What if everything didn’t have to feel so urgent?
Join meditation teacher and author Felix New and Mo, founder of Soul Space Chester, for a full-day nervous-system retreat inside Chester Zoo.
Inspired by the radically unhurried life of the sloth, this retreat is an invitation to explore the inner pressure to keep doing, fixing, answering and moving on to the next thing.
Even when we stop physically, urgency can still be running quietly in the background:
I should be doing something.
I’ll rest when everything else is finally taken care of.
The Sloth Retreat isn’t about pretending that real responsibilities, pressures and challenges don’t exist. It’s about becoming more aware of what may be driving us from within.
Through meditation, grounding, parts work, shared reflection and simple practices to take home, we’ll explore whether we can create more space around urgency, meet ourselves with greater compassion and still do what needs to be done—with a little more softness around the edges.
There’s no pressure to meditate perfectly.
There’s no requirement to become a different person.
Just a day to rest, notice what’s happening within you and explore what it might feel like to move through life with a little less inner pressure.
YOUR RETREAT SETTING
The beautiful Tsavo Lounge at The Reserve, Chester Zoo’s five-star lodge, will be reserved privately for our small group.
Across the day, we’ll move between mindful exploration of the zoo, guided sessions with Felix, an immersive headphone experience with Mo, nourishing food, a private Chester Zoo ranger talk and Discovery Walk, time with the sloths and—importantly—genuine space where nothing needs to happen.
For once, somebody else will be holding the schedule.
You just get to be there.
THE DAY
SLOW ARRIVAL AT THE RESERVE
We’ll begin at 10:30am with refreshments, introductions and time to arrive in our private retreat base at Tsavo Lounge.
There’s no rushing straight into the programme.
MINDFUL HEART OF AFRICA WANDER
From Tsavo, we’ll head together into Chester Zoo’s Heart of Africa.
Looking. Listening. Feeling our feet as we walk.
Noticing the impulse to get to the next thing and beginning to enter Sloth Space.
SLOTH SPACE AND GROUNDING MEDITATION
Back at Tsavo, Felix will guide an exploration of inner urgency, parts work, Sloth Space and the possibility of feeling “safe enough” in the present moment.
Instead of trying to force ourselves to feel calm or push away the parts of us that worry and rush, we’ll explore what happens when we meet them with awareness, acknowledgement and curiosity.
We’ll then move into a grounding meditation so these ideas can be experienced rather than simply understood.
SLOTHFULLY SLOW LUNCH
We’ll share a nourishing buffet lunch in our private lounge.
There is no prize for finishing first.
There’ll be time to enjoy the food, connect with others and let lunch be part of the retreat—not just another thing to fit in.
AN IMMERSIVE SOUL SPACE EXPERIENCE WITH MO
After lunch, Mo will guide a full immersive headphone experience.
For an hour, Mo’s voice, music and wireless headphones will create a world within the retreat—a deeply nourishing space to breathe, experience and connect with yourself.
SLOTH TIME
Nothing in particular.
Rest. Journal. Chat. Look out of the window. Do what you please.
Perhaps there is something to discover simply by noticing:
What happens inside me when nothing is being asked of me?
PRIVATE SLOTH EXPERIENCE 🦥
Later in the afternoon, a Chester Zoo ranger will join us privately in Tsavo Lounge for a Sloth Talk and an introduction to the Five Pathways to Nature.
Our ranger will then lead us on a Discovery Walk through the zoo, eventually bringing us to the sloth habitat.
We’ll spend time with the animals that inspired the retreat before making our own slow journey back through the zoo towards The Reserve.
INTEGRATION AND CLOSING MEDITATION
Back at Tsavo Lounge, we’ll bring the day together.
We’ll reflect on what we noticed and consider:
Where could 10% less pressure make a difference in your life?
We’ll finish with a closing meditation before saying goodbye at 6pm.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
- Full-day guided retreat from 10:30am–6pm
- Entry to Chester Zoo
- Private use of Tsavo Lounge at The Reserve
- Guided sessions and meditation with Felix
- Full immersive wireless-headphone experience with Mo
- Buffet lunch
- Refreshments throughout the day
- Private Chester Zoo ranger Sloth Talk
- Ranger-led Discovery Walk
- Time together at the sloth habitat
- Exclusive Sloth Prep audio one week before the retreat
- Optional pre-retreat WhatsApp group
- A deliberately small and intimate group of just 20 participants
MEET FELIX
Felix New is a meditation teacher and author whose work has explored meditation, emotional wellbeing and personal development for more than a decade.
