4-Day: Mud & Magic WorkShop: Build with Earth, Thrive in Community
4-Day: Mud & Magic WorkShop: Build with Earth, Thrive in Community
RS RESIDENTS RETREAT – ECO STAY
June 9 @ 4:00 pm – June 12 @ 3:00 pm Europe/Bulgaria
Experience Sustainable Living in Bulgaria—Practice Cob Building, Connect with Nature, & Gain Hands-On Skills in Community & Natural Construction.
Why We’re Gathering
Building with Earth, Living in Rhythm with Nature – Join us for Earth & Spirit, a 4-day hands-on natural building course at The RisingSoul Retreat and our off-grid eco village land in the heart of the Bohemian Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria. Designed for eco-conscious creatives, nomads, and seekers of sustainable living, this course combines earth building techniques with the grounding power of daily meditation, mindful movement, and connection to nature.
Learn to build with cob, adobe, and natural materials while waking up to serene mountain sunrises, hiking through ancient forests, and ending your days with Yoga Nidra or a soothing Forest Bathing. Optional yoga and wellness practices support your physical body and spiritual journey as you engage in conscious, regenerative community work.
Is This Practice Cob Building For You?
This workshop is for you if you are curious about natural building, earth-based living, or hands-on learning rooted in sustainability and community.
It is especially suited for those who:
- Dream of building their own earth or cob home
- Want practical, real-world skills using natural materials
- Feel called to live more in rhythm with nature
- Enjoy learning through doing, getting your hands dirty, and working together
- Seek a balance between physical work, reflection, and embodied practices
This may not be your place if…
- You dont want to get muddy
- You are looking for a R&R stay
- You dont want a practical hands-ons on learning experience
No previous building experience is required, just a willingness to learn, participate, and connect.
What Makes This Journey Unique
Whether you’re dreaming of building your own earth home, living more in tune with the planet, or simply craving reconnection with nature and self—this retreat is for you.
This workshop is being held to continue the progress as a follow-on from Cob Building and Advanced Plastering Courses being run in May, with Atulya K Bingham is a natural builder, novelist and blogger. She also writes for Mother Earth News and The Owner Builder Magazine. She runs earthbag building and earth plaster courses, both online and off.
You can listen to her on The Future is Beautiful, The Abundant Edge, and Free Her Spirit podcasts.
🧘♀️ Highlights Of The Experience
- Daily guided morning moving meditation
- Daily mountain walk to the land
- Hands-on earth building using cob, adobe, wattle and daub, and more
- Immersion in yogic community living
- Plant-based meals with local, seasonal ingredients
- Campfire evenings, community connection,
- Optional relaxing evenning yoga sessions for deep rest and integration
What It’s Like to Be Here
Life during the workshop is simple, grounded, and deeply immersive. Days begin with movement and connection, followed by focused hands-on building, learning through experience and shared effort. Evenings invite rest: yoga, firelight, conversation, and quiet reflection under the stars.
You’ll leave with dirt under your nails, new skills in your body, deeper confidence in working with natural materials, and a felt sense of connection, to land, community, and yourself.
This is more than a building course. It’s an experience of living, working, and creating in rhythm with nature.
🛖 What You’ll Learn
- How to mix and apply cob, adobe, and earthen plasters.
- Building with adobe bricks
- Discuss & onsite planning for passive solar design and natural insulation techniques
- Site preparation and foundation building
- Hands-on construction of walls, benches, built in furniture and sculptural forms
- Basics of eco village planning, permaculture, and community building
- Embedding
- Q&A Sessions with Mud Home published author Atulya K Bingham
Gallery
Sample Daily Rhythm
| TIME | ACTIVITY |
| 07.00 | Moving meditation |
| 08.00 | Breakfast + cob construction principles class |
| 08.45 | Group walk to the eco village land (worksite) |
| 09:00 – 12.45 | Earth building session 1 (hands-on) |
| 12.45 | Walk home |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch at the Chai House with Q&A |
| 14.00-15.30 | Rest, relax, swim, or journal; massage available |
| 15.30 – 18.15 | Earth Building session 2- Cob construction principles with Row on site. |
| 18.30 | Dinner Theory & Q&A |
| 19.00 | Relax |
| 20.30 – 21.30 | Yoga Nidra,Yin or Restorative Yoga, (optional) |
Please note: Many times the instruction comes while we are on site and using
our hands, so this timetable is a rough guide only and subject to flexibility.
What’s Included In Your RisingSoul Stay
🏡 Accommodation
🧘♀️ Two daily yoga/moving meditation sessions
🔥 Welcome Drink & Circle
🥗 Ahimsa vegetarian breakfasts & dinner
What’s Not Included In Your RisingSoul Stay
🍃 Lunches @ Chai House
🧭 Organised trips
🌾 Massages & Healing practice
🚐 Flights & Transfers from Tryavna
Contributions
This retreat is made possible through shared contribution, inviting both energy exchange and financial support in service of the collective experience… Energy exchange, often referred to as karma yoga, is the practice of offering one’s time, presence, and effort in service of the collective..
