Located on the border of the Kosciuszko National Park, Lake Crackenback Resort & Spa is a natural playground nestled in the Thredbo Valley surrounded by the spectacular Snowy Mountains. It’s also the perfect place to bend, stretch, relax and unwind on a weekend yoga retreat.

Friday 16th – Sunday 18th November 2012: Summer Retreat
Themes for the weekend: power & strength, upper back release, blood pressure & circulation, happy hearts!

Friday 1st – Sunday 3rd February 2013: High Summer Retreat
Themes for the weekend: good digestion, weight loss, improving energy levels and kicking sugar cravings!

The retreats are suitable for beginners through to experienced yoga-lovers, with a focus on specific postures and food to suit the needs of the season according to Ryoho Yoga therapy.

From $524 per person (twin share /double occupancy), the package includes:

• 2 night’s accommodation
• Full buffet breakfast each morning of your stay
• 2 course dinner each night
• Lunch on Saturday
• 5 Yoga & Meditation sessions
• A one-hour gentle relaxation massage at The Spa at Lake Crackenback
• Free access to the Resort’s onsite, non guided activities

When not stretching out on the yoga mat, guests can enjoy massage treatments at The Spa, full use of the resort’s leisure facilities and activities including eco tours, walking, mountain biking, canoeing, archery and fishing.

Numbers are limited. For bookings and enquiries contact the Reservations team on 1800 020 524  or (02) 6451 3000, or email reservations@lakecrackenback.com.au.

Family bonding at full stretch … More barefoot escape than boot camp, mother-daughter yoga retreats offer a rare chance to hang out and have fun together, writes Angie Kelly.

Sun Herald travel writer and editor, Angie Kelly, joined our first Mother & Daughter yoga retreat at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa in October last year. She put pen to paper, and here’s what she had to say (read more here).

The next Mother & Daughter retreat is scheduled for Friday 18-Sunday 20 May 2012. For bookings call Jolene Napper on 02 6670 5027 or email  email jolene.napper@conferencesandeventsatsalt.com.au.

Communal vibes, rocking music and great instructors are all part of the line-up with Australia’s best yoga festivals in 2012.

Yoga, for the most part, is a personal, introspective and serious practice. But at yoga festivals the inner quiet of daily practice is replaced with a community buzz. Part workshop, part yoga party, festivals are just the place to learn, deepen your practice and have fun with yoga in a great location.

“Festivals give you a chance to play outdoors in the sunshine, hang out with like-minded people, listen to great music and enjoy yoga like a party,” says Alex Grant, Founder of findyoga.com and Australia’s newest yoga festival, Spirit Festival.

The Phoenix Weekend (3-5 February 2012)
Where: Satyananda Ashram, Mangrove Mountain, Central Coast NSW What: Hosted by the Future Sound of Yoga duo Angel and Matt Singmin, Phoenix is a touted as ‘a weekend of yoga, music, meditation and rave’. The lineup includes leading international yoga teachers Mark Whitwell and Katy Appleton with home-baked legends Simon Borg-Olivier, John Ogilvie and Anna Phillips. A twist on the usual lineup includes Acro Yoga and Zen Thai Shiatsu with Gwyn Williams and a dose of inspiration from world-record holding base jumper, Heather Swan. On the music front, there’s kirtan with US-based artist, Daphne Tse and, of course, yoga and dancing to a live DJ with a special ‘dress up’ edition of the Future Sound of Yoga. The vibe: With numbers limited to 200, the Phoenix Weekend is all about learning and letting go at an intimate weekend dance party – with a yogic twist.  www.thephoenixweekend.com

Spirit Festival (17-19 February 2012)
Where: Mullumbimby, Northern NSW What: Located in the Byron Shire, the township of Mullumbimby will host a weekend of yoga, Tantra, dance, music, film and discourse. On offer are yoga workshops with Mark Whitwell, Simon Borg-Olivier, Gwynne Williams, Louisa Sears, Lance Schuler, Simon Morocco, Future Sound of Yoga, Julie Smerdon, Katie Manitsas, Acro Yogis and Kidz Yoga. Internationally renowned master, Nityama joins local teachers Roxy, Andrew Barnes and Cyd Saunders in all things Tantric. The music bill kicks off with an Indigenous welcome ceremony and headline acts including ‘The Big Dance’ on Friday night with The Future Sound of Yoga and OKA; and a Saturday night concert with Deva Premal and Miten and Manose, Yeshe and Nomadic Voices. The vibe: Inspired by the BaliSpirit festival, this new event on the festival calendar is a true community festival with a great Australian and international offering. Cost: Early bird weekend: $230  www.spiritfestival.com.au

