There’s something rather special about the charmingly named Toadhall Rooms, although you won’t find Ratty or Badger wandering the clifftops in Stonehaven.
Peacocks are on hand to give you a friendly welcome from the secluded spot which can be found between Stonie and Muchalls, alongside Pate and Foie Gras who are of course the resident geese.
Toadhall is run as a boutique B&B and also offers self catering options, but at the heart of the beautiful spot is wellbeing.
Proud owner Angela Wilken welcomes people from around the world to the soothing setup in Aberdeenshire, where she has been running wellbeing retreats since 2018.
One of the few retreat options currently on offer in the north-east, Angela is passionate about helping people who may be struggling for any number of reasons.
And when it comes to wellbeing, she believes it has never been more topical with people wanting to finally focus on how they feel on the inside post pandemic.
From dealing with every day stresses to major life events, Angel’s business, which is called Mindfullness Energy and is based at Toadhall Rooms, has proved life changing for hundreds of visitors.
We caught up with her and found out why almost losing her home to flooding, caused Angela to reassess and go on to help others.
Giving mindfulness a chance
“I’ve had a variety of careers, I actually used to work at The Press and Journal in the accounts department,” said Angela.
“After I left I became self employed, and trained as a holistic therapist offering massage, reflexology, aromatherapy and reflexology.
“I had my own practice and was also involved in skincare distribution.”
Angela initially became involved with mindfulness after her house flooded in 2012, and she found herself looking up new ways to cope with the toll it took mentally.
“My house was almost entirely taken out and through the stress of all that, someone suggested I try mindfulness,” she said.
“By this stage I thought, well I have nothing else to lose.”
Angela grew more intrigued by mindfulness, and quickly realised the impact it was having on her life.
She went on to train in mindful based stress reduction, and started to offer workshops.
All walks of life
“I diversified into offering retreats, from weekends to five days,” said Angela.
“People come from all over the world, and I also offer one to one retreats.
“I get people of all ages and all walks of life, some people may not even have heard of mindfulness when they arrive.”
By the end of the retreat however, Angela believes people are fully on board with the benefits.
“Mindfulness is essentially a way of learning how to deal with your thoughts and emotions, in order to reduce stress,” she said.
“It’s a way of dealing with difficult thoughts, and it can enable you to let go of whatever it is which may be holding you back.
“By letting go, you’re coming into a much better place.
“Mindfulness can give you tools to deal with whatever it is that’s keeping you down.
“At the retreats we do various meditations, and learn how to bring mindfulness into everyday life.”
Dealing with stress
It all sounds rather wonderful, and in Angela’s case it has enabled her to move forward regardless of what life throws at you.
“For me, mindfulness is a way of getting this deep deep sense of calm,” she said.
“Everyone has stress in their life, it’s how you deal with it.
“If something is getting me down, I bounce back much quicker.
“Mindfulness then goes on to impact the people around you, because you’re a better person.
“I’ve always been a happy person, but I now feel a deeper level of joy and happiness.”
Angela often helps people who work in the medical profession, where there is a high level of stress on a daily basis.
Whilst she’s not a bereavement councillor, she often helps people through major life events.
“Often people are moving into different stages of life,” said Angela.
“I love it because when people arrive – they come in looking heavy and their shoulders are inward but they are a different person when they leave.
“I think people are far more open to wellbeing following the pandemic.”
Angela runs around six to eight group retreats each year, and can easily hold at least one to one retreat per month.
She’s also involved with offering her services to the corporate world, and is now pondering what to do next.
“I think I’m looking at building on the retreats, and having more international people stay for longer.”
Wellbeing Diary with Angela Wilken
Biggest misconception about mindfulness?
Clients think they have no time to practice mindfulness as their lives are too busy and indeed this is what I used to think, but then I started just to do 5 – 10 minute a day of what we call formal practice, this is when you sit and meditate sometimes in silence and sometimes with a recording.
I personally found it easier to start with a recording. What I discovered was that I gained back more time in my day than the time it took to do the meditation, as I was so much more focussed, found that things that had been challenging were less so and I would flow through my day.
What’s your night time routine?
Every night when I go to bed I reflect on all the things that have gone well that day, I do this through a practice called GLAD. The G is for what I am grateful for today.
The L is what I have learned today, (this can be one small fact) The A is what I have accomplished today and the D is for what has brought me delight, (what has made me smile)
Your 3 tips for practising mindfulness every day?
When you wake up, start the morning with the question: how can I be kinder to myself today? Do a 5 – 10 minute meditation at least 5 out of 7 days. Bring more awareness to and engage more in all of your senses, touch, seeing, hearing, smelling and taste.
Favourite walk in Aberdeenshire?
I love walking barefoot along St Cyrus beach.
Most memorable guest on a retreat?
All my guests come with their own unique qualities and some have long haul flights, but one guest that stands out was a young gentleman who had an overnight bus journey of 14 hours in order to join one of my weekend retreats.
What makes your retreat so magical?
The mix of being able to spend time indoors by cosy fires and outdoors in nature, mindful cliff top walks leading to little coves and beaches, my guests are blown away by the rugged scenery.
More information
Head to toadhallrooms.co.uk or find Mindfulness Energy on Facebook.
