WOMEN in the region will have the opportunity to step away from the demands of everyday life and focus on their health and wellbeing at the upcoming Molong Women’s Wellness Weekend.
The three-day Spring Awakening Program, running from August 28 to 30 at the Cabonne Community Centre, will feature a range of activities including yoga, sound healing, movement, breathwork, Ayurvedic food and discussions focused on women’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
The weekend has been organised by local women Irene Iskric, Jackie Christopherson and Sandy Prell, who have created a wellness community aimed at helping women reconnect with themselves and take greater control of their health.
The program begins on Friday evening with sound healing and supper, before continuing Saturday with Kundalini yoga, Ayurvedic chat and chai, essential oils and emotions, breathwork, music and mental health, and a session exploring women’s health and the energetic story of the pelvis.
Sunday’s program includes Five Rhythms dance, Ayurvedic chat and chai, voice work, stretch yoga, waste consciousness and yoga nidra, concluding with a closing ceremony.
Women can attend the full weekend or choose individual days, with the program designed to cater to people of different ages and abilities.
The investment is $60 for Friday night’s sound healing, $180 per day, or $300 for the full weekend when booked before August 14, increasing to $350 after that date. Places are limited.
The Women’s Wellness Weekends, which are held twice a year at the Cabonne Community Centre, began as a single day of activities before growing into a full weekend program.
For the organisers, the philosophy behind the initiative is simple: women need space to step away from their everyday responsibilities and consider what they need for themselves.
“I think it allows people to remove themselves from their life as such,” Ms Iskric said.
“It gives people a little bit of time out from that and to reflect, to look at options, to maybe change that life if they choose to do so or to enhance it, and to make it more functional for them.”
At the heart of the program is a message of empowerment and the belief that women should feel comfortable prioritising their own wellbeing.
“It’s really empowering women to take themselves as being important and to say, ‘I am worth doing something for myself’”, Ms Christopherson said.
The wellness weekends offer women an opportunity to pause, whether that means participating in a yoga class, enjoying a meal, trying sound healing or simply spending time reflecting.
The program is also designed to be accessible, with alternative yoga methods available for those who may not be comfortable with traditional movements.
“You can go right into the full thing, or you can do it on a chair,” Ms Christopherson said. “Basically, just do what you can do.”
The local initiative has also expanded beyond Molong, with the group offering a wellness retreat to Bali that brought together women from across Australia.
While the retreat provided an opportunity for rest and reflection, the organisers said they witnessed profound changes in many of the women who attended.
“The women that went left as different women,” Ms Christopherson said.
“They were lighter, they were clearer, they were more comfortable in their own body and their own soul.”
For some participants, it was the first time they had deliberately taken time away from their responsibilities to focus solely on themselves.
“Most of the women were 40 and over, and for some of them it’s the first time they’ve taken time out for themselves,” Ms Christopherson said.
The group hopes to continue expanding its wellness offerings, with further Bali retreats already planned for next year.
There are also hopes to develop a men’s wellness program in the future, with the organisers recognising a particular need for greater support around men’s mental health.
For now, however, the focus remains on encouraging women to make space for themselves.
