“I felt very safe with your knowledgable and professional therapists.”
— Zoe
Collaboration and the sense of being part of a greater family lies at the heart of Puissentut.
Everyone who comes here, whether as a guest, therapist, teacher, chef, volunteer, family member or friend brings something with them that together helps create a very special experience. All who’ve visited leave a part of themselves here and take a part of Puissentut away with them.
We – Dirk-Karel de Geus and Angela Wood - have been hosting Restore and Revitalise retreats since 2013. While we create the vision for the retreats and guide each one, we work with experienced, highly trained therapists, teachers and chefs from a range of backgrounds to deliver a programme of treatments and activities designed to support you on many levels and at whatever stage or treatment or recovery you are at.
Our team
Barbara Gallani
Barbara is a yoga teacher, reflexologist and life coach. She adapts her classes to your needs without diminishing their impact, encouraging you to challenge yourself and explore your boundaries. Her reflexology treatments provide a wonderful moment to relax.
Marianne Cass
Marianne is an energetic healer and massage therapist. She trained with Barbara Brennan and Lynne Mctaggart amongst others. Her energetic treatments are subtle yet work deeply to help create systemic balance, coherence and strength. As you can see she is full of energy.
Amanda Berlyn
Amanda is a yoga teacher, aromatherapist and massage therapist. She has a remarkable array of talents from giving the most relaxing Dr Hauschkar facial treatments to specialising in scar rehabilitation massage. Her treatment space is more like a womb than a room.
Claudia Manchanda
Claudia is a medical herbalist. In addition to showing you how you can harness the healing properties of plants, she is a fount of knowledge on medical and non-medical treatments for cancer and how you can maintain your health and well-being living with cancer.
Ingrid Smith
Ingrid is a massage therapist with the most magical hands (she’s also blind). She reaches parts no other can to free tension and emotion alike. In the treatment room she exudes absolute calm and grounding giving you full confidence in her. Outside it she loves a good laugh!
Lee Sanger
Lee is a shiatsu therapist and teacher and a Qi Gong instructor. Through the application of gentle pressure and manipulation his treatments restore energetic flow and balance. Later you can experience the flow of liberated energy during his evening Qi Gong sessions.
Simone Parris
Simone has nearly 30 years of experience working as a macrobiotic and holistic chef and has even cooked for Hollywood stars! It’s a privilege to have her here to create her incredibly delicious, eye-catching food, subtly influenced by Asian flavours after much time spent in India.
Bini Sharman
Bini is a macrobiotic chef extraordinaire! She conjures up the most remarkable feasts which satisfy the palate and the eye. You can taste the love she pours into them. She is a teacher at the International Macrobiotic school in Devon and has a wealth of information to share.
Elyssa Noble-Hook
Elyssa combines aromatherapy, reflexology and reiki to give deliciously restorative treatments. Her calm, friendly presence enables you to let-go and let-in as you feel the love flow through her hands. On her farm in Wales she works with her horses to provide therapy to young people.
Paula Charnley
Paula is a shiatsu therapist and counsellor and combines both seemlessly during her treatments. Also a yoga teacher, she encourages you to work with your breath and focussing to help you identify and release energetic blockages and allow your emotions expression.
Els Peters
Els is a massage therapist with many years of experience working with people with cancer. Her grounded presence is immediately soothing and you know you are in capable hands. When not massaging her hands turn to creative pursuits including drawing, painting and photography.
Sangeeta Bhandari
Sangeeta has trained for many years in India and has taught worldwide. She is a highly experienced, confident teacher who understands your needs and will gently guide and challenge you. You will leave her class feeling proud and amazed at what you can achieve.
What our guests say
“The food is delightful. It feels like kindness for the insides! The time, energy and intention given to the meals is genuinely inspiring.”
— Tara
“The therapists’ commitment, the treatments, the fantastic food, the inspiring atmosphere: it all works together in a marvellous concept that definitely works.”
— Bernard
“What I loved the most was being cared for and valued by everybody. I felt cherished and that a lot of love went into looking after me.”
— Elizabeth
“I loved the yoga. I hadn’t realised how much I’d missed it, not so much the physical side, but the support to one’s emotions and the sense of well-being it instills.”
— Sue
