Why Women Need Retreats More Than Therapy with Kat Ford

Why Women Need Retreats More Than Therapy with Kat Ford

…to come together, the women, the children, the aunties, the uncles, in tribal practices such like movement and dance around a fire, it’s the most primal, the most ancient way that we can come together and heal.
I can be an ugly human as well and still feel love and still feel safe and still feel like I’m not, you know, going to self-abandon or dissociate or all of those things that we generally tend to do.
I think the thing about retreat, again, is the nervous system is… I wanna be as bold as to say I- 90% of all symptoms disappear once we start doing real nervous system work. Being attuned to nature, being with women who have a capacity to attune to other people, you know, being, have your heart wide open in receipt of other people, and i- and in reception of other people is such a gift.
Welcome to the Peri Moon Podcast, and today we are joined by my beautiful, beautiful dear friend Kat Ford, who is also, I thought of today, my divine counterpart in Gene Keys. Kat is a yoga therapist and has been leading retreats in Australia and Bali for over 20 years. Good morning, Kat. Good morning, Nelle.
Lovely to be here. Oh, I’m so happy to have you here. It feels so natural and right to have you here with me. Um, yeah, as I said, we’re, we’re divine counterparts in Gene Keys, which I feel like the universe always had, like, a little plan for us etched out that has taken, you know, this long for us to come together, but it just feels so juicy.
And gosh, I love having you by my side. You too. Yeah, you enrich, um, everything when we, when we do it together, the retreats and, um, yeah, the times that we spend together, the ceremony. Oh, love it. I- Yeah … remember landing first in your world four years ago. I was so broken and in a really bad place. I was lost.
I was so depleted and exhausted from, like, constantly over-giving everywhere. Um, something that’s really… You know, just the more retreats I do with you, the more I feel there’s this compounding effect of receiving and being able to step into the role of receiversh- you know, of receiving medicine and receiving other women and receiving love.
And that first retreat particularly was such a circuit breaker for me as far as going from almost martyrdom and doing everything for everyone else, and then moving into a space as, you know, I am worthy too, I can receive. Is this something you see in women regularly? And, and is it… Y- you know, how, how necessary do you think it is for women to be able to open themselves up to receive like that?

Why Is Learning to Receive So Important for Women?

Um, yeah, that’s a really multifaceted question. Yeah. I, I, I see it all the time, firstly. I see it all the time. Um, when they come on retreat, we’re in a, a really wild place where all the masks could get to drop. It’s a really safe space. So when you come on the retreat, um, we’re deep in nature, um, there’s a, is a really raw sense to the retreat.
So you can really actually be yourself and be seen by other women perhaps for the first time in a really long time. And so from that, there’s this sense of remembering, um, who you are, and when you’re just on autopilot and you’re operating and surviving in the very patriarchal world that we live in, um, you often don’t have the opportunity that feels safe enough to really drop in and feel yourself and what your needs are, or even value that that’s important to honour your needs.

How Does Nature Help Regulate the Nervous System?

And so women are coming, and it’s in demand more now than ever, is to be able to have a safe sanctuary where they can actually drop the masks, drop the roles, and remember who they truly are. It’s, it’s so beautiful, and I think what, you know, speaking to the nature side of it, I live, you know, technically I live 40 minutes from you really, um, over the ferry, and yet it’s such a vastly different world rhythmically.
Mm. Um, all of our rhythms are, are very, very, you know, diurnal. Everything’s 9:00 to 5:00. You know, the, the… we start to hear the, the waves of traffic, you know, starting early in the morning when, when people are on their slog to work, and everything is so diurnal over here. And then whenever I head over to the island, it feels very, very…
it’s almost an eternal feeling. It, it’s so much… it’s so spacious. There’s so much space within, you know, the, the rhythms of things and how, you know, you hear the call of the bird you hear the call of the birds, and then you don’t hear much else for a while, and then, you know, you’ll take a wander to the gorge, and you’ll, you know, hear the, the roar of the waves.
And there’s just so much beauty and seasonality that we kind of miss out on here in the city where everything’s like, you know, everything’s made for convenience and air con and being completely in a state of stasis. Or you- Yeah … yeah. There’s, there’s no- It- … organic feeling here. It doesn’t take long for people to attune back to their natural rhythm when they’re here.
The pace is slower. We ebb and flow with the rhythm of the tides and the moon here, and we eat with the seasons. And within 24 hours, your parasympathetic nervous system is just attuned back to the natural rhythms, the natural laws, and, and all of a sudden people feel themselves. They feel their humanness.
They feel their femininity again. Um, feeling surface that might not be so comfortable. Um, yeah, but that is a highly, highly important aspect of the retreat is that, yeah, that natural rhythm- And I think that there is a compounding, there has to be a compounding effect now because even when I even when I’m on the water on the way out now, I feel like, you know, I can feel it beckoning me.
I can feel her calling me. Yeah. And yeah, that first touch of toes in sand is like- Mm … whoosh. You know, I’m dropped straight, straight back into it again, and I feel like, yeah, there’s something so primal in it that… And yeah, just the island itself is such a, a remembrance in itself. I think that there’s so much in, held in the sand, so much held in the, the wildlife, so much held in the, in the land that we have forgotten, and it’s so easy to forget when I come back, which is why I need- Yeah to keep going more and more.

