Top 6 Places for Meditation in Australia!
The fast, highly competitive, and fast-changing life often unsettles many people. It makes them tense, gives them all kinds of lifestyle ailments like hypertension, diabetes, and may even cause them to lose their bearings. “Lifestyle diseases” are a distinct category that the modern world has given to humanity. Hospitals and medicines are one way of handling them, but those only take care of the symptom – the specific ailment – and not the underlying cause that gave rise to it.
To address the problem, one needs to slow down and calm oneself. Slowing down and being calm does not mean you become slow, lethargic, or inactive; and being calm does not mean you become insensitive or stop working your brain. The calmness has to be within you – in the body and mind. That is the real antidote to the cause behind all the problems. And it is only through proper Meditation that one provides a way of learning how to let go of one’s own self.
This is where meditation and yoga come in. Yoga and meditation have become extremely popular and are the new fad in contemporary culture: an ancient practice that has caught the imagination of the modern world as a means of tackling the problems it brings to an individual. With its origins in India and a gift of the East, it has spread across the world with several health and wellness centers offering yoga, meditation, or mindfulness.
There are various kinds of packages to choose from – starting from a one-day session to a week or more – for every class, every style, and level of meditators. In Australia, there are several such places, spread across lovely locations such as Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay, etc., that promise to restore your inner peace and get you back in touch with yourself.
Here are five of the best such retreats to practice meditation and have your “me-time”.
Gaia Retreat & Spa
Founded by the famous Australian actress-cum-singer and Hollywood star Olivia Newton-John in 2005, this is a world-class wellness retreat offering mindfulness and meditation that has won numerous awards for the facilities that it offers.
Spread over 25 acres, the Gaia retreat offers a variety of designs that are designed or custom following the needs of the guests.
There are activities and programs including meditation, yoga, and Qi Gong (an ancient system involving coordination of body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation to attain health and spirituality, and even practice martial-art).
There are five or seven-night packages, for groups as well as couples, including honeymooners.
Vipassana Centre Queensland
This is just about two hours’ drive from Brisbane, in Pomona.
It is rated among the best places that offer meditation in Australia. There are no costs involved: it is free. The cost of the course, food, and accommodation are met from the donations of past and present persons attending the program who want to share the experience with others.
A highly sought-after course, one needs to apply months in advance. There are short courses, a ten-day course and those meant for children and teenagers as well. There are other Vipassana centers in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Victoria, and Gold Coast.
Centered Meditation
This is located in Sydney. Airy and with plenty of natural light, it is a drop-in studio that offers classes of various durations and types for corporate employees: before work, lunch or after office hours. There are also different types for beginners and for the more experienced who want to take it to the next level.
The Broad Place
This also is located in Sydney. Vedic meditation is the foundation on which its course or sessions are based.
They consist of introductory and explanatory talks every month and a course divided into four sessions. The Broad Place is known for restoring the feeling of well-being and making people feel happier, healthier, and more grounded after they have gone through the course that takes them through the Vedic meditation practice and weekly recharge sessions.
Billabong Retreat
Run by a family, this is a small eco-retreat about an hour’s drive from the city of Sydney. The guests can choose from a range of programs offering yoga, mindfulness, and meditation, according to their need or preference for style and duration. The aim is to be at one with maturity in body, mind, and spirit. Additional facilities offer a spa, organic food, swimming pool, treehouse suites, and lodges. The stay can be for just a day or stretch up to a week or longer.
Happy Buddha
Happy Buddha and Sydney have a distance akin to that of the bridge between the lip and the nose. Known for its premium and midweek weekend yoga retreat, Happy Buddha nestles in the lush bushland of the Blue Mountains near Sydney that boasts of nature in its bounty.
To experience the untainted beauty of this spectacular land dotted with waterfalls, breathtaking viewpoints, nature hikes, and trails is the place for a happy yoga retreat. The place abounds with yogis seeking their spiritual connection with nature, nourishing the mind and body.
Happy Buddha encourages all levels of yogis to get involved. The place promotes organic vegetarian meals grown on its campus. It’s a great place for a weekend getaway that allows a blissful sleep at night in the serenity and silence of mother nature. The beauty of the place is also how well it connects to the mainland. It is all but a 10-minute walk from Wentworth Falls train station, connecting guests with the city in less than two hours.
Summing-up
The reason why people resort to seeking solace in these peaceful centers is to soothe the mind and body, through yogic dispositions. Remember meditation is the way for nourishing the divinity that lies within you to be evoked only through Meditation!
Author Bio: Koby Mahon is the content writer of this piece. Koby is an avid travel blogger cum journo who has contributed to several travel magazines and is now providing assignment help. Koby is currently attached to service provider Online Assignment Expert, providing a Nursing assignment Sample to scholars.
