“Such a beautiful and unique experience in an amazing space”
– Lie Down and Listen attendee
This September, come and experience deep rest at its most profound. Nestled in the heart of the ancient Blue Ridge Mountains, Horse Shoe Farm is where 85 acres of pure nature becomes the container for something truly transformative.
For those of you who have been to a Lie Down and Listen session before, you know what it feels like to let the music move through you. This is that experience, but deeper, longer and held within the rhythm of a full retreat. When you are immersed over several days, something deeper happens, your nervous system unwinds and you'll leave feeling truly restored, carrying a stillness that stays with you long after you return home.
In the year of the Horse, this is your moment to reconnect, restore your energy and reawaken your inner power and creative expression.
You can join us for the full three night residential experience or drop into the daily Lie Down and Listen sessions as a day visitor.
The Retreat Experience
Over four days and three nights, you will be guided through a progressive series of listening experiences. You will lie down on soft mattresses, snuggled up in cushions and blankets, and be gently led through guided yoga nidra and deep listening techniques into states of profound rest and creative calm.
The powerful vibrations of Tibetan Bowl sound healing move through the body as the music opens the heart and quietens the mind.
Each session is 90 minutes with time to dwell in the space quietly afterwards.
Day 1: Divine Love
A heart opening session to reconnect with the divine, with music inspired by 12th Century Priestess Hildegard Von Bingen.
Day 2: Metamorphosis
Creating space for energy to move, including Philip Glass' transformative five movement work for piano.
Day 3: Divine Power
Harnessing your inner connection with music by Bach, Max Richter and my own compositions.
Whether you join for all three sessions or choose one, you'll sleep more deeply than you have in a long time and wake up feeling like yourself again.
Your Retreat Schedule
Your Retreat Schedule
Thursday 10th September: Arrive and Settle In
4.00pm Check in and settle into your accommodation
5.00pm Dinner at The Silo Cookhouse
7.00pm Divine Love: Lie Down and Listen Session with Christina
Friday 11th September: Explore
9.00am Breakfast at The Silo Cookhouse
10.00am Land Dousing with Melisa Austin, Lead Therapist and Medicine Woman at The Stable Spa
12.00pm Lunch
3.00pm or 7.00pm Metamorphosis: Lie Down and Listen Session with Christina (join one or both)
5.00pm Dinner at The Silo Cookhouse
Saturday 12th September: Go Deeper
9.00am Breakfast at The Silo Cookhouse
10.00am Flower Essence Creation with Melisa Austin, Lead Therapist and Medicine Woman at The Stable Spa
12.00pm Lunch
3.00pm or 7.00pm Bliss: Lie Down and Listen Session with Christina (join one or both)
5.00pm Dinner at The Silo Cookhouse
Sunday 13th September: Close the Circle
9.00am Breakfast at The Silo Cookhouse
10.00am Private Lie Down and Listen Session and closing circle with Christina
12.00pm Lunch
(Checkout at 10.00am)
Lie Down and Listen sessions
(non-residential option)
You're welcome to join us for individual sessions with the non residential option. Either book one or all three Lie Down and Listen experiences. $80 per session
Lie Down and Listen: Divine Love
A heart opening session to reconnect with the divine, with music inspired by 12th Century Priestess Hildegard Von Bingen. You'll be guided through deep relaxation and enter into an altered state of perception as you receive the sounds of the Tibetan bowls followed by a live lying down concert experience for piano and electronics, taking you on a deep and powerful immersion of sound and vibrations.
Thursday 10th September:
3.00pm
7.00pm
Lie Down and Listen: Metamorphosis
Join us for this powerful Tibetan bowl sound healing and lying down classical concert experience. Creating space for energy to move. The 'Metamorphosis' session includes Philip Glass' transformative and hypnotic five movement work for piano.
Friday 11th September:
3.00pm
7.00pm
Saturday 12th September:
Lie Down and Listen: Bliss
Harnessing your inner connection with Bliss with music by Bach, Max Richter and Christina's own compositions.
Pianist and founder Christina will guide you through a full body deep relaxation, followed by a deep Tibetan bowl sound healing.
The heart of this experience is the powerful and epic piece of music Chaconne by Bach - this version transcribed from violin to piano by Italian composer and pianist Busoni. This profound piece of music builds from a single idea transporting you into powerful states of joy, magnificence, tenderness and many shades in-between.
You'll also experience Christina’s own compositions and music by Max Richter. You'll leave feeling inspired, uplifted and reconnected to your inner power.
3.00pm
7.00pm
A Place Like No Other
Horse Shoe Farm sits on 85 stunning acres in Hendersonville, North Carolina, deep in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. This is ancient land. The kind of place where the air feels different and time slows down the moment you arrive.