Why Are Fire Ceremonies So Deeply Healing?

Absolutely. I mean, even the spark of the fire when we do our fire ceremony itself, it ignites this remembering deep, deep, deep in your DNA. It’s an ancestral remembering. Mm. And all of a sudden, you’re not feeling alone. You’re feeling you’re part of something so much bigger than this little city world that everyone’s manufactured for themselves.
Yeah. And just coming back to their roots. That, that in itself is extremely healing. Yeah, the fire is definitely amongst my favourite. I think, I think I cry every fire ceremony, and it’s just a release, you know? Just being able to completely let my guard down, and I think there’s something, there is something ancestral in that about, you know, that was our, that was our safety, you know?
That’s what protected us from wild animals at night. That’s what, you know, gave us food and warmth and comfort and shelter, and there is something so primal in the fire that I’m just like, “Oh, home again,” you know? So beautiful. Amazing.

Why Do Retreat Groups Feel Divinely Orchestrated?

Um, I think this also speaks to the magic of gathering. Like, every time I’ve joined you- Every participant there has been a mirror for me in some way.
Mm-hmm. I remember a few years ago, there were these two incredible South African women who just laughed at absolutely everything. Oh, yeah, yeah. And I… It was so what I needed at the time. Mm. It was just so perfect for me where I was at, and I just was laughing. It was such a light hearted but deeply grounded, you know, it wasn’t dismissive in any way.
It was just such a beautiful, light hearted experience that time, and precisely what I needed. Um, and then last time, I may cry, because it was just so profound for me. Uh, and I’m very mindful to protect the sanctity of circle in this one, but there was a woman there that was exactly where I was- Mm … um, four years ago, and I was sitting directly across from her in circle.
Mm. And it was just so profound for me, the experience of seeing myself four years ago compared- Mm … to where I am now. It was incredible. Um, do you have that happening often? Do you have the… Like, do you feel there’s themes and, you know, little gatherings of people that have been divinely orchestrated? A- 100%.
I, I mean, we get people from all walks of life and going through all sorts of life crises. Some are just coming for a wonderful beachside holiday, which is great. But, you know, we’ve got people that come that have lost children, or they’ve gone through marriage breakups after 30 years, or they’re dealing with narcissistic abuse.
Mm. And, um, you don’t know from the surface. You just see a beautiful woman that, you know, maybe lost her sparkle a little bit. And by the first day, you can recognize that common thread throughout the group. Mm. It could be a common thread of grief. It could be a common thread of celebration. We’re here to celebrate.
But we are all mirrors for each other, and everything that comes up, that bubbles up from deep within to the surface through the practices that we do and through the ceremonies, it’s absolutely necessary for everyone in the group to experience that. And it, it’s every single time, every single group that comes together is perfectly orchestrated, as you say.
Um, yeah. And I think I’ve run over 200 retreats now. Haven’t, I haven’t exactly done the math, but, um, people make lifelong bonds because of the profound experience that they have.

What Makes Stradbroke Island Such a Powerful Healing Portal?

