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Nature-Based Wellness Retreat | Southern Highlands NSW
Reconnect with yourself through the healing presence of horses, land, and your own body’s wisdom
For many of the people who find their way here, life has become too fast, too full, too disconnected from what really matters.
You’ve been holding everyone else together. Managing work, family, responsibilities. Showing up even when your body is screaming for rest. Perhaps you’ve noticed the signs: insomnia that won’t shift, a gut that’s always unsettled, a nervous system that never quite comes down. Or maybe it’s quieter than that. A subtle knowing that something needs to change, even if you don’t have words for what.
This isn’t a wellness retreat in the way you might expect. We don’t offer spas or structured programs. There’s no fixing here, no agenda to meet. What we do offer is space, presence, and the medicine of this land and our therapy horses.
At Highlands Centre for Healing, we work alongside our herd in a way that supports your nervous system to regulate, to release what’s been held, and to remember what it feels like to simply be.
This isn’t just another NSW wellness retreat; it’s a transformative experience that stays with you forever.
What We Offer
Our 106-acre sanctuary in the NSW Southern Highlands, just 90 minutes from Sydney and an hour from Canberra, holds space for something different.
You might come for a single session or stay for several days. You might arrive with a clear intention or simply with the need to pause. Both are welcome.
Individual sessions with the horses
Somatic Energy Healing With Horses
These are ground-based sessions, meaning we work alongside the horses rather than on horseback. The horses are not tools or props. They are partners, sensitive beings who reflect what your nervous system is holding and what it’s ready to release.
Sessions with Soo unfold in response to what’s present in the moment. There is no manual, no activity list. Just attuned presence, the wisdom of your body, and the horses’ invitation to return to coherence.
60-minute sessions available by appointment
Reiki with the herd
This is energy healing channelled by Soo, in the presence of horses and the wider natural environment. It’s deeply restorative work that supports your body’s innate capacity to recalibrate and heal.
The herd holds space with you. The land holds you. And in that spaciousness, often what has been stuck begins to move.
90-minute sessions available by appointment
Wellness Retreats
Day Retreat
A day of deep rest and reconnection. You’ll spend time with the horses, walk the land, and have space to breathe. Designed for your group’s needs. Can include healing sessions, access to the land, and nourishing refreshments.
This is for small groups who need to step off the treadmill, even if just for a day.
Half-day or full-day options available
2-day Weekend or Midweek Retreat
Two nights in private accommodation on the property. Time to let your nervous system soften. Multiple healing sessions, self-guided access to the 106 acres.
This is for when you need more than a day. When rest needs to be deeper, longer, held.
Available for individuals or small groups (up to 4 people)
Extended Healing Retreat
3-7 nights. Space for transformation, integration, and the kind of healing that can’t be rushed. If you wish it can include daily sessions with horses, somatic practices, and full access to the land.
This is for those at a turning point. Grief, burnout, transition, unravelling. When you know something needs to shift and you’re ready to give it the time it deserves.
Custom packages available. Enquire for details.
Your Stay
We have two private accommodation spaces on the property.
Both offer privacy, simplicity, and the soundscape of nature. No traffic. No crowds. Just birdsong, wind, and the occasional nicker from the herd.
The Stables
rooms within our stables building, with all the comforts of home and direct access to the paddocks and horses.
Gang Gang Hideaway
A quiet retreat space nestled near trees, overlooking the forest where the gang gang cockatoos breed, and roos gather.
The Land
This property is alive. The land is part of the healing. Not as a backdrop, but as a presence. Many people say they feel held here before they even meet the horses.
Who Is this For?
You don’t need a diagnosis or a label to be here. You just need to be human.
That said, the people who resonate with this work often share some common threads:
- You’re highly capable, often a carer or giver, and you’ve spent years putting yourself last
- Your body is sending signals you can no longer ignore: exhaustion, anxiety, numbness, pain
- Talk therapy hasn’t quite reached the places that need healing
- You’re drawn to nature, animals, and ways of working that feel embodied rather than purely cognitive
- You’re open to change, to a different way of being, even if you don’t fully understand it yet
Most of our guests travel from Sydney, Canberra, the Southern Highlands, and the Illawarra. Some come from further afield. What they share is a readiness to meet themselves, honestly and gently.
Guided by Soo Woods
Soo grew up finding safety in nature and animals. They were the first beings who met her without judgement.
She spent years in cycles of stress, disconnection, and survival patterns that no longer served her. What wasn’t yet understand was how deeply the body holds experience, and how profoundly it can heal when given the right conditions.
