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. Ryoho yoga, meditation, food talks, beach and bush walks are all part of the 2012 autumn and Winter-into-Spring weekends.

YOGA TV host, Kris McIntyre and nutritionist and author, Michele Chevalley Hedge, will co-host this special weekend yoga, cleanse and nourishing retreat for mums and daughters on 28-30 October at accommodation at Peppers Salt Resort & the Golden Door Spa, Kingscliff.

Sydney Morning Herald travel writer, Lance Richardson, braved a weekend yoga retreat at Peppers Salt Resort & Spa Kingscliff with me – and survived. His story begins …

“The floor is covered with women, legs twisted one way, torsos in the other direction. More than two-dozen heads tilt languorously backwards as Kris McIntyre directs the room to imitate a Hollywood starlet in photographic pose. A few people breathe heavily into the stretch and then, in the next movement, a woman explodes into laughter as her feet slide off the mat, soles slick with sweat.”

The Metropolitan offers an oasis of calm and cool (both in terms of temperature and hip factor), from the hot hustle and bustle of Bangkok. Located near the CBD and embassy district, it is close to the city’s major attractions and is home to a COMO Shambhala Spa and acclaimed Australian chef, David Thompson’s Nahm restaurant.

Located in the northwest corner of Western Australia, Broome is one of the most remote towns in Australia. Even more remote is Eco Beach Wilderness Retreat, located 119 kilometres and just over an hour’s drive south of Broome, or 27 nautical miles by boat across Roebuck Bay.
I recently checked out Eco Beach on behalf of Australian Yoga Journal – and I loved what I saw. It’s a special place that on first and lasting impressions is both awesomely authentic and in keeping with the vision for an eco-friendly, sustainable tourism project. It feels like a personal invitation to explore a very loved part of this rugged and beautiful coastline from a place that knows what it is.