Just ten minutes from Asheville Regional Airport and a short drive from the French Broad River, the farm offers everything you need to fully switch off. There are fishing ponds, walking trails, a meditation tower, a labyrinth and wide open land to simply wander and be.
The retreat sessions themselves take place within the farm's beautiful resonant spaces, where the surroundings become as much a part of the experience as the music.
Where You'll Stay
Horse Shoe Farm offers beautiful, artful accommodation across a range of styles and settings, from cosy shared rooms to private suites overlooking the pond.
Every space has been designed with care and intention, and the wider grounds, with over 85 acres to explore, are yours to wander freely throughout your stay.
For this retreat, accommodation is available in the following options:
Shared Room: $1,621
Private Room: $1,996
Deluxe Room: $2,371
Pond Suite: $2,896
All residential guests receive a complimentary breakfast at The Silo Cookhouse each morning, served from 8am to 10am, plus full access to the pool house, the farmhouse, the labyrinth, the meditation tower and the wider grounds.
Discover more about the Horse Shoe Farm property here
Gather, Eat and Connect
One of the quiet joys of a retreat is the way lunches and dinners bring people together. There is something deeply nourishing about sitting down with a table full of people who have just shared a profound experience, no phones, no rushing, just good food and real conversation.
At The Silo Cookhouse, every meal is a modern farm to table dinner party. The food is cooked with love and served in a beautiful eclectic dining room with sweeping views of Mount Pisgah, where the setting is as much a part of the experience as what is on the plate.
This is not about restriction or rules. It is about colour, freshness and flavour, and the simple pleasure of eating well in good company.
A complimentary breakfast is included each morning for residential guests, served daily from 8am to 10am.
Lunches and dinners are available to book separately, and we highly recommend making an evening of it.
To explore the menus and get a feel for what to expect, visit thehorseshoefarm.com/thesilocookhouse.
How To Get There
Horse Shoe Farm is located at 155 Horse Shoe Farm Drive, Hendersonville, NC 28791, conveniently situated just outside Asheville with easy access from several major airports.
By Air Asheville Regional Airport: 10 minutes Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport: 1 hour Charlotte Douglas International Airport: 1 hour 45 minutes
By Road The farm sits just off Interstate 26, making it straightforward to reach by car.
A rental car is recommended if you would like to explore the wider area during your stay, as rideshare availability in this part of North Carolina can vary.
Book Your Place at this very special retreat
10 - 13 September
Horse Shoe Farm
North Carolina
Lie Down and Listen was founded by pianist and composer Christina McMaster and has partnered with extraordinary heritage spaces across the world, including Highgrove - His Majesty The King’s Highgrove Gardens in England, Trinity College in Ireland, The Gibbes Museum in Charleston and now at Horse Shoe Farm, North Carolina. These remarkable spaces become part of the experience, inviting guests to dwell deeply in music while surrounded by beauty and history.
Meet Pianist/Founder Christina McMaster
Christina McMaster is a pianist, composer and founder of Lie Down & Listen – a truly creative spirit fascinated by deep listening and sound. She has performed at numerous festivals U.K and worldwide, featured on BBC Radio 4, Radio 3, Classic FM.
She attended the Purcell School and was selected as a young artist in residence at St John’s Smith square. She studied with Joanna MacGregor at The Royal Academy of Music and was later appointed an Associate. She has been a mentor for Geneva International Music Competition, UNESCO Day of the Girl, and given talks at Universities in the U.K and U.S, including at Cambridge and Oxford Universities. Christina has collaborated with numerous visual artists, leading composers and artists - including composers Sir Harrison Birtwistle, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Freya Waley-Cohen, Folk music legend Peggy Seeger and electronic artist Tom Middleton.
“An incredibly sensitive intuitive player who brings out the mystery and beauty of these pieces”
- Sarah Walker BBC Radio 3
"One of the most talked about concerts of our festival."
Alistair MacGowan, Artistic Director of Ludlow Piano Festival
She was a Visiting Associate at Kings College in London, developing the ‘Sound Mind’ project with Dr Sally Marlow which evolved into Lie down & Listen. In April 2023, Christina premiered her composition ‘Inner Temple’ inspired by 12th Century Priestess Hildegard Von Bingen. In December 2024, she premiered another of her compositions - ‘Sound Journey to Mars’ - created for Artist Luke Jerram’s ‘Mars’ installation at the Painted Hall in London. Christina has a particular interest in 20th Century French Music – and spent many summers studying in Aix-en-Provence with Bernard Flavigny.
