Kirsty Hobson

Some snippets from my daily commute over the last few weeks. 🪸🐠 Grateful to have spent time back in Egypt, exploring the underwater world where I first learned to dive. I made this video to showcase the incredible diversity of the house reef and beyond at @rootsredsea . Featuring many of my favorite fish, the colourful coral, and the myriad marine life, it never ceases to amaze me—even after diving here for 8 years. A recent study found that two thirds of all fish species in the Red Sea can be seen on the house reef! Roots is not just a diving destination; it’s a hub for marine biology projects and reef conservation. It’s a joy to return here, not only to share my passion for the sea but also to experience the endless love and hospitality of the incredible community that makes this place feel like home. If you’re interested in joining me on my next trip to Roots, please get in touch. I would love to share more. 🤗🤗🧜‍♀️✨

There’s something powerful about gathering in a space with people you’ve never met before and allowing yourself to be fully seen. Over the course of this week in Sorradile, Sardinia, a group of strangers became a community. Through movement, shared meals, sunrise swims, sauna, deep conversations, laughter, tears, dancing, stillness, and the rhythm of the five elements, walls softened and connections deepened. To everyone who joined us and trusted the process: thank you for bringing your full selves. You are what made this retreat what it was. 🤍 And to our team, our collaborators and this wild generous island we call home — thank you for holding us all. We will gather again. Waitlist is open via the link in the bio of @backtoourroots THANKS TO: @krusthob @sandra_yoga_suferreri @alo.cocco @peggy_pollock @retreat.photography @lemonssspaziali @shiirinic @kama_massage_ @lemonssspaziali @vaicacao @rosehunter__ @veghu_ @lilyana.pramatarova @lilyana.home @jasminfuerte @insulabodycare

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟲 - 𝗔𝗪𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗡 🍋✨ 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘦. By day six, waking up early was easy. Something had quietly shifted over the course of the week - our bodies had found their rhythm again, our circadian clocks reset by early mornings, cold water and movement. 🌅 We did what we always do. Sunrise walk to the lake, swim, sauna, and then one final morning flow led by Kirsty - weaving together all five elements from the week into a single practice. Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Something to carry home. 🪵🔥🌍🪨💧 Then something really special… Alo, Sandra and Illaria transformed the olive garden into the most magical brunch setting - a makeshift table adorned with @lilyana.home ’s beautiful handmade placemats, sunshine filtering through ancient trees. @alo.cocco cooked a feast fit for kings, @lemonssspaziali brought their magic as always, and Nico arrived with the biggest tiramisu any of us had ever seen - made especially for one of our guests whose favourite it happened to be. 🥹 It felt like a family affair. Because by day six, that’s exactly what it was. The afternoon was slow and full of snuggles. We had a closing circle in the studio where everyone shared how they’d moved through the week - from arrival to here. And then a final dinner in the garden: 𝗮 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗹𝗲. 🍋 Fresh lemons from the trees, lemon tableware collected and gifted throughout the years, the whole table glowing yellow in the evening light. This is the ethos of BTOR AWAKEN. Strip it back. Get into nature. Eat beautiful food together. Connect in real life, deeply and genuinely. Awaken from winter through spring with new energy and a renewed sense of purpose. Take some of it home …𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦. 🍋 Welcome back to yourself. 🤍

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟱 - 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 💧 We had an early start this morning and travelled to the east coast for sunrise. It was stunning. Before the sun came up we snuggled on the sand with a big flask of coffee to warm us up, and then when the sun breached the horizon we jumped into the sea for some sunrise skinny dipping. 🩱🌊 When we got out we warmed up with a lil yoga flow and some headstands on the soft sand. 🤸‍♀️⛰️🏝️🐚 We had the whole cove to ourselves for the most of the day give or take a few other intrepid explorers, and thoroughly enjoyed playing mermaids in the surrounding rocks and caves and meadows of flowers. 🧜‍♀️🌼 💆 @ta_dinanta was back with his massage table on the beach and we relaxed into the wild rugged coastline of Sardinia by lapping up the sun and fuelling ourselves with a picnic whipped up by @lemonssspaziali . Simple balanced whole foods - including the most delicious black sesame hummus! 🤌 When we arrived home we melted into some restorative stretches in the studio led by Kirsty, finished with a visualisation and some chanting focussed around the water element (Sri Ma Jai Ma. 🕉️) whilst Alo and Sandra finished preparations for the pizza party. 🧘‍♀️🎶🩷✨ In Chinese medicine, the Water element carries the spirit of the Zhi - willpower, wisdom and inner awareness. The kidneys govern our deepest reserves of energy, our bones, our ancestral connection. Water moves between two animals: the tortoise, who teaches us patience, steadiness and the wisdom to retreat inward when needed / and the snake, who embodies focus, transformation and the courage to extend outward. Together they hold the full spectrum: fear and faith, stillness and flow. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵. 💙 🐢🐍🙏💫 🍕💃 Then - the pizza party. Soundtracked by @lilyana.pramatarova , we wiggled, we made DELICIOUS pizza, and we finished the night with Alo’s dad Pier’s homemade lemon gelato served in lemons. 🍋 Unreal. 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩. 💧

