A weekend for women ready to return to themselves.
The Sacred Return
1–3 October 2027 (Friday 3pm → Sunday 1pm)
The Sacred Return is a 2.5-day women’s embodiment retreat for women navigating their awakening journey — women who sense there is more to life than the version they have been performing, and who are ready to meet themselves at a deeper, truer level.
This is not a wellness escape. It is a threshold experience — a held container where women cross from the life they have been managing into a more soul-aligned, embodied way of being. The Sacred Return weaves nervous-system regulation, somatic embodiment, ancient ritual, and feminine spiritual practice into a single, cohesive journey of return.
For women who are:
On an awakening or healing journey and seeking community, not just content
Feeling the call to embody their spiritual insights rather than just understand them intellectually
Carrying stress, burnout, or a dysregulated nervous system from years of over-giving
Longing for soul alignment — a felt sense of living from truth, not performance
Ready to be witnessed and held by other women in sacred sisterhood
My journey to awakening, healing, rebirth and purpose.
MARYE O'BRIEN, your facilitator
Marye O'Brien is an Ayurvedic practitioner, an intuitive energy and sound healer. Her work is motivated by her deep desire for a world where all beings feel safe, loved and nourished. Although Marye spent many years in the corporate world, she feels that the road to nourishment is not these external avenues but rather an inward one, a journey to the soul. Her son’s stillbirth and subsequent health crisis launched her onto a healing path that has given her insight and wisdom that she shares with a healing kindness. Her gentle but warrior spirit is bringing forth the message that we are divine energy beings with the ability to create and transform our reality.
Marye brings a depth and breadth of understanding of the human journey, born out of her own immersion in the furnace of personal transformation.
“My own journey has taught me that looking after yourself is not about pampering.” Marye shares. “Your body and mind require a safe space for nurturing and embodiment to cultivate innate wisdom. Being a lighthouse for my community is such an honour, guiding client’s home to their authentic selves fills me with so much joy.”
Marye is brave, and she helps others feel brave too. She is a trauma survivor; she lost a child and suffered workplace bullying. She went through a dark night of the soul, here she was shown the key to humanity’s suffering and the potential for the birth of a new consciousness and world.
Her life’s work at Maiaveda is a testament to her passion for healing and her commitment to those seeking a deeper connection with themselves.
Marye’s gifts extend beyond her work as a practitioner, she is a spiritual teacher and guide who listens with empathy and leads with wisdom.
Marye’s approach is deeply rooted in ancient wisdom, she offers personalised care that transcends conventional therapy, touching lives through her profound insights and nurturing presence.
A Women's Embodiment Retreat — Continental House, Hepburn Springs
What’s Included:
2 nights accommodation in a private ensuite room at the historic Continental House, Hepburn Springs
All meals: 2 dinners, 2 brunches, 1 light lunch, plus snacks/tea/herbal elixirs throughout (vegetarian, seasonal, nervous-system-supportive menu, on-site Chef)
Full facilitation of the 5-pillar journey by our lead facilitator, Marye O’Brien
Gentle feminine embodiment flow experiences— Yin Yoga and Qi Gong – not a workout. Waking the body softly, connecting to sensation, energy and breath.
Quiet time to land in the body and space.
Feminine Archetype & Embodiment Workshop
Fire Ceremony – The Alchemist Achetype
Guided journey beneath the performing self. Where have you abandoned yourself? What story is running you? Body-based inquiry.
Access to the authentic Turkish hammam ritual
Free time for solo nature walks on the Goldfields Track, rest, journaling.
All ceremony and ritual materials, welcome gift, integration journal/workbook
Welcome ritual gift + take-home integration practices
Post-retreat: private online sisterhood community + one integration call (2 weeks after)
Access to Continental House gardens, yoga room, lounges, and grounds PLUS spa deck access: mineral spa hot tub, infrared sauna, cold plunge pool
OPTIONAL EXTRA (limited number available) 60min Signature Massage, extra $165.00
The Signature Journey Arc
Day 1 — Friday: Threshold & Safety (The Landing)
The first day does not chase transformation. It builds safety. We understand that the body must feel safe before it will open — so Day 1 is about arrival, regulation, and creating the container.
Day 2 — Saturday: Descent, Release & Re-membering (The Deep Work)
This is the transformation day. Mornings begin in regulation and grounding; the middle of the day moves into deep inquiry and release; afternoons hold spaciousness and restoration; evenings move into ritual and ceremony. The “white space” between sessions is where the real work settles.
Day 3 — Sunday: The Return (Integration & Re-entry)
The final morning shifts from inner work to integration — the step most retreats neglect. Transformation that isn’t integrated doesn’t last. Day 3 is about taking the journey home as lived practice.
Your investment
12 rooms | Only 16 places
| Sanctuary Solo | – Private ensuite room, solo occupancy | AU$2,195 (early bird) | AU$2,495 (after May 2027) |
| Sister Suite (twin-share) | – Ensuite room shared with a friend | AU$1,695 pp (early bird) | AU$1,895 pp (after May 2027) |
| Founders Circle (limited) | – Solo, with 1:1 4 hour integration session with Marye at Maiaveda after your retreat |
AU$2,895 (early bird) | AU$3,195 (after May 2027) |
Deposit: AU$500 deposit to hold a place.
Payment plan: 4 instalments available (deposit + 3 payments), balance due by 31 August 2027
Early-bird: 10% off, open through May 2027 — rewarding the women already in our world.
Optional Extra: 60min Signature Massage $165 (limited number available)
Make a Reservation or Request More Information