As winter descends, bringing with it the cold air and short days, many of us find ourselves seeking warmth and energy to combat the chill. While cosy blankets and hot cups of tea are excellent for comfort, there’s a powerful and often overlooked tool that can...
Billabong Retreat is proud to announce the arrival of Right Relations, using the ‘Elemental Stations’ in collaboration with Kelly Phoenix Rose. March has provide the “go” button for Kelly to start offering a guided, 60 minute, complimentary, nature meditation practice...
February is known as a time of seasonal transition. It also marks the end of the enthusiasm period for “new year’s resolutions”. This makes it an opportune moment to reassess health goals and refocus on creating positive change for the year ahead. If you are looking...
Billabong Retreat held a special retreat to celebrate New Year’s Eve Retreat Hosts Lacie and Natalie led their group for 6 days and 5 nights in what was described by guests as a “life-transforming experience.” Activities included; nature walks, yoga...
As the festive season approaches, it is common to get caught up in the craziness typical of this time of year: the shopping, the endless ‘to do’ lists, excess food, the events you “can’t say no to” and the stress that can come with family gatherings. Not to mention,...
In the pursuit of optimal health and well-being, individuals are increasingly turning to holistic approaches that tap into the body’s innate capacity to heal and thrive. Two practices gaining considerable attention for their transformative effects are breathwork...
A sound bath is a type of meditative practice that involves immersing yourself in tones and vibrations of instruments like singing bowls, gongs and chimes. The vibrations and frequencies of the sounds can help to induce a deep state of relaxation, reduce stress and...
Mindfulness isn’t about filling up your mind so that your mind is “full”. It isn’t about emptying your mind either… Mindfulness is a practice where you simply bring your awareness to the present moment. Instead of letting your mind dwell in the past or dream of the...
Reiki (pronounced Ray-Key), is a Japanese energy technique. The term “reiki” comes from the Japanese words “rei,” meaning universal, and “ki,” meaning life force energy. Reiki as we know it today, was developed in the 1920s by the Buddhist priest Mikao Usui. It is...
In this podcast Billabong Retreat teacher Basia Nowacki looks at our tendency to have busy minds and provides some simple tips for how to reduce any negative effects from this. About Basia: Basia is a yoga and meditation teacher, known for her down to earth kindness,...
Enjoy this grounding meditation with Basia. She will guide you through a visualisation of being like a tree and allowing your roots to connect down deep into the ground. A great one for anyone feeling destabilised, uncertain or scattered. About Basia Basia is a yoga...
As humans, we tend to be more focused on what we don’t want to happen in our life; caught up in worry about what might occur… Imagine if we spend just 7 minutes a day visualising what we do want our future to look like. Science shows that visualisation can...
In these uncertain times, the benefits of slowing down are more apparent than ever. While the world speeds up around us, why not spend five minutes per day hitting pause and connecting to your breath? Enjoy this guided meditation by Larissa inviting you to take five...
Do you ever start your day “from the wrong side of the bed”? We feel you! In this guided meditation on of our teachers Basia invites you to start your day with gratitude to shift your mindset for a fresh and grateful day, We hope you enjoy it! About...
A simple guided breath awareness meditation designed to take us to a place of rest and relaxation. Take a little break out of our day to connect within for as little as 6 minutes. Just sit or recline back and listen to the recording below. About Larissa Larissa...
Below is a simple guided mantra (words repeated) meditation linked with the breath to create a sense of freedom and release. The mantra is simply “Let Go”. If there is anything that may be causing you stress or tension this is a great meditation to begin...
Most of us agree that meditation is good for us yet why do we find it so hard to actually practise it every day? Host Basia shares her best tips for developing a daily meditation practice. A must watch for all of you who are struggling to carve time out every day for...
We all have thoughts circulating around our mind all the time, but are you ever actually aware of them? Can you connect with the space behind thought? Watch this video with Basia where she introduces this idea and then guides a short meditation for acknowledging...
Our current lifestyle tends to be so busy and frantic that the body only knows how to move or sleep. This often means that when we sit for meditation, we find ourselves constantly nodding off. Sound familiar? Check out this video by Retreat Host, Basia. According to...
AUM is one of the most recognisable mantras in Eastern philosophy, it has amazing benefits and makes you feel so good when you chant it! Read on to learn more about this magical sound… Did you know there are four sounds which make are the mantra? AAAA UUUUU...
We hear it all the time, “I can’t meditate because I can’t stop my thoughts”. Our lovely retreat host Basia is on a myth busting mission. Watch her most recent video on the concept of stopping thoughts during meditation: About Basia Basia is a...
It feels like such a buzz word at the moment. Before I did a meditation course, to me, it felt like yet another thing to add to the to-do list. Meditation (according to Buddhism ideology) is basically focusing on one thing. When practiced regularly, it enables the...
Breathing techniques (also known as pranayama in traditional texts) have been around for thousands of years. The breath is such a powerful tool because it can be both automatic and controlled. See “Pranayama: What is it and why should you include it in your...
You may have heard your yoga teacher talking about pranayama but do you actually know what it is? Most people just think of pranayama as ‘breathing exercises’ which is technically true but pranayama is much more interesting than that. What is Pranayama?...
Meditation has been around for thousands of years but has become much more prevalent in modern times due to the fact that science has finally caught up! There have been countless studies based around the effects of meditation on our overall health and happiness as...
A really simple and user friendly book that was recommended by a recent guest that explains basic mindfulness practices in ways that are really easily digested and put into practice in every day lives. Mark talks about learning to notice urges, break compulsive...
This book is amazing. For those of us who like a bit of science with our ancient wisdom then look no further than ‘Altered Traits’ by Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson. Both these authors are well know and are well established within the mindfulness and...
This technique is a method of developing compassion – essentially about cultivating love. A love that is unconditional, inclusive, and with no expectations of anything in return. It can be helpful when there is a concern about someone and the continuous worrying...
How to Transform Your Tea Time Into A Meditation Practice by Billabong Retreat Basia Nowacki. Basia is a yoga and meditation teacher, known for her down to earth kindness, warm and calming spirit. She teachers and inspires acceptance of what is, living in the present...
By Paul von Bergen Anchor each day with a meditation, however small Be forgiving with yourself & your mind first Sprinkle your day with short minute meditations Identify stress triggers and watch out for them Notice repetitive patterns of thought Tail each day...
A mantra is a word or sound repeated to help in concentration and meditation. The yogic mantra Soham (Pronounced as So’ Hum) translates to I am that” (so = “I am” and hum = “that”). To practice this begin by bringing your attention to the rhythm of your breath,...
By Paul von Bergen With the new year firmly established it is appropriate to reflect on the direction of our life and whether we are creating the reality we want. It is also a time when a lot of us set goals with the belief that this will more likely make them happen....
By Paul von Bergen A counting meditation is designed to improve your ability to hold the mind steady, without wandering. Listen to our guided counting meditation here taken from our mindfulness training retreat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMs-Ue-XfZM
By Paul von Bergen Breathing is such an under-rated skill in the West. Our obsession is all about the heart, and exercising to get it to beat fast in the bizarre hope that is all we will need to do to stay healthy. We are so dumb sometimes. Breathing is what gives us...
