The Gift of a Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat

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Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat is a secluded gem of an escape, found at the top of a steep road with the most beautiful panoramic views of the Tallebudgera Valley in Queensland, Australia. Home to sweet-faced wallabies who set the chilled-out vibe as they loll and lollop around the grounds. At dawn, a bushman’s clock of raucous kookaburras acts as a timely reminder to get up and greet the day, starting with sunrise Qi Gong at 6 am.

There is something wonderfully reassuring about arriving at Gwinganna. My initial impressions are of a well-organised haven, it feels exclusive, luxurious, and oh so calm.

‘Gwinganna is an award-winning health retreat designed to help guests realign, recharge, and restore’. 

Gwinganna Detox Program

I’ve been invited to join a seven-night detox program at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. They are winners of the World’s Best Eco Spa Awards (2022 World Spa Awards) and it is beyond exciting. Well, until I read the small print…

So it’s no gluten, dairy, coffee, alcohol, no processed sugar, AND no Wifi. If the list of dietary exclusions doesn’t send me into a tailspin, the thought of a digital detox does. A wave of self-doubt comes over me.

I was sure it would be incredible, as all the online reviews suggest, but how would I cope? Was I just setting myself up for a week-long cold turkey headache and one where I couldn’t even post a ‘rescue me‘ message on my social media?

My friends didn’t help either! One friend commented on my Facebook page ‘This sounds like NO fun at all!‘ Those are all the things I love’, another lamented. I was getting the sense that they all felt I was off for some Iron Woman challenge.

Anyway, I’m here and up for it, and over the next seven days, my fellow guests and I work on finding our inner Zen. We ate together, we laughed together, we even had a mass sob together and we emerged fitter, stronger and I skipped out of Gwinganna positively glowing.

Won’t you take a wander with me and I’ll show you around?

[Just a word about my photography. This was a fully immersive experience, I was not there for a photo shoot, nor to interrupt anyone else’s retreat. These are my very quick snaps from the occasional times I had my phone with me, and respecting everyone’s privacy]

Why go to Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat?

As we got to know each other, I found there were all sorts of reasons guests had booked to give themselves the gift of a seven-night Gwinganna detox. 

There were those who made the booking as a result of life events, sometimes these were health-related with guests looking for guidance to live a healthier lifestyle. For others, changes in personal circumstances, from the death of a loved one, a relationship breakup, or work stress had been pivotal in their decision to reserve their detox place.

There was still a fair amount of talk about the pandemic and its lingering impact. Amongst some, I sensed a feeling of complete exhaustion. We definitely all shared a ’you only live once mentality’ and we were all craving ME time. There was a fair amount of curiosity about our upcoming week, and I wasn’t alone in a sense of excited trepidation.

The gift of Gwinganna

The people who fascinated me the most were the returnees. Those who’d been to Gwinganna previously and had decided to return many on a semi-regular basis. One told me, ‘I give myself the gift of Gwinganna every couple of years just to remind myself of what I should be doing and to balance myself’.

Who attends Gwinganna?

I was amazed to find I was one of nearly seventy Detox’isters. I remember thinking how would I connect with this crowd? I needn’t have been concerned.

Some guests were newbies like me, some had planned this for months, even years, and quite a few were last-minute bookings. We all had the same desire to concentrate on our own wellness journey, in whatever form that might take.

We arrived from all over Australia and New Zealand. I was surprised there weren’t more international arrivals, as I felt sure of Gwinganna’s global appeal, should the word get out.

Our group ranged in age from new Mums to retirees, probably with the greatest numbers in the over-45 age group. Some came with friends or partners. It felt like most of us came solo. I might have arrived alone, but not once did I feel alone.

As I was happy to tell my Melbourne girlfriends afterward, Gwinganna was full of people like us! 

Preparing to detox

I smile writing this and remembering how worried I was about a Gwinganna Detox. Would I cope with the new diet, or turn into Mrs Hangry without chocolate? 

I was not alone. There were tales of the last glasses of Prosecco, guzzling final lattes of the week, and even full meals being enjoyed en route to Gwinganna.

Or how about me in Kit Kat heaven at the airport? Well, actually it was buy one get one free. So of course to avoid being caught with contraband chocolate in my bags I ate the evidence. Both bars.

I pretty much knew as soon as I got off the shuttle bus arriving at Gwinganna that I was going to be fine. The staff had a soothing manner and the other guests were already supportive and fun!

