Please find at the bottom of this blog our Video chat we created on New Years eve Dec 31st 2020 at VLR or click HERE.
Steve & Mary Jo picture taken Dec 2019'. It was 6 years ago that Steve & I agreed to sign the lease for the property at 88 Rippingale Rd, in Hanmer Springs. At the time it was called Albergo Lodge and had been running for 10 plus years as a exclusive B&B lodge accommodation.
We heard through the metaphorical grape vines of Hanmer Springs that the lease may be available due to the previous lease holders being unable to make the business work for them and wanting to sell the remaining of their lease onwards.
I recall having a phone call with Steve from the Sunshine Coast of Australia in November 2014' where we individually expressed feeling inspired and excited to look into the possibilities of purchasing the remaining lease hold of 6 years. We had a dream to run our own wellness retreat together and this seemed like a potential golden opportunity to get to do this.
To cut a long story short it did not work out for us to gain the lease in the following weeks, however we did end up registering our 1st ever company name Vibrant Living Ltd. Then in November 2014' we had the news that we must move out of where we were living, renting and running my Day Spa business at Mount Charon Place, as the 2 storey house had been sold.
At the time there was no rentals in Hanmer Springs we could find, so we ended up staying in a friends little Sleep out in her garden and a few days later managed to organise renting a unit in one of Hanmer Springs Motel's for a few weeks. Over that time Steve continued to work in his trade as a builder and I spent much of my time feeling like I was on an emotional roller coaster ride. I felt part of me just wanted to put my backpack on and leave Hanmer to travel and feel free of all responsibilities. However a deeper part of me which I will refer to as my heart and soul was urging me to take greater self responsibility for my life and energy. In essence it was my time to be open to believe in bigger dreams coming into fruition and my abilities to expand my horizons and develop new skills and capabilities. Eventually after a few more rounds on the emotional roller coaster rides my ego surrendered more deeply into a healthier self esteem to receive the wisdom and guidance of my heart and soul.
We heard through the metaphorical grape vines of Hanmer Springs that the lease may be available due to the previous lease holders being unable to make the business work for them and wanting to sell the remaining of their lease onwards.
I recall having a phone call with Steve from the Sunshine Coast of Australia in November 2014' where we individually expressed feeling inspired and excited to look into the possibilities of purchasing the remaining lease hold of 6 years. We had a dream to run our own wellness retreat together and this seemed like a potential golden opportunity to get to do this.
To cut a long story short it did not work out for us to gain the lease in the following weeks, however we did end up registering our 1st ever company name Vibrant Living Ltd. Then in November 2014' we had the news that we must move out of where we were living, renting and running my Day Spa business at Mount Charon Place, as the 2 storey house had been sold.
At the time there was no rentals in Hanmer Springs we could find, so we ended up staying in a friends little Sleep out in her garden and a few days later managed to organise renting a unit in one of Hanmer Springs Motel's for a few weeks. Over that time Steve continued to work in his trade as a builder and I spent much of my time feeling like I was on an emotional roller coaster ride. I felt part of me just wanted to put my backpack on and leave Hanmer to travel and feel free of all responsibilities. However a deeper part of me which I will refer to as my heart and soul was urging me to take greater self responsibility for my life and energy. In essence it was my time to be open to believe in bigger dreams coming into fruition and my abilities to expand my horizons and develop new skills and capabilities. Eventually after a few more rounds on the emotional roller coaster rides my ego surrendered more deeply into a healthier self esteem to receive the wisdom and guidance of my heart and soul.
Views from Vibrant Living Retreat courtyard.
Another aspect of my reality at the time that really helped was being in communication with the Landlord of 88 Rippingale Rd. Beat whom had taken back the property from the previous lease holders and was running the business mostly alone attempting to get it back onto its feet and deciding himself what way to move next with it either to sell the property or to re-lease.
After some conversations he agreed to myself renting one of the rooms in the Lodge building from him to take my own massage clients in. I was familiar with the room as I had done a few treatments in it over the years for the previous lease holders Jo & Linz. We were very fortunate that we had a good relationship with the Landlords as myself & Steve had rented a house from them for 4.5 years not far from Rippingale rd in Hanmer Springs over the previous years. Some clients may recall when I was operating Mountain View Massage days spa from my home located at 10 Lochiel Drive.
