Bring the Magic and Solace of Retreating Into Your Life
HOW TO RETREAT BY CAROLINE SYLGE
Step away from your everyday to rest, reset and renew
Publishing 12th March 2026
9781846048722 | £17.99 | Hardback | Rider
Digital Detox / Mental & Emotional Health / Personal Growth
A ‘retreat’ can be misconceived as expensive, time-consuming or inaccessible; but How To Retreat helps you retreat whoever you are, and whatever your budget or schedule.
A timely reminder of the need to press pause on the daily overwhelm of modern life, this beautiful guide contains an enchanting, easy-to-follow selection of retreats you can do in your home or another space of your choosing.
Providing both inspiration and structure, the book offers readers realistic, practical activities to help them retreat for an hour, a day, a long weekend or more depending on the time they have.
Using the seasons as an optional guide, chapters delve into a broad choice of themes to focus readers’ exploration and meet their changing needs* - because what you need from a retreat will change as you change.
A Retreat Toolkit covers all you need for a successful retreat, including how to create a retreat space, and how to retreat with friends and family as well as alone.
There’s also advice on different types of hosted global retreats available, should readers want to take their retreat journey further.
The literary curious will be particularly engaged – there are quotes from literature throughout, and a clutch of the author’s poems that have emerged from her own retreating experiences.
Whether you are managing stress and overwhelm, in need of a life change, want to kickstart your creativity or find deep rest and sanctuary, this book will help you reconnect with yourself in sustainable and meaningful ways.
About the author: Caroline Sylge is a writer and the founder of Queen of Retreats and The Global Retreat Company. She is a Carcanet-published poet, the author of two Footprint healthy travel guides, and a retreat-focused journalist who has contributed to top press titles such as The Guardian, The Times, The Telegraph, Conde Nast Traveller and The National Geographic during her 30+ year career. Caroline lives in Devon, England, with her husband and daughter.
Website: queenofretreats.com
Pre-order here: https://lnk.to/howtoretreat
* For an idea of the breath of content, see the chapter list below:
Purge
Retreat for an hour: Clear your mind
Retreat for a day: Refresh yourself
Retreat for longer: Declutter your stuff
Connect
Retreat for an hour: Journal
Retreat for a day: Garden
Retreat for longer: Be kind
Create
Retreat for an hour: Make your mark
Retreat for a day: Find your flow
Retreat for longer: Be an artist
Nurture
Retreat for an hour: Embody
Retreat for a day: Treat yourself
Retreat for longer: Stay put
Trust
Retreat for an hour: Affirm
Retreat for a day: Choose gratitude
Retreat for longer: Practise self-reliance
Reclaim
Retreat for an hour: De-excite
Retreat for a day: Say no
Retreat for longer: Unplug
Settle
Retreat for an hour: Breathe
Retreat for a day: Be mindful
Retreat for longer: Go into silence
Plan
Retreat for an hour: Design your day
Retreat for a day: Trim your choices
Retreat for longer: Re-imagine your life