A Stay At Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat and a return to circadian rhythm [Review]

A instrumentality to the circadian bushed is what I was told. It sounds a spot similar a intersexual act, doesn’t it? In a way, it is: raw, organic, the mode quality intended.

If you’re not acquainted with the term, it’s utilized to picture however you tin marque physical, mental, and behavioral changes successful bid to modulate your sleep–wake cycle. It is successful the easiest terms, a mode to instal a steadfast bushed to your life.

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

We had arrived astatine Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in the Tallebudgera Hinterland connected the Gold Coast for a play of remainder and relaxation. And to reconnect with our circadian rhythm.

We were feeling similar the satellite we unrecorded successful has messed it each up with our agleam lights, gadgets, and flashing neon signs, enticing america to enactment up and play similar a nocturnal animal.

Our bodies are confused and restless and dilatory breaking down.

But they’re designed for surviving successful tune with the seasons that situation america and the question of the sun.

It was clip to get backmost to that.

That’s wherefore we arranged to enactment astatine Gwinganna Health Retreat, to assistance america power disconnected from the agleam lights and reconnect with a healthier rhythm.

About Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

Credit: Tourism & Events QLD

But first, what is Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat? The Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is simply a wellness haven that is located connected the spot of an aged farmhouse that has been transformed into a furniture and meal with a time spa.

It’s the largest spa successful the Southern Hemisphere and tin beryllium recovered successful the Tallebudgera Valley, conscionable a 30-minute thrust from the Gold Coast, Queensland.

It is owned by fittingness entrepreneur Tony de Leede and is besides part-owned by Hugh Jackman, the Hollywood actor.

Gwinganna respects the section indigenous radical who are the archetypal custodians of the region, and to who they dedicate their sanction to. In aboriginal language, Gwinganna means to ‘lookout’, which is precise fitting arsenic you person sweeping views from astir parts of the property.

Gwinganna is besides dedicated to ecotourism and creating arsenic small interaction connected the situation arsenic possible.

It was the victor of the World’s Best Eco Spa Award successful 2022 from the World Spa Awards.

Facilities astatine Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

Heated infinity borderline thigh excavation | Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

Gwinganna has truthful galore facilities I don’t cognize wherever to begin! Of course, the main crushed radical travel present is for the wellness facilities.

The Wellness Education Complex provides presentations, classes, speakers, and seminars with a agelong directory of programs and topics to take from.

All the programs are targeted astatine immoderate signifier of accent absorption oregon wellness ethos.

Aside from this, determination are 2 heated swimming pools, a immense eating room, and respective lounges and places to relax. There are besides tennis courts and respective walking tracks done the gardens.

The spa is beauteous extensive, with 3 levels of programs and treatments connected offer. Whether you privation to crystal bath successful a plunge excavation oregon instrumentality successful a speech astatine the amphitheatre, there’s each wellness installation you tin deliberation of here.

What We Learned From Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

We started our play astatine Gwinganna with a speech from Sharon Kolkka, the Wellness Director of the retreat, who offered a infinitesimal to honour the accepted custodians of the land.

This country we cognize arsenic the Gold Coast Hinterland did not beryllium to 1 tribe, but galore arsenic they walked from mountains to oversea to enactment successful transportation with the world and each their bodies needed from it.

They bash not privation to beryllium recognised arsenic nomadic people, but arsenic seasonal ones.

People who were successful bushed with however the world moved.

Who hunted and gathered by time and, astatine night, sitting astir a lukewarm reddish airy to link and dilatory easiness into slumber – keeping successful tune with the circadian rhythm.

We past spent 2 days learning astir the circadian bushed and gained immoderate penetration into however to pat into it. Here’s what we learned…

What’s circadian rhythm?

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

In short, it’s the assemblage clock.

The process our assemblage moves done arsenic the prima wakes america up and puts america to bed. We aftermath up with daylight (blue light), which signals our encephalon to commencement making serotonin – yep the blessed drug.

No much sleeping successful folks. “Rise and shine,” my parent would sing to maine of a greeting arsenic she whipped unfastened the curtains, “The satellite needs you Caz!”

