Words from Kristin Borchardt, Yoga Teacher, Retreat Facilitator and Owner of Nook Studio.
Thank you for arriving here on my Retreat Offerings page for 2026. These offerings belong to “this” season in my life, and in the work I’m sharing right now. These offerings are not guaranteed annually and are not repeated templates of work, each retreat arises from the current season of life I am moving through, and the current season of work I am in. I allow these retreats to unfold organically, rather than committing to the same template and offering each year. Each of these retreats stand on their own and are shaped by this.
Bali Retreat – Sehuli, Pererenan
17th – 23rd August, 2026
This retreat is an intimate, thoughtfully curated gathering, open to you whether you’re new to yoga, a seasoned practitioner, or simply longing for a week of nourishment and reset in Bali. It’s designed to leave you feeling grounded, deeply restored, and reconnected to yourself.
As a yoga teacher of nearly 20 years, an Occupational Therapist, and the founder of Nook Studios in Mount Maunganui, I’ve spent the past 17 years returning to Bali—falling in love with its culture, its people, and its rich yoga community. This retreat brings together the most meaningful treasures from those years of connection.
What I’ve learned, time and again, is this: when we keep things simple and intentional, the retreat experience becomes truly transformative.
This is your invitation to pause.
To step away from the busy.
To rest, move, laugh, reconnect—and breathe deeply again.
The Heart of the Retreat: Yoga as the Thread
Yoga is the golden thread that weaves this retreat together—connecting movement, breath, and stillness. Each day is designed around three intentional yoga practices, offering structure, rhythm, and spaciousness.
From this foundation flows everything else:
• daily fascia release techniques
• nourishing, vibrant vegetarian meals
• four afternoons of deeply restorative massage
• meditation, breathwork, journaling, and shared community experiences
This is an experiential retreat, not a teacher training or philosophical deep dive. You’ll be guided through a supportive daily rhythm of set practices, with generous time to rest, integrate, and be held.
Practices · Nourishment · Restoration
This retreat is grounded in three core pillars that support your wellbeing from the inside out:
Practice
Each day includes approximately 5 hours of guided yoga, held within a steady, predictable rhythm that allows the nervous system to soften and trust.
7:00am – Morning Set Practice
Rooted in the tradition of the Primary Series, this is a dynamic, steady-paced class following a consistent sequence. Expect sun salutations, standing postures, and seated asana—woven together with breath and mindful movement. These practices invite challenge, strength, and confidence within a clear, familiar structure.
This is the only optional practice. If your body is calling for slower mornings, you’re welcome to sleep in.
10:30am (75 min) – Mid-Morning Practice
A slower, mindful practice inviting you to move with intention. These sessions explore specific areas of the body—hips, spine, shoulders, heart—guided by breath, awareness, and embodied presence.
6:30pm – Evening Yin Yoga
Rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist philosophy, Yin Yoga honours stillness, depth, and the body’s internal landscape. Through long-held, supported shapes, we gently access fascia, joints, meridians, and emotional layers.
Practised at night, Yin becomes especially potent—guiding the nervous system into parasympathetic rest, supporting deep sleep, integration, and healing. This is less about stretching, and more about softening into who we truly are.
Fascia Release Techniques
At the heart of this retreat is a deep respect for the body’s innate intelligence and fascia is its great communicator.
Inspired by the work of Gary Brecka, these gentle techniques blend breath, biomechanics, and intuitive movement to support hydration of the fascia, emotional release, and freedom in both movement and stillness.
Practised between yoga sessions, bodywork, and Yin, fascia release becomes the bridge that allows deeper integration, helping the body process somatic shifts, restore communication pathways, and unwind long-held tension.
This is not forceful work.
It is listening work.
And true healing begins there.
Daily Meditation (TM)
Each day we’ll practise a simple, consistent 20-minute Transcendental Meditation (TM) practice.
TM is effortless, accessible, and non-religious—making it ideal whether you’re brand new to meditation or seeking more depth. Using silent mantra repetition, the mind naturally settles into deep rest, calm, and clarity.
By staying with one technique throughout the retreat, the nervous system stabilises, confidence builds, and meditation becomes something you experience, not something you strive for.
Holotropic Breathwork
One of the most powerful experiences of the retreat is our group Holotropic Breathwork journey, facilitated by Nicole Bridger, owner of Sehuli Retreat.
Developed by Dr. Stanislav Grof, this practice uses a specific breathing pattern to access altered states of consciousness—allowing emotional release, insight, and deep recalibration.
This session is optional, though highly encouraged, and often becomes one of the most loved moments of the retreat. If you choose not to attend, self-time at Sehuli is your alternative.
Journalling & Integration
We’ll gather for guided journaling on two key afternoons—midway and at the close of the retreat. These sessions offer space to reflect, integrate, and prepare for the transition back into daily life with clarity and intention.