I love that. And I, I too have a very dear friend from the last retreat who makes me laugh as well, and catching up with her on the weekend. So yes, I can totally speak to that. I feel like- Mm-hmm … there is something very special about the retreats and, and just the island in general. Like, I feel like This, I read this somewhere, it may be wrong, but it feels, it feels right in my bones, um, that Stradbroke Island is s- the second largest sand island, which I’m certain that’s true.
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But that that sand is 95% pure quartz crystal. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And I just feel such an anchoring and amplifica- like, it just feels- Mm. Like a wholesome- Yeah … cleansing. There’s something so powerful in the island itself. It, it… And, and it is true. Quartz crystal, it amplifies things. Mm. So it’s gonna amplify the beauty and the bliss.
It’s gonna also amplify the, the dark, and the shadow, and the pain. But in saying that, it’s in such a safe, nurturing environment that, that it can be transmuted throughout the practices that we do, throughout the coherence of the group, the support that we give each other. Um, and you, you go home transformed.
You won’t be the same person as when you arrived, because it is such a powerful healing portal.
Mm. I love that, and I do feel like there’s def- it- every time, and I say, you know, I’m- I cry anyway, but when I go over there, there’s a real catharsis in the experiences that I’ve had. And I’ve had the agony, I’ve had the ache, I’ve had the absolute ecstatic bliss. You know, I’ve- I’ve had- … the full spectrum of experiences over there.
But there is a genuine catharsis that comes from, you know, what the island evokes within me, and then the container that you and Skye create to be able to be held in that and to know that I am safe in that, and that it is all just part of the human experience. You know? It’s not… I think we get so isolated in the city, it’s so easy to think, “I’m all alone in this, and no one’s ever felt this, this way.”
But yeah, just the medicine of the island and you women and being held in such a, such a reverent container, um, it really is so healing.

What Does It Mean to Re-Tribalise?

Yeah. I heard this term lately, um, re-tribalise. Oh. I loved it. Oh, I love that. And I, I’ll be so bold as to say it’s better than therapy. Therapy has its place, all sorts of therapy.
Um, but to re-tribalise, to come together, the women, the children, the aunties, the uncles, in tribal practices such like movement and dance around a fire, it’s the most primal, the most, um, ancient way that we can come together and heal. So I really love that term. I do Just remind, yeah. It feels like, uh, you know, the next, the natural conclusion of rewilding.
You know? Mm-hmm. Ev- re- everything was about rewilding, but I feel like this is the- Very true, yeah … yeah, it’s the next natural step from that because- Yes … rewilding is all about, like, you know- Yeah … dropping all the societal expectations and- Of course, yes, yes … returning to your own thought patterns, and your own desires, and your own inclinations, and then retribe- You know, it’s the integration of that within a community, which is so important.
It’s so important to be able to relate. You know, that’s our greatest yearning as a human. We’re- we’re born of a couple, you know, relating. Every single thing that happens to us, we’re a baby in a womb, you know, there’s a relationship. Everything is so relationship-centric that I- I don’t think any form of relationship with intentionality can be damaged.
You know, I just think there’s only healing that can happen when we open up to ourselves in those spaces with intentionality.

Can Sisterhood Heal What Isolation Cannot?