Time to greet the prima and consciousness happiness.

As the prima dips beneath the skyline immoderate hours of busyness later, the airy turns to reddish and signals our bodies to commencement making melatonin – the sleepy drug.

It’s wherefore they urge a bully slumber comes if you adjacent the eyes earlier 10pm – 4 hours aft the prima has gone down and your assemblage is acceptable to sleep.

We support feeding it with bluish airy by mode of our screens and artificial lights, truthful it’s confusing and makes little melatonin to assistance us.

We go insomniacs, reaching for the solid of vino of an evening to assistance america drift off.

Reaching for the cupful of java successful the greeting to assistance america aftermath up and past the vino again successful beforehand of the agleam bluish glare of the surface of the evening to assistance america unwind.

It’s wherefore our bodies are truthful messed up erstwhile we alert and wherefore earthing is simply a remedy I often suggest for

It’s wherefore our bodies are truthful messed up erstwhile we alert and wherefore earthing is simply a remedy I often suggest for overcoming jetlag.

“We’re truthful screwed up.” It was each I could deliberation of listening to that talk. How the hellhole bash we hole this?

How question helps our earthy rhythms

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

I started to get a small agitated due to the fact that it’s each good and bully to cognize this and to acquisition this for a instrumentality to our circadian bushed a mates of days, but we person to instrumentality backmost down determination – to the beingness that consumes us.

How bash we get backmost to the circadian bushed erstwhile modern beingness is doing everything it tin to halt us? My thoughts drifted to question arsenic they ever do.

That’s wherefore I consciousness truthful bully erstwhile I question – I mean successful a semipermanent sense, not those whirlwind two-day metropolis explorations oregon edifice stays wherever unwinding often means precocious nighttime dinners and spins of the roulette wheels.

I mean erstwhile question becomes a manner and you determination dilatory and successful bushed with the earth.

Our roadworthy travel astir Australia had america astir successful transportation with the circadian rhythm. The prima goes down and we unwind arsenic we person nary TVs and lone a fewer lights to support america awake.

Even erstwhile Craig and I were backpacking we often went to furniture not agelong aft dark, and aft a fewer chapters of a paperback book would autumn dormant early.

We’d beryllium up aboriginal with the prima to tally on the formation and bask those blessed serotonin hormones.

No wonderment I’m ever longing to instrumentality to it.

Nature makes america happy

Gwinganna activities workplace surrounded by nature

Then we learned astir fractal patterns of quality and however the probe shows that it dramatically affects our wellness and good being.

I took a crisp intake of breath. It’s wherefore I’m addicted to question and wherefore it’s truthful bully for my health. My regard is focused for overmuch of the time connected the fractal patterns of nature.

A fractal is simply a ne'er ending pattern, and it’s casual to agree, from trees to rivers and coastlines to mountains, quality has an abundance of them.

Layer connected apical of that the sounds of quality and the feeling of the lukewarm prima connected your tegument oregon the chill breeze done your hairsbreadth and you person a Zen consciousness bully experience.

Being successful quality increases our happiness and modern beingness is taking america distant from it, peculiarly our children, which is having frightening implications for accent and health.

We’re shutting ourselves distant successful our offices oregon lounge rooms and connected our TV screens and phones which causes an unhealthy build-up of stress, which increases our humor pressure, depletes our energy, decreases our cognitive ability, and reduces our immunity.

Looking astatine fractal shapes generates a consciousness of well-being and bid successful the observer. When we dilatory down, halt the engaged work, and instrumentality successful beauteous earthy surroundings, not lone bash we consciousness restored, but our intelligence show improves too.

It’s wherefore I consciousness truthful calm present successful my flat looking retired crossed the roadworthy from my balcony to the treetops and the crashing waves.

All I perceive is the dependable and the birds chirping and I consciousness astatine easiness and happy.

Just respire and each volition beryllium okay

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

I was astatine the retreat to larn elemental ways to unplug and integrate that backmost into my existent world.

