound healing, Reiki, energy healing, and shamanic practices. As a trained Kambo practitioner, she offers a range of therapeutic modalities aimed at supporting the healing of the soul, spirit, and body.
Whether working with children or adults, Layla’s purpose is rooted in guiding others through their healing journeys with empathy, insight, and a profound respect for the human experience.
Russell Maher is a dedicated nursing professional with 35 years of experience in cardiac and critical care. He holds a Bachelor of Health Science with Honours in Cardiac Nursing, and has specialized in resuscitation medicine as an Advanced Life Support instructor for over 25 years.
Throughout his distinguished career, Russell has studied acupuncture, kinesiology, nutrition, and various healing modalities, earning his credentials as an Ayahuasca Shaman 15 years ago. His approach to healthcare has always been rooted in a deep commitment to healing and holistic wellness.
For the past 15 years, Russell has devoted himself to serving the medicine community, building a practice centered on compassionate, comprehensive care. Today, he focuses on the critical intersection of healthspan and lifespan, helping individuals not only live longer but live better through addressing gut and mitochondrial health.
Russell's practice facilitates transformative health journeys for those seeking to:
- Improve their overall health and wellness
- Deepen their sense of self-awareness
- Explore their spirituality and inner growth
With his unique combination of emergency medicine expertise and holistic health coaching, Russell brings both clinical precision and profound human understanding to his work with clients, patients, and all who wish to transform their physical and spiritual health.
"Hestia" - Greek for 'hearth' - perfectly captures what this venue and venture means to me.
I've been working in events, retreats, and conscious hospitality for almost 30 years, including hosting darkness retreats since 2016. This new venture feels like the culmination of everything I've learned about creating transformative spaces.
Darkness embodies simplicity while triggering internal chemical and metaphysical processes that facilitate self-healing in a gentle yet powerful way accessible to all. This is probably why darkness practices are found so universally across spiritual traditions worldwide.
This hearth is truly where my heart is. It's giving me the opportunity to create the experience exactly as I would want to receive it. Everything in the experience supports the process without interfering with it.
As with any new venture, no matter how much experience is brought to the project, there will undoubtedly be some teething problems. Your patience is appreciated, and constructive feedback is welcome. By sharing your experience thoughtfully, you help enhance the journey for all participants who follow.
The facilities and quality of service will continue to evolve and improve with time and experience.
Hestia is a specially-designed bungalow tucked away in the Dorset countryside just outside Shaftesbury, near the village of Semley. The house is embraced by towering ancient oak trees and sits adjacent to five acres of private forest - though in the darkness, you'll discover landscapes far more vast than these!
Each room has been individually designed and built for the optimal darkness experience, combining comfort with the complete elimination of light and distraction:
Tenebrum (Latin: "shadows/darkness")
Caiomhnoir (Gaelic: "gentle darkness")
Xuanshi (Chinese/Taoist: "mysterious/dark chamber")
Aluna (Kogi: "spiritual dimension of reality")
Each space includes:
On your final morning, you'll have the opportunity to walk through the beautiful adjacent woodland, allowing gentle acclimatization and integration before your departure. Many guests find this transition from inner landscape to outer nature profoundly meaningful.
Hestia is a purpose-built sanctuary designed by someone who has walked this path extensively, both as seeker and guide. Every detail, from the naming of the rooms to the design of the emergence process, reflects my understanding of what supports authentic transformation.
Hestia represents:
This is where ancient wisdom meets modern comfort, where profound inner work happens in complete safety, and where the hearth of transformation burns bright in the darkness.
≡