Marcus Hale

Marcus spent ten years as a product manager in London tech companies. In 2015, running on four hours' sleep and very little else, he went on a ten-day silent retreat because a colleague dared him to. He found it hard and useful in roughly equal measure, kept practising, and in 2017 began formal teacher training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. He has taught eight-week courses for workplaces and the public in Bristol since 2018.

His teaching is plain, secular and practical. He avoids jargon, keeps instructions short and spends as much time on what to do when meditation feels boring or difficult as on the technique itself. His interest is in habits you can keep at home, on a weekday, with ten spare minutes.

Marcus leads Spring Stillness at Sjövik Lodge in Värmland and co-leads Breath & Stillness in Ubud with Amara Osei. A typical day starts with a 30-minute guided sit after gentle movement, then breakfast. Two mornings in the week are held in silence until lunch, with sitting and walking meditation by the lake. Afternoons are free, and the evening ends with a short reflection circle where you can speak or simply listen. On the last full day he runs a workshop on building a home practice that fits a real week, and everyone leaves with a short written plan. In Ubud the days follow a similar shape, with breath and sitting practice each morning and one fully silent morning.

Beginners are very welcome. Most of his guests have never meditated for longer than an app session. Every sit is guided, chairs are always available, and the silent mornings come with clear guidance on what they are for and how to step out if you need to.

Marcus is not a therapist, and his sessions are not a substitute for mental health care. If you are in treatment, he is happy to talk before you book. Outside retreat season he teaches MBSR courses in Bristol and runs short programmes for teams.