A Typical Day at a Pottery Retreat
From yoga and pottery to naps, swims, shared dinners, and slow evenings on the farm.
People often ask us what a typical day at a pottery retreat at Aura actually looks like.
My favourite thing about answering this question is realising how beautifully simple our days are here.
We begin every morning with yoga, which has become one of the most important parts of the retreat over the past year. It is almost non-negotiable now. Not in a strict way, but because everyone quickly realises how much better the day feels after starting slowly, stretching, breathing deeply, and grounding yourself before entering the studio.
Fifi occasionally joins us for our yoga sessions.
Pottery is surprisingly physical work. Your back aches, your hands tire out, your mind gets creatively stretched in all directions. The yoga prepares us for all of it.
Breakfast follows at 9:30 and is always one of my favourite moments of the day. Everyone gathers around the table still waking up properly, usually discussing dreams from the night before, studio ideas, travel stories, or what someone accidentally collapsed in clay the previous day.
There are always eggs, an Indian savoury breakfast, porridge, fresh seasonal fruit, and if we are lucky, peaches, mangoes, or chikoo picked straight from the orchard.
Melinda works on her sculptural piece.
Studio begins at 11 AM.
If it’s a new batch of guests, Andy starts with foundational techniques like pinching and coiling before gradually building into larger forms and more complex work. If the group has already settled in, the day usually begins by picking up from wherever everyone left off the previous afternoon.
The studio has a very focused but calming energy. Hours pass strangely quickly in there.
At 2 PM, we break for lunch, which is always a hearty Indian meal, and then comes what is secretly everybody’s favourite part of the day: siesta time. After all, this is still a retreat.
Some people swim, some read in hammocks, and winter guests almost always nap in the sun. Summer guests disappear into air-conditioned rooms for an hour or two of deep sleep. The farm becomes incredibly quiet during this time.
Izzy catches some time in the sun!
By 4:30, everybody slowly drifts back into the studio for the second half of pottery. Andy reviews everyone’s progress, helps troubleshoot pieces, demonstrates techniques, and encourages every guest individually, no matter where they are in their creative journey.
Evenings are gentle here.
People go for walks, swims, little runs around the farm, or spend time in the yoga lounge before we all meet again for a light continental dinner at 7:45.
And once every couple of weeks, we have what we lovingly call our “drinks and dinner night,” where the card games come out alongside the gin and beers. These evenings are always special because by then, the group has usually spent enough time together, leading to interesting conversations. Strangers begin feeling like old friends.
And before anyone realises it, days turn into weeks. Sometimes, even months. Before you know it, it’s time to leave…
You may read this and realize you’ve been craving this kind of slower rhythm. Take a look at our pottery retreats, and come be with us 🙂
