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Joy & Pleasure Retreat 2025 Retreat: Reclaim Your Spark
6-9th November 2025
Hunter Valley, NSW
You work hard. But when was the last time you truly had fun? Life is full. Your calendar is packed. Your responsibilities are endless.
You’ve spent years building your career, your business, your life — checking all the boxes of success. But somewhere along the way, joy became an afterthought. Fun started to feel frivolous. Who’s got time? And pleasure? A luxury you rarely prioritise.
It’s time to change that.
Welcome to Joy + Pleasure, a retreat designed to reignite your sense of play, deepen your connection to meaning, and surround you with people who get it—because they, too, are seeking something more.
Meet Your Hosts: The Guides to Your Joyful Rebellion
Vicky: A yoga teacher with an uncanny ability to make challenging yoga poses accessible through her keen knowledge of anatomy, physiology and breath. Her playful style guides you back into your body, tricking you into realising that you’re stronger and more capable than you realise.
Brook: A business coach, speaker and facilitator who’s obsessed with the meanings we bring to work, and derive from work. With a Bachelors of Religious Studies, Brook loves to encourage joy, play, experimentation, aand self-expression, as our birth rite. Brook helps you reconnect with what truly lights you up — so joy isn’t just something you experience on retreat, but something you take home and weave into your everyday life.
What awaits you? Think of this retreat as a playground for your soul. A time to reconnect with yourself – and perhaps a friend who you haven’t seen for too long. Treat yourself to three nights away, to reconnect with yourself – who may also be a long-lost friend you haven’t spoken to for a while! We’re here for a good time, not for a long time, so let’s go!
About your venue, Nu Leaf Retreat
We can’t reclaim our spark, revel in pleasure and provoke our joy without a retreat worthy of this, yes?
Nu Leaf, cocooned in trees in the lush Hunter Valley, just north of Sydney, set on a 15-acre property, has everything you need to properly unwind, rejuvenate, and taste the elixr of possibilities for your new life, once you return home.
Enjoy the indoor heated mineral pool, outdoor pool with a sun deck, jet spa, and steam room. Book ahead a treatment at the on-site day spa (this is extra), or bring your favourite book to curb up somewhere comfy, and remember who you are.
All the rooms are luxurious and spacious, with twin or king beds and ensuites- each with a private patio overlooking the vineyards in full bloom.
Here’s a taste of what’s included (please note, this is subject to change):
8 Yoga & wellness classes- tailored to our group
🤲 Daily Meditation & visualisation — Tap into the power of your subconscious mind and experience bliss and relaxation like you’ve never felt before.
🃏 Bingo, but make it bold—Not your grandma’s bingo. Expect surprises, silliness, and spontaneous joy.
✨ Party tricks class—Learn a new yoga pose that will make you the life of the party (or at least leave people talking).
🃏 Cards Against Humanity night—Because the best way to bond is over a little wicked humor.
🌺 Perfume making & body scrubs – Create your own signature scent and handmade body treats to shine and buff.
🧘 Fascia release & self-massage — This sometimes painful, always relieving experience will unlock all the tight spots and have you moving and gliding.
Who is this for?✔️ You’re busy and life is full, but you’re secretly feeling flat and, if you’re honest, a little bit like you’re going through the motions, a passenger in your own life, rather than an active participant.
✔️ You want more color, adventure, and play, with a bunch of like-minded, pleasure-seeking people who aren’t afraid to ask for more out of life.
✔️ You crave connection — real, deep, belly-laughing, heart-opening connection, not surface interaction, but you also don’t like forced intimacy or weird group-bonding which feels disingenuous.
✔️ You want to step outside your usual routine and rediscover the part of you that loves life (rather than just managing it).
✔️ You’re ready to stop postponing joy.
✔️ You have done yoga before. Whether you’re a newbie, or highly experienced, you’re a yoga fan.
Who is this NOT for?⛌ You’re looking for a guru to emulate, or a mother figure (we’re not your gal).
⛌ You’re unwilling to be vulnerable and yes, you need to feel comfortable first, but you’re wearing a mask and you’re unwilling to let it slip.
⛌ You’re unwilling to examine any of your problematic thinking, beliefs, and behaviours that are strangling your joy.
What you’ll leave with:💫 A heart full of connection and belonging.
💡 A list of cheap, easy, accessible ways to keep joy alive in your daily life.
🎭 A new skill (or party trick) to break out at your next gathering.
🧘 A body that feels more relaxed, more nourished, more yours.
🔥 A reignited sense of play, passion, and pleasure.
Joy and pleasure aren’t indulgent. They’re not luxury. They’re your birth rite. The best moments in life are not about success, but about feeling fully alive. This retreat is your invitation to step into more of that.
Join us. Your joy is waiting.
📍 How to Get There:
Transportation to and from the retreat is not included in the fee.