Personalising your program

One of Gwinganna’s many accolades is for hosting the largest spa in the southern hemisphere. The Sanctuary Spa is architecturally stunning. There is a fabulous indoor/outdoor feel with treatment rooms surrounding an open-air atrium of soaring gum trees.

Sanctuary Spa

There are 33 treatment rooms at Gwinganna’s Spa with an equally impressive number of therapists offering a range of healing therapies. From traditional spa treatments, body massage, scrubs, and facials to Eastern Therapies, or insightful experiences such as Tarot Card reading, Astrology, and Reiki Healing. Many were new to me, I’ve never been offered Equine Assisted Learning for instance.

Nor Chi Nei Tsang which turns out to be a wonderful stomach massage. This is a soothing aid to teach my internal organs to work more efficiently. My colon, which by Wednesday was congested and grumbling from the change of diet seemed very happy after this treatment. Too much information?!

The detox program includes two body massages and a facial.  On arrival, you are offered a private wellness consultation to fine tune your bookings. I had already indicated some of the additional therapies I am interested in and voila, my week is full.

One of the things I am most impressed about at Gwinganna is how each and every one of us had a different experience and were able to change and develop our program as the week progressed and as needs emerged. The logistics and planning behind the scenes are impressive.

The benefits of a Gwinganna Detox

There’s a tree painted on the wall behind the desk in the Wellness Education Centre. Each branch has words relating to a different aspect of what Gwinganna strives to offer its guests: 

Learn – Explore – Breathe – Nourish – Nurture – Rest – Retreat

I have included a few extracts from my Gwinganna Diary below and you will see I did get through my week’s detox without the headaches. However, I found it interesting how my emotions were impacted as my body started to cleanse and heal.

Learn

‘We all have an expiry date, it’s what we’re going to do with our life before this date that’s important‘

Each day there is a different Wellness Seminar on offer in the Wellness Education Centre. I loved these. The learning was enlightening and good to hear the latest updates. I came home with my notebook full of jottings that I want to remember, and changes I want to incorporate into my lifestyle.

One of the most memorable was the amusing Colon Talk by Petrina, or Pootrina as she is known at Gwinganna, who reinforced the message that health and sickness both have roots in our colon. It was helpful to understand the impact of our diet on wellness and also to have meals prepared by Gwinganna Chefs and nutritionists to support detoxification and reduce inflammation.

My favourite lecture was by Dr Karen Coates on Immunity. Dr Karen is the Doctor I wished I had in my life. It was fascinating learning all about Blue Zones and longevity. Her talk about Immunity also stressed the importance of optimising gut health and healing from the inside. I liked the reassuring message that ‘It’s what you do every day that matters, not what you do occasionally’.

The sessions Emotions, and a Healthy Life Megan Bardsley and Sharon Kolkka, Gwinganna’s previous General Manager and Wellness Director, on Stress resilience and the art of living consciously both emphasise the need for rest.

A common thread was how restoring energy is often put on the back burner as the world gets faster and how ‘hurry sickness’ has become a thing!

Nourish

Cuisine

One of the highlights of a Gwinganna stay is the food. The meals are living proof that a detox program does not have to be boring, bland, and uninteresting. The food is tasty and beautifully produced, I loved the attractiveness of each dish especially those with the edible floral additions.

‘The aim is to help support and improve digestion and liver detoxification, reduce inflammation, improve gut bacteria, and balance blood sugar levels.‘

No one went hungry, in fact, some asked for half portions finding the portion sizes too much. I found that Morning and Afternoon Tea treats such as the Soul Loaf and the raw Date and Almond slice, helped tremendously with my sugar cravings, and not once did I miss my Kit Kat fix!

Guests are also cleverly rotated around the dining room every dinner time, which is a lovely way of getting to know other guests. So not only is the food a surprise, the conversations are too.

Cooking demonstration

On the last day, Co-Head Chef Justin gave a cooking demonstration and talked more about the philosophy behind the Gwinganna Detox. He shared how they strive for Seasonal Local Organic Whole Foods with as much as possible gathered from their own organic gardens.

Just as we were all surprised by how delicious the meals were without many of the substances that I have spent my entire life enjoying; gluten, dairy, and sugar we were equally impressed by how easily the dishes were prepared. There can’t be many guests who don’t go home without A Taste of Gwinganna Recipe Book and a strong desire to continue with some of the recipes we have enjoyed.