Yeah. Absolutely, and there’s enough support- When we come together in a group, that when the uncomfortable or painful feelings or stories come up, that there’ll be somebody that, like you said before, is that mirror or has the experience that can help you get through to the other side, that can help you integrate it.
Whether it’s one of us, the facilitators, or simply somebody in the group that’s a little bit older or perhaps not, but has gone through something similar. Um, just that little sparkle, that glow of light on the other side of the tunnel that you’re in. Mm-hmm. And I mean, not everyone comes to retreats that, that they’re in the tunnel, but, uh, or in the mud, as I like to call it.
But, um, a lot of the time people, that’s their turning point. They’re like, “I have to do something. I have to change something.” Yeah. Um, even if it’s just feeling a bit stuck or stagnant. Mm. Uh, because we’ll shake you up. Yeah. Yeah. And it’s not, it’s not necessarily entirely elegant. It’s not like, you know- No
well, you know, we’re not going to pander. Well, there’s such a safety that it’s able to be ugly as well. There’s room for the ugliness within that, and that’s the thing that really is the transmutation, I think, is like, oh, I’m, I’m… I can be an ugly human as well and still feel love and still feel safe and still feel like I’m not, you know, going to self-abandon or dissociate or- Mm
all of those things that we generally tend to do when we’re, you know, in… I, I, I do feel being in a city, there is a lot of, um… it’s so much easier just to put on a mask, and the island- Yeah … just doesn’t let you. Yeah. I loved how, I love where you were going with that, um, you know, kind of pertaining to the fact that, um, the h- the healing coming f- is coming through in a very somatic way.
We, we can go to therapy or we can talk, talk, talk about, um, our stories and our patterns and our wounds and stuff, which is helpful to a degree, but I think what you really get when you come into the wild on an island in, deep in nature, bare feet on the earth- And you’re in a group, you’re in a tribe. It’s the somatic experience of being seen fully, and yes, often that is in your ugliness or it might not even be ugly to somebody else.
You’re feeling ugly. Oh- Mm … you know, I, I look like this, or I’ve got this mood, or I’ve got this anger, or I’ve got this story, or I’ve got this shame. All of that is held and seen and accepted and acknowledged on retreat. And the phen- the phenomenal amount of healing that comes from just being able to be exactly who you are at that point in your life, at that moment, and still be loved and accepted.
Mm. That’s where the healing happens. You don’t even ne- need to analyse the patterns and the stories, then everything else just gets better when you can really be seen and be, um, be in all of the moods and the colours and the shades that you are and still be loved and accepted. Teaches you how to do that for yourself So the somatic and the group therapy, I’m gonna call it, um, that happens when we all come together in a, a cohesive group around the…
I’m just gonna say around the fire or, uh, maybe holding hands in the water at sunrise or in a rock pool together, and, and the emotions and whatever’s surfacing for you at the time, you’re still loved. The sisters, and sometimes the brothers, they’re still there. They’re still loving you. They’re still accepting you, and all of a sudden the light bulb moment, oh, I, I can be in my mud.
I can be in my sadness. I can be in my ugliness, and I am still love. I am still loved, and I am still love. And, um, yeah. I think that’s one of the most beautiful gifts that we can get out of coming together like this.

Why Do Safe Containers Matter in Healing Work?

I, I really wanna honour the- Mm-hmm … you and Skye within that container as well, you know?
And a container is only as strong as its boundaries, and you and Skye just hold the most exquisite perimeter of unconditionality, and I’ve nev- I’ve never seen a woman walk out of Skye’s the… You know Skye’s an incredible shamanic masseuse, just gorgeous. Sh- singing, drumming, just everything to move, you know, the, the debris through your body and allow light- Mm
to flood through. Mm. And both of you, I, I… It’s just such an exquisite experience of unconditionality, um, that bet- with that and couple that with the island in- inherent, you know, mask dropping. Um, yeah. The island demands we drop our masks, and then you and Skye can just- Yeah … love us through that. I, I don’t, yeah, I don’t think necessarily anyone could hold a retreat like you do, even if it was on the island.
The island does half the work, and you and Skye are the other half. And- Yeah … and the unconditionality is beyond, beyond everything I’ve ever experienced. And to be able to have the mask dropped, and then just be flooded with love, and then think, “Oh, I can love this part of me, too, and I don’t have to dissociate.
I don’t have to put the mask back on.” Mm-hmm. “I don’t have to contain this because someone else is uncomfortable with it.” You know? Mm-hmm. It speaks to your lived experience. It speaks to- Mm-hmm … Skye’s lived experience, and- Mm, mm … yeah, I just, I wanna honour you and your mastery of what you do, because it’s so profound.
Now I’m so humbled to hear this, and so grateful for your kind words. Um, i- it’s really my, my devotion to this path, to alchemizing the pain, to, to love through- Mm … these healing practices. And, um, I’m just grateful that I get to be able to offer this to people that are willing to show up, and, and, um, yeah, just trust.

How Does Sisterhood Restore Self-Belief?

