Divine Feminine | Phases of Womanhood: A Weekend Retreat at Greenstone Retreat

ALL AGES · ALL PHASES · ALL WELCOME

Whether you're just beginning to cycle, right in the fullness of motherhood, moving through your wisdom years, or anywhere in between, this weekend holds space for you.

We'll spend three days together: arriving, opening up, and integrating it all. Expect practice, ceremony, and sisterhood, grounded in the body, the cycle, and the sacred feminine in every stage of a woman's life.

How the Weekend Unfolds

Friday: Arrival

Come and settle in from 2pm. We'll open with a practice and circle around 4.30pm to help everyone arrive, in the space and with each other, before easing into an evening of yoga nidra and sound healing.

Saturday: Hormones, Emotions and Women's Health

This is a day devoted to the physiology of being a woman. We'll dig into the nervous system and polyvagal theory, work with hormones through every life stage, move through yoga and breathwork for emotional balance, map the cycle, and talk openly about menopause. A restorative practice will help tend to the adrenals, and as the sun goes down, we'll gather for a Havan fire ceremony, a beautiful ritual crossing into the sacred feminine.

Sunday: Sacred Feminine and Archetypes

Meet the archetypes that live within you: Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, the Tree. Through embodied practice, a sharing circle, and time in nature, we'll move through asana, pranayama, mudra, and meditation together. We'll close gently, with an optional evening of dance for anyone who wants to stay and celebrate.

The days will typically unfold with a gentle rhythmn:

• Morning Hatha yoga, pranayama and meditation (whole weekend retreat ticket holders only)

• Breakfast (whole weekend retreat ticket holders only)

• A workshop or circle on the day's theme

• Yoga nidra

• Lunch

• An afternoon workshop or practice

Food and Dietary Requirements

A vegetarian menu will be served throughout the weekend, made with plenty of fresh, locally grown food. Please let us know of any dietary requirements or allergies in advance, so we can prepare for you.

Ways to Join

Full Weekend Retreat: Friday through Sunday, with 2 nights accommodation, meals, linen, and the whole arc of the retreat included. If you'd like to stay on Sunday night too, perhaps for a private session with Swami on Monday, you can add an extra night for an additional cost.

Live locally? Join us after breakfast for the weekend days without staying on site, lunches included.

Come just for Saturday or Sunday - days start at 9am and finish 6.45pm Saturday and 5.30pm Sunday (with the option to stay and dance after the closing ceremony) with lunch included. Great for those short on time or with a specific interest area of the weekend.

The nearest airport is Hokitika, and the nearest TranzAlpine train station is in Greymouth. Pick up from either can be arranged for an additional fee, just let us know your travel plans when you book.

What to bring: A journal, pen and water bottle as well as anything you need to be comfortable for the day/weekend. Wear comfortable clothes that make you feel feminine and are suitable for yoga, plus an open heart.

Bring a Mate: Book with a friend and you'll each get 10% off whatever rate applies at the time you book.

Got questions? Reach out to greenstoneretreat@outlook.com or call 021 0811 3396

Meet Your Teacher and Host

Swami Karma Karuna Saraswati is an engaging, intuitive yoga and meditation teacher, inspirational speaker, writer, and IAYT certified Yoga Therapist with more than 30 years of experience in the yoga field, including significant training in Nepal and India and ongoing training in the ashram with her teachers.

She holds a certificate in Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy and Polyvagal Yoga and is a senior teacher of Yoga New Zealand. A Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal Communications, with a minor in Psychology, shaped her early interest in working with groups and individuals. Swami Karma Karuna specialises in a range of areas such as Yoga Nidra, Restorative Yoga, Prana, Chakras, Yoga Psychology, and Women's Health. She is also a co founder and director of Anahata Yoga Retreat, New Zealand, and travels throughout the world leading workshops, training yoga teachers, presenting at international events, guiding spiritual sadhana retreats, and offering therapeutic one to one yoga sessions.

Swami Karma Karuna is passionate about sharing an authentic and down to earth approach, weaving together ancient practices with a touch of psychology and brain science, all aimed at motivating people to live their yoga here and now.

Your Host, Kate Hawkins

Kate Hawkins, founder of Greenstone Retreat, will be supporting Swami Karma Karuna throughout the weekend. Kate is an advanced yoga teacher and retreat creator who has worked with sound, ceremony, and cycles for many years.

Greenstone Retreat's philosophy, for its events and as an employer, is to honour women's cycles as a way of leading from a compassionate space, working in a more yin way, in harmony with nature.

The Venue

Greenstone Retreat is tucked away in Kumara, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, a peaceful setting to properly slow down. The property is a holistic wellness retreat and accommodation venue, with classes and events held from Evolve Studio on site.

You'll find comfortable rooms, shared communal spaces with storage, and lovely gardens to wander, plenty of time and space to immerse yourself in nature over the weekend.