Direction Scotland

Direction Scotland direction provides: Counselling, Psychotherapy, Thrive & Empower Online Coaching Membership for Women, Retreat & Events.

direction specialises in providing professional, high quality bespoke services for organisations, individuals and schools. We are passionate about counselling, psychotherapy, training, workplace mediation, mindfulness and compassionate workshops and retreats.

Let me introduce you to someone very special.Anna Baker is not just our Pilates teacher at Wild Compassionate Warrior an...
22/02/2026

Let me introduce you to someone very special.

Anna Baker is not just our Pilates teacher at Wild Compassionate Warrior and Wild Hope. She initially came on our Wild Compassionate Warrior retreat after losing Gary. The retreat was profound for her and now she is part of the heartbeat of these retreats.

At Wild Compassionate Warrior Retreat, our women only sanctuary, Anna holds space for healing, restoration and deep embodied strength. At Wild Hope Retreat, she brings a depth of understanding that cannot be learned from textbooks alone.

Anna’s life partner, Gary, died of prostate cancer. That experience reshaped her world. It softened some edges. It strengthened others. And it deepened her commitment to supporting people moving through or recovering from cancer treatment. When she guides movement at our retreats, she does so with lived compassion, not theory.

Her Pilates is not about perfect poses or gym floor intensity. It is about breath meeting body. It is about listening instead of pushing. It is about feeling your feet on the earth and remembering that your body is not a project to fix, but a home to return to.

Anna has a doctorate in biochemistry, years of teaching fitness behind her, and a beautifully curious mind. Yet what people often notice first is her presence. Calm. Grounded. Attentive. She helps you move with focus, control and balance, gently weaving breath with movement so that body, mind and soul feel stitched back together.

Her sessions are inclusive and suitable for all levels. Whether you are brand new to Pilates, returning after illness, or already confident in movement, she meets you where you are. No comparison. No pressure. Just intelligent, nurturing guidance that allows you to feel embodied and present in a way that lingers long after the mat is rolled away.

If you would love to experience this for yourself, you can find more information at www.direction.org.uk and via the link in our Instagram bio.





You’re not imagining it—the news right now is heavy, relentless, and hooks the nervous system like Velcro. When cruelty,...
22/02/2026

You’re not imagining it—the news right now is heavy, relentless, and hooks the nervous system like Velcro. When cruelty, threat, or injustice dominate the headlines, our brains react as if danger is close and personal. Cortisol rises, empathy fatigue sets in, sleep suffers, and the world can feel unsafe. That’s biology, not weakness.

Here’s how I personally manage it while staying engaged and caring:

⭐ Talk it out. Putting your head down can feel protective, but naming what you’re feeling helps your nervous system regulate. I did exactly this today on a dog-walk along the beach with a friend—just speaking it out loud was grounding.

⭐ Connect with people who “get it.” I talk with other women who share my values. I also follow thought-provoking, compassionate voices: The Guilty Feminist, My Voice My Choice, The Guardian, The i Paper, BBC Women’s Hour.

⭐ Channel anger. Anger carries energy and clarity. I get on my bike or dig my allotment—it’s physical, energising, and constructive.

⭐ Journaling & movement. Write uncensored. Punch, stomp, shake—emotions live in the body.

⭐ Use compassion. Gentle meditations calm the threat system—some I share on my Instagram.

Protect your heart while caring for the world—both can be true 💛

There’s a quiet exhaustion that comes with menopause that isn’t always spoken about. and yet I know all too well how it ...
21/02/2026

There’s a quiet exhaustion that comes with menopause that isn’t always spoken about. and yet I know all too well how it impacts us.

The broken sleep.

The sudden surges of heat and emotion.

The sense that your body has changed the rules without consulting you.

The frustration of doing “all the right things” and still feeling out of sync with yourself.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing about menopause here.

About sleep deprivation and how relentless that can feel.
About how routines can help regulate the nervous system.
About supplements, support, and why white-knuckling your way through this season only adds more strain.
I share this not just as a practitioner, but as a woman living it....every single day.
And as someone who works closely with many women navigating hormonal change, identity shifts, and a deep longing to feel at home in their bodies again.

This Spring Equinox, 20th March, I’m offering something different.
Wild Warrior Women: The Change Within is not another menopause workshop.
There’s no fixing. No forcing. No pushing through.
Instead, it’s an embodied, nature-led evening designed for women in midlife who are tired of being at war with themselves whilst giving space to speak about where ever you are in your journey.

Held on the Spring Equinox, when light and dark meet before the turn toward longer days, this sauna gathering mirrors what menopause often asks of us.
A slowing down.
A rebalancing.
A listening in.

Through guided sauna rounds (yes I'm going to do my Sauna Master Training next week!!), a gentle spring solstice scrub ritual, and grounding practices for the nervous system, this evening offers space to soften, release, and reconnect with your body’s intelligence.

You’ll leave feeling:
• lighter in your body
• calmer in your nervous system
• more trusting of yourself
• quietly renewed, like the land after winter

If menopause has felt like a threshold you’re trying to survive rather than a transition to be supported through, this evening is for you.
You don’t need to explain yourself.
You don’t need to perform strength.
You just need to arrive.
Limited spaces
✨ Friday 20th March 2026
✨ 19:00–20:45
✨ Granton Soulwater Sauna, Edinburgh

www.direction.org.uk and for our one day retreat on 13th June.

Set in the stunning Scottish landscape of Dumfries and Galloway this retreat has ever to offer and more. From special re...
18/02/2026

Set in the stunning Scottish landscape of Dumfries and Galloway this retreat has ever to offer and more. From special restorative can rehab Pilates teacher to beautiful mindful compassion practices with Ange , hot tub, home cooked nourishing food and much more this retreat is extra special just like you.

Our retreat exists because sometimes hope doesn’t come from pushing forward,
It comes from being held.

Wild Hope is a place to rest, reconnect, and remember you’re still you even after everything.

Held with care
Ange & Anna xx 🤍

scotlandretreats

15/02/2026

A Spring Equinox Sauna Gathering for Women in Midlife
Wild Warrior Women | The Change Within

Held on the Spring Equinox, when light and dark meet, this evening is a gentle invitation to honour change rather than fight it.

You’ll leave feeling more grounded, lighter in your body, and quietly renewed.
Less at war with yourself.
More trusting of your body’s intelligence.
Like the land after winter, slowly coming back to life 🌱

Created especially for women in midlife. Pre, peri, post menopause or somewhere in between. This is not about fixing symptoms or pushing through. It’s about listening, softening, and letting change unfold.

What the evening includes
• Grounded arrival and intention setting
• Guided sauna rounds for heat, release and renewal
• Spring equinox scrub ritual with handmade rosemary and citrus salts
• Cooling, rest and a short guided meditation to integrate and reclaim this season of life

This is not a menopause workshop.
It’s an embodied, nature based experience.
You’ll be warmly held, never pushed. No pressure to share. Just space to be.

Event details
📍 Granton Soulwater Sauna
📅 Friday 20 March 2026
⏰ 7.00–8.45pm

Link in bio to book or www.direction.org.uk

Grief doesn’t follow a script.Some days it’s a wave that knocks the breath out of you.Some days it’s quieter, a heavines...
13/02/2026

Grief doesn’t follow a script.

Some days it’s a wave that knocks the breath out of you.
Some days it’s quieter, a heaviness you carry through meetings, school runs, the food shop.

Loss can be the death of someone you love.
It can also be the end of a relationship, a miscarriage, a diagnosis, estrangement, redundancy, or a future you had quietly imagined.

And yet, so many people feel pressure to get on with it. To be strong. To move forward. To cope quietly.

When grief is pushed down or hurried along, it doesn’t disappear. It can show up as anxiety, low mood, irritability, exhaustion, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others.
A sense that something isn’t quite right, even months or years later.

There is no right way to grieve — and no timeline you have to meet.

At direction, our experienced team offer a space to slow things down. A place where your experience of loss is taken seriously, and where you don’t have to protect anyone from your feelings.

We offer in-person sessions at Haddington Place (top of Leith Walk) and flexible online appointments, day time and evening and a choice of male or female therapists.

If you’re carrying something that hasn’t had space to be felt, you’re not alone, and you are so welcome to get in touch for a confidential chat. email- enquiries@direction.org.uk and our website is www.direction.org.uk

Grief rarely arrives as one clear moment with a beginning and an end.More often, it weaves itself into everyday life and...
08/02/2026

Grief rarely arrives as one clear moment with a beginning and an end.

More often, it weaves itself into everyday life and walks beside us quietly.