It is rooted in the understanding that meaningful experiences are sustained not only through financial contribution, but also through conscious participation, shared responsibility, and mutual care. Within the retreat, participants may be invited to contribute in ways that feel aligned and supportive, such as:
- Caring independently for shared spaces like the yoga hall, courtyard, or meditation room
- Supporting the kitchen team by helping with clean-up after communal meals
- Assisting with animal care, including grooming and walking high-energy dogs
- Participating in garden care, such as harvesting, watering plants, or flower arranging
Through these simple yet intentional acts of service, the retreat becomes a co-created space—deepening presence, humility, and connection. Karma yoga offers an opportunity to step into contribution with awareness, allowing each participant to support the flow of the retreat while cultivating a sense of balance, appreciation, and shared purpose.
Payment
RisingSoul Retreat offers many different accommodation types depending on budget, Camping (bringing your own tent, mat & bedding) is €152, the dorm is €230 and the private ensuite at €404.
CANCELLATION POLICY
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are non-refundable.
It’s difficult to organise workshops which require investment from at the outset. Very sorry, but once you’ve bought your ticket, you’ve committed to join the workshop.
Scroll Down to Book below on Our – Reserve Now Button
Who Holds the Space
RisingSoul is a beautiful women-led conscious community promoting the healing power of yoga and sharing its values with the world. Some of its main features are:
Tranquillity in Nature
Surrounded by lush forests, calming creeks, and scenic mountain views, the venue provides a spiritual sanctuary for reflection and mindfulness.
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable
Committed to supporting a sustainable lifestyle and ensuring all spaces align with eco-conscious values.
Creative and Relaxed Atmosphere
Bohemian-inspired spaces that spark creativity and encourage meaningful connections.
Community Living & Karma Yoga
Everyone contributes a little each day — cleaning, gardening, harvesting, walking rescue dogs, caring for the land and shared spaces. You’ll often work in rotating pairs, which naturally builds connection without pressure.
Daily Yoga & Embodiment
Morning and afternoon practices to support grounding, mobility, nervous system regulation, and presence. All levels welcome.
Raw Vegan Nourishment
Fresh, seasonal, mostly raw plant-based meals designed to support clarity and energy. You don’t need to already be raw vegan — openness and curiosity is enough. Raw food workshops and foraging are part of the journey.
Evening Circles & Social Time
Campfires, music, reflection, laughter, and relaxed connection.
A Grounded, Respectful Group Culture
Substance-free, consent-based, emotionally mature, supportive, and real. If you’re drawn to depth over distraction, nature over noise, and connection over consumption, you’ll feel at home here.
Plan Your Journey
Explore essential information to plan your journey with clarity and confidence, from arrival details to important retreat guidelines.
Spaces are intentionally limited to maintain an intimate and sacred atmosphere. Secure your spot and immerse yourself in this transformative experience.
🔨 Ready to Build with Us?
Spaces are limited for this hands-on 4-day Earth Building Course at RisingSoul Retreat & Eco Village Land. Come learn natural building skills, connect with like-minded people, and live simply in harmony with nature.
Whether you’re a beginner or already dreaming of building your own earth home, this immersive experience will ground you in the practical knowledge, community connection, and inspiration to take your next step.
👉 Book your place now and be part of co-creating sustainable living from the ground up.
Testimonial
The schedule is well balanced, with sufficient time to relax or socialise between yoga classes and activities.
There is plenty of nearby nature to explore. The center is surrounded by mountains and there’s a pretty Bulgarian town about 15 minutes away. We spent an afternoon at a spa there.
The staff participates in activities with guests so the entire group developed a close bond. The food cooked by multi-talented Italian chef/yoga teacher Nico was delicious and yoga teacher Mona gives an excellent massage. Both provide superb yoga classes.
Thanks to Row and the rest of the team!
The Yoga and teachers were brilliant, thanks so much to Ro, Mona and Niko – and also to Niko for his brilliant vegan cooking!! Thanks also Rosie for your mindfulness, attentiveness and inspiring harmonies throughout the week’s jam sessions (we were a musical group!)
The whole experience left me feeling present and grounded, and such good value for all that is included in such a beautiful place to be.
Thanks Ro for your organisation and making this space possible!
Just enquiring at this stage – if i came can a get a room to myself – I wouldn’t want to share. Also, if I bring the kids (12+14) if they want and mum says its ok, then what accommodation options are there for them – tents or something like that?
Hey Cameron if you come as guests just nip over to Pricing & Packages – RisingSoul Retreat https://share.google/PebxDAj2jyugq0rnI
These are the Yoga Retreat packages so ignore the prices but you can check out the accomodation there.
You choose tour accom and then I will work out the price. If you v want to grab the volunteer spots everything is included nothing to pay except getting here and extra treats & special drinks the girls sell in the Chai House.. In that case accmodation would be tents up on the land. I’ve got 2 x 5m bell tents and 2 x 2..5m stand up family type tents.
We have one air bed will be on a first come first serve 😁
Thanks for the question Cameron 🙏