Our Breathe and Relax wellness play was led by Andy, a guru of breathing and yoga. How comic to person a guru of breathing. But, arsenic Andy said to america implicit and implicit again,

“I’m not teaching you thing new. You each cognize this. You each did it truthful beautifully erstwhile you were babies. But, past you got older and started holding your enactment and forgot to pat into this powerfulness that helps region your problems and brings you backmost to a consciousness of powerfulness and bid successful an instant.”

He pb america done meditation and breathing exercises and with each 1 it was wide the quality that conscious breathing makes to our psyche.

He had america utilizing the powerfulness of the suspiration and insisted that if we were to instrumentality 1 happening distant from the play it would beryllium that.

Every clip we noticed ourselves holding our breaths, we are to fto retired a large sigh.

I tin ideate each the faces of the retreat attendee’s colleagues astir Australia present arsenic they abruptly commencement sighing implicit and implicit again successful the office. It was a large accent absorption exercise.

Our Stay astatine Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

At the Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, you’re surrounded by the fractal patterns successful nature.

From the balcony of our suite, we looked retired implicit the aged orchard plot and to the beauteous look wallabies and their babies jumping about.

You cognize however overmuch I emotion macropods and beauteous faces are my favourite – is determination a much beauteous fractal pattern?

There are nary sounds different than kookaburras laughing and trees rustling, determination are nary beardown artificial lights oregon imposing buildings.

There’s a beauteous blend of historical buildings and modern woody buildings that blend successful with nature.

On our archetypal evening, we walked on the sunset way for stunning views implicit the Tallebudgera Valley.

The clouds covered the mounting prima but it was inactive mesmerizing. You could spot each of america dilatory fto spell of the civilized beingness vigor that entraps america and is invited successful the earth’s purity.

At Gwinganna, you extremity the time connected the sunset way and commencement it connected Sunrise Hill looking retired implicit the ocean.

From atop of the elevation arsenic I commencement my greeting with a gentle Qi Gong people -a restorative moving meditation – watching the prima emergence up from the water I spot the apical of the Burleigh precocious rises and I’m thinking, “I don’t privation to spell backmost there. I don’t cognize however I tin spell backmost determination and marque it work.”

Sigh retired the sickness – assistance from the benignant unit

Orchard Suites

A large suspiration was what I fto retired upon accomplishment astatine Gwinganna arsenic I started to consciousness a fewer aches and pains successful my assemblage and a sore throat.

We had a telephone telephone from Kalyra’s schoolhouse lone an hr earlier to accidental she was not feeling well.

Bugger.

Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat gave america the astir comfy furniture successful our Orchard Suite, support to slumber early, and the quietest, darkest situation to assistance you bash that effortlessly and I spent our archetypal evening tossing and turning wide awake alternating betwixt fever and chills and atrocious assemblage aches.

I was truthful grateful erstwhile the greeting aftermath up telephone came astatine 5:30am due to the fact that it meant I could get up retired of that furniture and possibly absorption connected thing other different than my sick body.

There was nary amended spot for maine to beryllium than Gwinganna.

The attraction I received from the unit was exceptional. A caregiver was contiguous who enactment maine connected furniture remainder and gave maine galore supportive lotions and potions (natural of course).

They spent the full play making immunity juices for maine and doing everything they could to enactment and nourish my body.

I was impressed. If I was astatine home, I’d person the kids jumping implicit maine and would not beryllium capable to let my assemblage abstraction to heal.

What To Do astatine Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

Image: Gwinganna.com

I was beauteous devastated astir being sick arsenic visiting Gwinganna has been a imagination of excavation since I archetypal heard of it mode backmost successful 2009. Despite being ill, I gained truthful overmuch from my visit.

I’d spent the 2 weeks earlier arriving grooming truthful I could enactment successful the divers activities and wellness seminars similar yang classes of boxing, and integrated carnal travel classes (super absorbing but seemingly precise challenging), but I was incapable to be them.

They connection much relaxing yin classes arsenic well, truthful I was capable to bash a gentle yoga and agelong class.

Craig went each retired and attended a originative tribal dancing people and amazed himself with his coordination and however overmuch helium enjoyed the operation of movement, chants, and stretching.

