Rest, relax, reset: Retreat to the South Coast to restore your balance

It's not just a matter of treating yourself to a relaxing weekend, but it's the true need of escaping from life - or perhaps, more to the point, responsibilities - for a little while.

Perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that since the lifting of lockdowns, we've been looking not only for holidays that take us out of the confines of our homes but ones that are focused on health and wellbeing.

Luckily, for those coming from Canberra, you don't need to travel too far to find one of the world's top wellness destinations.

A recent Tourism Sentiment Index report saw Australia named the top destination for wellness tourism, and Shoalhaven ranked at 21 on its most loved destinations list. This puts it ahead of well-known destinations such as Palm Springs, the Bahamas and Byron Bay.

But when you look at the retreats that are on offer in the region - with everything from the classic spa weekend to one that focuses on the rich Aboriginal heritage of the area - there is something for everyone.

"We've long been a destination to relax and rejuvenate based on our natural beauty, friendly locals and adventure experiences," Shoalhaven City Council tourism manager Coralie Bell says.

"In a post-COVID world, we're seeing travellers flock to Shoalhaven for a deeper connection to Country, nature, themselves, and one another, and our local businesses have risen to the occasion."

This weekend, however, is all about Stand Tall Retreats.

Running since 2018, Stand Tall Retreats was born out of burnout. Founder Amy Manton had been working in a television job in Sydney. It was demanding, to say the least, and as Manton transitioned into motherhood - and to life living on the south coast - she looked towards a life that prioritised her family and her health.

"This was the retreat that I was looking for," she says.

Manton says she has always lived her life within that self-help space, in that she likes checking in with herself to see what she needs and finding a way to do that. And the women who are attracted to the Stand Tall experience are the same. They come on the weekend to fill their cup - and in some instances return multiple times.

Each retreat delivers a curated program filled with activities designed to nurture both mind and body - nearly all provided by businesses from the Shoalhaven region. And while the retreat has been run at various locations along the south coast, this weekend is hosted at the most common location, Sinclairs of Berry.

The two-acre property, with a two-storey farmhouse and cottage, has a luxe homestead feel, with a gorgeous pool and expansive grounds, including a creek. There are plenty of spaces to go exploring and find a little piece of serenity during any of the free time over the weekend.

What's more, Manton encourages you to make yourself at home. Shoes come off as soon as you enter and you're free to do as you please, outside of the programmed activities. What could have felt like a rigid experience feels like you're spending the weekend at a friend's house.

First on the agenda is horse riding with Regal Riding School, with owner Monique Miller.

As well as teaching horse riding, Regal Riding School also offers beach and trail riding along the edge of Seven Mile Beach National Park, for those interested in a unique riding experience. Both are on offer for this Stand Tall Retreat, however which one you go on depends on your level of experience.

While Miller says both trails are easygoing pace-wise, as the beach ride is in a wide open space, there are more chances for things to pop up and you need to know what to do should those situations arise.

You don't need experience or even confidence around the horses. In our group of three, one of the participants had an incident where she was thrown off a horse as a teenager and felt uneasy about getting back on the horse. Both Miller and her assistant were great about it - putting not only this particular rider but everyone on a horse chosen for their needs.

There was even an option to be led by Miller, meaning you didn't need to worry about guiding the horse around low-hanging branches and the like.

From a retreat point of view, however, it's easy to see why horse riding is included over the weekend. On the surface, it is a relaxing ride through the bush that gets you away from the dramas of everyday life and out enjoying nature. But it does go deeper than that. You're putting your trust in another creature, and while you're in control to some extent, there is always going to be an element that's not in your control. And that's where steed Texas, in my case, takes the reins.

Manton explains that's part of the reason the horse riding, and the surf lesson that comes later on in the weekend, are included in the retreat. Yes, it is a "holiday" activity, but it is also something that pushes you out of your comfort zone, and potentially through fear, to achieve something that is not only beneficial but soul-nourishing.

And the same can be said - at least for the soul-nourishing part - about hula hoop yoga. (Yes, you did read that right).

As we walk in, the instructor - Gloria "Glo" Tong - lets us know that this is a chance to let go, and say goodbye to our egos.

If you think you can't hula hoop, you're not alone. Almost everyone in the class felt the same way going in. And still there we were, after a few minutes of tips and practice, swinging our hoops around our hips like it was nobody's business.

And then Kylie Minogue's Spinning Around comes on, and as the blindfolds go on, we're encouraged to do whatever hoop movements come naturally. Think improvised dance with a hoop.

Now, I know it doesn't sound like yoga - but that comes later. We do a variety of yoga positions - with and without the hula hoop. It's moments of stillness, the poses where we're encouraged to hold without trying to over-extend ourselves. It's more about sitting in the moment and recognising that doing our best will look different from one moment to the next.

