‘Stop and listen to the whispers of your ancestors as they guide you as you walk barefoot upon mother earth.’Aunty Lyiata Ballangarry
About this Event
Itha Mari Yapara: This way in the right direction home Retreat
Friday 13 November - Sunday 15 November 2026
Ready to find your path and recharge? Join us in person for the Itha Mari Yapara retreat. This is a small, intimate retreat for 10 to 15 people ready to slow down, rest, and find their way back to themselves.
Held over three winter days, this is a carefully held space for people carrying stress, grief, loneliness, or the quiet exhaustion of too much.
Each day weaves together storytelling, sound, ceremony, body mapping, and time in nature, so you can slow, rest, reconnect to yourself, reconnect to the natural world, and leave genuinely re-energised. Somatic practices are woven throughout and shared in ways you can carry home: gentle tools for coming back to your body when the world speeds up again.
Elements of the Retreat
• Storytelling and songline mapping
• Sound healing and somatic practice
• Fire ceremony
• Mandala creation and vision boarding
• Unhurried time in each other’s company, and the ancient, proven practice of yarning, where story shared becomes story lightened.
• Free time: mineral pool, massage, ocean swim, rest
This Retreat is For You If...
• You are carrying stress, trauma, or burnout
• You feel lonely, isolated, or disconnected
• You are longing for rest that goes deeper than sleep
• You want to reconnect with yourself and with nature
• You are ready to let go of what no longer serves you
• You are curious about ceremony, sound, and story as healing
At the heart of this retreat is a simple ceremonial question: What becomes possible when I return to myself?
Your Facilitators
Aunty Lyiata Ballangarry Baaka Wimpatja Elder and River Keeper of the Gurnu Baakintji clan
Aunty Lyiata's life work, born from profound personal loss and survival, has been distilled into the Healing the Heart model: restoring power, dignity, and identity to communities still living in the shadow of dispossession. Her teachings carry the deep intelligence of Country, ceremony, and the law of her Brolga people.
Harp Kalsi-Smith Trauma-responsive community practitioner, sound healer and reiki therapist
With over 20 years of practice alongside First Nations, migrant, and refugee communities, Harp integrates sound therapy, reiki, creative arts, and systems change into spaces of genuine collective healing. As a migrant herself, she brings lived experience of displacement and belonging, and a long commitment to learning from and in relationship with Aboriginal communities and ways of knowing.
Ed Coney Filmmaker, storytelling practitioner and Creative Director, Open Stories
Ed's background in social work grounds a practice built on trust, care, and the belief that communities are the rightful authors of their own stories. He works alongside organisations and communities to build storytelling capability from within, creating powerful space for self-reflection.
Accommodation
At Byron Yoga Centre, we know that your surroundings are an important part of your stay. Our accommodation is simple, comfortable, and designed to support your rest, relaxation, and practice. We offer a range of options from basic shared rooms to private ensuites, giving you a peaceful space to recharge, unwind, and integrate your yoga, wellness, or training experience each day. Please note that accommodation is booked directly through the centre through the link above.
Vegetarian Menu
At Byron Yoga Centre, we believe that nourishing your body is essential to support your practice and wellbeing. Most of our fresh produce comes straight from our three acres of organic gardens. Our vegetarian menus are designed to be balanced, cleansing, and deeply nourishing, providing the energy you need for your yoga, wellness, or training experience. Guided by our SLOW philosophy, we use super-fresh, organic, and seasonal ingredients, supplemented with locally sourced produce whenever possible. The result is wholesome, nutrient-rich meals that taste as good as they make you feel.
Event venue
Byron Yoga Centre, 50 Skinners Shoot Road, Byron Bay, Australia
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