Located in the heart of the beautiful Hunter Valley only 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney, Nu Leaf Retreat is located at 647 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320 - directly off the new Hunter Expressway, and M1 from Sydney.
If you wish to travel by public transport-
BY BUS- For a public coach, Rover Coaches can pick up from Morisset Train Station & they match their transfers with the train timetable.
BY TRAIN- Two ways to travel to the Hunter Valley by train:
Cityrail service to Maitland or Morisset with connecting buses from each of these stations to Cessnock. From Cessnock, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
Countrylink express service (7 stops) from Sydney Central to Singleton Station. From Singleton, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
BY PLANE
If you are travelling in style (or can afford to!), Cessnock Airport is the closest airport, based in the heart of Hunter Valley Wine Country. However, it is accessible by private charter & helicopters only. For domestic flights, Newcastle Airport is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Hunter Valley Wine Country. Flights depart from Sydney daily direct to Newcastle.
You’ve spent years building your career, your business, your life — checking all the boxes of success. But somewhere along the way, joy became an afterthought. Fun started to feel frivolous. Who’s got time? And pleasure? A luxury you rarely prioritise.
It’s time to change that.
Welcome to Joy + Pleasure, a retreat designed to reignite your sense of play, deepen your connection to meaning, and surround you with people who get it—because they, too, are seeking something more.
Meet Your Hosts: The Guides to Your Joyful Rebellion
Vicky: A yoga teacher with an uncanny ability to make challenging yoga poses accessible through her keen knowledge of anatomy, physiology and breath. Her playful style guides you back into your body, tricking you into realising that you’re stronger and more capable than you realise.
Brook: A business coach, speaker and facilitator who’s obsessed with the meanings we bring to work, and derive from work. With a Bachelors of Religious Studies, Brook loves to encourage joy, play, experimentation, aand self-expression, as our birth rite. Brook helps you reconnect with what truly lights you up — so joy isn’t just something you experience on retreat, but something you take home and weave into your everyday life.
What awaits you? Think of this retreat as a playground for your soul. A time to reconnect with yourself – and perhaps a friend who you haven’t seen for too long. Treat yourself to three nights away, to reconnect with yourself – who may also be a long-lost friend you haven’t spoken to for a while! We’re here for a good time, not for a long time, so let’s go!
About your venue, Nu Leaf Retreat
We can’t reclaim our spark, revel in pleasure and provoke our joy without a retreat worthy of this, yes?
Nu Leaf, cocooned in trees in the lush Hunter Valley, just north of Sydney, set on a 15-acre property, has everything you need to properly unwind, rejuvenate, and taste the elixr of possibilities for your new life, once you return home.
Enjoy the indoor heated mineral pool, outdoor pool with a sun deck, jet spa, and steam room. Book ahead a treatment at the on-site day spa (this is extra), or bring your favourite book to curb up somewhere comfy, and remember who you are.
All the rooms are luxurious and spacious, with twin or king beds and ensuites- each with a private patio overlooking the vineyards in full bloom.
Here’s a taste of what’s included (please note, this is subject to change):
8 Yoga & wellness classes- tailored to our group
🤲 Daily Meditation & visualisation — Tap into the power of your subconscious mind and experience bliss and relaxation like you’ve never felt before.
🃏 Bingo, but make it bold—Not your grandma’s bingo. Expect surprises, silliness, and spontaneous joy.
✨ Party tricks class—Learn a new yoga pose that will make you the life of the party (or at least leave people talking).
🃏 Cards Against Humanity night—Because the best way to bond is over a little wicked humor.
🌺 Perfume making & body scrubs – Create your own signature scent and handmade body treats to shine and buff.
🧘 Fascia release & self-massage — This sometimes painful, always relieving experience will unlock all the tight spots and have you moving and gliding.
Who is this for?✔️ You’re busy and life is full, but you’re secretly feeling flat and, if you’re honest, a little bit like you’re going through the motions, a passenger in your own life, rather than an active participant.
✔️ You want more color, adventure, and play, with a bunch of like-minded, pleasure-seeking people who aren’t afraid to ask for more out of life.
✔️ You crave connection — real, deep, belly-laughing, heart-opening connection, not surface interaction, but you also don’t like forced intimacy or weird group-bonding which feels disingenuous.
✔️ You want to step outside your usual routine and rediscover the part of you that loves life (rather than just managing it).
✔️ You’re ready to stop postponing joy.
✔️ You have done yoga before. Whether you’re a newbie, or highly experienced, you’re a yoga fan.
Who is this NOT for?⛌ You’re looking for a guru to emulate, or a mother figure (we’re not your gal).
⛌ You’re unwilling to be vulnerable and yes, you need to feel comfortable first, but you’re wearing a mask and you’re unwilling to let it slip.
