Originally 5 books of self-discovery from January 2024 we've made an edit to include 5 more! Is there anything better than reading a book that deeply flavours your life, if only for a while? I can almost connect the dots of my journey - by the books, films or stories...
Don't the mornings carry a crispness now? The days are golden and still warm, but the heavy heat of summer has shifted (and there is a quiet relief in that). If you've been outside lately, you'll know this feeling. That particular quality of the autumn sun, the...
Inspiration in the natural world What’s not inspiring about the natural world? The vast skyline, the sound of birds in the morning, the quiet call of the mountains. There is something about these spaces that invites us to pause long enough to notice what is already...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from the ever-radiant Emily ~ storyteller, drummer and beloved retreat...
Full moon women’s circle magic The sky was the stage Wow, to be in your presence. I am here — make way. (A haiku) The moon rises We gathered on the veranda, sitting in a circle, the mountain evening breeze brushing against my skin. One by one, we shared a little about...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from the Alli ~ our bookkeeper and quiet powerhouse behind the scenes. My name is...
Here at Happy Buddha, we love this time of year — that magical stretch between one chapter closing, and another beginning. Beyond a marker on our calendars, it’s a time for us to exhale and reset. As this year draws to a close, we’re turning our full attention to...
Cool, creamy and oh-so-refreshing — Raita is the perfect partner to any spicy feast!
This one always leaves our guests wondering how a simple cauliflower can be so delicious?
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from the Khanh ~ one of our beloved crew and long-time friend of Happy Buddha. It...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from the Gil ~ one of our cherished crew members and facilitator of the...
There’s something about a bowl of dal that just feels like home.
Ever noticed how time slows down a little up here? The mountain air feels cleaner, the stars a little brighter, and the mind... a little quieter. If you’ve ever left Happy Buddha Retreats thinking, “I wish I could bring more of this into my everyday life,” you’re not...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from the gorgeous and grounded Vanessa—retreat yoga teacher and Blue Mountains...
We’ve called this one HEARTY roasted tomato soup for a reason! Tomatoes are amazing for heart health. Try this delicious and easy recipe at home.
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month, we share inspiration from our Happy Buddha Retreats crew — exploring themes of yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from Yara, our radiant resident chef. At just 24, she brings soulful wisdom and...
When Daniela reached out to us earlier this year, she described her stay at Happy Buddha as “one of the kindest things I’ve ever done for myself.” Recovering from knee surgery and deep in burnout, she arrived at the retreat seeking stillness—and found more than she...
Yoga, Lunch, Nature & Clarity — and all Before 5pm There’s something quietly powerful about pressing pause. Tucked in the Blue Mountains at Wentworth Falls, Happy Buddha’s half-day retreat offers a soul-soothing circuit-breaker — a few unhurried hours of movement,...
We all dream of getaways but sometimes even a 2-night retreat away can feel out of our reach… And if you feel like you can’t be inspired by just one day away, we can prove you wrong. It may not always be feasible to fly across the globe to unwind at a Yoga Retreat....
Who said treats were always bad for you!? Try these warming ginger and turmeric bliss balls – perfect with a cuppa!
Why host a retreat? Imagine sharing your knowledge and passion with motivated individuals in a serene setting, seeing firsthand their profound shift in thinking and mindset. That’s the power of a retreat. When you host a retreat, whether it’s around art, yoga or...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Each month, we share an inspired reflection from someone in our Happy Buddha Retreats community. This Musing comes from Claire (or CC, as we affectionately call her), our freelance marketer and long-time retreat...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Welcome to our monthly inspiration drop — a love note from the mountains exploring themes like yoga, life, and joy. This edition comes from Athil, the heart behind Happy Buddha Retreats. A yoga teacher, rhythm...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Welcome to our monthly mountain missive – a space for inspiration, reflection and gentle reminders to live with joy and intention. This edition is from Natalie Ristoski – yogini, retreat facilitator, and founder of...
Many of us move through life at a pace that we ourselves can barely keep up with. We focus on our desires or next steps, losing sight of what's right in front of us. But when we live our lives this way, contentment becomes an unattainable goal: a receding finish line…...
‘Success is more about what you say NO to than what you say YES to.’ — Teal Swan We've all been there. When a 'yes!' bursts from our lips before we've had a chance to stop it. When we agree to an event that fills us with absolute dread. For many of us, saying no is an...
‘Try to get to know your future self. Because when we spend time connecting with that person, we do some reverse engineering. We start to ask our present-self questions about how our present and future can come together… along the way.’ – Meg Jay Ever stumbled upon an...
Consider this your official Happy Buddha love note 💌. Once a month we share our current inspiration, covering topics like yoga, life and joy. We’ll also provide writing prompts, motivation, or simply food for thought… for you to ponder over the month ahead. These...
