Summer is the season of abundance, creative expression, power and strength – and the perfect season to stretch out on a seaside yoga escape to Peppers Salt Resort & Spa. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, summer is when the fire element is most prominent in the body giving us access to our inner strength, power and a calm still mind.

The retreat is designed for all ability levels from beginners through to experienced.  Based on Ryoho yoga therapy combining traditional Indian Hatha poses with the meridian based healing arts of China and Japan, the Spring Retreat will address specific issues relating to the heart, blood pressure and circulation, whilst at the same time improving our ability to assimilate food, relate to other people and express yourself creatively.

The aim of the retreat is to be a relaxed weekend away in beautiful surrounds with the opportunity to enjoy yoga classes, an indulgent spa treatment and wholesome food. It’s not a ‘hard core’ yoga boot camp’.

Priced from $490* per person twin share, the all-inclusive escape includes two nights accommodation, full buffet breakfast daily, six yoga classes with yoga teacher, author and TV host Kris McIntyre, a yoga mat, Golden Door workshops and demonstrations, a 50 minute Golden Door Spa treatment, wholesome meals inspired by The Golden Door cook book and prepared by Roughie’s Restaurant & Bar, full use of resort leisure facilities, unlimited in-room movies and more.

Non-residential packages are available from $351* per person including all yoga classes, mat, Golden Door Spa treatment, one dinner and two lunches.

Featuring all the luxuries you would expect of one of Australia’s leading resorts, Peppers Salt Resort & Spa offers multiple pools including a large tropical beach lagoon, a network of walking and bicycle tracks, an unspoilt surf beach patrolled 365 days a year at its doorstep, the indulgent Golden Door Spa and award-winning Roughie’s Restaurant & Bar.

Providing the ultimate beach break on South East Queensland’s doorstep, SALT is located just 20 minutes from Gold Coast Airport, 60 minutes from Ballina Airport and less than 90 minutes drive from Brisbane through the new Tugun Bypass.

For bookings or further information phone 02 6674 7777. For more information visit Peppers Salt Resort & Spa.*Conditions apply. Subject to availability.

Dumbo feather, pass it on … is a ‘mook’ – half mag, half book.

For subscriptions and stockists visit www.dumbofeather.com or purchase through the link in my shop.

July 29 – 31, CarriageWorks, Sydney

From July 29 – 31, Oxfam Australia and CarriageWorks will present Exchange for Change, a free three-day festival that will give people the chance to exchange clothes and ideas about how to make ethical fashion choices.

The festival will take place at CarriageWorks, Sydney, and will feature a mass clothing swap where people use their old clothes as currency to revamp their wardrobe, based on the principle that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

The line-up of events will also include a fashion parade by young designers who have taken steps toward producing ethically-made clothing, and a range of panel discussions and seminars about the importance of fair working conditions and environmental sustainability within the fashion industry.

Those not in Sydney can learn how to host their own private Exchange for Change event and about Oxfam’s labour rights work, by downloading an event DIY kit at exchangeforchange.my3things.org.

 The line-up of Exchange for Change events includes: 

 RETHREADS: FREE MASS CLOTHING EXCHANGE
12 – 6pm, Saturday 31 July, CarriageWorks, Sydney

Bring up to 20 clothing items that you no longer want or wear, and exchange them for new pieces to reinvigorate your wardrobe. Last year Rethreads attracted thousands, so check your clothes in the week before for early-bird entry at 11am, and visit exchangeforchange.my3things.org for guidelines on what you can bring.

 WALK AND TALK: DESIGNER SHOWCASE
Session 1: – 6.30 – 8pm or Session 2: 8.30 – 10pm, Friday 30 July, Bay 20, CarriageWorks, Sydney
RSVP essential, to exchangeforchange@oxfam.org.au

Watch young, motivated Australian designers showcase the steps they have taken to produce fairer and more sustainable garments. Designers will present up to six of their own garments and will talk about their commitment to leading the fashion industry into a more ethical era.

 STORIES: RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
6.30-8.30pm, Thurssay 29 July, Bay 20, CarriageWorks, Sydney

Through an intimate panel discussion, hear from labour rights experts and academics as well as designers and manufacturers about the challenges and rewards of increasing their ethical standards of fashion production. The discussion will be followed by entertainment provided by 2ser.

 SEMINAR: BEHIND THE SEEMS WITH OXFAM’S LABOUR RIGHTS UNIT
7 – 8.30pm, Saturday 31 July, Bay 17, CarriageWorks, Sydney

Oxfam Australia has been engaging with corporations including Nike for the rights of workers in the fashion industry for more than 15 years. Hear from Oxfam staff about the progress that has been made and the work that remains ensure workers producing the fashion we love have their rights respected.