Trust in themselves. And then trust in us- I think it, and, and this part I want to speak to, the sisterhood as well. I think the trust in self, um, sometimes comes after trusting somebody else and having that flood of love come towards you. Um- Absolutely … that last retreat really taught me, you know, looking at that beautiful woman who was where I was four years ago, and realizing that there was not an ounce of self-belief in me at that time.
Mm. Self-belief was non-existent. Mm. I didn’t trust my navigation system. I didn’t trust the systems I’d built around me. I didn’t trust, you know, even my home life. I didn’t trust anything. S- It was sisterhood and, you know, being flooded with love by beautiful women like you and Skye that really got me through, and I’m so grateful for that.
I’m so grateful that there are spaces we can go when we don’t even believe in ourselves, and that we can recover that. We can recover that now. I’m like, “Oh, I, I did that.” You know? I did get myself to retreat. You did. You got yourself there. Yeah, which is the one thing that I’m like, “Okay, I believed in…” You know?
It, it… That was the first big step that helped me solidify my belief in self again. But it wasn’t self-belief that got me out. It was the gorgeous women and sisterhood and, and all of the beautiful experiences that have come since my experience with you and Skye, and, and being able to open up to that.
That’s what got me through. Is it amazing when you are at that point where… And you’re a smart, capable, incredible mother, um, woman, partner, daughter, you know. But you, even so, even so, there are times that you can get to a point where your bucket’s so empty and you’re so low and you’re so deep in the mud that you can’t see the light out.
A- and being at that place is a really, uh, it’s a really humbling experience, and it is- It is kind of like where we dissolve into the nothingness, into the void- Mm … in a way. And it’s those souls that are in the light that call us back out, and I think it, it really emphasizes that we’re not separate at all from each other.
We’re, we’re one, and you can dissolve and die into the nothingness, into the darkness, into the void again and again. Hopefully not too many times this lifetime. But you can be there, and, and tot- it’s total surrender, and then your sisters can call you back out with their love, with their light. Um, yeah. I love that.
And- I love that so much.

What Is the Feminine Void and Why Does It Matter?

There’s a, there’s such… You know, and that’s where the feminine, that’s where the feminine emerges is from the darkness. The feminine is- Mm-hmm … the void. The feminine is- Mm … what holds all of creation, and even the, the inklings of creation, and the- Mm … the pre-creation. Um, that’s where it all belongs, the fertile void.
And I feel like s- you know, s- s- this patriarchal 9:00 to 5:00 metronome of, you know, “Here’s your schedule for the day. Tick this, tick this, tick this, tick this.” There’s no room- Mm … for the void. There’s no room for a space to think, “Is this really what I want? Is this really where I’m at?” Um, and I think retreat, going on a retreat, for women particularly, after a lifetime of being led down this garden path of patriarchal expectation, I think for women particularly, having, creating space, whether it’s, you know, a beautiful long weekend retreat, or whether it’s- Mm-hmm
even just a, a morning journaling. Mm. Yeah. Being able to cultivate those p- places where you can create space to, to somewhat enter the void, and be like, “What am I without all of this? What am I without all the titles-” Mm, mm, mm … without all the roles?” Yeah, and see how we just circled back around to dropping the roles?
Dropping the roles, and to take it one step further, dropping the identity. Mm. What am, what am I if I’m not a mom? What am I if I’m not a, uh, a… Whatever your career is. Mm. What am I if I’m not a partner? Just o- dropping all the identity that we cling, cling to. That’s, that’s where we get to, emerge again. And that’s where the, you know, that’s where the z- the, the juice is.
That’s the zest- Mm … of life is, you know- Mm … not all of those things that bind us to a set way of being. It’s like ultimate presence and the surrender to ultimate presence. Mm. Being able to say, “Who am I now?” Mm. “What do I want now?” Mm. “What is present for me now?” Yeah. “What’s alive in my body right now?” Mm.
Yeah. Ugh.
Oh, makes me wanna go on retreat right now. Yeah.

Can Retreats Support Perimenopause Naturally?