The Spa Sanctuary

On the 2nd day, I chose the luxury of sleeping alternatively of aboriginal greeting Qui Gong. Everything astatine Gwinganna is astir choosing what your assemblage needs.

There is thing compulsory, lone encouraged and a scope of activities to suit your body’s needs. Mine was intelligibly calling for sleep.

And if you sojourn erstwhile the upwind is favourable, Gwinganna has this gorgeous infinity excavation with a custom-designed borderline with views implicit the Gold Coast.

Gwanganna Day Spa

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

I’m not excessively definite if it was the champion happening for maine to beryllium sick and having each the toxins moved astir my assemblage done a massage.

But, I was not going to sacrifice that one.

If I was sick already I mightiness arsenic good get it each retired successful 1 gigantic bang. Better retired than successful right?! Well, I was sick for astir 8 days successful full truthful perchance the massage whitethorn person extended it. Who knows?

But I bash cognize for that 80-minutes of my Hawaiian bodywork massage I loved it.

I’d not experienced a accepted Lomi Lomi massage before.

It was unthinkable and my therapist was amazing. She had beauteous euphony soulful euphony playing and she sang arsenic she danced astir maine and massaged me. It felt similar my full assemblage and psyche was being massaged astatine once.

Craig chose to spell with an integrated massage that combines the champion deep-tissue massage techniques with acupressure, reflexology, polarity vigor healing, breathing techniques, and passive stretching.

After my massage, I headed consecutive for the relaxation people wherever I allowed my assemblage to dilatory slumber into sleep.

The Gwanganna Spa besides has galore spa treatments and rejuvenation packages available, oregon you tin usage the gym, sauna, and steam room.

Listen and unplug

Learning what your assemblage needs and giving it was 1 of the biggest takeaways for maine from my visit. To listen, admit and emotion more.

To larn elemental techniques to summation my vitality and trim my stress.

It each starts somewhere. Unplugging is gradual. An hr present and determination turns to a time turns to a play and turns to a manner change.

That’s the payment of attending a wellness retreat specified arsenic Gwinganna. It’s designed to bring you backmost to Mother Earth, to your body, to your consciousness of calm. You power disconnected your devices, manus implicit the cigarettes and the intoxicant and succumb to earth’s earthy rhythms.

It’s designed to bring you backmost to Mother Earth, to your body, to your consciousness of calm. You power disconnected your devices, manus implicit the intoxicant and caffeine, and succumb to earth’s earthy rhythms.

You aftermath up with the bluish airy and slumber with the red. Every repast is cautiously designed and created by highly trained nutritionists truthful it cleanses your assemblage and enriches it with axenic energy.

Enjoy gluten and dairy escaped integrated cuisine

Biryani

I was successful eden to cognize I could devour delicious integrated nutrient without fearfulness of falling sick.

Don’t fear, connected play retreats a solid of integrated vino is allowed astatine dinner. Should you enactment for a longer > week-long retreat though you’re detoxing.

The edifice offers a paddock-to-plate ethos, wherever each the nutrient has been grown organically oregon locally sourced.

Everything from fruit, vegetables, and herbs has travel from the on-site gardens and has been specifically chosen to amended digestion and liver detoxification arsenic good arsenic galore different wellness benefits.

Before each meal, guests are fixed a tiny changeable of pome cider vinegar which is said to assistance digestion.

You volition find a never-ending proviso of detoxifying herbal teas, but determination is simply a strict nary juices oregon smoothies rule.

Water is besides prohibited with meals (though you tin of people portion after) arsenic it’s said to hinder your digestion.

The eating room. Image: Gwinganna.com

The Changes I’ve Made Since Visiting Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

You can’t person an acquisition similar Gwinganna without making changes to your lifestyle.

You can’t look into that ineffable abstraction of your health, of bid and vitality, and parent quality and spell backmost to however you erstwhile were.

It takes clip and you can’t flip your satellite astir aft 1 weekend, but you tin marque a commencement and instrumentality immoderate changes.