Nourishment
Our food philosophy centres on simplicity, vitality, and care. Meals will be predominantly plant-based, low in gluten, sugar, and dairy, with vegetarian protein options including eggs. Food is designed to be energetically light while deeply nourishing.
We’re honoured to welcome Kadek, former head chef at Bali’s Green School, whose approach to food reflects reverence, flavour, and healing. Together, we’ve curated a vibrant vegetarian menu with three daily meals, raw juices, smoothies, and wholesome snacks.
Our final night will be shared at Mostly, a beloved wood-fired, Asian-inspired restaurant within walking distance of Sehuli.
The Art of Receiving: Massage & Bodywork
Across the week, you’ll receive four 90-minute massage treatments, intentionally spaced to allow integration.
These treatments are deeply restorative, calming the nervous system, unwinding stored tension, and supporting emotional release.
For those paying in full, your final treatment becomes something extra special: a 2-hour immersion at Spring Spa, Canggu—our gift to you.
The Venue: Sehuli
In 2026, we return to my Bali home—Sehuli.
This intimate sanctuary offers a relaxed, family-like atmosphere, with open-air spaces, a rooftop shala, poolside lounging, and newly refurbished rooms. With just 12 rooms, this retreat is designed for meaningful connection, not crowds.
While many guests are women, this is not a women-only retreat. Men travelling solo or with partners are warmly welcome.
Accommodation & Investment
Private Suite
• Single Occupancy: NZD $4,790
• Shared (partner/friend): NZD $4,100 pp
Shared Twin Suite
• NZD $4,150 pp
11-month payment plans available (30% non-refundable deposit required).
Pay-in-full guests receive the extended Spring Spa experience.
What’s Included
• 6 nights accommodation at Sehuli
• ~5 hours daily yoga
• Daily fascia release practices
• Daily TM meditation
• Holotropic Breathwork
• 4 × 90-min massages
• Balinese welcoming ceremony
• 3 meals daily + snacks & juices
• Arrival & departure gifts (valued at $300 NZD)
• Final group dinner
• One-month post-retreat Zoom integration call
Flights and transfers are managed independently.
Optional Add On Private Sessions with Nicole
Limited spaces available during the retreat for:
• Intuitive Coaching (1hr – $250 NZD)
• Private Sound Healing (2hrs – $300 NZD)
• Quantum Healing & Immersions (post-retreat)
If you are drawn but have questions, you’re warmly invited to reply to this via email or request a call.
Please email Kristin at hello@nookstudios.co.nz
Come Home to Yourself
This retreat is not about becoming more. It’s about remembering what’s already here.
I can’t wait to welcome you to Bali.
Restorative Women’s Retreat – Kula Homestead, Muriwai, NZ
22nd - 24th May, 2026
(Starts Fri 22nd 9:30an, Closes Sun 24th 2pm)
Womens Restorative Retreat 22 - 24 May2026
This retreat is for women, for the way we give, constantly.
For the women who are holding families, managing households, working, planning, organising, remembering everything, and carrying so much of the unseen load.
For the women who are always in demand, supporting, nurturing, holding space for others, often while quietly placing themselves last.
It is for women moving through deep fatigue, mental exhaustion, and the constant pull of hormonal change, whether that’s postpartum, perimenopause, menopause, or simply the cumulative tiredness of years spent caring for others.
For the woman who feels stretched thin, depleted, or disconnected from herself, and for the woman who knows she needs rest but finds it hard to claim.
It is also for the woman who wants to celebrate where she is in her life, who feels grounded, curious, or simply ready to pause and savour.
For the women coming solo or those joining with a friend, a sister, or a mother, for choosing time for yourself or together. Together we will have laughter, softness, and shared experience.
Every touchpoint of this retreat has been thoughtfully and intentionally considered.
You will be deeply supported through nourishing, restorative and yin yoga practices that calm the nervous system and gently restore depleted reserves.
Each meal is lovingly prepared to support energy, and seasonal nourishment, so you can fully receive, rather than provide.
This is a luxury weekend, held at a luxury private retreat space, we have a private chef who can often be found meditating in between meal prep. A rare opportunity to soften, replenish, and remember what it feels like to be supported in every sense.
ABOUT THE RETREAT
Join myself Kristin Borchardt, experienced yoga teacher, retreat facilitator, and former Occupational Therapist- for a three-day immersion dedicated to slowing down, re settling the nervous system, and honouring the natural rhythms of autumn. With over 18 years of teaching experience, Kristin’s work blends science, soul, and the lived wisdom of a woman, mother, and business owner. Her retreats offer a space to exhale, soften, and return to yourself.
