A Fresh Perspective on Wellness in the Southern Gulf Islands
When you think of a wellness retreat, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Maybe you think about booking a spa treatment, a pedicure, or perhaps a massage. But, here, wellness has become more of a ritual. From energy healing or ecstatic dance to a tarot reading, try stepping out of what’s familiar to find your magic within and, perhaps — open up new ways of healing.
Wellness as a Ritual
Spas and massages are one way to find relaxation and rejuvenation. But, in the Southern Gulf Islands, you might also find yourself on a new path to wellness that looks a little different than you may have imagined.
- Tap into your inner life force with a session or full weekend retreat: Healing With Ritual on Saturna.
- Close your eyes and let loose with movement at Salt Spring Island’s famous Dance Temple.
- Combine the tranquility of a forest retreat with a somatic therapeutic bodywork session at Mayne Haven.
Yoga and Movement
Although meditation and stillness may be where some folks turn for wellness, others need movement and a release. Schedule a yoga, Pilates, or movement class while you’re here to release your mind and the body at the same time. Even if you do not have the time for a week-long yogi retreat, you’ll want to find an hour or two to hone your warrior pose and headstands with some of the best practitioners and teachers this side of the Rockies.
- Book a class or a retreat with the epicenter of yoga at the world-famous Salt Spring Center of Yoga.
- Discover the deepest savasana at Ganges Yoga Studio.
- On land or on the water, get into downward dog with Mermaid Paddle Yoga.
Reiki and Energy Work
If you stay here long enough, you may hear the stories about the healing crystals hidden beneath Salt Spring. And for those attuned to energetic fields and magic, all the Islands offer a special place to work. You’ll find a remarkable concentration of energy workers and Reiki healers here, ready to help you channel the magic already inside of you.
- Helping on Pender since 1990, Shelley Easthope offers Reiki and Constellation work.
- Get a smoke cleanse, chakra alignment, and energy mapping with Crystal Attunement Sessions offered by a Living Earth Mercantile on Pender.
- Get your chakra balanced, energy healed, and more with Rise of Anima by Susan Mikanikian on Salt Spring Island.
Tarot Readings and Psychics
Turn to the spirits and consult the oracle during your next Islands visit. These sacred places have become natural havens for intuitive work. Connect with a spiritual guide to uncover wisdom from your ancestors, gain clarity on your path, or explore the questions lingering in your heart.
- Work through life changes with a reading from Marie-Jeanne Brouillette of Speaking Symbols on Salt Spring.
- Uncover what the future holds with a tarot reading with The Enchanted Bee Tarot on Galiano.
- Connect with the cards over a reading with Anastasia at Pender Tarot.
Navigate Life Through Astrology
Let the cosmos steer you as you explore the Islands’ celestial energy. Through the guidance of a star reader, find out how the universe aligns to illuminate your life’s journey. Whether you’re looking for a personalized chart reading or insights into the current astrological season, there is no better place to find your purpose, timing, and magic.
- Read through your natal, progressed, and solar return charts with Salt Spring astrologer Linda Frost.
- Weaving myth and magic, Danielle Blackwood, an archetypal astrologist, offers workshops and consultations on Salt Spring.
- Offering chart reading and Avesa Quantum Balancing, seek your truth with Gwythn of Soulsong Astrology on Salt Spring.
When you step off the ferry, the Southern Gulf Islands invite you to explore something new from a fresh perspective. And it’s true that many people come here seeking healing, only to find it in ways they never expected. If the stories are authentic about the Islands acting as an energetic vortex for the universe’s healing powers, why wait? Book a session with one of the many spiritual and energetic practitioners here, and tap into that life force for yourself.
Written by Jessica McKeil