One second. I, um- I wanna speak to perimenopause for a little bit, ’cause that’s what- Mm … we’re meant to be talking about. But there’s something in, you know, I, my, my philosophy about perimenopause is really it’s, it’s a gateway into a, a greater existence. The, the, you know, the profundity of life that we’re supposed- Mm
to be living. And, um- Yeah … the women I find that have the greatest symptoms are those that tend to be living further from their purpose. Mm. Um- Mm … and it’s a beautiful callback to that. Mm. Mm. Um, but I think the thing about retreat, again, is the nervous system is… I wanna be as bold as to say I- 90% of all symptoms disappear once we start doing real nervous system work.
Once we’re in alignment with the nervous system, I feel like- Mm … 90% of symptoms tend to really dissipate, because it is a soul, it’s a soul initiation. Mm. Um, and being on retreat, being attuned to nature, being with women who have a capacity to attune to other people, you know, being, have your heart wide open in receipt of other people, and i- and in reception of other people is such a gift.
And to be able to sit there, I think, you know, it’s not a cure-all, but so much of our work can be done through that gentle attunement to nature, through the gentle attunement to ourselves and to the tribe, and to the fire, and things like that. And I feel like- Yeah, that’s just such a gift in, in, in that, in midlife as well.

What Is Somatic Yoga for Nervous System Healing?

Yeah, absolutely. We’ve been told to push, push, push, push ever since we entered the school system. Mm. Maybe before that. We’re not pushing anymore. You know, you get to midlife, no more pushing. And like, when we come together on the island, um, you can express your energy in a myriad of ways depending on where you’re at in your cycle, where you’re at, where you’re at in your life, and, you know, however you best can honour your body at that, at that time in your life.
But, um, yeah, it’s all about being gentle and coming back to, um, that feminine embodiment. So we do lots of rocking, lots of pulsing, lots of swaying, lots of spiralling, lots of circling. Again, following nature’s natural patterns of movement, and this restores the nervous system. Mm. The natural patterns of movement restore the nervous system.
Now, Ashtanga yoga… Oh, no offense to anyone that loves Ashtanga. It has its place. It’s wildly amazing, but it’s very masculine. That’s commonly known. Very masculine. We’re not doing Ashtanga yoga here. Um, we’re not even doing a power vinyasa. We can definitely be connected to our core and invite that to work together with the pelvis, but, um, the yoga that we do is based on natural movement to restore nervous system health.
Um, you know, it’s interesting. It’s, it’s almost movements like having sex. Mm. The be- the best sex is when it’s slow, and pulsing, and present, not powering through, powering through. Mm. I think if you asked any woman, I don’t think you’d think that… I don’t think anyone would say that that was the best sex they ever had.
Mm. Wow, that’s so powerful. Mm. I mean, sure, that can be great, but- I could set my watch to it, you know? Every- What- You know, that, those defined, the defined cadence. It’s like, no, that’s… There’s a, yeah, there’s a playfulness with the movement as well, I think. You know, it’s like, okay, we’re going deep- Playfulness
for a few seconds, and then we’re gonna- And then- We’re gonna make it lighter for a bit. It’s, it’s beautiful. And an exploration. Yeah. It’s like a symphony- Um- … more than a, a metronome, I guess. Yes. Very, very true. Mm. Yeah. And your movements do do that, and they… For me, they feel somewhat- In between yoga and massage.
Like, it’s, it’s almost- Mm-hmm. Really? … like a, a marriage- Oh, yeah … of the two because you’re moving- Yeah … your body in such gentle and intentional ways- Mm-hmm … that you are, you know… I do feel like, like my neck last time, I’m like, “My neck is so wonky at the moment.” And a couple of days in, I’m like, “Kat, I can move my neck.”
Yeah. I have full range of motion, you know? This is incredible. Um, but it is. It, it’s… There’s something in those rhythmic movements, those, those less mechanical movements. It’s more fluid, and I love that. I love that. Mm-hmm. Embodied. I think-

Why Is Ecstatic Dance Such Powerful Medicine?

Yeah … there’s a real, there’s a real epidemic in the world of being socially accepted by the way that you move your body.
Standing in line. Mm. Walking in line, or driving in a line. I mean, all the movements, if you think- Mm-hmm … about it, is very linear, back forth. If you were to be at the shops waiting in line, and you started moving width ways or up and down on a rhythmic pulsation, that isn’t socially acceptable, nor is deeply grinding pelvic movements in public.
And I’m just saying, we’ve been conditioned since such a young age, “Don’t move like that. That’s so… That’s too sexual,” or, “Don’t move like that. That looks like, I don’t know, you’re crazy.” Mm-hmm. Or- Yeah … you know, “Hold yourself like a straight robot.” Mm. No wonder we’ve all got pain in the body. Mm. No wonder people have neck problems when they’re completely disassociated with the pelvis, ’cause we’ve been told it’s shameful to move the pelvis.
Mm. It’s too sexual. So I guess what I’m just trying to say is, like, we have to… On, on retreats like this, we get the chance to unlearn those conditions and to relearn that moving the primal body In these really liberating, expressive, and explorative movements, um, are so healing. Number one, because they heal the nervous system.
Number two, because our bodies were built to move that way, and we’ve been told not to because it’s not socially acceptable My favourite part of retreat is, I know you’re gonna guess this one, but the ecstatic dance, of course. Um- I, I feel, the way you do your exotic dance, I absolutely love it because it gives all of the parts of us somewhere to play and explore, and I absolutely adore that.
And I feel for me, dance is so entwined with my sense of self. Like, being able to dance fully and to feel the music, you know, the sound, sound, the sound itself is carrying messages and vibrations through our body. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And if we’re not fully participating in that and responding to that in an honest, you know, and present, you know, with presence, um, yeah, I just think it’s such a gift to be able to do that, and to be able- Mm
to come out and be like, “I feel so fully alive now.” Yeah, yeah. It’s such a beautiful thing. I’d love to share a sto- a personal story of mine- Mm … about dance, um, that can elaborate on what you’ve just said. Um, about 10 years ago, I noticed when I danced my neck would lock up a bit, even if I wasn’t doing huge neck movements, and I have had neck injuries from a young age, um, which is why the style of yoga I teach is so therapeutic.
Um, but my neck would lock up when I’d dance, and it took me a while to realize I wasn’t fully, fully allowing my pelvis to be free- Oh … because of sexual shame. Mm. And so through the experience of ecstatic or conscious dance, as it’s sometimes called, I realized that if I could allow my pelvis to be fully free, if I could embrace it and just allow it to be, hear what it’s made…
It’s, it’s made to be, a creation portal. And, you know, there’s so much shame put on women for their sexuality, their sensitivity, even aspects surrounding motherhood, that I was still carrying that. And so when I allowed myself, and I actually created a playlist to get me more into the pelvis. And I’m not just talking, like, gentle rocking of the pelvis.
I’m talking, like, deep grinding. Like, oh, some beautiful music that gets you right deep down there into the root. Um, no more neck issues. ‘Cause the energy was going too far up, up, up, up, up, up- Mm … to the mind, to the head, to the mind, to the head. No. A lot of the time on the… We, we need to do both, yes. But a lot of time- Yeah
on a retreat, we’ve gotta bring it back down, down, down. We’re human. Embodiment. Down, down, down. And clear the, um, whatever’s blocking in the first couple of chakras. I think that’s, part of that, it does come down to this masculine paradigm we live in where- Yeah … thoughts- Yeah … and facts are what is, tends to be most valued in life.
Like, if somebody’s a smart, clever child, then they get the good grades at school, rather than the person that can connect and empathize and have compassion and, you know- Yeah … be, you know, kind to others. But y- things like that aren’t, don’t tend to be valued, and they are of the higher chakras, you know?
And it’s not- We do need to be integrated, and dance is absolutely a way we can do that. Um, but I was thinking about hypnobirthing. One of the big- Mm … takeaways from hypnobirthing is by relaxing the jaw- Mm-hmm … we can relax the pelvis. So there’s such a- Mm-hmm … a connection between those two points is, you know, being able to relax one and feel free, and one liberates the other.
Yes. Yes. I love that. We do lots of wild, crazy, primal jaw movements. Yeah. Do it. And even the vocalizing, you know, being able to- Yeah … vocalize when we’re dancing is- Mm … is so special, and it, it is. That, that is, you know, the ancestors. That’s when we tribalising. It’s like being able to make crazy sounds, like, while you’re dancing around other people.
That’s not something you see in a night- well, I haven’t been to a nightclub in many, many years. But I imagine that’s not things that people tend to do in nightclubs. It’s- Mm … it is shamed. So being able to unlock all those parts of us and to get, you know, to get y- your feet on the dirt and dance in the dirt is, oh, so luscious.
Yeah. I love your playlists. I love your playlists. Oh, I’ve got some juicy ones, some juicy new ones actually that just was inspired by my 46th birthday just recently, so I can’t wait to share that with you when I see you next. Aw. I so wish, yeah, didn’t work out, but I so wish I had been able to celebrate with you.
We will next time, no, no doubt. Yeah.

The Heroine’s Journey Retreat Announcement

Um, Kat, we have a special announcement to make. I’m so excited that we are finally hosting a collaborative retreat together, uh, in October, and the theme is The Heroine’s Journey, which is a big part of my work. I am so bloody honoured that I get to do this alongside you and Skye.
Like, just, I really hold dear the concept of apprenticeship and mastery. Like, they are very, very, um- Very poignant to me- Mm-hmm … as far as I think too many people rush into things in, uh, especially around healing and claim themselves to be able to hold spaces when- Mm-hmm … it may be more damaging. But I’m so honoured that I’m able to get to do this alongside you and Skye, who are absolute masters at what you do.
Mm-hmm. Um, and sit with women through the Heroine’s Journey. We’re going to be- Mm-hmm … doing some deep dives and beautiful yoga and breathwork sessions, moon circles, all of your delicious, delicious food. Um, I’m so excited to do this with you. Absolutely. It’s gonna just be an amazing immersion. Springtime, the whales are still going past.
Ah. The water’s warm. Oh, yum. Your amazing workshops. Yeah. Mm. I’m really looking forward to this collab. Yeah, me too. It’s, I, it has been a long ti- it’s been a long time coming, actually. Mm. I, it was even, you know, a while back you’re like, “I really wanna do something with you,” and- This was part of my journey, was, “Oh, no, but that’s a dream job.
Like, I can’t do that. That’s a dream job.” And we can actually do our dream jobs. That, that landing, last time I spoke to you, that landing in my sphere, that I can actually do my dream job and, you know, be able to freely give my gifts in, in person, which is where my energy is absolutely lit. Mm-hmm. Um, yeah, thank you for, you know, this is part of my journey as well, so thank you for opening me up to that and for holding space for it, and I’m just so thrilled to be able to sit with some beautiful women and go deep and connect and all those juicy things that we do as women.
We’ll be going deep and then rising high to the top of that, um, sacred sand hill where we do the static dance- Oh … and sunset, and yeah. Fire ceremony. It’s so good. So good. Oh, well, thank you so much. I am just so grateful to have you on. I adore you. You are absolutely a dear, dear sister of mine, Kat. Thank you for joining us.

Where Can You Find Kat Ford and Peri Moon?

And, um, where can people find you if they wanna find you in the world? They can, um, either go to my website or Instagram. Website’s samadhiflowyoga.com, and the Instagram is samadhi_island_retreats. Um, we have monthly immersions here. Mm-hmm. Um, and there’s a couple of different offerings. Uh, and we’ve got an Island Soma Retreat, which is kind of our more eco-luxe version.
Um, and then we have a Lemurian Dreaming, which it’s got a lot of ocean activities as well as the somatic practices. Well, it’s often the somatic practices in the ocean. Mm-hmm. And then we’ve got coming up soon the Heart of Paradise Retreat in Bali as well. So yeah, I hope to see you again over here soon, before October hopefully.
But, um- Hopefully. Yeah. Absolutely beautiful. And yeah, I’ve been to both the Island Soma and the L- Lemurian Dreaming, and both delicious. Absolutely, absolutely equally healing and transformative, and just such an alchemical experience to be amongst you and Skye and all of the medicine of the island. So thank you so much, Kat.
I adore you. Thank you so much, Nelle. It’s been beautiful to share with you today. Have a lovely day, my darling. Ciao, ciao. You too. Bye.
Thank you for sitting with us today. It has been an absolute joy. If you’d like to work with me or connect with any one of our beautiful guests, you can find everything at perimoon.com.au. And until next time, may you find yourself all the way alive.