⛌ You’re unwilling to examine any of your problematic thinking, beliefs, and behaviours that are strangling your joy.
What you’ll leave with:💫 A heart full of connection and belonging.
💡 A list of cheap, easy, accessible ways to keep joy alive in your daily life.
🎭 A new skill (or party trick) to break out at your next gathering.
🧘 A body that feels more relaxed, more nourished, more yours.
🔥 A reignited sense of play, passion, and pleasure.
Joy and pleasure aren’t indulgent. They’re not luxury. They’re your birth rite. The best moments in life are not about success, but about feeling fully alive. This retreat is your invitation to step into more of that.
Join us. Your joy is waiting.
📍 How to Get There:
Transportation to and from the retreat is not included in the fee.
Located in the heart of the beautiful Hunter Valley only 2.5 hours’ drive from Sydney, Nu Leaf Retreat is located at 647 Hermitage Rd, Pokolbin NSW 2320 - directly off the new Hunter Expressway, and M1 from Sydney.
If you wish to travel by public transport-
BY BUS- For a public coach, Rover Coaches can pick up from Morisset Train Station & they match their transfers with the train timetable.
BY TRAIN- Two ways to travel to the Hunter Valley by train:
Cityrail service to Maitland or Morisset with connecting buses from each of these stations to Cessnock. From Cessnock, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
Countrylink express service (7 stops) from Sydney Central to Singleton Station. From Singleton, it is 20 min (approx) taxi ride to your desired location in Wine Country.
BY PLANE
If you are travelling in style (or can afford to!), Cessnock Airport is the closest airport, based in the heart of Hunter Valley Wine Country. However, it is accessible by private charter & helicopters only. For domestic flights, Newcastle Airport is approximately 45 minutes’ drive from Hunter Valley Wine Country. Flights depart from Sydney daily direct to Newcastle.
With Dhini Pararajasingham & Vicky Chapman
Save $500 by booking the early bird pricing by 1st AUGUST 2025
Join Dhini and Vicky on a journey of expansion to the island of Sri Lanka.
This luxurious 6 night, 7 day yoga retreat will take place at the extraordinary Kurulu Bay, featured in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of best places to stay in Sri Lanka. This private sanctuary surrounded by lush tropical greenery is nestled on the shores of Koggala Lake, Sri Lanka's most scenic body of water.
The moment you arrive you will be enveloped by a sense of calm and tranquility that will only grow during our time together. Over the course of this retreat you will be immersed in a variety of yoga practices. Your day will start with dynamic Vinyasa Yoga, Pranayama, Kriya and Meditation and end with eveninSri Lanka Luxury Retreat 2026g Yin or Restorative Yoga. Additionally, optional workshops and posture labs are offered all of these offered to advance your practice.
This exclusive retreat is perfect for those looking to deepen their yoga practice while reconnecting with nature, immersing in culture, discovering new places, and being nourished by a locally inspired menu, all while finding enriching connections with like-minded people. This will be an ultimate self-care week.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
THE VENUE & ACCOMODATION OPTIONS
Kurulu Bay (Sinhalese for “bird island”) is a private sanctuary built around the existing. Overlooking Sri Lanka’s largest, and one of its most scenic lakes, Koggala Lake, and surrounded by lush greenery, every element has been carefully considered to offer space, privacy and tranquility, with an emphasis on health and wellbeing.
Scattered amongst its lush greenery, Kurulu Bay has 12 stunning suites and cottages ensuring a small and intimate retreat.
See all room options and full details HERE Sri Lanka Luxury Retreat 2026
This luxurious 6 night, 7 day yoga retreat will take place at the extraordinary Kurulu Bay, featured in Condé Nast Traveler’s list of best places to stay in Sri Lanka. This private sanctuary surrounded by lush tropical greenery is nestled on the shores of Koggala Lake, Sri Lanka's most scenic body of water.
The moment you arrive you will be enveloped by a sense of calm and tranquility that will only grow during our time together. Over the course of this retreat you will be immersed in a variety of yoga practices. Your day will start with dynamic Vinyasa Yoga, Pranayama, Kriya and Meditation and end with eveninSri Lanka Luxury Retreat 2026g Yin or Restorative Yoga. Additionally, optional workshops and posture labs are offered all of these offered to advance your practice.
This exclusive retreat is perfect for those looking to deepen their yoga practice while reconnecting with nature, immersing in culture, discovering new places, and being nourished by a locally inspired menu, all while finding enriching connections with like-minded people. This will be an ultimate self-care week.