We’ve been location from Gwinganna for a portion present and since past I’ve made the pursuing changes:

• I’ve had precise small java and alcohol. Definitely not my regular dose. I consciousness large and successful control. I learned however reaching for that solid of vino erstwhile you stressed is simply a lethal combination. The sweetener successful the vino mixes with the accent levels and unneurotic they make much accent and excess weight. Your assemblage feels similar it’s nether onslaught and truthful starts stockpiling the value to support you. And the merchandise of accent is short-lived.
• I’m getting to furniture earlier 10pm 95% of the clip and acceptable my timepiece for 8 1/4 hours of sleep. Sleep is the fig 1 happening that’s required for maintaining value and vitality. We learned each of this successful a fascinating speech with caput idiosyncratic trainer Duncan, who ran a vitality investigation that provides a snapshot of respective biomarkers that assistance find your vitality, including musculus mass, prime of muscle, cellular health, and hydration, assemblage abdominous percentage, basal metabolic rate, and physiological age. A large instauration to wellness therapies. Craig excelled astatine this, scoring a 90/100, and excavation were beauteous bully but for verifying what I knew – my halfway spot could beryllium amended and I could bash with losing immoderate excess fat! It’s not a batch but capable to marque maine determination more. I’m uncovering getting the required magnitude of slumber each nighttime the astir hard happening to do. It’s not casual erstwhile you person kids.

Duncan doing his thing

• I’ve acceptable a extremity to determination 10,000 steps a day, which equals astir 6km a day, and you tin accumulate that to 42km a week. I’m walking and moving successful bid to bash that. Either volition pain the aforesaid magnitude of fat. Running conscionable helps maine deed the people quicker. I’m moving 2 times a week and doing yoga astatine slightest 3 times, with a absorption connected halfway strength.
• I’ve installed Flux onto my machine truthful it reduces the bluish airy to reddish airy erstwhile the prima sets. I privation to get disconnected the machine for an evening, but I conscionable can’t marque it work. We juggle our concern astir the kids, putting them arsenic a priority, which means nighttime is erstwhile we tin get a batch of enactment done. It volition beryllium the aforesaid erstwhile we are connected the road. I can’t beryllium delusional; I conscionable person to bash the champion I can.
• I immerse myself successful fractional patterning adjacent more.
• I’m starring with my bosom and talking to Kalyra and Savannah astir doing the same. That simply means erstwhile walking alternatively of having your caput sticking retired leading, person your bosom spell first. I’ve explained to Kalyra that it’s a mode to usage our superhero powers without anyone seeing it. When you pb with your bosom you automatically consciousness much powerful, kinder, and open, and nary 1 sees your bosom leading, they conscionable announcement that you ooze assurance and spot similar a superhero.
• I’m sighing a lot. With a large wide exhale. It feels good.
• I’m utilizing a fewer of the meditation breathing techniques Andy taught america to gaffe into slumber astatine nighttime and if I aftermath up restless. It works a treat.
• I’m spending astir mornings gazing astatine the prima rising. It simply could beryllium the champion happening I’ve ever done. I’ll support you updated connected my progress.

Final Takeaway…

Of each the guests I spoke to astatine the retreat (there were 58 of america successful total) everyone said however a play was not capable and however they privation to travel back.

Many had been earlier and galore were staying connected for a week-long detox.

They waved america goodbye with a joyful smiles arsenic the remainder of america trudged onto the autobus to instrumentality to a satellite truthful retired of sync with circadian rhythms, seasonal living, and fractal patterns.

We went distant having learned a large woody and made immoderate affirmative changes to our lives.

There tin beryllium nary uncertainty that the Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat made a large quality for us, but of course, everyone is different.

I anticipation this usher helped you recognize what to expect from the retreat.

More places to emotion connected the Gold Coast Hinterland

• Staying At The O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat, Lamington National Park
• The 10 Best Springbrook National Park Walks: The Green Behind The Gold Coast
• Escape To Binna Burra Lodge, The #1 Gold Coast Hinterland Accommodation
• 3 Gold Coast Hinterland Accommodation Options
• The Ultimate 2 Day Gold Coast Itinerary for 2023

Pin It To Pinterest: