This retreat in Tasmania will truly be a special one - we are going to connect walking, pilates and meditation throughout the 4 days on the Freycinet Peninsula. The walking/hiking with the team of the Freycinet Experience Walk will be one of the highlights and similar to the offering they are famous for, however the daily trips will be a little shorter than what is visible on their website about the usual walk program, except for day two, which will be the same.

This one will be physically and mentally the most challenging, but also most rewarding walk around the world renowned Wineglass Bay with some elevation for the extra special views.

From there the intensity of the walks will ease off each day, allowing space and time for mindful daily practices like self reflection, introspection, silent walks, personal intention setting, meditation and Pilates flows.

Plus each of our guests will receive a relaxing full body massage from our in house massage therapist. These add ons make the walk experience become a holistic retreat experience, fulfilling the intention to leave differently than when you arrived. I built citta collective to create retreats that will have a longterm and sustainable effect on our health and wellbeing. To support this vision and outcome, each guest will receive additionally:

- a welcome gift bundle, packed with tools to continue self care at home

- a 3 month membership to the citta collective ongoing learning journal

- a personalised post retreat guide on what steps to take next.

We depart from the Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel in Hobart. We ask that all our retreat guests gather there between 7.45 and 8.00am (at the latest) on Friday morning 21st March. (even if you are staying at a different place). Since flights can be cancelled and unpredictable we strongly recommend to check in in Hobart the night before, for a stress-free start to your experience.

On Monday 24th March we arrive back into Hobart between 4 and 5.30 pm and provide Hobart Airport drop-offs in that time.

Since all our guests meet early in the morning on the first day, we recommend to stay for the night before at the Old Woolstore Apartments in Hobart. We have organised a special rate there - quote ‘Freycinet Experience’ when booking via phone or email to receive a 10% discount.

It's centrally located and within walking distance to some of Hobart’s key attractions, including Salamanca Place (home to the iconic Salamanca Markets), historic Battery Point and nearby Constitution Dock where you catch the ferry to MONA.

You do not need to be an elite athlete for this retreat. If you already enjoy regular activities such as walking, running, gym training, swimming, cycling etc. you are well placed to manage even the longest walk on day 2. All other days include shorter walks.

The retreat itinerary is offering a good balance of light to moderate, easy to challenging and short to long walk.

We recommend starting some more targeted training, including walking, in your daily routine leading up to the trip to ensure maximum enjoyment of the experience.

Our guide will ensure that each walk is both enriching and achievable, offering the perfect blend of challenge and connection.

Of course and a big welcome! This could be the start of your regular practice and some amazing changes in your body and overall wellbeing. We love to make all our offerings accessible even if you are a beginner, since we all have started as a beginner somewhere. There is no pre experience needed for any of the classes.

Our Tasmania experience is definitely on the more active side of the scale, with a number of walks on the range between easy and moderate and 2 to 7 hours per day, we will make a few kilometres by foot. To create a perfectly balanced experience our daily Pilates classes are much more about a movement flow, stretching and releasing tired areas, as well as reawakening and stabilising deep core and posture muscles. All exercises in our Pilates classes can be tailored and modified to injuries and health limitations, however it depends on the type of injury if your walking experience will be limited.

Please get in touch directly and we can discuss your thoughts. All information are treated discrete and confidential.

Over the last decade I have been fortunate enough to work with clients of a broad variety. Through my work as a physiotherapist and personal trainer I have found my interest is high in accommodating clients and working together towards the best outcome for both physical and mental health. So I would love to make this experience possible for you and work together around injuries and health limitations.

We'll send an email to all attendees a couple of weeks before the retreat with some ideas of what best to pack.

Here are a few things to consider:

worn hiking shoes or trail runners (definitely not new shoes and ideally lace-up and above ankle height)

comfy and water repellent or resistent active wear

warm long clothes

long socks

swim wear

thongs or birkies

sunnies

sunscreen

hat and or beanie

book

pyjamas

bug spray

needed medications

fully charged power bank

optional walking poles (if you feel more secure with them)

There is no mobile phone reception at Friendly Beaches Lodge and only small patches of reception along the Freycinet Peninsula (Telstra network preferred). Our guide from Tasmania will happily point out these areas if you would like to discreetly check messages or make an important phone call.

We do encourage our retreat guests to switch devices off as much as possible as we think this supports the purpose of this retreat, increases the sense of isolation and in return the enjoyment of the experience. It's such a rare opportunity to full disconnect from the world and connect to oneself and that's why we have chosen Freycinet as our place to retreat.

And don't worry, the lodge and you can be reached in the case of an emergency and we carry a satellite phone for emergencies during the walk.

We have our private lodge, to which we return each day. So all you carry during our bigger walks is a daypack containing lunch, two litres of water, weatherproof jacket and needed personal items, such as a camera and sunglasses.

With March we have chosen the best months of the year - offering mild, mostly sunny pleasant weather, with daytime temperatures average around 21°C, evenings and early mornings slightly cooler, with lows to 11°C.

The water temperature is at its highest post summer and invites to invigorating dips.

Check the weather forecast for Coles Bay a week before departure to give you the best idea. If the weather is ominous, our boat trip may be rescheduled to another day and our alternative plans come into place.

We absolutely love that you are considering going on a retreat before having a baby and we encourage every woman to have this time for yourself now, to check in, to get pampered and to learn habits and routines that you can maintain when life gets a tad busier.

For your own and your babys safety we ask though to be no further than your 25th week and be highly active in your day to day life with walking experience. The walks are light to moderate but can be more challenging when being pregnant as we have some steeper inclines and sometimes tougher surfaces.

Our Pilates classes are suitable and modified for pregnancy, as I personally work closely with pre and post natal clients in Personal Training and classes. We also have been very lucky and have had pregnant women in each retreat so far.

Overall we are big supporters of movement during pregnancy, as it is important for pelvic floor, lower back support and overall strength.

Our private chef is cooking only the cleanest, freshest and mostly plant based food and can accomodate to pregnancy dietary requirements without problems.

If you are still not sure, lets talk about your concerns on a call or via email.