For more information visit exchangeforchange.my3things.org 

Spring is a time for fresh new beginnings and the perfect season to stretch out and relax at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa.

The Spring Retreat is designed for all ability levels from beginners through to experienced.  Based on Ryoho yoga therapy combining traditional Indian Hatha poses with the meridian based healing arts of China and Japan, the Spring Retreat will address specific issues including detoxification, flexibility, joint problems and eyesight.

The aim of the retreat is to be a relaxed weekend away in beautiful surrounds with the opportunity to enjoy yoga classes, an indulgent spa treatment and wholesome food. It’s not a ‘hard core’ yoga boot camp’.

Priced from $474* per person twin share, the all-inclusive escape includes accommodation at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa, six yoga classes with me, yoga mat, Golden Door Spa treatment, wholesome meals inspired by The Golden Door cook book and prepared by Roughies Restaurant & Bar, full use of resort leisure facilities and more.

Non-residential packages are available from $340* per person including all yoga classes, mat, Golden Door Spa treatment, two dinners and two lunches.

Featuring all the luxuries you would expect of one of Australia’s leading resorts, Peppers Salt Resort & Spa offers multiple pools including a large tropical beach lagoon, a network of walking and bicycle tracks, an unspoilt surf beach patrolled 365 days a year at its doorstep, the indulgent Golden Door Spa and award-winning Roughie’s Restaurant & Bar.

Providing the ultimate beach break on South East Queensland’s doorstep, SALT is located just 20 minutes from Gold Coast Airport, 60 minutes from Ballina Airport and less than 90 minutes drive from Brisbane through the new Tugun Bypass.

For bookings or further information phone 02 6674 7777. For more information visit Peppers Retreats & Resorts.*Conditions apply. Subject to availability.

Investing in women can unlock infinite potential around the globe. But how can women walk the line between Western-style empowerment and traditional culture? Kavita Ramdas  talks on TED about three encounters with powerful women who fight to make the world better – while preserving the traditions that sustain them. In this inspiring talk Kavita talks about how her encounters with a devout muslin in Afghanistan, a group of harmonising lesbians in Criatia and taboo breaker in Liberia have seen feminism in a different way. See the talk here.

In the heart of the World-Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, I discovered an unexpectedly unique spa treatment combined with an authentic Aboriginal eco-tourism experience.

At the start of Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa’s guided rainforest walk our Aboriginal guide, Juan Walker, tells the story of how his grandmother escaped the plight of being part of Australia’s ‘Stolen Generation’.  With news of men on horseback traveling through the area looking to remove Aboriginal children from their families to be placed in state custody, Juan’s grandmother was hidden in a woven ‘dilly bag’ and hung from a tree as the officers passed by.

It’s just one of the fascinating stories that Juan shares about his ‘bama’ (people), country and tribe, the Kuku Yalanji, that have lived in this part of the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest for thousands of years and are claimed to be one of the oldest intact surviving Indigenous communities in the world.

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa’s site is important in local culture. The property was occupied by forefathers of the Kuku Yalanji tribe and used as a resting place as it provided spring water, an abundance of edible, medicinal plants and bathing holes, including a natural waterfall that to this day is still considered to be sacred to women. Read more …

Class 1 – Blood pressure and circulation
Class 2 – Circulation and energy 
Class 3 – Flexibility and hormones
Class 4 – Hearing, eyesight and awareness
Class 5 – Heart and blood pressure 
Class 6 – Balance and confidence
Class 7 – Confidence, strength and vitality

Buy online at my Shop. 

Issue 23 of dumbo feather … pass it on is in stores now. The beguiling cover image was shot by the incomparable Toby Burrows and the inside is just as fab. Interviews with Ben Keene of Tribewanted, Caroline Swift, John Hardy of the Green School , Hayley Allen of Tika and Martin Hughes of Affirm Press. For subscriptions and stockists visit www.dumbofeather.com

Wake Up Sydney has announced the line up for its next evening Thursday June 3,  Sydney Town Hall at 7pm.

Exploring our connection with the living earth, the evening will include special performances by ARIA Award winner,Katie Noonan and aboriginal dance troupe, Descendance + inspirational guest speakers such as Yuin Nation elder ‘Uncle Max’ Harrison, artist and rainforest activist John Seed (AOM), and Zen teacher, Susan Murphy.  This unique experience is only for 2000 people and tickets are strictly limited. Tickets are $75 per person with proceeds supporting Wake Up Sydney’s free kindness card campaign. Don’t miss out on the event of the year! Book your tickets now.