Over the past decade, Soo has immersed myself in trauma-aware somatic practice, energy healing, and nature-based modalities. More importantly, she has lived and fully embodied this work. She knows first hand what is is to soften out of survival, to release what’s been held, to return to coherence in her own body.
Today, her role is not to heal or fix you. It’s to hold a space where your own healing can unfold. Through attuned presence with the horses, the land, and your nervous system, Soo supports you to return to the truth of who you are under the story.
PRACTICALITIES
- Location: Highlands Centre For Healing, Moss Vale, NSW Southern Highlands (approximately 90 minutes from Sydney, 60 minutes from Canberra, close to Bowral, Mittagong, Moss Vale)
- Investment: Varies, depending on duration of stay and inclusions
- Bookings: Sessions and Retreats are available by appointment. Spaces are limited to honour the intimacy and depth of this work.
- What to bring: An open mind and heart.
NATURE-BASED WELLNESS RETREATS IN NSW
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need horse experience?
Not for therapeutic sessions. The work is ground-based and no riding or horse handling experience is required. The horses meet you exactly where you are.
If you are an experienced rider (are or have been capable & confident at walk, trot and canter, we offer walk-only trail rides in the adjacent state forest).
Is this suitable if I'm afraid of horses?
Yes. Fear is information, and we honour it. You’re never asked to do anything that doesn’t feel safe. Many people who arrive nervous find the horses to be the gentlest presence they’ve met.
Can I come with a friend or partner?
Absolutely. We offer small group retreats (up to 4 people) and can tailor sessions for couples or friends who want to journey together.
What should I bring?
A smile and an open heart. Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing and closed-toe shoes. Bring layers, as much of the time is spent outdoors. Usually the accommodation is self-catering so you will need to also bring food.
Is this covered by health insurance or NDIS?
Not currently. This work sits outside traditional clinical frameworks.
How do I know if this is right for me?
Trust your body. If something in you stirred when you read this, that’s your answer.
What happens during equine therapy?
At Highlands Centre For Healing, sessions are ground-based and may include somatic awareness, observation, mindful interaction, and reflective conversation. There is no riding. Our focus is safety, presence, relational awareness and coherence.
What is another name for equine therapy?
It may also be called equine-assisted therapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), equine-facilitated learning, or horse-assisted therapy.
At Highlands Centre For Healing, it has evolved into ‘Somatic Energy Healing with Soo, the horses and the land.‘
How does equine therapy help with trauma?
Trauma is held in the nervous system and body. Horses are exquisitely sensitive to subtle shifts in energy and regulation, offering immediate, non-verbal feedback that brings unconscious patterns into awareness.
In this grounded relational space, clients can practise safety, boundaries and co-regulation in real time. Our horses also support the release of held or stagnant energy, offering healing and a restoration to flow, balance and a renewed sense of vitality.
Don’t therapy horses burn out?
Yes — they absolutely can if they are overworked, overhandled, or given no choice. At Highlands Centre for Healing, the wellbeing of our herd comes first. We have 15 horses who live as a herd with ample space to move, rest, graze, roll, and regulate naturally. Sessions are held at liberty — the horses are not haltered or required to participate. They are free to approach, stay, or walk away at any time. Sometimes one horse engages in a session, sometimes several, and sometimes very little happens externally at all. Their involvement is always voluntary.
Because they have choice, space, social connection, bodywork treatments, and time between sessions, they are able to restore themselves and remain balanced. Their autonomy is not just respected — it is foundational to how we work.
What others experience in the Southern Highlands
Sharon
Today was a beautiful experience with Soo and her wonderful herd, and along with Jo's teaching into emotion code techniques to help manage our emotional life and releasing trapped emotions. I loved it. Thank you with all my heart to you all, especially the horses!
Jo
Beautiful energy - from the gate! I left my thoughts crowding my head, I tuned into the energy of the land, animals and the gift of nature. Very special space. Highly recommend!
Marion
The location is magic and the overall experience was very special. Waking up to the sound of horses just outside our window was amazing. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and found the stable accommodation very clean and comfortable. We will definitely be back. Thanks Soo!
Barbara
This day was great, relaxing, calming and what I needed so thank you to everyone for making the day beautiful.
Lily
Thank you for having me in your beautiful, peaceful space. I enjoyed my time here and will remember this forever.
Donna
Learnt some interesting things on how to deal with feelings of loss and couldn't have been in a more beautiful place to do it.
As you return to your routine, the peace of the fog-laden mornings
and the resilience of the ancient forests stay with you.
Leave the world's hysteria behind
We dare you to unplug for 48 hours. Experience life beyond phones, wi-fi, television, emails, notifications, and distractions.
Instead of the glow from the screens, let the first light of dawn greet you.