Te Whenua Retreat

Te Whenua Retreat Not a retreat from your life, rather a doorway back to it ๐ŸŒฟ
Hosted retreats + plant-based cooking in the mountains. Jenny Lomas
Gibbston, Otago.

I often joke that on retreats here, the invitation is to do a giant quantity of absolutely nothing. But I also love remi...
02/09/2026

I often joke that on retreats here, the invitation is to do a giant quantity of absolutely nothing. But I also love reminding myself and others that itโ€™s actually impossible forย nothingย to happen. Our bodies, minds and nervous systems are too magnificent for that. They are wired, literally, to do their most essential work when we are at true rest.

We commonly think of โ€˜restโ€™ as being what we do between activities and commitments. And our โ€˜restโ€™ might involve all kinds of things, from hanging out with family and friends, cooking & eating, watching Netflix, and yes, scrolling. Yet when our downtime is still active, our nervous system doesnโ€™t get the โ€˜restโ€™ memo - we can remain in states of vigilance, concentration, even mild anxiety. When our nervous system stays โ€˜onโ€™ (our brain waves in a mid- or high-beta frequency), we cannot heal or learn. Living in a constant high beta state is what crystallises into the pattens of reactivity, insomnia, depression, anxiety, and feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness.

On retreats here, we re-attune to the rhythms of nature, spend periods using our creative and generative imagination, connect to each other and our intuition, take care of our physical bodies and Slow. Right. Down. Our nervous system rests. Our brain waves slow to โ€˜alphaโ€™ frequency, and daily yoga nidra on retreat gently holds and entrains us to this relaxed and healing state of body and mind. Alpha is the seat of healing, ease, feelings of flow, self-awareness, centering, optimism, connection, and engagement & attentiveness without needing to control.ย ย After a busy day of โ€˜doing nothingโ€™, we sleep deeply - our brains slow to delta and theta states, and deep restoration occurs.

So - doing nothing. But letting our body, mind and consciousness do the essential, beautiful job of balancing our ability to do our meaningful work in the world with the ability to learn, heal, integrate and grow. And be present to this enchanting world, which often exists outside of our constricted awareness. You might find you like it ๐Ÿ’ซ

๐Ÿก๐Ÿงก

Next retreat Oct 6-10.

Full details of all our retreats on our website, dates for 2027 now also up. All welcome.

Hereโ€™s 4 prompts, gentle questions to process. Perhaps to sit with, or journal around. These are themes that are moving ...
01/08/2026

Hereโ€™s 4 prompts, gentle questions to process. Perhaps to sit with, or journal around. These are themes that are moving through me and have shone light on some unconscious habits lately.

The โ€˜urgencyโ€™ question ( #2) is one I come back to again and again - Iโ€™m often in a giant hurry to get to the bottom of things โ˜บ๏ธ

Which ones feels the juiciest to you?

๐Ÿก๐Ÿงก

In winter all the singing is in the tops of the trees where the wind-birdwith its white eyes s...
25/07/2026

In winter
all the singing is in
the tops of the trees
where the wind-bird

with its white eyes
shoves and pushes
among the branches.
Like any of us

he wants to go to sleep,
but heโ€™s restlessโ€”
he has an idea,
and slowly it unfolds

from under his beating wings
as long as he stays awake.
But his big, round music, after all,
is too breathy to last.

So, itโ€™s over.
In the pine-crown
he makes his nest,
heโ€™s done all he can.

I donโ€™t know the name of this bird,
I only imagine his glittering beak
tucked in a white wing
while the cloudsโ€”

which he has summoned
from the northโ€”
which he has taught
to be mild, and silentโ€”

thicken, and begin to fall
into the world below
like stars, or the feathers
of some unimaginable bird

that loves us,
that is asleep now, and silentโ€”
that has turned itself
into snow.

White Eyes, by Mary Oliver

5-day, all inclusive retreats, monthly, all year round.For guests looking to not simply retreat from life, but find the ...
16/07/2026

5-day, all inclusive retreats, monthly, all year round.

For guests looking to not simply retreat from life, but find the doorway back to it.

Delicious plant-based food, based in the stunning Otago mountains.