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰 - 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹 🪨 We began before the sun. Our early morning walk to the lake bathed us in spectacular golden hour light all the way to the water’s edge. The swim was cold and clarifying. The sauna back at @suferreri was very, very welcome. 🧖‍♀️ In the studio, Kirsty led us through a Metal element flow focussing on lung and large intestine meridians, working through twists, camel, and bridge. 🤸‍♀️🧘‍♀️🤍🩶 In Chinese medicine, Metal carries the spirit of the Po - our animal instinct, our courage, and our capacity to hold on to what matters and release what no longer serves. The lungs govern grief and awe in equal measure. The large intestine: letting go. When Metal flows freely we feel wonder, integrity, appreciation for life. When depleted, grief can become stuck, and we lose our sense of what we truly value. 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦. ⚙️🤍 After Nico’s legendary Sardinian brunch we settled into the kind of slow morning that seems to happen mid-retreat; terrace lounging, girly sleepover energy, some lucky souls heading into the garden for a deeper reading with Sandra. 🎴🌿 Then into the forest. 🌲 Where hidden in the earth beneath our feet were quartz crystals. (💎‼️) Of course. We celebrated with a big dancing shake out amidst the trees, rattling loose everything we’d been sitting with all week. Fully in keeping with the Metal element. Fully magic. 💃✨ Home to Nico’s pasta. A masterpiece. Seconds were not only offered but enthusiastically received. 🍝 🤤 Sunset was mega. And another early night was on the cards. Because tomorrow: sunrise at the beach. 🌅 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘨𝘰. 𝘉𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦.. 🌬️

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟯 - 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 🌍 The Earth element asks us to slow down, to trust, to nourish. And so that’s exactly what we did. We began with a grounding morning practice centred on the spleen and stomach meridians. Yi, our intellect and intention. In Chinese medicine, Earth governs digestion in the broadest sense: not just food, but the assimilation of experiences, information and emotion. When Earth is balanced we feel trust, contentment and a clear sense of purpose. When depleted, worry and overthinking take hold. After brunch we headed to the coast - not the easy beach, the good one. 😉 A scramble down the cliffs to a secluded, rugged cove of crystal clear Sardinian water. @ta_dinanta somehow (heroically!!) carried a full massage table down the rocks so we could live out our collective dream of a massage not only by the sea, but in the water. 🙌 @lemonssspaziali had prepared us a picnic of DREAMS 🩷 pink hummus 🩷, fresh fruit and frittata. Throughout the day we were adorned with Sardinian snacks, shade, sunshine and shallow water perfect for swimming. And we completely lucked out with the weather. ☀️ Late afternoon we wound our way home to find another welcome snack waiting. What followed can only be described as the best kind of girly sleepover energy; cups of tea, hair plaiting, people spread across every corner of the house just… being. Those with energy left found Sandra in the garden for a sunset flow to squeeze the last golden rays from the day. 🤸🏻‍♀️🤸🏽‍♀️🤸🏼‍♀️ Dinner was a feast. Straight from the marble table at Su Ferreri; earthy, abundant, beautiful. Local produce from the Lemons alongside our dear friend Marcie’s vegan @veghu_ cheese made for a fantastic feast 🥰. Sunset on the terrace to close. 𝘉𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘉𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘉𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 🧡💛🩵

