Yarra Valley Living Centre

I recently went to the Art of Mindfulness retreat at the Yarra Valley Living Centre. I was pleasantly surprised at the beautiful, tranquil setting of the retreat. The facilities were comfortable and luxurious compared to previous retreat centres I've been too. The food was tasty and nutritious. The meditation room had a beautiful energy to it. The teacher was amazing. I highly recommend going on retreat here. A beautiful space to just be.

Life affirming Meditation Teacher Training set in the idyllic Yarra Valley be prepared to be nurtured on every level. Peace and quiet delicious vegan food no distractions and absolute World Class Training.

My Teachers were Paul and Maia Bedson who not only teach with open hearts but so willingly share such a great wealth of knowledge. This is my second visit and I really look forward to returning it is a true home coming. It was more than I could have imagined I highly recommend the Courses and the location. The biggest thank you to everyone at the Yarra Valley Living Centre...I am so blessed I am so grateful..

I experienced the Mindfulness meditation retreat facilitated by Daniel Cerny. Beautiful surroundings, kind and thoughful staff who go out of their way to make sure you are comfortable. Daniel was wonderful, full of knowledge, patient with everyones needs, provided plenty of space for each and every person to connect with their own centre and to start the healing process. The food was delicious and mostly came from the beautiful gardens on site.

I will definately visit again.

Such a beautifully serene environment surrounded by wonderful people❤

Louise Williams – Return to Peace Retreat, June 2019
I have made retreats in numerous locations, but I find the Yarra Valley Living Centre to be unsurpassed in every way. Paul Bedson is a wonderful teacher, able to express ideas that everyone, no matter their background in meditation, is able to understand. Thanks to Maia and all the Yarra Valley Centre Staff, the courses run seamlessly and each participant has a sense of being individually cared-for, nurtured and set free to learn and experience all that is on offer. Beyond the teaching and meditation, there is the beautiful food, the environment and the ambience – my Yarra Valley Living Centre memories will always call me back.

I’ve completed two meditation teacher training weeks at the Yarra Valley Living Centre. My experience? I found my 2 weeks of learning to also be deeply restorative, introspective, warm, filled with generosity, engaging, centering, peaceful, and personal. The leaders are angels walking this earth, and I must say, you meet quite a few amazing participants too. The Centre holds a special place in my heart...

I have attended two residential Meditation Teacher Trainings, (4 days and 5 days) at the Yarra Valley Living Centre, and the experience has been incredible both times. The training facilities, the shared rooms, the meals, the quality of the training, the gardens and grounds - everything is simply perfect. I always feel like I am in a complete bubble of tranquility whilst there.

I attended a spirituality and healing retreat at Gawler foundation in 2016 which was led by Paul and Maia Bedson. It was absolutely wonderful. The property is located on the most beautiful and tranquil grounds. The food served is really healthy (but also absolutely delicious!). Paul and Maia are wise, insightful and kind teachers. I walked away feeling nourished and inspired and I will definitely be coming back for another retreat.

After reading Ian Gawler's book, You Can Conquer Cancer, I knew I needed to make changes in my life. Attending the Cancer Retreat was the best thing I could have done. The staff are beautiful, the food was wonderful (even more so as your taste buds adjust to the changes) and the property and meditation room just gorgeous.The experience and knowledge of Liz, Steph and Craig was amazing and the genuine care and love for each of us was very touching. I have seriously taken on this way of life and feel enthused and excited for my future. I can't thank them all enough!!!!

The nature and the site itself are absolutely beautiful. There are kangaroos hopping around and other plants and creatures to discover. Everything is well catered for, the garden to table service, very inspiring. All of this is completely necessary and effective to revitalise your perspective and way of life. The Overcoming MS retreat I attended with my mother made a profound impact on us, our psyches, our relationship with each other and our habits. Thank you for your wonderful work.

I was greeted by a very warm and friendly woman and shown to my room which was very nice indeed. The surroundings are also beautiful and the inside space is warm for Winter and very well maintained. I attended a Parkinson's Retreat weekend with Assoc Prof Sanjah Raghav and Fiona a Parkinson's nurse with over 20 years experience in this area. They were both very knowledgeable and approachable. The program was inspiring and has made me change to an organic diet, practising yoga and meditation. I have only excellent things to say about this Retreat.

The Yarra Valley Living Centre proved to be a retreat in the true sense of the word. From staff, to food, to accommodation, surrounding environment and programmes offered. Dr Craig Hassed's Mindfulness course for practitioners was superbly orchestrated and offered some valuable take home messages. I will certainly be indulging in other programmes in the future and wouldn't hesitate suggesting anyone considering time at the retreat, take the plunge.

