It sounds strange to say that a self-indulgent holiday can help you make big decisions, but that is exactly the advice Feng Shui expert, Michele Vos Castle gives to her clients.
Ms Vos Castle finds that beyond the usual practices of Feng Shui, bringing clients onto a luxurious retreat brings them unparalleled clarity. She has been a Feng Shui consultant for more than 14 years and was trained by Master Raymond Lo, of Hong Kong, Joe Yap and Lillian Too at the Feng Shui Centre in Perth, Western Australia.
Clients often seek her advice at crossroads in their lives and Ms Vos Castle takes them in small groups and jets them to Bali for pampering and pleasurable pursuits which have inspired by a mix of Chinese astrology and Feng Shui. Her next special Bali retreat is planned for August, 2020.
“I do a lot of teaching in Perth but I’ve found a way of getting better results for my clients is to teach in retreat style,” Ms Vos Castle says.
“So, we go to Bali for five days, away from clients’ environments and families. The group can grasp my teachings and better understand themselves, which is empowering. People talk and bond, and I give them a reality check of how they can make the most of their characteristics and strengths.”
As a Feng Shui expert, she specialises in harmonising with the natural world and fuses those skills with Chinese astrology, to define individual personalities. Soon after touchdown in Bali, clients undergo analysis in which lifestyle and environment are dissected.
This is known as BaZi profiling, or Four Pillars of Destiny. Self-indulgence is never far away in either of the group’s two venues – a boutique hotel in Seminyak and a private villa in Ubud.
“Their stay must be private, indulgent and intimate,” Ms Vos Castle says. “There must be a safe environment for people to understand themselves and heal.”
Reflexology, massage, breath work and meditation in a tropical paradise are allied to a cultural day out that may include sound healing at the Pyramids of Chi and a water purification ceremony. “There are also lots of exciting restaurants and things to do, including French cooking classes.”
Alcohol is permitted. “This is not a health retreat, and you don’t have to be healthy to join in. But neither do we drink all night and overdo it,” Ms Vos Castle says. The vibe is fun and indulgent.
A golden rule is for single-sex groupings only, because the exchange of information is frank. Those dynamics are difficult to create in the presence of the opposite sex.
Her first male-only group flies to Bali in 2021. “A lot of men, just like women, need to relax and connect with themselves in a safe environment,” Ms Vos Castle says.
She hits another milestone in September when she goes to Bali with staff in one company to teach them how to bond.
“Nearly everybody who’s been on one of my retreats says it’s amazing…they go home with tools to help themselves through the rest of their lives.”
She makes a point of targeting ordinary folk, not only people in influential positions. There are even payment plans for affordability.
“We’re so busy surviving in this day and age that we don’t realise we’re not actually living. Yet, everybody is special and unique in their own way,” she says.
When people are asked about happiness after one of her retreats, they seldom describe material assets.
“They enjoy the sanctuary and the friendships they form. They like the indulgence and the peace and the fact that they’re being totally looked after. They can surrender and be themselves.”
If you are interested in finding out more, you can contact Michele at the details below.
Go to: https://www.facebook.com/completelifestyleretreats
Email: michele@completefengshui.com
Phone: 0421 116 799
This article is one of many featured in 'Adapters', a series in WABN exclusively for Perth Media clients, profiling news of innovative small businesses, start-ups and not for profits.