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟮 - 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗲 🔥 The day began with the sunrise engulfed in the mist. We made our way down to the lake through the fog. The water was still, moody and magnetic. Some swam. We all enjoyed coming home to warm up in the sauna. 🧖‍♀️ 🧖‍♀️🧡✨ Back in the studio, Kirsty guided us through a fiery flow centred on the heart and small intestine meridians, the seat of the Shen: our spirit, joy, and our capacity for true connection. 💗 In Chinese medicine, the Heart is our inner compass. When balanced, it holds peace, contentment and the ability to meet both joy and sorrow with grace. It governs our relationships - to ourselves and to others. When the Fire burns well, we know our truth. When it’s depleted, anxiety and disconnection follow. 🫀⚖️❤️‍🔥 Brunch arrived in glorious sunshine - and so, unexpectedly, did an entire herd of cows through the village! 🐄 After some free time, the afternoon brought something special: a heart meditation opened with @vaicacao from a beautiful small independent producer here on the island. Something in that combination, (the cacao, the circle, the Fire energy moving through us), cracked something open. The meditation became a dance. The garden became a dancefloor. The chickens joined us to let loose. 🍫 🧘🌑💃🐓 We ate super well! A beautiful risotto under the trees, followed by the most gloriously naughty chocolate dessert from @lemonspaziali - blowtorched, 𝘰𝘣𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺. After all it is Fire day. 🔥 And then we gathered around the flames for a new moon circle, sharing what had surfaced. Hearts full. Fires lit. 𝘒𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 🔥

𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟭 - 𝗪𝗼𝗼𝗱 🪵 We began slowly …the kind of morning that feels cosy and full of quiet excitement. Sandra led us through a Wood element flow, working the liver and gallbladder meridians: the pathways of vision, boundaries, and the courage to act on our dreams. In Chinese medicine, the Wood element carries the spirit of the Hun; imagination, moral clarity and future possibility. When it flows freely we grow with purpose. When it stagnates, frustration, apathy and lost direction follow. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵. 🧖‍♀️🔥💧🧘🏻‍♀️🤍📖 An introduction to hot and cold therapy. Journalling. A protein-rich brunch in the April sun …until the sky opened and the rain came pouring down in that way that feels almost intentional. So we gathered inside for Sandra’s meridian workshop with tea and cake. 🍰🫖🗣️🦶 When the clouds cleared we walked to the Domus de Janas (fairy houses 🧚), and ended the day with a quiet meditation on the rock above the lake as golden hour broke through. 🌤️ Some stayed to write. Some found their way back to the baby donkeys. 🫏 Dinner on the terrace as the sunset turned the clouds amber. And a lucky few endured in a massage before an early night. 𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮. 💫

𝗔𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 🌿 The day everyone arrives, there’s always a stillness in the air. After almost a year of planning, everything is about to come to life, and we have learnt that sitting in that quiet anticipation and staying present is imperative. 🌬️🍃🧘💗 Some guests arrived early into Sardinia and headed to Cagliari to explore. Having never met one another before, we were grinning ear to ear as photos started landing in our phones throughout the day …selfies from the city, new faces finding each other, already filled with giggles. That morning we’d been foraging wild flowers, enjoying spending time outside and soaking up the April sun. You could feel the island waking up. 𝘚𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮. 🌷🌼🧡🍊 On arrival, guests were welcomed with a hydrating snack lovingly prepared by Erica and Nico @lemonssspaziali - adorned with the flowers we’d picked just hours before. Once everyone had settled into their rooms @suferreri.guesthouse and found their feet, we gathered for dinner before making our way to the yoga space, beautifully prepared by @shiirinic - a cosy nest to land in. 🪻🪺🐣🛬 We shared a few house rules, got to know one another, moved through a short breath practice and a gentle stretch - and then, the perfect ending to a long travel day: the sauna. Fully hydrated with our signature BTOR electrolyte mix (thank you @rosehunter__ 🍋✨). 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘯… 🤍

