REST STOP RETREATS

A DAY OF GUIDED REST | RESTORING HUMAN BEINGS

A potent pause. Juice in the tank. Deep rest.

Rest Stop is not really a doing kind of ‘work’shop. It’s an embodied conversation between what you need to do and how you want to be in the world.

At our day of guided rest you come back to centre. Balanced, you return rejuvenated, ready and energised to do your thing.

Fran Woodruff and Nat Dowling bring sound healing, mindfulness, nature connection, vocal meditation and gentle movement to these events. The Rest Stop program supports individuals and teams to be happier, healthier and connected humans.

It’s a simple (but clever) program for complex times. In our welcoming space, you can regulate your nervous system, receive nourishment and let go of tension to tap into the type of rest you need.

CORPORATE ENQUIRIES

“rest is the conversation between what we love to do and how we love to be.

Rested we are ready for the world but not held hostage by it, rested we care again for the right things and the right people in the right way.”

David Whyte, Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words.

TAKE TIME TO REST

People are overwhelmed. Nervous systems are frazzled. Folks are stressed. There’s so much to do, do, do. And not a lot of juice left in the tank. Pushing through isn’t always the answer. Exhausted people are not happy humans.
LOWER STRESS + FATIGUE

Long-term physical, mental and emotional stress can result in serious short- and long-term health issues. Prolonged fatigue can even impair performance - it’s like having alcohol in the blood stream. (WorkSafe Victoria)
RESET NERVOUS SYSTEMS

Rest Stop is a place to pause doing and come back to being. It’s not a workshop, more a curated program for reconnection. We’ll guide you to rest using mindfulness, sound healing, meditation, nature connection and gentle movement.

REST STOP FEEDBACK

“We all need this type of self care. What a wonderful safe nurturing environment, wrapping arms around my soul and feeding my physical and mental well-being.”

— KATH

“One of the most tender and exquisite rest-spaces we have ever had the pleasure to melt into. A beautifully woven day that we truly wished would never end.”

— CATHERINE

“Being held safely to drop into self and experience transformation through sound, movement, and meditation.”

— LINDA

“I noticed what my current true goals and priorities are after stripping back some of the clutter and noise of the busy metro life.”

— andy

“It released some ideas for me to follow up, some practices to enjoy myself, some appreciations about joyful gathering together.”

— anonymous

“Very nurturing. I loved using voice and movement to come into my body, both a physical and emotional process.”

— cat

“the seven types of rest that every person needs are physical, mental, sensory, creative, emotional, social and spiritual.”

— Saundra Dalton-Smith MD

FRAN WOODRUFF

For nearly three decades Fran has been deepening her insight to find her own way back home. It all began in India, in 1995, when she was introduced to the Theravadan Buddhist tradition.
Since then Fran has undertaken a range of studies and cultivated practices that include holistic counselling, rewilding, psychotherapy and non-violent communication.
She’s an experienced Vipassana practitioner, teacher and retreat host. In parallel, Fran honed a comms and engagement career, consulting for the public sector and industry.
FOUNDATION TO COME HOME

As Fran witnessed the burgeoning impact of stress among colleagues, she realised she had the tools to support workplace wellbeing. She started to tailor mindfulness and meditation programs for the workplace.
The Foundation to Come Home (FTCH) began with an intention to support people to explore meaning and purpose in their lives. FTCH now provides meditation instruction, off-site retreats, workplace mindfulness training and resources.
Fran supports individuals and organisations across Castlemaine, Bendigo, Ballarat, Daylesford, and also in Melbourne.
NAT DOWLING

Back in year nine, copywriter was the first future grown up career Nat declared. But she trained as a historian, worked in the public sector then and boomeranged back to the Macedon Ranges.
After escaping the bureaucracy she got to provide strategic and creative copywriting via her business, Words on a Page. In this work, ‘brain picking’ emerged as a thing.
Nat noticed that her unique briefing process facilitated deep reflection and inner listening with clients, helping them to see and articulate their own story. This became the best part of her job.
WANDER INTO WILDNESS

Now Nat utilises the potency of storytelling, sound healing and nature to support folks to reflect and connect; to go deeper to discover their unique and authentic expression and way of being in the world.
She works as a facilitator and trained sound healing practitioner to support people and teams to find natural resonance as you offer yourself and your work to the world.
Nat’s been on a journey to reclaim her own wildness. She’s been guided by mentors, training and a big soul descent to gather the wisdom strands she shares with you; Earth, Story and Sound.

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