Tell someone about your retreat

Being 100% committed to your journey is an important first step in achieving your goals and changing your life. Telling someone you trust that you have signed up for a retreat can also be a powerful motivator as it helps you articulate your commitment to self-learning and dedication to complete your quest.

If you are living with other people (friends, family, partner or children), it would be beneficial to give them as much notice as possible that you are starting your retreat in the event they can organise an outdoor activity to give you some quiet time. If leaving the home is not an option, let them know that you would appreciate no interruptions while you are participating in your session.

planning your retreat
planning your retreat

Reduce expectations

Try not to put pressure on your performance, expectations on how you should feel, or fixate on the outcome of the retreat. Instead, be open to new ideas, try-on new concepts and be prepared to look at life in new and inspiring ways, and we hope you walk away with more self knowledge, love and insight. The optimal goal is that at the conclusion of the retreat, you are inspired to implement what you have learnt into your daily routine. If you learn something that allows you to truly commit to a new journey and you are ready to embody a new lifestyle, improve your wellness habits and strive for an open mindset, that would be an amazing outcome.

We hope this will be one of many retreats, courses and steps that you'll experience in your personal transformation and we hope to be part of your continued life-long learning.

Limit distractions

Turn your phone to airplane mode (or offline mode), put on ‘do not disturb’, and turn your phone on silent. The fewer distractions you have, the more chance you have of being able to completely focus on yourself, reflect on the sessions and enjoy the experience of your retreat. If you are taking the time to dive into a retreat, then make the most of it and reduce distractions as much as possible. Many live, in-person retreats have strict rules around electronic devices so pretend you have no internet for your journey and you will get much more out of your immersive experience.

Once your day is done, try to stay in the moment, reflect on what you have learnt and experienced. Avoid turning the phone back on or dropping into your ‘normal’ evening routine. Change requires action, intent and discipline, if that is what you are seeking, then do the right thing by yourself and commit to your retreat experience as best you can.

planning your retreat
planning your retreat

Schedule downtime

As much as we would love to fill your retreat with endless learnings, it simply isn’t practical for you to be overloaded with training and sessions. During your breaks, plan to do some mindful activities for yourself, or things you love doing but you never make the time for. It may be reading a book, having a cup of tea and putting your feet up, taking a nap, writing in a journal or reflecting on what you have learnt. Going outside and sitting on the grass or taking your shoes off to connect with the earth is a great way to ground yourself and reconnect to who you are, and can be a good way to reset before your next class.

Plan your meals

We provide our Questers with some healthy meal ideas so they can cleanse their body as they train their mind, body and soul. If you want to follow our meal plan, make sure you have completed your shopping before your retreat commences so you are able to enjoy the meals with little fuss. Our nutritious meals are designed to be simple to make and easy to put together.

If you have a good routine and a healthy diet already, make sure you are prepared with your ingredients so you can relax and enjoy the time you have to make your nourishing meals.

planning your retreat
planning your retreat

Prepare your retreat space

If you have the opportunity to prepare a neat, clean and tidy retreat space, it will help with the overall experience. Do you ever feel the sensation of happiness when the house is clean and tidy? Well, imagine that, while also going through the experience of cleansing the body with healthy meals and training your mind to be the best version of you.

If completing a multi-day retreat, clear your bedroom of clutter and put away all electronic devices that may distract you from having a good night's sleep. Remove anything that reminds you of work or tasks that you need to do. Try to limit any prompts that take your mind back to the ‘normal’ routine of life and let yourself become immersed in your wellbeing journey.

Test your devices are working

Make sure you have access to your Quest portal and you can open up the retreat you have booked. We present all our sessions using streaming videos, which are compatible with devices and computers that have an internet browser.

If you are connecting a device to a TV for a bigger, better view of the sessions, this can often be done using a HDMI cable or you may be able to view our OneQuest retreats directly on your smart TV’s internet browser. Make sure you can connect your device successfully and test using one of the other videos on our website before your retreat starts. That way you don’t feel pressured on the day with any technical issues.

planning your retreat

Support your Learning

To get the most from your retreat here is a list of helpful tips and tricks:


  • Use our supplied meal recipes and suggestions to help cleanse the body and pre-plan your meals.
  • Consider what clothing helps you stay flexible for your movements.
  • Tell friends, family or housemates that you need some space and quiet time while you are attending your retreat.
  • Clear your schedule to limit distractions like calls, emails and messages.
  • Use props for your practise -
  • Prepare your quiet retreat space and setup your room to maximise a flow state with -
    • Incense, diffuser, candles or an oil burner
    • A notebook or device to take notes
    • A comfortable seat
    • Headphones or earbuds for a more immersive experience
    • A bottle of water
    • Switch phone to sleep or airplane mode and or turn off all notifications
  • Test your device prior to your retreat start.
  • Take the time to reconnect and ground yourself in your breaks.
  • Don't set performance expectations, keep an open mind and be prepared to try something new.
  • Re-watch sessions you loved to help embody your learnings and change habits.
  • Follow up in-depth courses from any of the coaches that you loved learning from.

Wellbeing is the state in which your physical, mental and spiritual health are in balance, unlocking your natural healing abilities. By prioritising this important facet of self-care, the benefits to your health and overall wellbeing will be immeasurable.

"Finding yourself" is actually returning to yourself. An unlearning, an excavation, a remembering who you were before the world got its hands on you.

Emily McDowell