Bodhi Festival (24-26 February 2012)
Where: Glenworth Valley, Central Coast, NSW What: Another newcomer on festival scene, Bodhi heralds itself as ‘a three day yoga, music, and healing festival’.  The program features leading yoga teachers, meditation masters, inspirational speakers, holistic healers, kirtan and world musicians. Stretching from Australia to India, USA, Europe and Asia, the line-up includes acclaimed international kirtan artists Deva Premal, Jai Uttal and Dave Stringer along with leading local artists Sacred Earth, Sri Prahlada, Carmella Baynie and Shanti Mission. Vibe: With the musical line-up the start attraction, Bodhi is about enjoying yoga, music, healing, nature and healthy living in a natural bushland environment. Cost: $450; students $300, under 16s free  www.bodhifestival.com.au

Evolve Yoga and Wellness Festival (3 & 4 March 2012)
Where: Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne, VIC What: Evolve celebrates diverse yogic traditions over a weekend of yoga classes, meditation and pranayama sessions, with presentations and workshops on health and wellbeing. The star attractions include leading yoga teachers John Ogilvie, Lucille Wood, Craig Hassed and Johannes Mochayedi from Dance of Life. The vibe: Held in a funky arts and community precinct with workshops alongside health and wellbeing stores, Evolve is part conference, part community market.  Cost: From $39-$49 (1-day pass); $59-$79 (Weekend Pass). Buy your tickets online for the cheapest tickets. www.evolveyogafestival.com.au

Dave Stringer Australian Tour (1-25 March 2012)
Where: Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Port Maquarie, Gosford, Sydney and Canberra.
What: Regarded as one of the best kirtan performers in the world, Dave Stringer brings kirtan – a folk musical derived from the devotional Bhakti yoga movement of 15th century India – into the modern world with his unique combination of transcendent mysticism, traditional Indian instruments and the groove-oriented sensibility of American gospel. In March 2012, Dave will be making his fifth and most extensive Australian tour yet with ecstatic kirtan concerts, rhythm and melody workshops, and yoga retreats.
The vibe: Out of the ancient traditions of kirtan, Stringer creates a unique live music experience that brings people together in a modern and participatory theatrical sing-along.  Cost: Concerts from $30; workshops from $55; multi-day yoga retreat from $650. www.davestringeraustralia.com

Krishna Das (Australia-wide, April 2012)
What: Dubbed yoga’s “rock star”, Krishna Das has taken traditional Hindu Kirtan out of yoga centers and into concert halls to become the best-selling chant artist of all time. His Australian tour includes kirtan concerts in all major cities and workshops in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth. The Vibe: Rock-concert kirtan. Cost: To be confirmed (check website). www.krishnadas.com

YogaFest (30 June & 1 July 2012)
Where: The Old Museum, Bowen Hills, Brisbane, QLD What: Now in its sixth year, Australia’s biggest yoga festival packs a punch with over 50 workshops and classes in yoga, music, dance and complementary arts such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. YogaFest’s schedule of teachers include Adam Bornstein, Graham Northfield, Lance Schuler, John Ogilvie and Jost Sauer to name a few. There’s also more than 70 exhibitor stalls selling everything from yoga gear to delicious food.  The vibe: YogaFest is a mega event offering a diverse range of teachers, styles and modalities on and off the mat – and the warmer winter climate rates a mention. Cost: $55 (1-day); $88 (2-days) yogafest.com.au

This story was first published in Australian Yoga Journal.

* While stocks last. Register at kris@krismcintyre.com to get your free mat.

Rated by the Sunday Telegraph’s Body+Soul as one of the best outdoor yoga classes in NSW.

Located on the shores of beautiful Port Stephens just over 2 hours drive from Sydney and 40 minutes from Newcastle, Peppers Anchorage is the perfect place to relax and unwind for a weekend yoga retreat.

Friday 23-Sunday 25 March 2012: Autumn Retreat
Themes: Autumn cleansing, respiration, elimination, improved digestion.

Friday 17-Sunday 19 August 2012: Winter-into-Spring Retreat
Themes: Spring detox, back strength, flexibility, eyesight and stress release.

Designed especially to suit beginners and intermediate levels of experience, each weekend varies to suit the changing needs of the seasons according to Ryoho (a form of yoga therapy combining traditional Indian Hatha poses with the meridian based healing arts of China and Japan). Yoga, meditation, food talks, beach and bush walks are all part of the weekend.

The weekend yoga escape at Peppers Anchorage isn’t a yoga ‘boot camp’ and we don’t have any ‘rules’. We instead provide a platform for attendees to get as much as they want out of the weekend.

From $536 per person, twin share the weekend retreat package includes two nights accommodation at Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens, six Ryoho yoga and meditation classes, a yoga mat, morning beach and bushwalks and a healthy wholefood menu prepared by Peppers Chefs. Optional treatments (at additional cost) available at Shayna Day Spa.

When not stretching out on the yoga mat, guests can enjoy massage and beauty treatments at the onsite Shayna Day Spa and full use of the resort’s leisure facilities including a swimming pool, sauna and the adjacent beach.

