Camp Kerala is best known for its ultra-luxury glamping on the edge of Glastonbury Festival, but the team has been building something quieter: Shift, a wellness retreat series that has now included a one-day Qi Gong escape at The Roof Gardens in Kensington, London — the 6,000-square-metre private members' club that hosted the British Fashion Council's LFW closing party in 2024.
The day retreat drew around 40 participants, who started with cold-pressed juices and introductions before moving into a mat-and-blanket studio setup. The programme moved through three teachers. First, wellness guide and movement specialist Arron Collins-Thomas led gentle, intentional Qi Gong-style movement and breath observation — noticing the pace, depth and even temperature of your own breathing. His pitch is simple: five minutes of conscious breathing is like giving your body a micro holiday, which is exactly why crowded schedules benefit from a structured group setting where the routine feels bigger than the distractions.
Next came Roger Moore, a therapist with over 30 years in the field, who ran partner meditation exercises — wrists locked with a stranger, eyes closed, practising yin and yang through circular movement. Awkward at first, surprisingly grounding once you commit.
The finale was a 30-minute group breathwork session with Shanti Faiia, a breathwork healer, reiki master and yoga nidra guide. The pattern — two sharp inhales, one strong exhale, repeated — is designed to push you into the parasympathetic "rest and digest" state. The writer describes the results as visceral: some attendees cried, some laughed, some surfaced long-buried memories, and she personally came away feeling weightless and more connected to herself than she had in years.
Camp Kerala managing partner Bert Broughton is upfront about his scepticism toward the wellness industry's buzzword saturation. His take: wellness should be about simplifying — finding the few practices that fit your actual routine, wrapped in a sense of community. That philosophy shapes the whole day, which closes with a shared nourishing meal where participants debrief with the strangers they've just been through something intense with.
For travellers, Shift's full retreats run over several days and layer in sauna, massage, meditation, sound baths, cold water therapy and seasonal feasts. The one-day format is the accessible entry point — no packing, no flights, just a reset in central London. It suits anyone burned out on wellness apps and supplement culture who wants a guided, communal taster of Qi Gong and breathwork before committing to a longer retreat. Just know that the review was hosted by Camp Kerala itself, so book with the usual due diligence.
