27–30 Sep · from $2,20027 to 30 Sep 2026 · from $2,200

Only 3 rooms left · 4-payment plan available

Join the retreatSecure your room in The Slow Life Circle

Women gathered in circle on the grass at golden hour during The Slow Life Retreat

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The Slow Life Retreat

Four days of friendship, play and conversation that a full adult life rarely leaves enough room for.

27–30 September 2026Wybalena Organic FarmFrom $2,200

Reserve your place See rooms & pricing

27-30 Sept 2026

Only 3 rooms left

Women 30–45

From $2,200 p/p

When did seeing your friends become another thing to schedule?

Work, errands and responsibilities fill the week. Friendship gets squeezed into a dinner booked a month ahead. Long conversations, making things, playing and doing something for no productive reason quietly disappear.

The Slow Life Retreat makes room for them again. Cooking, walking, moving, creating and eating together give conversation somewhere natural to begin, with enough unplanned time for women to know one another beyond the usual catch-up.

Explore room options

You have friends. You miss the nights when nobody checks the time.

Your calendar is full, yet the people you love are usually booked three weeks ahead. You want an afternoon that rolls into dinner, and a conversation nobody has to rush away from.

01
You have friends, but miss depth
You want more than a rushed catch-up, without forced networking or being asked to perform closeness on cue.
02
You invest in experiences
Travel, wellbeing and beautiful places matter to you, especially when the people and the details have been chosen with care.
03
You carry a full life
Work and responsibility take up most of the calendar. Time that belongs only to you is often the first thing moved.
04
You miss doing things for pleasure
Making, moving, cooking and playing without needing to improve, achieve or turn the experience into something useful.

Explore room options27–30 Sep 2026 · Wybalena Organic Farm

Sherry knows how to get a room talking. Anastasia knows how to make four days feel unforgettable.

Together, they have planned a retreat where the food is excellent, the days have shape and you'll be getting deep within hours and wondering where these women have been all your life.

Sherry

Sherry has spent years designing social spaces where adults arrive as strangers, relax quickly and keep choosing one another long after the event ends.

20,000+

people have come through
Conscious Connection events

The events end. The friendships often do not.

2 engagements

Love stories that began at a single event.

1–4 year friendiversaries

Groups still celebrating the day they met.

Bali to Africa

Trips taken together by friends who met there.

Matching tattoos

Permanent marks of friendships that stuck.

Past Conscious Connection gatherings

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Anastasia

Anastasia has led more than 20 retreats since 2019. Many guests come back for a second or third retreat, and some now bring the friends they made at the first one.

700+

women since 2019

120+

events held

20+

retreats run

52 five-star Google reviews

Anastasia has worked with some of Australia's best-known retreat venues, including Eden Health Retreat and BlueGreen Sanctuary in the Byron Bay hinterland.

Training behind the retreats

500-hour Hatha Yoga teacher · Yin Yoga · Somatic Mindfulness · Qi Gong instructor · Arts Therapy facilitator · Theatre and education training · PhD researcher in body-led wellbeing

Past Elementa retreat moments

What the days feel like.

There is something to step into each day, but no pressure to collect experiences. The point is having time to play, talk and let an afternoon unfold with other women.

Choose your room · only 3 rooms left

Choose your place in the shared house.

Pay in full or split it into four fortnightly payments.Tap any room to book

Shared bedroom with two double beds at The Slow Life Retreat

Shared double

shared occupancy · shared bathroom

Twin-share room with two double beds. Bring a friend or we will match you with another guest. The bathroom is shared with just one other woman.

· $1,800 p/p

Sold out

Double bedroom solo occupancy with shared bathroom at The Slow Life Retreat

Private double

solo occupancy · shared bathroom

Solo room with a double bed, sharing a bathroom with one other woman.

· $2,200 p/p

Only 2 spots left

Pay in full or 4 fortnightly payments.

Pay in full · $2,200 Payment plan · 4 x $550

03Best private value

Double bedroom solo occupancy with private ensuite at The Slow Life Retreat

Double room w ensuite

solo occupancy · private ensuite

Solo room with a double bed and your own ensuite.

· $2,500 p/p

Only 1 spot left

Pay in full or 4 fortnightly payments.

Pay in full · $2,500 Payment plan · 4 x $625

King bed solo occupancy room with private ensuite at The Slow Life Retreat

Private king w ensuite

solo occupancy · private ensuite

Solo room with a king bed and your own ensuite. The largest room option.

· $2,700 p/p

Sold out

Your place includes

Three nights accommodationAll meals and snacksFull retreat programReturn airport transfersSauna and ice bathLinen and towelsGift bagFour-payment plan available

Not included

FlightsTravel insuranceOptional massages and tarot readings

Before you secure your place.

When does it start and finish?

Arrive from 3pm on Sunday 27 September and leave after breakfast on Wednesday 30 September, around 10am. A weekend can be over just as you have learnt everyone’s name. Four days gives the group time for the first-night politeness to wear off and the proper conversations to begin.

What is included in the price?

Three nights accommodation, all meals and snacks, the full program of yoga, qi gong, ceremony, clay, painting, cooking class and excursion, sauna and ice bath, a gift bag, and return group transport from Ballina Byron Gateway or Gold Coast Airport.

What is not included?

Flights, travel insurance, and optional add-ons like massages and tarot readings, which you can book on the day.

Can I come alone?