During Grief Awareness Month, I’m thinking about how many people are carrying loss that no one else can see. Sometimes it’s the death of someone you love. Sometimes it’s illness, infertility, the end of a relationship, redundancy, or the slow grief of becoming someone new.

Grief doesn’t always look like tears. It can look like exhaustion, irritability, numbness, self-doubt, or feeling disconnected from yourself or your partner. It’s often misunderstood, even by those closest to us.

I've had so many losses myself it feels I have a PHD in loss and grief!

At direction, supporting people through grief isn’t an add-on. It’s at the heart of what we do. Our therapists understand how grief affects the body, mind, relationships and sense of identity. Many of us have lived through our own losses, so this work is deeply personal.

One of the hardest parts of grief is what happens after the early days, when the messages slow down and the loss becomes quieter and more invisible. That’s often when support matters most.

Grief isn’t something to fix.
It’s something to be held with care.

If you’d like a confidential, no-obligation conversation about support for you or your relationship, you’re very welcome to get in touch.
📧 angie.cameron@direction.org.uk

I

When was the last time you didn’t put yourself last?Not because you didn’t want to matterbut because responsibility, car...
07/02/2026

When was the last time you didn’t put yourself last?

Not because you didn’t want to matter
but because responsibility, caring for others, money, guilt, and life quietly took over again.

Here’s something worth saying out loud:

Not all retreats are the same.
And not all retreat leaders are the same.

Anyone can organise a weekend away.
But being deeply held emotionally, psychologically, and physically is something else entirely. And that difference matters.

I’ve been attending retreats for over 35 years, and I’ve worked for more than 30 years as a counsellor, psychotherapist, and facilitator.
I know how to help people rebuild capacity, trust, and inner strength in ways that last. Not quick fixes. Not feel-good weekends. But depth, safety, and real integration.

⸻

🌿 Wild Hope Retreat 2026
A very special retreat for people living with or recovering from cancer

Co-facilitated with Anna Baker, expert in cancer rehabilitation and restorative Pilates.
This retreat isn’t about fixing, forcing positivity, or pushing through.
It’s about being met exactly where you are.

✨ Gentle, cancer-informed walks & Pilates
✨ Guided meditations to calm anxiety and restore hope
✨ Sharing circles where you feel genuinely seen
✨ Creative practices to reconnect with joy and meaning
✨ Space to rest, breathe, and simply be

💬 “Life-changing. I have more energy, clarity, and confidence. I show up differently at work, in relationships, and in myself.”

⸻

All Wild Retreats are small, heart-led, and designed to be life-changing, not just transformational for a weekend.

🎁 Beautiful gift bag
🕊️ Complimentary Coaching Power Hour
💸 Early bird pricing & flexible payment plans

📩 DM me for a no-pressure chat
angie.cameron@direction.org.uk

⸻

🌿 Wild Compassionate Warrior, Scotland | March 2026
Rooted in deep compassion, embodiment, and lasting transformation.
You’ll leave not just rested, but resourced and ready.

🌊 Wild Portugal Azores Retreat | September 2026
A powerful reset for now and the longer term.
Step away from the noise and reconnect with what truly matters.

🔗 All links in my bio
www.direction.org.uk

With care,
Ange 💛

Grief isn’t only about death.It can come from divorce, miscarriage, infertility, estrangement, redundancy, illness, or t...
03/02/2026

Grief isn’t only about death.

It can come from divorce, miscarriage, infertility, estrangement, redundancy, illness, or the slow realisation that life hasn’t turned out how you hoped. And often, people carry it silently while still showing up for everyone else.

Grief can feel lonely, confusing, and exhausting. One day you’re coping, the next you’re overwhelmed by something small. That’s not weakness. That’s grief moving through you. I know this all too well after suddenly, and shockingly lost my brother in law, aged 49, in November. It hit me like a thunderbolt and I took 6 weeks off work.

Our counselling and psychotherapy at direction can help by offering a space where you don’t have to be “strong,” positive, or put together. A place where your story is heard without judgement. Where emotions can be untangled gently, at your pace.

You don’t need to be in crisis to reach out. You don’t need the “right” words. And you don’t have to carry it alone.

This Grief Awareness Month, if something in you is aching, please know that support is available, and you are allowed to ask for it and reach out to us- enquiries@direction.org.uk

Grief is not something to get over.
It’s something to be held, understood, and supported.

Address

7a Haddington Place
Edinburgh

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 12pm

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