Yarra Valley November Meditation & Mindfulness Retreat
Time to pause, reflect and rejuvenate.
Take a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life and join us on retreat in the beautiful Yarra Valley.
Dates
The retreat is held every year over the four days leading up to the Melbourne Cup.
In 2024 it will run from 7:00pm, Friday November 1 — 11:00am, Tuesday November 5.
Venue
The retreat is held at Casa Pallotti, just a few minutes out of Millgrove, a small town near Warburton, in the Yarra Valley.
It takes a little over 90 minutes to travel by car from the Melbourne CBD.
Rest, relax, reset: experience a day on retreat in 60 seconds…
What’s It Like On Retreat
Imagine a quiet, nurturing weekend where you can relax deeply, learn to meditate, (or deepen your existing practice), and enjoy mindful movement, lesiurely walks and nourishing food.
The retreat provides an opportunity to unplug from your busy day-to-day life and have well deserved time away from the constant demands and obligations of work and home.
More than a holiday, the retreat environment offers ideal conditions for self-care, reflection and deep rest.
Teachers & Approach
The retreat is led by two warm, friend and experienced teachers: Matthew Young and Deb Amos.
They’ve designed the retreat to be a perfect place for you to rest, relax and restore your wellbeing.
Whilst on retreat you won’t have to worry about a thing. All your needs will be taken care of and you’ll get to enjoy a simple, slower pace of life. Your meals will be lovingly prepared by our expert chefs and you’ll be able to take time out to sleep, read or enjoy the beautiful natural location.
The atmosphere on retreat is friendly and laid-back. You don’t have to get up before dawn, or sit in silence for hours on end. Nor will you have to endure long talks, a demanding schedule or bland food.
In fact, chocolate chip cookies and coffee are available all day (and night), and you’ll be able to lie down or enjoy the comfort of a couch, even in the meditation hall.
Matt and Deb will be able to offer you valuable insights into your meditation practice. They’ll share unique an innovative approaches to meditation, introduce you to helpful concepts and techniques, and facilitate discussions in which you’ll be able to hear and learn from your fellow retreat participants.
What To Expect
On retreat there will be meditation and deep relaxation sessions, mindful movement practices, as well as talks and group discussion. Free time will be available for you to walk, read or do as you please.
Note that outside of the talks and group discussions the retreat is conducted in silence. This doesn’t mean that you can’t talk; but it does mean that you are encouraged to respect the wishes of other participants for quiet (especially in and around the dorm rooms, within the meditation hall and in the dining area and kitchen).
Meals
Three hearty vegetarian meals are provided each day, along with a variety of teas, coffee and snacks. We can cater for those with special dietary needs, including those requiring vegan or gluten, wheat and dairy-free meals.
Accommodation
Accommodation at Casa Pallotti is in a variety of shared dorm-style rooms. Most rooms sleep nine people but we rarely put more than three or four people in each room, and we usually make several of these rooms available for one person, for those wanting their own space.
As our private rooms book out fast, you may also elect to stay offsite, at Pallotti College or a nearby hotel or B&B.
You may also camp in the field adjacent to the retreat centre. (BYO tent).
There are shared toilet and shower facilities. The venue is smoke and alcohol free.
“The retreat was exactly what I needed — a place to relax and switch off my ‘doing’ brain. The meditations taught me to make space in my head from all the constant thought and left me much more refreshed than just a weekend away.”
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— Rebecca Hale
Getting There
By car it takes roughly 75 minutes to get to Casa Pallotti from the start of the Eastern Freeway.
You may need to allow extra time if traveling through peak hour / long-weekend traffic.
We will make every effort to arrange lifts for those who do not have their own car.
If lifts aren’t available then you will need to take the train to Lilydale and then catch the Route 683 bus towards Warburton. Alight at Dee Rd, Millgrove and once you have arrived call Matt on 0410 562 843 and we will come and pick you up. The train trip from Flinders St to Lilydale takes roughly 1hr, and the bus trip from Lilydale to Millgrove takes about 45 minutes.
Private Room*
Twin Room*
Shared Room
Camping
If all our private rooms are booked out you may elect to stay offsite, at Pallotti College (which is just 500 metres away) or at a nearby hotel or B&B. You will need to arrange and pay for your own accommodation, but can enjoy our meals and meditation program for $550.
“Thanks for putting on such a fantastic retreat!
I really enjoyed the way you ran things and appreciated your very skilled way with people. It was so nice to have you working along side us and supporting us in such a flexible and caring way.
Thanks to this retreat, I’ve gone from seeing meditation as inevitable hard work and pain, to something that can be enjoyable, light and relaxing.”
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— Bede C.
“The retreat was excellent. It was priced well. The venue was great and the location and food excellent.
I particularly liked the two hour lunch and all the breaks. This added a component of rest, relaxation and reading to the retreat, which was extremely pleasant.”
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— Henry C.
“I wanted to thank you and Deb both for the experience on retreat. I was a little hesitant coming and had no idea what to expect, but you were both so warm and interested that I felt really at ease.
I feel like not only did I get a great crash course in basic meditation but also a deeper understanding of what else could be possible for meditation to do for me.
The weekend was so peaceful and I’ve managed to carry a lot of that home with me over the last few months, implementing some of the techniques you taught us. I’m sleeping better, calmer with my family, feel less stressed by work and am better able to talk about my boundaries where needed, because I understand how vital they are for my wellbeing. I’m practicing self compassion and kindness.
I also appreciated the connection with a group of like minded people and the way you and Deb facilitated that without “taking over” and imposing your way on us as we discovered what worked for us.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
— Sarah P.