His guided meditations and music have built an international community of more than 19,000 people. His work draws on lived experience, parts work and somatic practices, with a particular interest in helping people create more space around inner tension and pressure.
The Sloth Retreat didn’t come from Felix having perfected the art of being calm. In many ways, it came from knowing the opposite very well.
Having experienced chronic fatigue when he was younger, Felix had to learn to relate to energy conservation in a very real way. Years later, a period of intense anxiety introduced him to inner urgency like never before.
This retreat is an invitation to explore these shared human experiences together. It isn’t about having everything figured out—it’s about being willing to show up as you are.
MEET MO
Mo is the founder of Soul Space Chester, a yoga and meditation teacher, breathwork facilitator and creator of Breath of the Soul.
Her work brings together breath, meditation, sound, somatic awareness and deeply immersive experiences that invite people out of the noise of everyday life and into a more honest connection with themselves.
Having created and held transformational spaces for hundreds of people, Mo brings warmth, intuition and a grounded understanding of the nervous system to the day.
A LOW-DISTRACTION DAY 📵
We’d love the retreat to feel like a genuine break from everyday stimulation, so we’ll invite everyone to keep phones tucked away for much of the day.
There will absolutely be opportunities to take photographs—we are at Chester Zoo, after all!
During meditations, immersive experiences and some of our time together, however, we’ll encourage you to give yourself the unusual luxury of being completely present.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do I need previous meditation experience?
No. The retreat is beginner-friendly, and no previous meditation experience is needed. We’ll guide you through everything on the day.
Will we definitely see the sloths?
Our ranger-led Discovery Walk is planned to finish at the sloth habitat.
Sloths have their own rhythms, however, so we cannot guarantee how visible or active they will be when we visit. We’ll meet the moment as it is. 🦥
Is this therapy?
No. The Sloth Retreat is a wellbeing experience, not therapy, counselling or mental-health treatment.
The day includes meditation, grounding, parts work, reflection and gentle self-awareness practices. These may be supportive, but they are not a substitute for care from a qualified therapist, doctor or other healthcare professional.
Do I have to share personal things with the group?
No. There will be opportunities for reflection and connection, but no pressure to share anything deeply personal. You’re equally welcome to listen or keep your reflections to yourself.
How much walking is involved?
You don’t need to be especially fit, but you should be comfortable with periods of gentle walking and standing around Chester Zoo.
The pace will be unhurried, with plenty of pauses. Our ranger-led journey to the sloth habitat will include walking through the zoo, followed later by an approximately 15–20-minute walk back to our retreat base.
If you have accessibility or mobility requirements, please contact us before booking so we can explore what support may be available.
What should I wear or bring?
Please wear comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for walking around the zoo. As parts of the retreat will take place outside, please bring suitable clothing for the weather, such as a waterproof layer, warm clothing or sun protection.
You may also like to bring:
- A water bottle
- A notebook and pen
- Any personal items that will help you feel comfortable during the day
Can dietary requirements be accommodated?
Please tell us about any dietary requirements or allergies when booking so we can pass these to the catering team in advance.
Common dietary requirements can generally be accommodated when we receive advance notice.
Is the retreat suitable if I experience anxiety or sensory overwhelm?
The day is intentionally spacious and includes a private retreat base at Tsavo Lounge. However, Chester Zoo remains a public visitor attraction, so there may be periods of noise, crowds, children and other sensory stimulation while we explore.
You’re welcome to participate at a level that feels comfortable for you.
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
Tickets may be cancelled for a full refund up to 14 days before the retreat, minus any non-refundable processing fees.
After this date, tickets are non-refundable because many of the costs and arrangements involved in creating this small-group experience will already have been committed.
If you can no longer attend after the refund deadline, please contact us. Where possible, we’ll try to transfer your place to someone else.
If the retreat is cancelled by the organisers, ticket holders will receive a full refund.
IMPORTANT VENUE INFORMATION
The Sloth Retreat is independently organised by Felix New and Soul Space.
Chester Zoo is the host venue only and does not organise, sponsor or endorse this retreat.
Tickets are £111, with only 20 places available.
Saturday 3 October 2026 | 10:30am–6pm
Tsavo Lounge at The Reserve, Chester Zoo
Where could 10% less pressure make a difference in your life?
Perhaps this is your invitation to find out.