with Laura Jane Mellencamp, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, MA
Step away from the familiar and into the spacious beauty of Scotland.
Join Laura Jane Mellencamp and the Yoga Among Friends community for six nights of yoga, meditation, friendship, exploration and renewal in the peaceful countryside of Perthshire, where the Scottish Lowlands meet the Highlands.
Surrounded by rolling green hills, ancient woodland and wide-open skies, we’ll have room to move, breathe, wander, rest and remember something we often lose in the pace of everyday life:
the simple joy of being fully present.
Laura Jane is bringing the spirit of Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove, Illinois, to Scotland for a retreat designed around meaningful practice, spacious days, beautiful surroundings and the kind of community that has brought retreat participants back year after year.
All levels of yoga experience are welcome.
Retreat arrangements and registration are coordinated in partnership with True Nature Travels.
A Retreat for Practice, Presence & a Little Awe
There is something about leaving our usual surroundings that helps us see more clearly.
On retreat, there is nowhere else we need to be.
We can begin the morning in practice. Eat together. Walk. Explore. Take a nap. Read a book. Sit quietly. Laugh around a fire. Let the landscape surprise us.
Laura Jane has shaped this week to create room for stillness, self-inquiry, meaningful practice, and the joy of being in community. Our time together will weave Hatha yoga, mindfulness meditation, sutra study, chanting, and therapeutic principles into practices that are both grounding in the moment and useful when you return home.
There will be a natural rhythm of practice and rest, reflection and exploration, quiet time and shared experience. Some days may invite you inward; others may open into a walk through the countryside, a shared meal, laughter, or simply time to sit and take in where you are.
This retreat is open to all ages, all life experiences, and all levels of practice. Whether you are newer to yoga, have practiced for years, teach yoga, or work in the healing and bodywork professions, you are welcome here.
Come as you are, with a willingness to participate, explore, and listen.
Sometimes we need to leave the familiar long enough to remember what has been waiting quietly within us.
What Your Week in Scotland Includes
The retreat package currently includes:
6 nights of accommodations in the Perthshire countryside
3 meals each day, beginning with dinner on arrival day and ending with breakfast on departure day
Group ground transportation between Edinburgh Airport and the retreat center during True Nature’s designated transfer window
Daily yoga practices with Laura Jane
Meditation, breathing practices and opportunities for quiet reflection
Personal retreat time to rest, walk, read, explore or simply do nothing for a while
The property includes beautifully restored accommodations, contemporary lodges, gardens, walking paths, outdoor gathering spaces and private hot tubs. A spacious, fully equipped yoga studio provides mats, bolsters, blocks, straps, blankets, meditation cushions and weighted eye pillows
Space to Explore Scotland
Practice is part of retreat.
So is adventure.
During free time, possible activities may include:
countryside walks and nature hikes
Scottish ceilidh dancing
sound bath sessions
massage
evenings around the firepit
whisky tasting
excursions to places such as Edinburgh, Stirling, St Andrews or Perth
Optional activities are subject to availability and are not included unless True Nature specifically lists them as part of the retreat package.
And there is no requirement to fill every open hour.
A quiet afternoon with a book may be every bit as important as an excursion.
Meet Your Retreat Leader: Laura Jane Mellencamp
Laura Jane Mellencamp, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, MA, is the founder and director of Yoga Among Friends in Downers Grove, Illinois and has spent decades studying, practicing and teaching yoga.
Her work extends well beyond physical postures. Laura Jane brings together traditional yoga teachings, meditation, breath, yoga therapy and her graduate background in clinical and counseling psychology to help students explore yoga as a practice for the whole person.
She is a certified yoga therapist and member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and has led classes, workshops, trainings and retreats in the United States and around the world.
What students often remember most, however, is not a credential.
It is the feeling of being welcomed exactly where they are.
That same philosophy has shaped Yoga Among Friends for more than 25 years: thoughtful teaching, small classes, meaningful practice and a community where people at many different ages and stages of life can practice together.
Want to experience Laura Jane’s teaching before Scotland? Explore Yoga Among Friends classes and gatherings in Downers Grove and online via Zoom.
The practice may bring us to Scotland. The friendships, discoveries and moments in between are part of the retreat too.
Your Retreat Home in Perthshire, Scotland
Our retreat will be set on a private estate in Perthshire, Scotland, surrounded by rolling hills, fields and woodland.
The property brings together restored historic buildings and contemporary lodges arranged around a central courtyard. Rooms include ensuite bathroom facilities, and each accommodation category offers its own combination of location, room size and accessibility by stairs.
Shared and single rooms are available in several categories.
Retreat Tuition
Current tuition ranges from:
Shared accommodations: $4,495–$4,645 USD per person
Single accommodations: $5,295–$5,445 USD per person
A non-refundable $50 processing fee is added at registration.
True Nature requires a non-refundable, non-transferable deposit to reserve your place.
For the most current deposit requirements, payment schedule and registration details, please refer to True Nature Travels.
Getting to Scotland
Participants will fly into Edinburgh Airport (EDI).
True Nature provides one group ground transfer between Edinburgh Airport and the retreat center in each direction. Flights need to fall within the designated arrival and departure windows to use that transportation.
Do not purchase airfare until True Nature confirms that the retreat has met its minimum registration requirement.
Travel insurance is strongly recommended.
For specific flight windows, travel policies, insurance information and payment questions, use the current information provided by True Nature Travels.
Scotland Yoga Retreat FAQs
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No. The retreat is intended to welcome people with different levels of yoga experience. Laura Jane's teaching emphasizes meeting each person where they are, and Yoga Among Friends is built around the same approach. You do not need an advanced physical practice to participate.
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The retreat includes daily yoga practice along with meditation and mindful breathing. Laura Jane's teaching draws from traditional yoga, meditation and therapeutic principles rather than focusing only on physical postures.
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Yes. Many people attend retreats on their own. Laura Jane's past retreat participants frequently describe the group as welcoming and community-centered, with friendships developing naturally through practice, meals and shared experiences.
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The retreat center is in the countryside of Perthshire, Scotland, in a landscape between the Lowlands and Highlands. Participants will fly into Edinburgh Airport and travel to the retreat center using True Nature's scheduled group transportation.
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The package includes six nights of accommodations, three meals daily beginning with dinner on arrival day, daily yoga practices, personal retreat time and group transportation between Edinburgh Airport and the retreat center during True Nature's designated shuttle windows. Optional excursions and activities may cost extra.
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The retreat is led by Laura Jane Mellencamp, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, MA, founder and director of Yoga Among Friends, a yoga and meditation studio in Downers Grove, Illinois. Laura Jane is an experienced yoga teacher and certified yoga therapist who has led retreats, workshops and yoga programs internationally.
Ready to Come to Scotland?
If something in you is already imagining the green hills, morning practice, shared meals and time to simply wander, listen and breathe, perhaps this is your invitation.
Join Laura Jane and the Yoga Among Friends community in Scotland, September 27–October 3, 2027.
Registration, payments, accommodations and travel arrangements are managed by True Nature Travels.
Not quite ready — or wondering whether this retreat is right for you?
Laura Jane would be happy to talk with you.
One Last Question
What would it feel like to give yourself a week with nowhere else you need to be?
Maybe the answer is not something you need to figure out just yet.
Perhaps you simply begin by making a little room for the possibility.
With love,
Laura Jane