Explore

Activities

Each day starts with Qi Gong, a restorative moving meditation and sunrise overlooking the ocean. We then had the opportunity to participate in two more morning wellness activities. Nothing is compulsory at Gwinganna and you are encouraged to go at the pace that your body needs.

I knew I needed to focus on rest and restorative activities so for me, my choices were gentle walking with Yin or restorative yoga. Others took an active walking option. Gwinganna’s mountaintop position offers plenty of opportunity to get the heart going with the hilly driveway walk.

The walks around the property were a lovely opportunity to explore the site, be at one with nature, and check out some of the amazing accommodation that is on offer, tucked away at different parts of the site.

Wellness Treatments

The other element of exploration that I did enjoy was the opportunity to work with some of the Physical Therapists helping to improve different aspects of my body alignment, strength, balance, and conditioning.

Zero Balancing combined Osteopathy and acupressure work to realign my skeleton and improve my posture. Functional Movement for Healthy Aging gave me at 60 years old the best insight into how my body is functioning that I’ve ever had. I welcomed my take-home program of exercise specifically adapted to my postural dysfunctions and my tight calves!

Rest

As someone who lives with an autoimmune condition, I feel the permission and encouragement to rest more was enlightening. I loved the quote I heard at Gwinganna ‘Energy after all is the currency of our performance.’ In my everyday life, it had almost felt weak to submit to rest other than at bedtime, when It had strangely become much-needed but elusive during my menopause years

Every afternoon from 1.30 pm our programs had space for rest. It was a perfect time for an outdoor soak in my verandah bath gazing at the wallabies nibbling the lawns. I treated myself to some Relax Bath Salts from the Gwinganna Store and made this my daily thing!

Rest time allowed me to use the extra time in my day, without social media to catch up with reading books. Something I had long promised myself.

Join me on a room tour of my Orchard Deluxe Suite room here and here on my Little Wandering Wren YouTube channel.

Sleep

The importance of sleep for wellness is emphasised at Gwinganna. Our daily schedule is designed to support our circadian rhythm (sleep cycle) recalibration. We are up with the birds and as there are no activities scheduled in the evening and without much in the way of street lights, we retire to bed at 8.30 pm.

The first conversations of the day are How did you sleep? and the last conversations were often I’ll just see the naturopath for some magnesium to help me sleep!

It took me a few days to settle into the rhythm of Gwinganna life, but within a few days, I had no need for an alarm.

Nurture

Stress and Emotional Wellbeing

It was not all love and light. As my body detoxed I found myself confronting unresolved emotional issues. I clearly was not alone. A week at Gwinganna gives us all space in my busy life to confront head-on past emotions. I found my isolated Covid months, and my on-the-go lifestyle had left me in a permanently stressed-out state. Some of the activities and treatments exacerbated a desire to unpack some of these emotions.

I was craving grounding somewhere on this planet and Gwinganna gave me just this.

Tribal Dance

Dang! Most of us participated in a Tribal Dance session which at the onset felt like it could be one of the cringe-worthy, embarrassing let loose activities. Somehow most of us in unison became a crying weeping, wailing collective of humanity. I’m not sure I can even begin to describe what went on, except to say if you are ever offered Tribal Dance do it!

What was touching was to see how impactful the session was. Not just because most of us became a blubbering mess but to see how whatever our own woes and worries, we are not alone. We are all pretty good at putting on a brave face until Tribal Steve puts on his music and bangs his drum and asks us to move around the room in an uncoordinated fashion.

Grumpy Wednesday!

I had one day when I felt really anxious and irritable and totally out of sorts. It was an interesting day. I started to feel overfed. My digestion was not working as well as I hoped and I felt sluggish in all regards.

My day started as usual at 5.30 am for Qi Gong and I stood in my bare feet on the cool earth underfoot. As the sun rose, the early morning warmth was lovely. I noticed how in tune with nature I was starting to feel.

Just as I thought I’d got this detox thing I started to feel blaa! I attended the morning yoga and stretch class before breakfast but felt uninspired by a strength class or more yoga and decided on impulsive to take a walk in the rain. I didn’t get far as on my way to the ancient Fig Tree as I was stopped by a staff member in a buggy who insisted on driving me to collect an umbrella and to the start of my walk.

This was a day when the smallest acts of kindness started to feel BIG, and also the day when I started to wonder why I was feeling so emotional? 

Feeling Irritable

I was still feeling out of sorts when in the afternoon my Zero Balancing practitioner suggested I try to swallow a wide smile and send the grin around my body. At the end, I was asked how did I feel?