WHAT'S INCLUDED
- Beautiful accommodation for 6 Nights / 7 days
- Transfer from Colombo to Kurulu Bay at the start of the retreat and transfer back to Colombo airport on the final day
- Full access to Kurulu Bay’s entire sanctuary
- 3 nourishing meals and drinks each day
- Daily dynamic Vinyasa Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation
- Nightly Yin or Restorative Yoga
- Optional Yoga Workshops and Posture Labs
- Sound Healing
- 1 x 1hr spa treatment
- Day trip to the Dutch Fort of Galle to explore this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Visit to a Buddhist temple
- Boat trip on Koggala Lake, one of Sri Lanka's most scenic lakes
- Plenty of downtime to spend as you wish, relaxing on the grounds or taking a tuk tuk to the nearby beaches
- Goody bags on arrival
NOT INCLUDED
- Flights
- Travel insurance
- eVisa
- Extra cultural activities
THE VENUE & ACCOMODATION OPTIONS
Kurulu Bay (Sinhalese for “bird island”) is a private sanctuary built around the existing. Overlooking Sri Lanka’s largest, and one of its most scenic lakes, Koggala Lake, and surrounded by lush greenery, every element has been carefully considered to offer space, privacy and tranquility, with an emphasis on health and wellbeing.
Scattered amongst its lush greenery, Kurulu Bay has 12 stunning suites and cottages ensuring a small and intimate retreat.
See all room options and full details HERE Sri Lanka Luxury Retreat 2026
Why Choose these Retreats?
"Going on a retreat with Vicky is like going with a good friend, a very knowledgeable friend!!Her attention to detail is superb, a super technical teacher who manages to find that perfect balance between strength and flexibility. And will not compromise your safety at any point just to achieve a certain Asana. Its always a pleasure to be taught by Vicky and I look forward to the next retreat.
A true inspiration."- Tim
"I just returned from a wonderful week end with Vicky at Govinda valley where we had a 2 day retreat. We covered so many aspects of yoga while there; pranayama, meditation, Vinyasa, Acro -Yoga, all in a supportive, fun environment.
Vicky’s precision in her teaching technique and attention to safety in each asana is second to none. Her attention to detail is top notch and allows yogis to progress, no matter what stage they are at.
Despite there being a range of experience in the group, Vicky supported us all uniquely and each person did as much or as little as they wished, at their own pace. The benefit of a retreat of course is to have time to sink into the depths of yoga that is not usually afforded in the class time.
Yoga aside, I can’t fail to mention the beautiful environment, fantastically delicious food and wonderful activities Vicky organised for us such as ‘Make your own face mask’ followed by a juicy relaxing Yoga Nidra guided sleep meditation. We also had time for a walk on the beach or to enjoy the surrounds.I had a fantastic experience and am looking forward to the next retreat. I highly recommend it.
Thanks Vicky; keep up the amazing work".- Geraldine
"Vicky is an excellent teacher and one of the most dynamic teachers I have come across. Her classes are always unique and challenging which allows you to grow and develop in your practice for those practicing regularly. Vicky incorporates her knowledge of anatomy into her classes and encourages her students to take time to focus on alignment and the journey of yoga rather than on the final pose. Her recent retreat was incredible - physically and mentally - just one weekend away with Vicky and I could see a difference in my practice."- Rae
"Going on a retreat with Vicky is like going with a good friend, a very knowledgeable friend!!Her attention to detail is superb, a super technical teacher who manages to find that perfect balance between strength and flexibility. And will not compromise your safety at any point just to achieve a certain Asana. Its always a pleasure to be taught by Vicky and I look forward to the next retreat.
A true inspiration."- Tim
"I just returned from a wonderful week end with Vicky at Govinda valley where we had a 2 day retreat. We covered so many aspects of yoga while there; pranayama, meditation, Vinyasa, Acro -Yoga, all in a supportive, fun environment.
Vicky’s precision in her teaching technique and attention to safety in each asana is second to none. Her attention to detail is top notch and allows yogis to progress, no matter what stage they are at.
Despite there being a range of experience in the group, Vicky supported us all uniquely and each person did as much or as little as they wished, at their own pace. The benefit of a retreat of course is to have time to sink into the depths of yoga that is not usually afforded in the class time.
Yoga aside, I can’t fail to mention the beautiful environment, fantastically delicious food and wonderful activities Vicky organised for us such as ‘Make your own face mask’ followed by a juicy relaxing Yoga Nidra guided sleep meditation. We also had time for a walk on the beach or to enjoy the surrounds.I had a fantastic experience and am looking forward to the next retreat. I highly recommend it.
Thanks Vicky; keep up the amazing work".- Geraldine
"Vicky is an excellent teacher and one of the most dynamic teachers I have come across. Her classes are always unique and challenging which allows you to grow and develop in your practice for those practicing regularly. Vicky incorporates her knowledge of anatomy into her classes and encourages her students to take time to focus on alignment and the journey of yoga rather than on the final pose. Her recent retreat was incredible - physically and mentally - just one weekend away with Vicky and I could see a difference in my practice."- Rae