It was working with my clients over those weeks that really helped me get more centred and balanced in myself and realise a few things. At the time I was not very good at coming forward for myself to ground and balance myself each day. However working with my clients I had to get myself together to focus and hence put my worries, overwhelms, doubts and concerns on the back burner at least for the few hours that I was working with my clients. Funnily enough it was these hours with my clients that became what I like to call my saving grace. During these times I was willing to re-centre in my heart and I allowed my heart to guide my hands and my communications with my client more intuitively. Often the advice I would give others, I knew was exactly what I needed to hear and to heed. In a way this was a indirect way to listen and receive the guidance and deeper knowing of my heart and soulful wisdom.
After some conversations he agreed to myself renting one of the rooms in the Lodge building from him to take my own massage clients in. I was familiar with the room as I had done a few treatments in it over the years for the previous lease holders Jo & Linz. We were very fortunate that we had a good relationship with the Landlords as myself & Steve had rented a house from them for 4.5 years not far from Rippingale rd in Hanmer Springs over the previous years. Some clients may recall when I was operating Mountain View Massage days spa from my home located at 10 Lochiel Drive.
It was working with my clients over those weeks that really helped me get more centred and balanced in myself and realise a few things. At the time I was not very good at coming forward for myself to ground and balance myself each day. However working with my clients I had to get myself together to focus and hence put my worries, overwhelms, doubts and concerns on the back burner at least for the few hours that I was working with my clients. Funnily enough it was these hours with my clients that became what I like to call my saving grace. During these times I was willing to re-centre in my heart and I allowed my heart to guide my hands and my communications with my client more intuitively. Often the advice I would give others, I knew was exactly what I needed to hear and to heed. In a way this was a indirect way to listen and receive the guidance and deeper knowing of my heart and soulful wisdom.
I recall one day after a treatment walking back down the hall when my lovely lady client said to me " It must be so good to be you and helping people like you do ". I just nodded and smiled but inwardly I did not feel how great it must be to be me. In fact in that moment I felt more of a fraud and an emotional mess underneath and outside of working with my client. However her words stuck with me and I pondered on them and took them to heart. I wondered what it may feel like to experience how great it was to get to be me and do what I do, I wondered what it would be like to receive this blessings into my heart and feel good on the inside about whom I was and really receive on a deeper level experiential the acknowledgment and appreciation for the well-being services I provided.
Then one day it happened and I had the great epiphany ' the greatest joy of my soul is divine service '. From that day I felt more relaxed and easy about everything as if my soul had taken the reins and I ( my ego ) was just going along for the adventure being taken care of by something greater.
Thus I got myself off the emotional roller coaster ride and instead felt centred and held in this simple and profound truth I had uncovered within me. Following that moment of immense clarity one thing led to another and just before Christmas 2014' myself and Steve ended up signing the remaining 6 year lease to take over the property at 88 rippingale Rd Dec 31st 2014'. The landlord Beat agreed to stay to train us up the 1st couple of weeks and a good job too as it was the busiest time of year. Thankfully Steve took to learning how to make the breakfasts and cleaning the rooms while I was busy seeing my massage clients and rearranging the day spa into more of what I envisioned.
What I forgot to mention is that before we signed the lease Steve was looking into doing a Painting apprentice in Christchurch in the new year as he had been looking to get out of building due to a back injury and losing his passion for working in that kind of environment. He really did not know if he would be full time needed at the property. I recall asking him at one point if he could tell me how many days he would be available to help with the business so I knew if I needed to find some extra help.
Those months were a challenging time on our relationship as we were trying to find our own way and unsure what our futures held individually and together. In a way we had to let each other go like setting a bird free from a old worn out cage and trust that if it was in each others highest good, choice and joy we would fly together even higher and if not we would bless each others paths with unconditional love.
Thankfully within weeks of taking on the business I overheard Steve telling our breakfast guest about how much he was enjoying cooking the breakfasts and running the B&B and that he did not miss building one bit. Over those months and possibly a couple of years Steve was certainty tested if he did miss the building work as many of the Local builders came knocking on his door to see if he was after any work. He had a good reputation in building by then in Hanmer Springs. I witnessed him again and again turn down the offers until the message was received and they stopped coming in.
However his skills certainty never went to waste at Vibrant Living as he made many improvements and did the general maintenance and painting jobs. Steve loves gardening also and has done wonders with the gardens. Over the years he added a beautiful veggie garden and area for our organic happy hens and ducks. He is very interested in the Permaculture way of growing and planting and has a composting system in place. We do our best to live and run our business as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.
Then one day it happened and I had the great epiphany ' the greatest joy of my soul is divine service '. From that day I felt more relaxed and easy about everything as if my soul had taken the reins and I ( my ego ) was just going along for the adventure being taken care of by something greater.
