Breathwork Retreats in South Australia
Half-day, Two or Four day yoga, breathwork, culture, bushwalking & nature retreats
2025 Dates:
May 1-4
Oct 3-6 (Long Weekend)
Oct 10-12
Picture this: you arrive, welcomed onto Country, become connected with like-minded women, wake each day in your cosy glamping tent or ocean-front house, embrace sunrise meditation, hike into sacred Wilpena Pound or along the Waitpinga Cliffs, have your meals lovingly prepared for you 3 times per day, spend all day witnessing nature and wildlife and tending to your body and breath with yoga.
Now imagine returning home and waking from the best sleep you have had in months (or even years), integrating firmer boundaries and active rest as a daily non-negotiable part of your life, and having the unapologetic willingness to say yes to yourself. You’ve found a community of likeminded women that support you through life’s ebbs and flows and hold you accountable to your deep transformation, and have established a tool kit of breath and mindfulness practices that fit in with your day-to-day life.
This is what our guests have experienced time and time again, and what you could too, on retreat with us on Country.
Wilpena Womens Weekend
Sarah and Elise are passionate about helping women to embody wellness and self-healing tools, making them accessible for everyday life.
The Wilpena Women's Weekend is an all-inclusive package that brings you all of their favourite things, combining luxurious and heated glamping safari tent accommodation, nourishing restaurant prepared meals, yoga, meditation, breathwork, bushwalking and cultural experiences on Adnyamathanha Country at the ancient and sacred site of Ikara, within Flinders Ranges National Park. This weekend will leave you feeling connected, restored and transformed, with a deeper sense of place and belonging, on Country and in life.
Fleurieu Retreat
Sarah and Elise are passionate about helping women to connect both to self and community - creating a world of rested and confidently active women.
The Fleurieu Retreat combines all the good stuff of our Wilpena Women’s Weekend but brings it closer to Adelaide: nourishing food, yoga, meditation, breathwork, bushwalking and cultural learning. Experience it all on Ngarrindjeri Country along the gorgeous coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula, overlooking the Southern Ocean and Waitpinga Cliffs. Your home for the weekend is the grand Kings Beach Retreats, with gorgeous views, art and ensuites for every room. This weekend will leave you feeling connected, restored and transformed, with a deeper sense of place and belonging, on Country and in life.
Walk Wine & Wander
A guided, mindful nature journey in Mark Oliphant Conservation Park, Peramangk Country, Adelaide Hills.
Along the way, you will pause during your walk for gentle moments of mindful breathwork, standing yoga stretches, a home-baked picnic, and a guided meditation and journaling practice to allow you to connect deeply with the beautiful land that we wander upon, the air that we breathe, and the abundant nature that surrounds us.
Afterwards, you are invited to join the optional wine tasting next door at Deviation Road winery; sampling a seasonal flight of cool climate wines from mature vineyard resources in the Adelaide Hills.
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"I am sleeping better than I have in decades. My body feels great and my mind is clear. I loved sharing such meaningful time with just women all with their own wisdom and reflections of life."
Guest Feedback Survey, May 2023.
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"I felt connected to nature, calmer and happier. My takeaway is to get out of my comfort zone a little more, and trust that things are going to be okay!"
Guest Feedback Survey, Oct 2023.
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"Elise and Sarah were absolutely gorgeous hosts who facilitated a really peaceful and beautiful experience. Stopping for breath-work and yoga under the rustling trees was a magical experience and created a strong sense of peace."
Google Review, April 2023.
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"What an amazing weekend!! Beautiful surrounds, beautiful people, beautiful food and lots of breathing and amazing nature walks. The weekend spent with Elise and Sarah was the reboot my brain needed and I will definitely be back...I definitely recommend you take a chance and give it a go!"
Facebook Review, 2022.
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"Uncle Mick was a great facilitator, I loved his approach to sharing his culture and getting us to reflect on what we already knew and where that information had come from"
Guest Feedback Survey, May 2023.
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"I loved that I didn't have to think about anything. This made it easier to turn off my brain. The retreat exceeded my expectations in many ways and I'm so glad I decided to come along!"
Guest Feedback Survey, May 2023.
Sarah Hayes
Co-Founder of Active Rest Retreats
Founder of Sarah Hayes Yoga & The Slow Living Studio.
Sarah is a scientist-turned-yoga teacher who is passionate about inspiring and empowering others to live a life more rested, more sacred and more awake. Trained in vinyasa flow and pranayama (yogic breathwork), and with Ecology and Psychology degrees up her sleeve, Sarah provides an accessible-to-every-day-life and no-fluff approach to the worlds of yoga and spirituality. Sarah’s students always report feeling ‘welcome and safe’ in her classes - with previous training in Trauma Informed Yoga Foundations, you won’t feel anything short of capable and nourished when you practice with Sarah on our retreats.
Practicing with Sarah is like a remembrance of your own self-authority, a deep dive into the intricacies of your breath and body, and a nurturing surrender to restoring connections to self and earth.
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Thank you Sarah - I'm ready to take part in the next wonderful opportunity to connect with Country and be present in the moment with respect and love, one breath at a time.
Review
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Sarah is a calm, connected yoga teacher who creates a relaxed space for women of all abilities.
Meagan - Facebook Review
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I highly recommend allowing yourself to be guided by Sarah, whether that be in yoga or breath work or meditation or connecting with the great outdoors - or better still in all of the above! She has strong knowledge of the science behind the practice and connects us with this in a thoughtful inclusive way. Sarah gently encourages and supports others to take time to explore and be curious.
Kylie - Facebook Review
Elise Lavers
Co-Founder of Active Rest Retreats
Founder of Enliven Outdoor Adventures
Elise is an outdoor guide with a passion for inspiring, lowering barriers, and creating opportunities for women to get outdoors for their body, mind, soul and planet. With A Bachelor of Health Science and another in Education, Elise is also a qualified kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, and bushwalking guide and loves using these activities to connect women back to themselves, to one-another, and to nature. Elise spent her childhood walking and camping in the Flinders Ranges, and loves sharing this special place with others.
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You MUST join Elise on an outdoor adventure ASAP! She is a highly organised, caring and passionate person who clearly works hard (and loves) to immerse those she guides fully into the experience. Elise creates connections between people, culture and nature. She does this all with humour, warmth, inclusivity and obvious skill!
Kylie - Facebook Review
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Elise provides a wonderful safe place for you to immerse yourself in nature and connect with like minded individuals, breathe, pause, laugh and ground yourself. It’s 5 stars from me. A must for every woman!
Meagan - Facebook Review
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My guide and instructor, Elise, was professional, highly engaging, informative and her passion and enthusiasm was infectious. I highly recommend
Review
2025 Dates:
May 1-4
October 3-6 (Long Weekend)
Oct 10-12
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