An unbelievably beautiful week in Sardinia. 🌿 Throughout this adventure, we moved through all five elements of Chinese medicine, as @sandra_yoga_suferreri synonymously guided us through the meridians, organ pairings, and what each element asks of us. We went inward. We explored. And by the end of the week, it felt like something had genuinely shifted. 🪵 🔥 🌍 🪨💧 What emerged was a real transformation into a community. A group that arrived as strangers and left feeling like a safe container for one other; supportive, safe and honest. People tuned into their own inner world, and chose, (when ready), to share it. 🫀🩷 We’ve listened to your feedback from the last two Sardinia retreats, and we are delighted to share that the 2027 spring retreat will remain at seven days. If you’d like to join the waitlist for this please click the link in our bio. 🗓️🌿💫📥 🥰 Endless gratitude to @alo.cocco & Sandra for pouring love into @suferreri.guesthouse and co-creating the BTOR vision, enabling us to bring these experiences to life. 🍋 To @lemonssspaziali for nourishing us every single day. ⛰️ To the island - for the water, the light, the sunrises, the sunsets, and your endless generosity. 👯‍♀️ To our fabulous team (shout out @shiirinic and @ta_dinanta ), for the hard work and undeniable impact you continue to bring to Back to Our Roots. We feel you in everything. 📸 To @peggy_pollock @retreat.photography for capturing the magic - can’t wait to see the snaps! 🤍 And finally to those who joined us on this retreat and put their trust in us. These experiences wouldn’t happen without you. 🙏💫 More to come x

Behind the scenes of building something really special ✨ Our Awaken Retreat at @suferreri guesthouse in Sardinia is underway - and getting here was a real family affair… 🩵 Alo’s dad Pierre up in the trees pruning the garden ❤️ Alo’s mum Marie down in the soil weeding 🔨 Alo installed a brand new BBQ on the terrace 👩🏽‍🎨 Sandra re-tiled and renovated the terrace balcony 🧼 Then deep cleaned every single yoga mat 🚜 Pierre turned the ground and laid nutrients ready for new vegetable crops 💧 Pierre and Alo repaired the drip irrigation system for the new garden 📖 Kirsty added personal touches to the retreat notebooks 🎨 Sandra painted the new balcony railings 🤖 Alo welded the railings into place 🔨 Then prepared the balcony for installation 🔥 More welding 🚿 Alo built a brand new outdoor shower for the terrace 💫 Sandra and Luca added the finishing touches 💜 Kirsty landed in the studio 🪻 Nico and Ilaria foraged wild flowers for the dinner table 💐 Our beautiful wild bouquet 💝 We prepared welcome gifts for our guests 🐓 Kirsty had a very important business meeting with a chicken after a dramatic trip to A&E 🧖 And we closed it all out with one final business meeting in the sauna - coming together as a team before our guests arrived 💗 This is what it looks like when a retreat is built with love, sweat, and a lot of welding 🔥 If you feel called to join us for a future retreat - in Sardinia or Egypt - click the link in bio to enquire 🌿 #retreatlife #wellnessretreat #yogaretreat #sardinia #bts

The first quarter 🌙 Beginning the year in Egypt watching the sun rise out of the Red Sea on New Year’s Day with a beautiful group of women, and THEN a few days later catching the first full moon of 2026 rise out of that same sea… mind blowing! What a start to the year!! 🤯 There’s a certain serenity I find here at the start of each year, whether that’s being so close to the ocean and being able to scuba dive each day or starting the morning with a stretch - I’m super grateful for it. 🪸🐠🧜‍♀️🌞🤸‍♀️💫 I think starting the year in the desert makes me all the more seduced by the seasons when I return home to a Norfolk winter. 🪾🍂 Spending lots of long days walking in the woods near home, watching the trees for the first shy signs of spring, and getting very good at tracking the moon phases by the light in the sky on my bike rides in and out of the city. This alongside lots of time with family and friends, watching the house renovation start to move, many many cups of tea and delicious home cooked food, have all felt very nourishing. 👯‍♀️ 🏡 ⚒️💗🥰 I also ventured to London and Milan few times for work, hopped over to Sardinia to begin retreat preparation and spent some time offline with pals. 👩‍💻👉✈️🏙️ 🎭 This year I vowed to myself that I would see more theatre. So since the start of the year we’ve ventured to the Royal Albert Hall for Cirque du Soleil (this was a bit of a bucket list one), enjoyed Back to the Future the Musical, and most recently went to the ballet to see the Red Shoes. 🩰 This quarter felt, (for the most part!), balanced. Active. Rooted. …and then in the last few weeks the usual happened: too many plates, not enough stillness. A good reminder of why the retreats exist in the first place, and where they were born. 🧘‍♀️🫶 Now: heading back to Sardinia. Offline. With more people I love. Looking forward to what the rest of the year holds - slowly, without rushing. See you there x 🌊🌕🌿 #btor #q1reflections #slowliving #moonrise #norfolk egypt sardinia redsea