Yes. About half the group arrives solo. By the first dinner, everyone has already cooked, walked or made something alongside somebody new.

Will it feel awkward if I do not know anyone?

You will not be expected to network, perform or share more than you want to. Cooking, walking, making and eating together give conversation somewhere natural to begin. Conscious Connection has welcomed 20,000 guests and has years of experience creating social settings where women can relax into being themselves.

What if I book the shared room and don't know anyone?

You are matched with one other woman in a similar position. We ask a few questions on the intake form after you book (sleep habits, early or late nights) and pair thoughtfully. If you are coming with a friend, book both places together.

Do I need to be fit or experienced?

No. Movement is slow and optional, the walks are gentle, and the ice bath is entirely up to you. Every practice can be done from a chair or skipped.

Can dietary needs be accommodated?

Yes. You share your dietary requirements on the intake form right after you book, and the kitchen works around them.

How do payments work if my plans change?

Pay in full at checkout, or choose the payment plan: four equal payments, a fortnight apart, taken automatically from your card. Payments are non-refundable, and our full terms are on the refund policy page.

Is there phone signal?

There is signal and wifi at the farmhouse, but most women put their phone away by the first evening. Nothing in the program needs a screen.

Who is it for?

Women, mostly in their 30s and 40s, who have friends and full calendars but miss the kind of night when nobody checks the time. Come if travel, good food and meeting new people already sound like your idea of money well spent.

Why Sunday to Wednesday?

A weekend can end just as you have finally arrived.

Sunday afternoon gives you time to land. Monday and Tuesday let the group move beyond introductions and find an easy shared rhythm. Wednesday morning is for breakfast and a proper goodbye, not a hurried pack-up.

Take the annual leave. Four proper days gives the group time to get past introductions and into the conversations people usually postpone until next time.

Your four days at the retreat.

Arrive Sunday afternoon, leave Wednesday morning. Everything is guided, everything is optional, and nothing needs organising once you are here.

Day one · From 3pm

Sunday 27 September

Arrive, settle in and meet the women
Opening circle and welcome dinner
Evening clay play by candlelight

Day two · Sunrise to firelight

Monday 28 September

Morning movement and breakfast
Ice bath, pool time and a slow trail walk
Painting outdoors
Dinner and fireside stories

Day three · The big one

Tuesday 29 September

Qi gong flow and breakfast
A local excursion
Guided dance, pasta making and celebration dinner
Closing fire ceremony and a letter to your future self

Day four · Until 10am

Wednesday 30 September

Optional sunrise walk
Breakfast and goodbyes
Check out at 10am

Choose your roomMassages and tarot readings can be added on any day

In their own words

The ease of being yourself with women you have just met.

Elementa guests talk about the comfort, laughter and connection they found on retreat.

Real guests. Real retreat experiences.

What women actually walk away with.

Women arrive wondering whether they will fit in. Then strangers stop feeling like strangers, and the group leaves with inside jokes, new group chats and plans to see one another again.

Friendships formed through Conscious Connection and Elementa have continued through holidays, birthdays, weekends away and ordinary Tuesday catch-ups.

Swipe to read their stories →

“I booked without knowing anyone, which was really daunting. We started the week as strangers and ended it with incredible friendships that felt like we had been friends for years.”
Ally Wauchope · Conscious Connection guest

“Everything has been so well organised and Sherry goes out of her way to make sure everyone is comfortable and included. I plan to attend many more events and would recommend CC to anyone looking to build friendships and create core memories.”
Tiff Elgar · Conscious Connection guest

“I got to spend the last of my twenties exploring, playing and relaxing, knowing a genuinely hardworking and caring team had considered everything I could want or need. Can't wait for the next trip.”
Sonal Sudan · Conscious Connection guest

“Anastasia curated and facilitated such a special experience for us all. Every activity was so mindfully thought out, and I felt comfortable and nurtured throughout.”
Rebecca · Elementa retreat guest

“Such a beautiful space for us to all share, laugh and connect.”
Bec · Elementa retreat guest

Wybalena Organic Farm in the Byron hinterland.

Wybalena is pasture and rainforest in the hills behind Byron Bay: a farmhouse table, timber cabins, a swimming dam, a wood-fired sauna, an ice bath, a firepit and cows over the fence. Group transport runs from Ballina Byron Gateway and Gold Coast Airport, so you never need a car.

Explore room options

Cabins · Dam · Firepit · Sauna · Ice bath

01
Choose your room
Select the stay that gives your body the right amount of privacy, ease and connection.
02
Pay in full or choose the plan
Pay once at checkout, or split it into four equal fortnightly payments.
03
Get the details
Once confirmed, you will receive your welcome pack, packing list and retreat updates.

Choose your room Ask a question first →

Reserve your place in the slow-life circle.

Join us from 27 to 30 September 2026 for four days of shared meals, making, movement, long conversation and friendship without the rush.

Secure your preferred room Ask a question first →

Personal confirmation, payment plan and dietary details follow your request.

Can't make the retreat? Join us monthly in The Inner Circle.

See The Inner Circle

Newsletter & Elementa updates

Get retreat updates, booking notes and Elementa invitations.

Occasional letters for retreat dates, embodied practice and quieter ways back to yourself.

The Slow Life Retreat

When did seeing your friends become another thing to schedule?

You have friends. You miss the nights when nobody checks the time.

You have friends, but miss depth

You invest in experiences

You carry a full life

You miss doing things for pleasure