A Culture of Shortcuts Our modern society places a huge focus on efficiency and pace. This applies to fitness and unfortunately our bodies too; as reflected by fad diets, pills, and crash exercise programs. When our objectives become too narrow, for example 'to lose...
Here at HB, one of our favourite tools for strengthening body, mind, and spirit is yoga. We’re also advocates of practising different yoga styles, and tapping into the full potential of this ancient practice. As well as all the usual benefits (strength, circulation,...
Nestled in the heart of New South Wales, lies our enchanting home: the Blue Mountains. If you ask any visitor, they’ll tend to acknowledge that the mountains are very special. If they’ve visited many times (or stayed any longer than a day-trip)... they’ll know the...
Hello, Autumn. This week officially marks our first equinox of the year. Throughout history, cultures across the world have honoured this annual event; the moment when day and night are of equal length. Marking the transition into the winter months of the year, the...
A good portion of this delicious plant-powered lentil and veg soup definitely counts as a well-balanced meal. And the beauty is ~ it’s nourishment in one simple bowl.
Letting go. It’s a gentle, soft sounding idiom that floats frequently from the lips of yoga teachers, weaves itself through the texts of ancient yogis, and has no doubt made an appearance or two on your social media feed. But what does it really mean? Let go of what,...
The term 'digital detox' is buzzing around more than ever. Why? Perhaps because our lives are becoming increasingly impossible to detangle from technology. From our phones and laptops, social media to Netflix - we're constantly being surrounded by screens vying for...
While it is a shorter leap year... it does seem like just yesterday that we were setting intentions and celebrating the start of the year! Yet, here we are, three months in. We’ve experienced some successes and "failures." We’ve stayed true to some of our...
One of our core needs as human beings is to feel belonging; to feel we're connected to community, to people who support, know and love us... The Past In many ancient cultures, communities lived (and sometimes still live) in groups. They lived and slept in the same...
Happy Buddha is full of music. Pianos, drums, volunteers singing in the kitchen, sound bowls - you name it. We offer Sound Healing retreats, Drum and Dance retreats, plus Drum Circles. Does that mean you have to be musically gifted to attend? Absolutely not! We...
The world can be a stressful place, and we all feel overwhelmed at times. It might seem as though there’s simply too much to do, and not enough time. Curve balls can arise out of no where, and we feel stretched in opposite directions. Yoga teaches us that life isn't...
Creating everyday magic is about embracing simple tools and practices that allow you to see the extraordinary in the ordinary… From gratitude journals to nature exploration, music to meditation, there are countless tools which can infuse our days with extra meaning,...
Spring is here. Nature is blooming in its full glory and inviting us to connect to Mother Earth in whatever ways feel good. That might mean embracing camping season, finding a sit spot, embarking on a nature documentary marathon – or all the above. Today we’re...
Once upon a time upon a trip to the Amazon jungle, I came down with something. Nothing dramatic – a feverish, fluey phenomenon – but not fun. Fortunately, a local was alerted and out of nowhere, a home remedy was whipped up: a near-unpalatable concoction of onion...
We once discussed that while Yoga is often associated with just physical postures, fitness, and flexibility, it’s actually also a deeply philosophical and spiritual practice with a rich history rooted in ancient India. While physical postures, or asanas reflect one...
(Image credit: Brene Brown) It would be somewhat surprising if you haven’t yet heard of Brené Brown. A mother, research professor, storyteller, and author, Brené has dedicated her career to exploring themes like vulnerability, courage, empathy, and shame. Grounded and...
There are few things better than getting into your car, rolling down the window and cranking your favourite songs. We’ve all experienced the power of music in its unique ability to touch the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds. Whether it’s through film, or the...
Floral aromas in the air, birds singing and the sun’s restorative warmth... our favourite season (and consequently spring yoga) is back! Here, we get to shake off the density of winter and embrace this new season of renewal, activity, expansion and growth. A time of...
We began exploring the ancient yogic framework that is the chakra system, here. Progressively working with the chakras can be a way of bringing reflection, clarity, and transformation into our lives. Thus far we’ve solidified our foundations, explored emotions – and...
Imagine this. You’re on a roll with your new self-care practice; stretching, staying hydrated, meditating and so on. As a result, you’re feeling wonderful; motivated, content, on top of things, and healthier than ever. Then, it happens. A phone call, an email, the...
Whether you’re eating intuitively, following an Ayurvedic or TCM approach, a natural detox can be incredibly restorative. Imagine a bear hibernating all through winter. He assumes that when the sun returns to melt the snow, he’ll be able to frolic and hunt for salmon...
I remember reading ‘The List Maker,’ when I was eight years old. That pretty much solidified it: I was a writer. Since being granted my pen license (simpler times), I’ve written down lists and notes for almost everything. Occasionally I’ll write a schedule for days,...
