Wholehearted Living: Mindfulness-based Retreat and Workshop, Byron Bay 2026

Seven days/Six nights, Friday 24th - Thursday 30th July 2026

Integrating Brené Brown’s ‘The Gifts of Imperfection: Guideposts for Wholehearted Living,’ together with slow-flow yoga and other embodied movement, mindfulness and compassion practices, guided deep-rest Nidra sessions, journalling, and more. Each day includes a morning workshop and one or two practice sessions, as well as time for relaxing or walking in nature in the beautiful Arakwal National Park and adjoining beaches.

Sangsurya is an environmentally conscious retreat centre located in the peaceful hinterland of Bryon Bay, within walking distance to the ocean, and with stunning forest and coastal views.

Renew body, mind, heart, spirit and soul with Wholehearted Living, a unique and restorative seven-day mindfulness and other practices-based retreat, this year offered in Australia at the beautiful Sangsurya Retreat Centre in the Byron Bay hinterland.

Each morning begins with an embodied-movement session, to consolidate the learning so far and introduce the day’s new theme. A spacious breakfast period then allows time for a swim or relax before the morning workshop session, exploring the various guideposts that Brown’s research identified as essential if we are to live our fullest, most meaningful lives. We explore how we need to both cultivate these and our own ‘guideposts,’ while at the same time take up practices to help with letting go of shame and the other sticky obstacles and old ‘protector parts’ that get in the way. Afternoons and evenings may include guided rest-Nidras, group or solo walks in the National Park or beach, or time for a massage or relaxing around the pool. The retreat offers time for group connection and fun, as well as regular periods of silence, to enable a deeper restorative experience.

Fifteen years ago I was blown away by Brenés first TED talk The Power of Vulnerability. I was inspired that – just like our understanding in the mindfulness world – all of her work insists that wholehearted living requires not just the ground-breaking theory that her research generated, but an ongoing process and practice. But how – what does this actually look like? I found there is often a gap when it comes to specifics around how we might truly live wholeheartedly. As a long-term mindfulness practitioner, yogi and relationship therapist, I’ve loved the creative challenge of trying to close this gap, by integrating ‘the best of’ what is most grounding, sustainable and inspiring in her work, within a deeper mindfulness and compassion-based ‘container’ of practice, that is trauma-informed and up-to-date with understandings from psychology and neuroscience.

At its essence, this intensive retreat is about daring to show up for the real and imperfect lives we’re actually having – including challenges, tricky relationships, loss and transition – as well as laying the groundwork and intentions for how we wish to live from here. Most fundamentally, the retreat is about cultivating compassion, awareness, connection, creativity, meaning and joy.

Diversity is warmly welcomed and valued within these retreat groups.

 Sangsurya Retreat Centre and surrounds

What the retreat fee includes:

• Seven days program, including Six three-and-a-half-hour Workshop sessions

• Daily sunrise slow-flow style yoga sessions and/or afternoon Nidra relaxation practice

• Six nights accommodation in a twin or triple-share bedroom or single room.
  Most rooms have their own ensuite, some have private balcony and views

• Almost all delicious meals, including breakfasts, morning teas, lunch and dinner each day (possibly excluding one lunch if we go downtown to explore).

• Group walks to beach and coastline

• Workshop materials, including course book

• Celebration cocktail or bubbles on first and last evenings

  Not included: Airfares, travel insurance, bus transfers from Ballina or GoldCoast airports. Massages will also be available on-site or nearby at your own expense.