Without thinking I replied ‘I thought it was a tad, naff really’. I explained I hadn’t related to the concept and found it slightly annoying! I’m not quite sure where the comment had come from as I was horrified to have been so rude, especially to someone who was trying to help me.

What was interesting looking back on this, was that I was probably not alone. As the detox as it starts to work, your body releases toxins, and emotions fly high. Apparently, it’s called Grumpy Wednesday and it is well-named!

I would just like to declare here for the record, I apologise for being so irritable and have subsequently learned how to swallow my smile and sent it all around my body with great effect!

Fire Pit Ceremony

On the last evening, we are invited to join in a fire ceremony and to write down things we wanted to release or let go of and burn them in a roaring fire. This was a wonderful way to reflect on the week, and I felt very supported as I stood to burn and destroy elements of my life that needed dealing with.

As other guests stood to burn their papers, there was a sense of togetherness. We had a few laughs too, one lady’s paper failed to land in the fire and fluttered back towards her. ‘He always was a difficult sod‘ she said to a rousing cheer when the paper finally caught a light.

The most moving moments were when people were invited to say a few words. One lady praised her son for booking the Gwinganna retreat for them both and joining her for what she recognised was out of his comfort zone. ‘He knew how much I needed this, and I love him for bringing me here’. More tears, there was not a dry eye in the house.

What an extraordinary gift and a way to change the direction of loved-ones’ lives.

Breathe

It’s a funny old life, how did life become so stressful? When did people’s lives become so complicated that they needed a Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat to cope and for a breather?

The encouraging thing about being here is we discover the fundamentals of wellness are simple. Eat well, Sleep well, reduce stress and add in movement and exercise, and breathe.

There were several moments when I took in a deep lungful of clean, pure air and I could feel myself relaxing. Whether it was in Qi Gong, yoga, or an evening meditation class. I felt the weight of the past three years start to lighten. Pretty impressive, given that I came here just to detox, or so I thought.

Retreat 

The benefits to get away from everyday life are immense. When friends ask why do I feel the need to attend a Wellness Retreat and suggest won’t a good holiday have the same benefits? My answer is always the same. Yes maybe but very often holidays involve a desire to do and see a lot, they are never restful, rarely relaxing and unless you travel solo, rarely focussed solely on my needs.

Of all the many benefits of attending Gwinganna it was sharing this week with others and recognising that we all do it tough. 

Everyone has a behind-the-scenes story to tell. There’s a reason why sleep is disrupted and disturbed. Or a story to be told of how bodies became inflexible, lumpy, or inflamed. Society wants us to hold it together so life can go on. Some of us are masters of showing up with happiness…

In the UK we prefer to talk about the weather, especially the rain, than the storm clouds gathering inside of us, or the tears we shed in private.  In Asia in the land of Zen calm we might get closer to finding inner peace, but I’ll never chat as freely or as easily about my inner demons as I will be surrounded by my fellow attendees amongst nature, following one of the enlightening Wellness Seminars.

Gwinganna is that safe space to (re) find yourself. 

The Details

Address: 192 Syndicate Rd, Tallebudgera Valley, Queensland, Australia 4228

Email: info@gwinganna.com

Website: www.gwinganna.com

The seven-night detox is Gwinganna’s most popular program and one of a large number of choices. Options range from two-night Wellness Weekends, or specialty retreats that focus on stress, nutrition, women’s health, sleep, or mindfulness. Future retreat dates can be found here.

Final thoughts

Not everyone appreciates the value of investing in a personal wellness journey, some might even consider it a mad indulgence. Those of us who have attended a Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat understand. We get it, we have witnessed the changes to our bodies, to our mindset, and to our moods. 

Last Tip

Do not organise any high-level board meetings for the Monday after coming out of Gwinganna! It may take you a while to readjust to entering the real world.

Or better still, I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting my real world to be the life I encountered at Gwinganna. I left full of hope to live according to the things I’d learned at Gwinganna Lifestyle Resort. It is not easy. I have incorporated some dietary changes, Qi Gong, and more relaxation time into my life. However, I can see why people choose to return again and again and give themselves the gift of Gwinganna on a regular basis.

Would you consider giving yourself the gift of a Wellness Retreat? What would you enjoy most? The Spa, the nature, the learning, or just everything?

Disclaimer: Little Wandering Wren was an invited guest of Gwinganna Wellness Retreat, all opinions are my own.

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