Many - myself included - thought it would be a bit of a laugh. But you leave the session feeling as if you're wrapped in a weighted blanket and some participants even left in tears from emotion.

And Tong says that's not uncommon. The class often brings up emotions because women in particular, often hold their emotions in their hips. Perhaps Shakira was on to something when she sang, hips don't lie.

Day two kicks off bright and early with a surfing lesson with Surf Camp Australia.

Run out of Discovery Parks' caravan park in Gerroa, Surf Camp Australia has created their own little surfing village in the middle of the caravan park. Every weekend it fills up with university students and backpackers all keen to learn how to catch some waves. All they need to bring is their swimmers, as everything else - wet suits and surfboards in particular - is provided.

Our two instructors - Erik and Margo - were two such people. Both were travelling from Europe - Erik from Germany and Margo from the Netherlands - when they fell in love with Australia and surfing. And because they both learnt surfing later in life, the ability to teach surfing to adults comes easier. They know the steps it takes to get up on the board because only a few years ago, they were learning it themselves.

It's worth noting that everyone in Stand Tall's private class not only had never tried surfing before but in a lot of cases had thought that surfing was a young person's pursuit.

"I thought that my opportunity to try surfing had passed," one participant says.

And sure, while the Surf Camp Australia weekends certainly seemed aimed at university students, the Stand Tall class is proof that age is just a number when it comes to surfing.

It does, however, take a lot out of you. This is why I think a lot of us are happy that the next item on the agenda is a nutritionist workshop with Dr Verena Raschke-Cheema, which focuses on gut health using the ancient Indian medical system known as ayurveda. It is one of the world's oldest medical systems, based on ancient writings that rely on a holistic approach to physical health.

Essentially, Dr Verena breaks down the three different body types according to ayurveda, and uses that information to inform how her clients should or shouldn't eat. For example, while one body type may respond well to eating a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, another may prefer those fruits and vegetables cooked.

Following the workshop, participants then put the teachings into action with lunch.

All of the food for the weekend is provided, and most is prepared by Dandelion and Mallow catering. The small catering company, run by Karina, uses whole foods from suppliers in the south coast area, and in some instances, the produce has come straight from Karina's garden.

Everything over the weekend was delicious, with meals usually followed by people saying "I need the recipe for that".

A weekend away, however, would not be complete without a little shopping.

The placement of Sinclairs is just off the main strip in Berry, meaning that with any free time you have, it is quite easy to wander into town to check out what's on offer. The retreat however does put an evening aside for an exclusive shopping experience at Amara Home - complete with wine and nibbles. The luxury lifestyle boutique has everything from homewares and gifts to men's and women's fashion and accessories. It's a curated space, with the products on offer often handcrafted by artisan brands.

The next morning kicks off with a personal reiki session. Throughout the weekend participants are taken aside for the reiki session, while others choose other beauty treatments on top of that - at an additional cost - to indulge in.

Reiki is an alternative medicine and a Japanese form of energy healing. The idea is that the practitioner - in our case, Casey Dorling of Restore Reiki - clears out any blocked energy from within the body through a series of hand placements.

There's a mix of reiki lovers and novices within the group, but across the board, everyone enjoyed it, finding it relaxing if not emotionally powerful.

The main workshop for the day however is a leather crafting workshop with Amelia Harvey of Tamboon Leather Co.

Harvey's business - based out of Nelson Bay - was almost a calling. While studying industrial design, she became interested in traditional craft, and in particular leatherwork. Without knowing, her late grandfather also had an interest in leatherwork, and when her mother handed down his old tools to Harvey, it was as if something clicked.

Everything in the workshop is provided, and participants are guided through making an envelope-style clutch. The task is designed to not only get you in touch with your creative side but also be a mindful activity that is beneficial for improving wellbeing.

On either side of the leathercraft workshop, are two types of pilates classes. We begin the morning with a small reformer class, and end the day - and the entire retreat - with a stretch class.

Both are held by Jacqui Shearing, the owner of South Coast Barre and Pilates, and she's brilliant at making the workout accessible for everyone's skill set. At the beginning of both classes, she checks in with how everyone is feeling after the weekend and whether certain muscle groups should be stretched out after two days of surfing and horse riding.

Finishing the weekend with a stretch class is a stroke of genius. There is nothing better than a 45-minute session focusing on stretching the muscles before a long car ride home.

I think overall, this retreat it's all about that connection. Whether it's to your physical body or emotions, or to the other people on the retreat - most of whom, in this case, were solo travellers. And I think one of the key things that helped with cultivating that, was the safe and homely space that Stand Tall Retreats has created, and the intentional activities it has on its program. It is the very definition of a wellness retreat.