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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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,...
I first saw the name Happy Buddha Yoga Retreat on a job listing many moons ago. The words sparkled, spurring my curiosity, so I lent in. Four years of writing, two retreats, five months of volunteering and one fiancé later… I can certainly say Happy Buddha is not just...
And just like that, we're back at January... The first month of the year is always a blank book, and we each carry the pen. Recognised by many cultures around the world across time, this new cycle evokes a real energy supportive of our transformational and creative...
And just like that, we’ve arrived at December! The gift tradition that surrounds end of year festivities is incredibly beautiful, but does carry a flip side. Giving beyond means, debt, mass production, environmental consequences and mass waste - are all themes present...
Inspired from a recent newsletter we sent out, we wanted to remind you that winter is our warmest season at our Blue Mountains retreat!
We’ve all been there; that point in time when life is asking (or demanding!) us to pause, rest and recharge our energy. Naturally, here at Happy Buddha - we’ll be the first to advocate the power in wellness retreats… but sometimes a getaway is simply not on the cards....
‘Retreat is not an absence; rather it is the search for a true presence’ - Georges Gusdorf When we see images of linen-dressed yogis contorting into magnificent shapes in unison – the idea of visiting a retreat centre can be a little daunting. So too can some of the...
If there’s something we can all agree on, it would be that this year has been full of mental, emotional and spiritual challenges for most of us. A major positive aspect to have come from this, is that self-care seems no longer to be an elusive topic. Out of necessity...
Lockdowns aren’t great for about a million-and-one reasons… but if we can’t travel externally, let’s travel internally. With so much going on in the world around us, there couldn’t be a more valuable time to nurture our inner and spiritual worlds. Today we continue...
You’re happily cruising through life, work and play. All feels great and then suddenly… Bang! A curveball comes out of nowhere and seriously shakes things up. We’ve all been there. And it’s not always the drastically earth-shattering events either. Sometimes it’s the...
As a society, stigma around the practice of sharing our emotional and mental realms seems to be fading. Wonderfully - we’re starting to open up about personal struggles and mental health issues, with more vulnerability than ever. It’s no understatement to say the...
'It is in the roots, not the branches, that a tree’s greatest strength lies.' - Matshona Dhliwayo Last month we spoke about the seven chakras – those powerful centres of energy that sit within our etheric body. Each chakra holds a very specific vibration and purpose,...
Some of us hear our inner voice loud and clear. We make aligned decisions quickly and seamlessly. On the other hand, some of us have the opposite experience. We struggle to know what we truly think, want or don’t want. What has happened here is that we’ve silenced our...
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if creative ideas flowed effortlessly any time we needed them? Unfortunately, for most of us this is not the reality. We often feel stuck, replaying the same situations in our minds again and again with the same results (or lack of results)....
‘We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.’ - George Bernard Shaw The world of adulting is one we're all pretty familiar with. We've all caught ourselves getting excited about cutlery sets, new sheet covers and house plants....
‘Silence is not the absence of sound, but the presence of an inward-listening awareness.’ – Maria Popova In this day and age, many of us are excessively surrounded by noise. We’re being exposed to news, entertainment and a constant stream of technological...
One of our core needs as human beings is to feel that we BELONG somewhere. It is to feel that we are CONNECTED to community, to people who support us, know us and love us. In indigenous cultures, such as the Aboriginal cultures of Australia, people lived (and...
What do you consider a daily ritual? It might not seem like it, but each one of us already has certain daily rituals. Each morning, we brush our teeth, without thinking, because having clean teeth is seen as a basic necessity for a good-feeling body. We also usually...
I write a lot about emotions and how our connection with our own feelings can help us live a richer and more fulfilling life. Today's Reflection delves more deeply into this topic using as a reference point the recently published book 'Lost Connections' by Johann...
Discovering your inner guide Our last Reflection was about mindfulness and recent scientific discoveries about the neuro plasticity of the brain. This week we look at our inner navigation system – or higher self, and learn how we can use our prana or energy flow to...
'The Brain that Changes Itself' is a book about the neuroplasticity of the brain, published in 2007, by psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Norman Doidge. The findings reported in this book are based on his own and others’ scientific research on what happens to the brains...
Last Reflection we looked at the Tao of Relationships. Relating, like everything else in life, is an art. It is a creative process, which is in constant change and constant movement. We talked about Wu Wei - Can you nurture your own spirit whilst holding the unity of...
So, here we are, already a month into this New Year. How is it going for you? How are your relation-ships travelling so far? Are they in the cruise control mode, or are you actively at the helm of the ship and steering, with a strong hand on the wheel no matter the...
When embarking on a journey of personal discovery, there’s something powerful in reading an inspiring book and the story of someone who's done the same before you. By removing yourself from the stress that all too often accumulates through stagnancy, retreats can...
An article about how to best find balance in yoga and in all the areas of our lives so that we are feeling happy and satisfied. We use our intuition as our emotional guidance or internal GPS for always returning to centre and doing what is good for us. Yoga is...
The Fourth Agreement: Always do your best First published in 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements has since sold millions of copies. The book consists of four principles to guide you to living a life of love and happiness. This is the fourth in a series of...
The Third Agreement: Don't make assumptions First published in 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements has since sold millions of copies. The book consists of four principles to guide you to living a life of love and happiness. This is the second in a series...
The second agreement, 'Don't Take Anything Personally'. First published in 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements has since sold millions of copies. The book consists of four principles to guide you to living a life of love and happiness. The first we...
The first agreement: Be impeccable with your word First published in 1997, Don Miguel Ruiz's book The Four Agreements has since sold millions of copies. The book consists of four principles to guide you to living a life of love and happiness. This is the first in a...
How do we become really intimate with everything that we are experiencing? How do we learn to stop our avoiding and shutting down and escaping – all ways of not being present with what is? Intimacy. Sometimes paraphrased as: In To Me See. What does that word bring up...