The Ten Guideposts from The Gifts of Imperfection

• Cultivating Authenticity: Letting Go of what people think

• Cultivating Self-Compassion: Letting Go of Perfectionism

• Cultivating a Resilient Spirit: Letting Go of Numbing & Powerlessness

• Cultivating Gratitude & Joy: Letting Go of Scarcity & Fear of the Dark

• Cultivating Intuition & Trusting Faith: Letting Go of the need for Certainty

• Cultivating Creativity: Letting Go of Comparison

• Cultivating Play & Rest: letting Go of Exhaustion as a status symbol and productivity as Self-worth

• Cultivating Calm & Stillness: Letting Go of anxiety as a Lifestyle

• Cultivating Meaningful Work: Letting Go of Self-doubt & ‘Supposed to’

• Cultivating Laughter, Song & Dance: Letting Go of being cool and ‘always in control’

Typical daily format:

6:45 – 7:45am – Sunrise slow flow yoga or embodied movement practice 
8 – 9:30am – Breakfast
9:30 – 1pm– Workshop Session (including morning tea)
1 - 4pm Lunch, optional guided walk, or time for rest, swim, massage or your own exploring 
4:30 – 5:30pm – Guided deep rest or creative practice
6:30pm – Dinner

Fee

Room Options

This retreat centre has a large variety of rooms, some very spacious, others quite cosy. There are options for single rooms, twin share, and triple share. Please indicate when you are booking which type of room you would like. These will be allocated according to order of booking, availability and/or special needs.

Early Bird (pay deposit before 1st February)

Triple share with ensuite and own deck (1 King Bed, 1 Queen Bed and 1 King Single bed) $2,490 per person, inclusive of GST ($2,690 after 1st February)

Twin share with ensuite (Double or King Single bed) $2,690 per person, inclusive of GST ($2,890 after 1st February)

Smaller single room with ensuite (King Single bed) $2,990 GST inclusive ($3,190 after1st February)

Larger single (Queen bed. Two Queen rooms with private entrance, sharing a deck with views, plus bathroom and additional toilet) $3,090 GST inclusive ($3,290 after 1st February)

Larger Single room with ensuite (Queen bed) $3,290 GST inclusive ($3,490 after 1st February)

Secure your place by booking and paying first instalment deposit of $690 (earlybird) by 1st February OR $890 (after 1st February).

Payment, Refund Conditions, Travel insurance & other important information - please read before booking

Fee can be paid in full or in instalments. First instalment is the Deposit fee of $690 Earlybird (or $890 after 1st February). If paying in instalments, second instalment $1000 is due 1st March, followed by final instalment balance due 1st June. You will be able to fly to either Ballina or Gold Coast airports and transfer by pre-booked bus to Byron Bay from there (check prices for both airports in case 2 X one-way tickets is less than a return) . Our first session will start 4pm on our first day Friday 24th July: we recommend arriving in Byron Bay or nearby the day before to ensure you can be there for the first session, or if this isn’t possible, arranging an early morning flight on the day. Your return flight should be no sooner than the late afternoon or night of 30th July. If possible, it is ideal to book some extra time nearby for some quiet post-retreat integration time. For competitive prices, it is recommended to purchase your flights several months before the retreat.

A full refund, minus your deposit, is available up to three months prior to commencement of retreat. After 24/4/26, no refunds can be provided for withdrawals or cancellations unless a suitable replacement is found, so we recommend purchasing travel insurance that covers any conditions that might impact your ability to attend this retreat. If the retreat needs to be postponed or cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances, a full refund will be made or, if preferred, transfer to anotherMindfulPresence retreat.

To secure your place, please submit the Registration form (above) and deposit.

Direct deposit details:
Account name: Margaret O'Shea
BSB: 633000
Account number: 145643953

About Maggie

Maggie is a Relationship Therapist and Mental Health Social Worker working in private practice in Castlemaine, while also teaching in the Masters of Counselling at Swinburne University and Relationships Australia Victoria, and offering mindfulness-based programs in groups, such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self Compassion (MSC). She is a long-term mindfulness practitioner, registered to teach MBSR and MSC, and also accredited to teach yoga and the Daring Greatly work of Brené Brown. She loves to create unique retreats for individuals and couples in beautiful natural settings, integrating her understandings and skills from decades of providing individual and relationship therapy, and teaching mindfulness-based programs in groups, to bring to life and make practical the theory and training programs that have been most transformative for herself and others.