Alchemy of Breath

Alchemy School of Healing Arts, known as ASHA, is a retreat and community centre on the edge of Castell' Azzara, a medieval village in the hills of southern Tuscany, in the Province of Grosseto.

The campus holds sixteen rooms across five stone cottages, three practice spaces, a pool, an outdoor cafe, a healing hut, a sauna and gardens. In summer there is glamping on the meadow, and room for campervans and camping.

ASHA is the cornerstone of a long-running effort to regenerate the surrounding village into a thriving intentional community. It is a land-based academy and healing centre dedicated to ethically, environmentally and socially responsible living.

Alongside its own programmes, ASHA is available to independent facilitators and groups who want the site to themselves. Groups run six nights, Sunday to Saturday, from four rooms upwards, and at twelve rooms the campus is exclusively yours. Rooms are quoted per room rather than per person, and catering is quoted alongside.

Practice spaces
- Prana Shala, up to forty. Standing June to September.
- Nadi Shala, up to twenty-eight. Open all year.
- Dharma Den, seventeen comfortably and up to twenty-three. Open all year.
- The lawn and the gardens, in warm weather.

Seasons
- High season, 1 June to 30 September. Up to forty-nine guests as we normally sell the site, fifty-six at maximum. Three practice spaces, the pool open.
- Shoulder, May and October. Thirty under a roof, with glamping optional on top. The pool may be closed and the Prana Shala is weather dependent.
- Winter, 1 November to 30 April. Up to twenty-eight guests, set by the practice space rather than the beds. Two practice spaces, heated cottages.

Meals are prepared according to season and availability, with an emphasis on local produce. Vegan and vegetarian by default, with other diets catered for on request. Groups hiring the venue are self-catered by default, and our kitchen team can cook for you instead.

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