Retreats
A Conversation with Dhara: On Slowing Down, Holding Space, and Creating What's Actually Needed
The wellness industry has convinced us that transformation requires relentless consistency. What I've noticed in my work with retreat leaders and yoga teachers is a growing exhaustion with this model. We're craving something different, not another practice to master, but actual permission to pause without guilt. In this conversation with Dhara, founder of Soma Yoga Flow, we explore what it means to hold space differently. Her approach doesn't follow the usual formula, what she creates is something increasingly rare: space where women can land without having to explain why they need it.
What Bali Can Teach Us About the Art of Pause
Once a year, the entire island of Bali goes silent. The airport closes, the roads empty, the internet shuts down and every single person stays inside for twenty-four hours. This is Nyepi, the Balinese Day of Silence. I have been living in Bali for six months now, and I'll be honest - even knowing Nyepi was coming, my first instinct was to spend part of the day working. Because apparently even an entire island pausing wasn't enough to make me feel like I had permission to stop. That resistance, I've come to realise, says something worth paying attention to.
The Girl Who Never Quite Fit: A Journey Back to Sisterhood
I spent most of my life feeling like I didn't quite fit as a woman. It took traveling, meeting women who spoke openly about the messy realities of womanhood, and slowly building deep female friendships to finally understand what I'd been missing. Learning to be a woman among women changed everything - it taught me that there's no single way to be a woman, that sisterhood is powerful medicine, and that we all carry our own version of this weight. It's why I create retreats where women can finally pause, speak the unspeakable, and come home to themselves surrounded by others who understand.
Ranakami: The Gentle Art of Healing Through Surrender
When a space is created with intention, it carries a certain stillness, a quiet invitation to soften. Ranakami is one of those places. Born from the desire to heal, this once-tired house in Ubud has become a sanctuary that honours the beauty of surrender. This is a story about transformation, not through control, but through allowing.
The Garden of Mindfulness: Lessons from Suan Sati
Hidden among Chiang Mai’s rice fields, Suan Sati is more than a yoga retreat centre — it’s a living example of mindfulness in action. With plant-based food, eco-conscious design, and a strong sense of community, it offers a blueprint for retreat leaders seeking authenticity and sustainability in today’s wellness world.
