What do you think of when you think of going to a retreat? Do you imagine yourself feeling relaxed? Healthy? Grounded? Content? The question that springs to mind for us, is WHY do we feel that we have to ‘escape’ our daily lives for a week or two to feel these feelings? And what can we do to cultivate this into our everyday life?
Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy going to a retreat as much as anybody else. There is nothing better than a holiday, and we certainly would never knock the benefits of taking a week to relax and reset. But what we endeavour to do is help women like you, bring the health & wellness you receive at a retreat into your daily life. Mind, body AND soul.
We interviewed Nicole Joy (@nicolejoyinspire) from Breathe Wellness Retreats to give us some hot tips on what a retreat means to her, and how she gets her girls feeling great from the inside out….
So Nicole, we understand you were already into health & wellness with your books ‘Why it’s perfectly acceptable to eat dessert for breakfast’ and ‘Life’s too short for diets’, but what got you interested in starting a retreat in Bali?
I have spent a lot of time in Bali and I absolutely love the place! I don’t mean the hustle & bustle of touristy places like Kuta (and the places that get all of the negative media attention) I mean the real Bali – the untouched parts in the North. Where it’s still uncommon to see a Westerner. After my first time, I thought how incredible it would be to run a retreat there.
You obviously understand the importance of WHOLE health in a woman’s life. Do you have any daily rituals that help you keep this balance within your life?
Meditation first thing in the morning, a walk with my pup Nobby and a green juice. If that happens – I’m off to a great start!
What does a day schedule look like at Breathe Wellness Retreats?
6:30 am Yoga
8:30 am Breakfast
10 am Cultural visit or Workshop
1 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Free time & Massages
5pm Pilates
6:30 pm Dinner 8 pm Evening meditation
What is one of the main messages you like your ladies to take away after they’ve attended your retreat in Bali?
That the most important relationship they have is the one they have with themselves. Making time to nourish and nurture themselves is not selfish, it is essential to their wellbeing – and kids, husbands, colleagues and friends will be ok without them for a few days!
And how do you think they could implement this into their daily lives?
You don’t have to go on a retreat to look after yourself. It can start with dedicating 10 minutes per day to doing something that lights you up and makes you feel good. Meditating, painting, reading or listening to your favourite piece of music. Our wellbeing affects all of our relationships – so take a little time to dedicate to yourself and watch how it affects other parts of your life.
If you could give a woman out there one tip on how to stay grounded, healthy and content, what would it be?
At least once a day - switch off technology and connect with people in real life. Find what works for you – whether that be diet, parenting styles or exercise - not what the latest fad trend is. You will always ultimately know what’s best for you. Learn to tune in and discover the answers – you may be surprised at what you find.
We hear you have some exciting news?
Yes, we have some exciting news! One half of our Breathe Wellness team, Alanna …is expecting a baby! This means we have no retreats for 2016 but…we have a Brisbane half-day retreat coming up and we will be back in Bali in 2017!
The half-day retreat on Saturday, December 5th in St Lucia Brisbane, is designed to give you a taste of what our destination retreats are like.
It will involve:
- A 90-minute yoga flow class
- A healthy cooking class
- Chakra balancing workshop
- Guided mediation
To join us head to www.breathewellnessretreats.com
Thank you Nicole for taking the time out to answer these questions for us and for caring about the wellness in women across Australia.
With so much love,
RY
Nicole Joy is an inspirational foodie who passionately shares her story of rediscovering her love of food. Nicole believes in nourishing the body and soul with delicious, wholesome ingredients, and advocates that healthy eating does not mean compromising on flavour. A former school teacher and entrepreneur at heart, Nicole’s broad-ranging experience includes successfully developing her own jewellery line, being crowned Miss World QLD, hosting a children’s program on Channel 9, and establishing her own sleepwear label. Her two books, ‘Why it’s perfectly acceptable to eat dessert for breakfast’ and ‘Life’s too short for diets’ are available on her website.
Find Nicole on Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube
Some recent posts from Nicole's Instagram feed: [ux_instagram_feed username="nicolejoyinspire" photos="5" text=""]