Heart & Soul – Yoga & Wellness Retreat 🧘🏼‍♀️🤍

Heart & Soul

Vegan Yoga & Wellness Retreat

51 Lady Carrington Road, Otford NSW

So close to Sydney, just an hour south along the M1, this spiritual sanctuary set on 20 acres of organic garden & native bush land, has been operating for over 20 years. Run completely through service (karma yoga & Seva), the daily routine is well considered offering a pleasant mix of structured activity & free time. Staff are caring & well intended, epitomising the conscious awareness expected from those souls identified with a spiritual dogma. The overall intention of this unpretentious yogic ashram is the opportunity to reconnect to soul & self within the soothing & wondrous delight of Mother Nature.

Healthy vegan, vegetarian & Ayurvedic meals are served as a smorgasbord of nutritious options including vegetable stews, pasta, muesli, green salads (nice tahini dressing!) & delightful homemade treats (beetroot bliss balls & chocolate peanut slice). Hot drinks, herbal teas & chai are self serve & readily available at your leisure. Select a book or tarot pack from the reading corner & enjoy a moment on the full length balcony enveloped in the tree tops as the kookaburras, magpies & currawongs warble in serenade.

There are two Yoga classes offered each day which cater to participants of all standards of experience. The yoga space itself is clean, light & cosy. Both community spaces named after the complementary energies of divine masculine & feminine, Luna & Sol …

Evening sanghas (community activities) include events such as kirtan, yoga nidra, yin yoga, sound healing and cacao ceremonies … we experienced an extended yoga nidra that fully silenced the group of approx 16 attendees.

Optional treatments are on offer if booked in advance but specialist practitioners timetables & availability do vary so it’s best to check in & book in prior to arrival. Treatments include: relaxation, Thai, hot stone & Ayurvedic massage, reiki, sound healing, soul retrieval & astrology.

We chose a simple twin room without an en-suite which was conveniently located by the share bathroom facility. The beds were comfy & clean, exactly as per the norm for this style of Yogic ashram & a reasonable price saving too! Personally, the visit took me back 35 years to my first foray into a spiritual community. I am cognisant of how much I have changed & evolved.

The premise itself is tired, old, slightly damp & dated … this ain’t no 5 star but, the pristine natural ecology of Govinda Valley will enrich both heart and soul. And, close by are beautiful & scenic beaches, parks & lookouts that add more to your retreat experience!

You could easily allow time to discover the Bundeena National Park figure 8 pools walk, Kelly’s Falls, sea cliffs, forests or the galleries & artisan shops of local Thirroul village.

Read more www.heartandsoulretreats.com.au