Held on the wild west coast of New Zealand at the stunning Kula Homestead, this retreat brings together restorative yoga, yin yoga, slow mindful movement, sound, scent, and sensory nourishment. Seasonal vegetarian meals are prepared with fresh, local produce, complementing the grounding energy of autumn. Between practices, unwind in the barrel sauna, soak in the spa, or rest in one of Kula’s beautifully designed spaces overlooking Muriwai.
This retreat is for women longing to slow down and be deeply supported- body, mind, and spirit. You’ll leave feeling rested, grounded, and renewed.
Here is the essence of this retreat:
Restorative Yoga and Slow Yoga practices.
Deeply supported, slow practices that activate the parasympathetic nervous system, encouraging rest, repair, better sleep, and profound softening.
Yin Yoga, Through the lens of Chinese Medicine
Honouring the Metal element of autumn, yin focuses on the lung and large intestine meridians, exploring themes of release, clarity, and letting go. Long-held shapes, gentle twists, and chest-opening postures align the body with the season’s natural exhale.
A Sensory Sanctuary
Aromatherapy, sound healing, sauna heat, and mindful ritual support nervous system restoration. These sensory threads help you reconnect with presence, creativity, and the subtle intelligence of the body.
Our Power-House of Women Guest Facilitators
Melanie Morris, Poet Botanicals: Aromatherapist and founder of Poet Botanicals. Learning about aromatherapy, enjoy a hands-on candle-making workshop, creating our own intentional aromatherapy blend for the retreat.
Chloe Palmer, Sound Healer & Musician: Guides our evening sound journey, weaving vocals, instruments, and vibration for deep release.
Elise, The Sustainable Food Co: Returns for her third year, offering grounding, seasonal, plant-based with influences from ayurveda, a weekend long menu that nourish as autumn invites us inward.
Debbie Karl, 5 Element Practitioner: I have a passion for the 5 element model as it was taught to me by some incredible teachers in Oriental Medicine. There is a delectable word medicine and simplicity to the elements that is poetry, and I believe there have been things, such simple things that have been said to me, that have informed my life. I will never forget them because they were simple and the kernel of me knew those things to be deep truths. I am Huia's granddaughter and with that comes a sincere longing to represent the old teachings, the natural ways as purely as I can. It feels like a great privilege to bring those things through to our present day and crown you with that knowledge. I will be exploring the Metal element and bringing it alive in you so that you will never forget how the Autumn season influences the whole of you. How it is a life lived reverently that respects the seasons.
Our Venue, Kula Homestead
“Kula” means community and connection. The Homestead offers boutique accommodation, warm communal spaces, and beautifully appointed interiors- an elegant home for rest and renewal.
Inclusions
• 2 nights luxury accommodation
• Arrival gifts
• Opening & closing ceremonies
• 8 hrs of slow, intentional yoga: Restorative, Yin, Flow, Yoga Nidra
• Lazy cacao chats + reflective journalling
• Seasonal vegetarian meals, snacks, smoothies, herbal teas
• Sound Journey with Chloe Palmer
• Aromatherapy & Candle Workshop with Poet Botanicals
• Two 1-hour optional sessions in the sauna or spa
Self Investment:
You are investing in a high end New Zealand Retreat venue, with private chef and experience from incredibly respected women in their own fields of work. All inclusive of accomodation, meals, practices and facilitation. Payment plans available. A limited number of spaces.
Accommodation & Pricing
Our special women are starting to land & rooms filling. Below is an update on room availability.
Te Henga Master Suite- Sleeps 1
Private sauna, ocean views, luxury ensuite.
$3150 | Deposit $945 | $441 Monthly (calculated from Dec 2025)
Te Waharoa Bay Room – Twin Share
King-single bunks, private bathroom.
$2650 | Deposit $795 | $371 Monthly (calculated from Dec 2025)
Maori Bay Room – Quad Share Still have some availability.
King-single bunks, shared bathroom.
$1960 | Deposit $585 | Monthly $275 (calculated from Dec 2025)
Kirikiri Bay Room – Sleeps 1 | SOLD OUT
Super-king bed, shared bathroom.
$2950 | Deposit $855
Maukatia Bay Room – Twin Share | SOLD OUT
Two single beds, ocean views.
$2665 | Deposit $800 | Monthly: $251.80 (calculated from Dec 2025)
Pillow Lava Bay Room – Quad Share | Still have some availability.
King-single bunks, shared facilities.
$1950 | Deposit $585 | Monthly: $189.30 (calculated from Dec 2025)
Orchard Cabin / and the Wellness Cabin – each cabin Sleeps 1
Standalone cabin close to main homestead, queen bed, quiet privacy, shared bathroom in main house.
$2950 per cabin (1 x person per cabin)
If you are drawn but have questions, you’re warmly invited to reply to this via email or request a call.
Please email Kristin at hello@nookstudios.co.nz
