INDESIGN
SOMATIC
IT MAY NOT BE A WORD COMMONLY USED TO DESCRIBE THE BEWILDERING SOMA BYRON BAY RETREAT IN BYRON'S HINTERLAND, BUT JUST ONE STAY AND THE MIND AND BODY WILL DEPART WITH LASTING PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS, WRITES CAMERON PINE.
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t was a natural extension for Gary Gorrow, an in-demand yoga and vedic meditation teacher known for his retreats including a legendary one in Bali. Now in its 12th year, the next venture was to create a place that creates a distinction between the mind, body and soul yet a collective consciousness – welcome to Soma. Despite the travel glitch 2020 has imploded on many of us, the art of wellness is still a crucial part of reality at Soma Byron – heavily booked not just for its versatility but the unique environment. Gary is passionate about empowering people with techniques that enable them to re-engineer their lives inside and out. His approach synthesises the best of modern science and ancient consciousness-based practices and within Soma lies the perfect canvas for engineering new levels of personal discovery. Not many retreats feel like home yet also provide an opportunity to grow and discover the new. In collaboration with Peter Ostick and Ida Almasi, Soma is set on a 22 acre forest - once a bamboo farm yet now home to a diverse array of plant species and a ‘yoga dome’. An epic hideaway from the hustle of life and the main retreat residence. Retreat to one of the 10 rooms each with their own individual artworks and views of the hinterland or bush behind and beyond. It’s an a la carte experience with a wide appeal for the burnt out and inspired souls among us. A fresh water infinity pool, king size beds, a community fire pit, organic ayurvedic meals and an undulating bamboo forest to explore are all just 10 minutes from Byron Bay. It’s no wonder Soma has, in its first year of operation, been booked out for retreats – each customised by their facilitator. The social space is not just for the retreat fanatic either, it’s also the perfect place to book with a group of friends or a home away from home for those wanting somewhere to retreat and relax beyond their room and into the common areas. 42 INSTYLE
From the minute you arrive at Soma you're met by a sense of magic through a wide open glass common area. Discover a water feature that expedites the blend of indoors and out at first touch and welcoming relaxo inspired furniture. Everything has been hand selected to emanate warmth and approachable prestige, but has been done so carefully Soma is both as aspirational as it is inspirational. The brief was to create a space that was grand, yet unpretentious. “We wanted to create as much flow as we could,” says Gary. He points to the six-metre-high glass atrium as an example of downto-earth luxury. “It maximises sunlight and means we have as little separation as possible with the natural world outside.” The most impressive sunsets, enlightening sunrises, inspiring food and a community spirit, Soma has mastered the art of the perfect day. It ensures a spectacular beginning and ending through an architecturally designed building that maximises aspect, natural light but also peace, tranquility and privacy. Architect Rieky Sunur ensured the landscape was the focus and timber and glass the main features from the outside, almost personifying a floating capsule amidst the landscape. Soma bares some resemblance to Bali’s The Slow, having been co-designed by Gary, the brother of George Gorrow, which is a name synonymous with the once iconic jeans label Tsubi (now ksubi), who urned his efforts to create a cult culture collective in one of Bali’s coolesty hangouts – Canggu. Concrete floors, welcoming rugs and a crew to call your own – Soma is Byron’s leading retreat. For more information visit www.somabyron.com.au