What to expect at our Yoga Retreats in Victoria

So, you’ve been wanting to book yourself into a yoga retreat in Victoria for a while now, but you’re not sure how to find the right one?

We totally get it.

With demand at an all-time high, the choices for yoga and wellness escapes are endless. And when it comes down to it, only YOU can decide which retreat is the right fit. For that reason, we thought it was a good idea to make your search a little easier and tell you what you can expect at our yoga retreats in Victoria.

Firstly, if you are looking to be micro-dosed with hallucinogens like Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers you will be disappointed. We will only micro-dose (or macro-dose!) you with delicious food and sustainably crafted local wines.

Secondly, our retreats are currently womxn’s only. Many of our venues have shared bed- and bathrooms, and we feel it works better this way. Plus, let’s face it: girls have more fun!

So how do you know if our retreats are the right fit for you? Grab yourself a tea or vino and keep reading to find out what to expect at our yoga retreats in Victoria.

WELCOME AND ARRIVAL

Let’s keep this one short and sweet..

What to expect:

• friendly faces
• a warm welcome
• relax and settle into your room
• open your gift bag
• enjoy a yin class to help set you up for the weekend ahead
• get to know your fellow retreat guests organically whilst feasting on a grazing table and enjoying a glass of wine (or Kombucha!)

What not to expect:

• opening circles where you have to share your life story and tell us why you chose to retreat with us
• complicated check in procedures
• bag boys (sorry!)
• awkward silences
• feeling left out

YOGA CLASSES

We want to make our retreats as accessible and down to earth as possible. As much as we love and respect the yoga traditions, we will not ask you to ‘surrender to the divine’, ‘breathe with your root chakra’ or ‘open your third eye’. Instead, our intention is to create a relaxing space for you in which you can move, meditate and practice yoga YOUR way. We teach you how you can use your breath to calm your mind. Plus we guide you through your yoga flows step-by-step. Our yoga classes suit all-levels, with more energising Vinyasa based sessions in the morning, and restorative yin classes in the late afternoon or evening.

We will always encourage you to listen to your body, rest when you need to, and challenge yourself only if you want to. Don’t expect handstands or crazy poses though, we’ll save those for future advanced yoga retreats.

Whereas it’s not mandatory, we recommend you attend a few yoga classes prior to joining one of our Melbourne yoga retreats just to make the experience more enjoyable for you.

RETREAT FOOD

We believe life is best lived in balance. No point doing a 7-day detox if you never exercise and your regular diet only consists of foods that are high in unhealthy fats and sugars. Our retreats are designed to give you the best of both worlds: Delicious and nourishing meals containing loads of vitamins and goodness to fuel your body plus equally mouthwatering foods that provide some indulgence. For example, your Friday night feasting table (on steroids!) is a combination of locally sourced cheeses, vegetable crudités and homemade low-fat dips, as well as wholesome hot snacks. We usually pair this with a glass of wine or bring in one of the local wineries to host a tasting.

In addition, breakfast is nourishing (think chia pudding and carrot cake shake) and your Saturday lunch is a vegetarian feast guaranteed to boost your gut health. Our private chefs will remain on-site on Saturday to cook up a storm for your evening meal. Your dinner is fresh and nutritious, and paired with matching wines. On top of all that, you get a guilt-free dessert too!

Retreat meals are vegetarian and we can of course cater for dietaries ( as long as we know your needs in advance).

RETREAT VENUE AND ENVIRONMENT

First things first, you should know that before we organise a retreat somewhere – we ALWAYS begin with a visit to the venue to inspect the space and accommodation. Frankly, we don’t know how anybody could organise a retreat without doing this prior to the event. Our yoga retreats take place at unique properties in Victoria and we have a handful of preferred suppliers we keep coming back to.

Truth be told, Victoria lacks the type of retreat venues that NSW and QLD have to offer in the sense that many venues near Melbourne are not decked out with a proper yoga studio. Luckily we have blocks, yoga straps, blankets and mats to set up shop pretty much anywhere. This does mean that we might convert bedrooms or public spaces into a yoga studio, often with the most amazing views!

Our retreat locations are in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and The Otway Ranges/Great Ocean Road. Whether you’re retreating with us at a cottage in Rye, a deluxe villa in Shoreham or a country house in Kinglake, expect peaceful locations where you can immerse yourself in nature and escape from the daily grind.

WANT TO RETREAT SOLO?

Yes! Do it. We pride ourselves on creating inclusive environments where nobody feels like a third wheel. However, we totally understand that retreating on your own can be quite scary, especially if it’s your first yoga escape. Most of our retreats have a 50/50 mix of (female) couple friends and solo women. In addition, our guests come from all walks of life, and predominantly range in age from mid 30’s to mid 50’s. However, we have had, and welcome, younger and older guests too.

We feel very fortunate to be able to escape to unique locations with so many inspiring women, and help foster genuine connections that go way beyond our yoga weekends. As a result, many of our previous guests are now repeat customers. Also, many have become friends with each other, and with us. We have hosted groups who have specifically asked to be paired up again for a private yoga retreat.

Of course, it’s very difficult to predict what any given getaway will be like. What we can tell you is that you will NOT feel excluded in any way. 

RETREAT SCHEDULE

We have been organising retreats since 2017 and so we speak from experience when we say we have found the so-called ‘Sweet Retreat Schedule’. The itineraries are designed to give you the opportunity to step away from the daily rat-race and check in with your self-care practice. It is important to know that you’ll have plenty of time to relax in between yoga classes and activities. Moreover, if you feel you need a little extra you-time, nobody will judge you if you sit out a class or decide to go for a walk instead of joining Sip & Sketch. Every retreat is very much YOUR getaway. You do what is best for you at that moment. Zero judgment.

ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

Last but not least, let’s talk about your accommodation options. Simply put: it all depends on the venue we use.

Most of our getaways are intimate boutique retreats with space for only to 8-10 guests. This means that rooms are often twin share only, with a limited number of private rooms available. Depending on the venue, bathrooms can either be shared (max. 4 people per bathroom, usually less) or private. Some of the venues we work with offer private rooms with en-suite bathrooms. For that reason, it is best to check each individual retreat listing to see what your options are. Alternatively, you can reach out to our team to discuss your preferred option and we’ll point you in the right direction.

We hope this article has shed some light on what you can expect at our Yoga Retreats in Victoria.

Did we miss anything? Email hello@retreathere.com with any follow-up questions you might have.

We look forward to retreating with you!