For bookings contact Delise McLean at Peppers Anchorage Port Stephens on (02) 4984 0364 or email delise.mclean@peppers.com.au.

Read about Newcastle Herald journalist, Anita Beaumont’s experience on a recent retreat here.

Dating back hundreds of years, the hamam was to the Ottomans what the day spa is to the modern goddess – a place to bathe, relax, be pampered and gather with other women. Today, modern hamams are scattered throughout the city, but the historic hamams built by the sultans to serve the imperial mosques and the ritual cleansing dictates of the Koran are beautiful examples of the kind of breathtaking marble work and rich decoration that only Islamic architecture can do.

But a trip to the ‘hamami’ (in the local lingo) can be intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. For a start, it’s not a place for the prudish, but its worth baring your breasts and a bit of your soul for the indulgence. Read more

Born in a handbag from scribbled tips shared between holiday goddesses whose work, love and life adventures scattered them all over the globe, it will take you where few women have been before.

Release your inner goddess as you follow Audrey Hepburn′s footsteps in Rome, delve into the secret diaries of shopaholics in New York, learn ′chiconomical secrets′ in Paris, where to love the nightlife in London, and how to find to-die-for shoes, lustworthy cult local brands,the best vintage markets, heavenly spas or sanctuaries to escape the hustle and bustle, the most original art, the best live music, where to eat, love, and eat some more.

Designed especially to suit beginners and intermediate levels of experience, classes for each weekend will vary to suit the changing needs of the seasons according to Ryoho Yoga Therapy.

17-19 February 2012: High Summer Retreat
Themes: good digestion, weight loss, improving energy levels and kicking sugar cravings!

18-20 May 2012: Mother & Daughter Retreat – Fully booked
Themes: women’s health, sugar cravings, stress release and core strength.

20-22 July 2012: Winter Retreat
Themes: lower back strength, stress release and sexual energy.

12-14 October 2012: Summer Retreat
Themes: power & strength, upper back release, blood pressure & circulation, happy hearts!

Based on the teachings of my renowned teachers, Andzej Gospodarczyk and Lisa Foster, Ryoho yoga combines traditional Indian Hatha yoga with the principles of Yin and Yang, the Five Element Theory and the healing arts of China and Japan. In addressing specific conditions through yoga and food advise, it is also efficient and effective in dealing with conditions ranging from back and neck pain to women’s health issues, weight control, joint problems, stress, anxiety, respiratory and circulatory problems.

My aim in creating these retreats with Peppers and the Golden Door was to create a yoga escape that is approachable, both financially and in terms of accessibility of the program – something that sits between the existing offerings of intense, strict and often expensive health retreats and, at the other end of the scale, the more hippie, bunk-style intense yoga camps which aren’t for everyone.

The weekend yoga escape at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa isn’t a yoga ‘boot camp’ and we don’t have any ‘rules’… we instead provide a platform for attendees to get as much as they want out of the weekend.

Priced from $557* per person twin share, the all-inclusive escape includes two nights accommodation, full buffet breakfast daily, five  Ryoho yoga and meditation classes with yoga teacher Kris McIntyre, a yoga mat, workshops and Zumba hosted by The Golden Door, a 50 minute spa treatment at The Golden Door Spa, wholesome meals including lunch supper on Friday and lunch and dinner on Saturday inspired by The Golden Door cook book and prepared by Peppers Salt Resort & Spa’s  onsite restaurant Season, full use of resort leisure facilities, unlimited in-room movies and more.

Non-residential packages are available from $407* per person including all yoga classes, mat, The Golden Door Spa treatment, one dinner and two lunches.

When guests aren’t striking a pose, they can step out into nature and enjoy a network of beachside walking and bicycle tracks, unspoilt surf beaches, the resort’s large tropical beach lagoon pool, or head to The Golden Door Spa for a wide range of soul soothing spa treatments.

Peppers Salt Resort & Spa is located just 15 minutes from Gold Coast Airport, 60 minutes from Ballina Airport and less than 90 minutes drive from Brisbane.

For bookings call Jolene Napper at Conferences and Events at Salt on 02 6670 5027 or email jolene.napper@conferencesandeventsatsalt.com.au.

Read Lance Richardson’s article in the Sydney Morning Herald here.

I’ve fallen for the private Balinese villa experience. A well-staffed luxury villa offers most of what you get from a 5-star hotel in Bali – lazy days filled with relaxing by the pool in beautifully appointed accommodation with great food, attentive service and on-demand pampering. And with the price of villas starting at less than the cost of a luxury hotel, it’s incredibly good bang for your buck. But for the uninitiated, searching for a villa is overwhelming because there are so many options to choose from. So, what to look out for? Read more …

For more information visit their website at www.ryoho.com.au