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...
A recent guest of Billabong Retreat shared a magical poem she wrote. Read on and enjoy! Billabong Retreat By Sue Ellson https://sueellson.com By the billabong With trees and plants I hear the birds Singing their own sweet chants By the billabong...
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...
Autumn is a season of transition and “A New Earth” resonates with the essence of this transformation. The book’s central theme revolves around the idea of awakening to a new level of consciousness, shedding the layers of ego and embracing spiritual...
Easter, a time traditionally associated with spring and rebirth, finds its roots entwined with the rhythms of nature and the cycles of the moon. In the northern hemisphere as winter transitions to spring and the first blooms emerge, Easter arrives in tandem with...
Are you ready to go that little bit deeper? Back by popular demand in 2024, Billabong Retreat is relaunching the Specialist Day Retreat programs. This unique offering is an opportunity to take a deep dive into interesting topics and practices led by highly experienced...
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...
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, finding solace and peace often seems elusive. However, there is a sanctuary readily available to us all – nature. The therapeutic effects of spending time and engaging in activities amidst the natural world are profound,...
As the calendar turns its pages, we find ourselves standing on the threshold of a brand new year, teeming with possibilities and opportunities for growth. While resolutions often take centre stage, it’s crucial to carve out space for self care routines that...
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...
Christmas brings joy, festivities, and a sense of togetherness. It is a time to show appreciation and gratitude for the people we love the most and those who have supported us throughout the year. At Billabong Retreat we support the concept of ‘conscious gifting.’ A...
Do you ever feel disconnected from your partner? This does not have to become normal. Feeling disconnected in your relationship can stem from many reasons, one of the most common reasons is due to a disconnection from understating of yourself. If you are detached...
Taking a bath in winter can be especially comforting and beneficial for your health. If you don’t have a bath at home why not join us on retreat this winter? All of the Deluxe Cabins feature both indoor and outdoor tubs with complementary epsom salts to improve sleep...
Maintaining a healthy complexion during the winter months requires some extra self care. Cold, windy weather and indoor heating often leave the skin feeling dry, dehydrated and sensitive. To help you keep your skin nourished and protected throughout the chilly season...
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...
We spend so much of our lives fixated on our screens. We work all day on our computers, transit to and from work with our mobile devices and finish the day in front of the TV. There can be some negative effects associated with looking at screens for extended periods...
Do you want to live a more meaningful life? We suggest setting intentions to help you achieve your goals and create the life you want. Define what you want to accomplish and align your thoughts, feelings, and actions with your goals. When you set your intentions, you...
At Billabong Retreat we love to give gifts, celebrate and share. However, we are always trying to be mindful about our impact on the environment. This festive season we are sharing our top 10 tips on how we celebrate Christmas in a sustainable way. Give Gift Vouchers...
Short podcast by Billabong Retreat founder Paul about what makes good health (part 1) https://billabongretreat.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pvb-podcast-1b.mp3 Transcript: [00:00:00] Hi, my name is Paul von Bergen, and this is my podcast. So today I’m gonna...
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...
For thousands of years we have enjoyed the health benefits of saunas, from the traditional Finnish sauna (hot rocks) to the Turkish bathhouse (steam room). In recent years we have seen the introduction of new sauna technology known as ‘Infrared’. Unlike the...
By Billabong Retreat Host, Kimberly Ashton Kimberly is a 5 Elements Wellness and Energetic Nutrition coach, Hatha and Yin Yoga teacher, sound healer and energy medicine practitioner. Kimberly hosts the Stress relief weekend retreats once a month at Billabong, and...
Stress stress – its a dangerous thing When that is the only state your body does sing When this way becomes the norm Your mind and thoughts living in storm Always worried about the future and past No idea that this way is not meant to last Thinking all things...
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,...
If you have been to Billabong, there is a good chance that you have watched The Connection. Well, good news. The Director, Shannon Harvey has just released a brand new documentary – this time exploring the wonderful world of Mindfulness. After looking (and...
How do we bring forth our deepest aspirations into a living experience? In this article we’ll be looking at how to distinguish when we manifest from a place of presence and when we let ego run the show. We’ll also explore how we can work with our insecurities and...
It takes courage to face our thoughts and emotions with gentle honesty. The parts of ourselves we’d prefer to deny and cover up with our well perfected strategies of escaping. Some are rather benign like going for a walk or watching a movie whilst others can be quite...
it is no secret that Jon Kabat-Zinn is one of our heroes! He was the real powerhouse behind getting mindfulness out of temples and into everyday homes and his program “Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction” is helping thousands of people around the world. Jon...
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...
Mindfulness is a very practical way to bring meditation into your everyday life. It’s a technique that can be practised at any time of the day, wherever you are and what better activity to practice it than when you are eating a meal or a consuming food. When we bring...
Incredible story of a neuroscientist who had a left brain stroke and experienced what is what like to inhabit a pure right brain consciousness. This gives an amazing insight into the right brain’s connectedness with the energy all around us and as humans become...
Here are 2 books we would recommend to everyone! A New Earth and The Power of Now, both by Eckhart Tolle. “Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious...
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...
I am fascinated by this TED discussion by Psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist how our brain fundamentally works in two different ways yet this duality is often masked by our mindlessness. Our left brain is good are knowing defined detail yet this often delivers a...
“Wherever you go, there you are. Whatever you wind up doing, that’s what you’ve wound up doing. Whatever you are thinking right now, that’s what’s on your mind. The important question is how are you going to handle it?” Jon...
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...
On first look, an impulse can feel very much like an instinct. It comes from inside and seems to drive you to do something. Instincts also come from inside but are more a general gut feeling that you should follow a particular path. Impulses are not always good for...
By Paul von Bergen Mindfulness is quite simply the biggest revolution in health and wellness but not because it is new, it is not. The concepts and ideas of mindfulness have been around for thousands of years. It is because the concept of mindfulness has captured the...
By Paul von Bergen, Founder, Billabong Retreat Learning how to set high quality intentions rather than poor quality resolutions is an essential skill for anyone who wants to create change in their lives. How many times have you or someone else set a new year...
By Charlotte Thaarup-Owen We protect what we fall in love with– fall in love with your dear body. Sometimes I think that the relationship we have with our body is like a veil that stops us from stepping fully into life due to feelings of shame and ‘not good enough’....
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...
By Paul von Bergen We have been fans of Bruce Lipton for a while now and the more we read and absorb, the more obvious and simple his teachings become. His core statement is that our thoughts affect our genes. We think thoughts which create emotional chemicals that...
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 Inspired by John Kabat Zinn If you were part of the London Philharmonic Orchestra you would not dream of using your instrument without tuning it first yet. The mind is our instrument of running our life yet most of us don’t spend even a moment of...
By Paul von Bergen We have all heard this phrase a million times and know it to be true. It is a simple concept that us humans are able to grasp. We know for instance that if we practice a sport we will get better at it, if we practice the piano our skills will...