I attended the 'From Garden to Kitchen' work shop last month. I love cooking and, being vegetarian, I was interested in the cooking section. We have raised garden beds and grow vegetables. I was looking forward being better informed re composting etc.
In the kitchen session we were shown how to make a curry; yoghurt; salad, dips and more. We had the curry and salad for lunch and the dips etc for morning and afternoon tea. So much great information. A fun time.
The garden session was great. Wendy and Ben showed us the garden. They gave us a huge amount of information covering many aspects of growing vegetables, composting etc.
We made a No Dig vegetable bed and planted some vegetables.
Stacey, Wendy and Ben are so knowledgable and passionate about their work. What a great day. Beyond my expectation.

I was fortunate to be able to attend another retreat at the Gawler Foundation's Living Centre - this time, Mind Body Medicine led be Drs Ruth Gawler and Sanjay Raghav. As always, I gained an enormous amount of peace, comfort, confidence to heal myself a little further and of course, information and skills to continue on a healing and healthy path. To be part of a program in the idyllic setting in the Yarra Valley, supported by so many wonderful and dedicated staff members, is a real privilege. As leaders, Ruth and Sanjay were particularly inspirational, and gave all they had to give for the 5 days. In spite of the distance to travel, I intend to keep the Foundation workshops as an essential path of my life.

As a parent of a special needs child, my road has been a rocky one, I’ve personally suffered from profound grief and depression as a result of my daughters severe disability and the changes this brought to my life and 6 years ago was very close to a breakdown.

Luckily my mother saw the signs and offered to send me to the Gawler foundation Meditation retreat in the Yarra Valley for a week of learning how to live in balance, deal with profound loss and strong emotions and learning mindful meditation.

This week at Gawler was the beginning of my healing journey. Learning to come to terms with my new life, finding acceptance and even joy again has taken me a very long time but through mindfulness I have now reached a point where I believe that I can be happy living this new and very different life from the one I’d always envisaged.

Thank you to everyone at the Gawler Foundation for the care and compassion you bring to all of your participants in every program that you offer.
I continue to return when I am able to rejuvenate and every time I come away a little bit better and happier..

This was my second 5 day cancer retreat having completed the first one in July 2017. The retreat was facilitated by Daniel & Liz who were very inspirational and practical with their advice, support and knowledge.
The educational aspect of the 7 essential elements is taken on board on a much deeper level, especially for me. It's an opportunity to support positive change.
From day one the group quickly became very cohesive and supportive of each other. The most wonderful thing about participating in these workshops is the vulnerability and support each person brings to the group.
I think our cohesive vulnerability supports change, hope and living well to the forefront of everyone's mind. Individually and as a group we can all move forward with our lives.
The retreat space is well organised and everything is well thought through. The support staff, admin, kitchen and facilitators are all Amazing People and I am very thankful for their efforts that they give freely to all attending.
My own perspective with anyone having a cancer diagnosis is to attend the Gawler Foundation and emotionally calm down before making rational, informed and conscious decisions about the treatment plans you may undertake. Everyone follows their own path, whether mainstream or alternative and please know, either way, or a combination of both, the tools learned at the Gawler Foundation nourishes and sustains your own decisions.
Although I have my own personal ups and downs, travelling on and off the rails, the retreat brings me back on track to keep living well.
Sincere thanks to the Gawler Foundation.

Staff, food, surroundings top notch, wonderful experience. March 2020

One of the favourite places in my universe. Unique and special, where I go to reset my body, my mind and my life. I learn more about the benefits of mindfulness meditation each time, and how to keep and foster it in practice. Great guidance. Add to that, the gentle food, the labyrinth, the birds and the natural bush surroundings ... I cannot recommend this place (and its people) for your meditation practice highly enough.

Had a truly inspiring 7 days at Gawler Retreat - Reclaim the Joy with Ruth Gawler and Melissa Borich. I can thoroughly recommend this experience to anyone wanting to "re-set" and take some time to look after yourself. The food was amazing, the yoga was fantastic and the meditation was challenging but inspired me to continue.

I just attended a retreat here lead by Paul and Maia Bedson it was truly just what I needed to help me along my journey. I came to the retreat confused and feeling lost but on leaving I now have many tools that will help to empower me and give me the strength to move forward. I am so grateful to the Gawler Cancer Foundation for this and would highly recommend this place.