All welcome ๐Ÿก๐Ÿงก

โ€œI recently attended the four-night retreat at Te Whenua Retreat and it was an amazing experience. The atmosphere was ca...
02/07/2026

โ€œI recently attended the four-night retreat at Te Whenua Retreat and it was an amazing experience. The atmosphere was calm, nurturing thanks to Jenny, whose warm and considerate nature sets the tone. Jennyโ€™s vegetarian meals were a highlight, thoughtful, and utterly delicious.
The four days gave me exactly what I didnโ€™t realise I needed โ€” the space to disconnect, reset, and breathe. The surroundings are stunning, and thereโ€™s a profound sense of being held by the land and the environment around you.
I left feeling genuinely refreshed, grounded, and deeply grateful. I would wholeheartedly recommend Te Whenua Retreat to anyone looking to step away from everyday life and invest some real time in their wellbeing. It is a special place and worth consideration.โ€

We host retreats each month, and year round.
Please see our website for details.

๐Ÿก๐Ÿงก

A winter solstice tea to honour the day ๐Ÿ’ซThe protective energies of evergreen - cedar tips and Douglas fir - meet and mi...
21/06/2026

A winter solstice tea to honour the day ๐Ÿ’ซ

The protective energies of evergreen - cedar tips and Douglas fir - meet and mingle with the sweet memories of summer: honeybush tea, dried elderberriesโ€ฆ and a couple of cloves for spice.

Who has time to create their own teas?! ๐Ÿซฃ Truth is, I donโ€™t necessarily want to live in a world of convenience. ๐Ÿ’›๐ŸŒฟ

This is a beautiful tea to pause with. take a moment to reflect on the year, and celebrate this moment of transition ๐Ÿ™โœจ

Outside, The Garden Appears To Be EmptyThe garden has given upits bright insistence.The last calendulaleans brown at the...
08/06/2026

Outside, The Garden Appears To Be Empty

The garden has given up
its bright insistence.
The last calendula
leans brown at the edges.
Parsley crouches low to the earth.
Old sage, crooked as a crone,
holds its fragrance
even under frost.

We pull potatoes
from the dark with grateful hands,
as if uncovering
buried treasure.
In the orchard
the apple trees are bare now.
A singular plump fruit
softening in the grass,
its sweetness returning
to wasps, to mould,
to the invisible mouths
that carry everything home.

Cherry trees let go leaf by leaf.
Willow transparent to the mountain.
Mornings arrive
with their white breath.

The wild keeps its own counsel
lavish and untamed,
answering to no-one.

The birds are unbothered.

And still, in the kitchen,
the garlic crackles in oil,
gnarly roots yield to the knife,
a pear is cut open,
its grain shining
like wet wood.

We live by these offerings:
grain and leaf,
stored sunlight,
the patient labour
of rain and compost,
worm and frost.

What fed on death
now feeds us.

What fed us
will fall back
to the same dark
that asks for nothing,
and wastes nothing.

So we gather
at the turning of the season,
with our bowls and our bodies,
our ripening and our losses.

Outside, the garden
appears to be empty.

Under the earth,
with ancient sovereignty,
everything necessary
is becoming.

๐‘น๐’†๐’Š๐’Œ๐’Š ๐‘น๐’†๐’”๐’†๐’• โ€“ ๐‘จ ๐‘ด๐’Š๐’…๐’˜๐’Š๐’๐’•๐’†๐’“ ๐‘น๐’†๐’•๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’• ๐ŸคWinter invites us to slow down.To pause the constant doing.To reconnect with ourselve...
08/06/2026

๐‘น๐’†๐’Š๐’Œ๐’Š ๐‘น๐’†๐’”๐’†๐’• โ€“ ๐‘จ ๐‘ด๐’Š๐’…๐’˜๐’Š๐’๐’•๐’†๐’“ ๐‘น๐’†๐’•๐’“๐’†๐’‚๐’• ๐Ÿค

Winter invites us to slow down.

To pause the constant doing.
To reconnect with ourselves.
To create space for deep rest, reflection and renewal.

Join me for a nourishing day designed to help you release what no longer serves you, regulate your nervous system, restore your energy and reconnect with your inner wisdom.

โœจ Reiki healing
โœจ Nervous system regulation
โœจ Nourishing meal by Wellness Chef Jenny
โœจ Guided practices
โœจ Sound healing
โœจ Crystal grid creation
โœจ Reflection & integration
โœจ A beautiful day of rest and reconnection

A day to pause and realign your energy with like-minded hearts.

๐Ÿ“ Te Whenua Retreat, Gibbston Valley
๐Ÿ“… Saturday 22nd August

Spaces are intentionally limited to create an intimate and supportive experience.

Tickets via the link in bio.
Comment ๐‘๐„๐’๐„๐“ if you'd like more information.

๐Ÿค Rebecca
Free Living Co

Address

2277 Gibbston Highway
Gibbston
9371

Telephone

+642102647327

Website

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