Thus I got myself off the emotional roller coaster ride and instead felt centred and held in this simple and profound truth I had uncovered within me. Following that moment of immense clarity one thing led to another and just before Christmas 2014' myself and Steve ended up signing the remaining 6 year lease to take over the property at 88 rippingale Rd Dec 31st 2014'. The landlord Beat agreed to stay to train us up the 1st couple of weeks and a good job too as it was the busiest time of year. Thankfully Steve took to learning how to make the breakfasts and cleaning the rooms while I was busy seeing my massage clients and rearranging the day spa into more of what I envisioned.
What I forgot to mention is that before we signed the lease Steve was looking into doing a Painting apprentice in Christchurch in the new year as he had been looking to get out of building due to a back injury and losing his passion for working in that kind of environment. He really did not know if he would be full time needed at the property. I recall asking him at one point if he could tell me how many days he would be available to help with the business so I knew if I needed to find some extra help.
Those months were a challenging time on our relationship as we were trying to find our own way and unsure what our futures held individually and together. In a way we had to let each other go like setting a bird free from a old worn out cage and trust that if it was in each others highest good, choice and joy we would fly together even higher and if not we would bless each others paths with unconditional love.
Thankfully within weeks of taking on the business I overheard Steve telling our breakfast guest about how much he was enjoying cooking the breakfasts and running the B&B and that he did not miss building one bit. Over those months and possibly a couple of years Steve was certainty tested if he did miss the building work as many of the Local builders came knocking on his door to see if he was after any work. He had a good reputation in building by then in Hanmer Springs. I witnessed him again and again turn down the offers until the message was received and they stopped coming in.
However his skills certainty never went to waste at Vibrant Living as he made many improvements and did the general maintenance and painting jobs. Steve loves gardening also and has done wonders with the gardens. Over the years he added a beautiful veggie garden and area for our organic happy hens and ducks. He is very interested in the Permaculture way of growing and planting and has a composting system in place. We do our best to live and run our business as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible.
It was May 21st 2015' when we officially launched our new name and signage as Vibrant Living Retreat. We were delighted with our new name, logo and signage. We had a wonderful launch party at the retreat to mark the occasion and invited people to stop by and take a look around, enjoy drinks and nibbles, music and enter a draw to win prizes.
Over the years we transitioned out of the exclusive B&B focus and more and more into what we really wanted to do which is the inclusive Wellness Retreats, Spa Escape Packages and Holistic Day Spa treatments.
This got started off by offering Yoga Wellness Retreat packages and then into a more Detox Focus with detox meals and Juice Fasting Retreats. Then we added in a 2 or 3 night Quantum Wellness Retreats which includes a Quantum Healing Hypnosis session. All our retreats packages include AM & PM Yoga & Mindfulness / Meditation session plus a midday wellness coaching session offering practical tools for body, mind, emotional and spiritual health and well-being.
Personal empowerment is a key ingredient of all that we offer. Both Steve & I love being part of and witnessing people transform before our eyes over their stay with us and leave feeling inspired, renewed, empowered and enthusiastic about life, living, health and wellness.
Over the years we transitioned out of the exclusive B&B focus and more and more into what we really wanted to do which is the inclusive Wellness Retreats, Spa Escape Packages and Holistic Day Spa treatments.
This got started off by offering Yoga Wellness Retreat packages and then into a more Detox Focus with detox meals and Juice Fasting Retreats. Then we added in a 2 or 3 night Quantum Wellness Retreats which includes a Quantum Healing Hypnosis session. All our retreats packages include AM & PM Yoga & Mindfulness / Meditation session plus a midday wellness coaching session offering practical tools for body, mind, emotional and spiritual health and well-being.
Personal empowerment is a key ingredient of all that we offer. Both Steve & I love being part of and witnessing people transform before our eyes over their stay with us and leave feeling inspired, renewed, empowered and enthusiastic about life, living, health and wellness.
Steve serving up some breakfast goodness at VLR.
Over the years Steve has definitely become the wellness chef at Vibrant Living and has inspired many with his beautiful juices, smoothies and plant based meals. What can I say he looks pretty darn cute in his apron too and many women have wanted to take him home or enquired if he had a clone to take home. Steve has this amazing gentle grounded presence and kindness about him and people generally feel very relaxed and at ease in his company.
Another aspect to our success with Vibrant Living has been the wonderful team of travellers and therapists over the years that have been with us and helped to co-create daily life with a interest in wellness and a willingness to grow and transform along with us.
Open and authentic communications is very important in any aspect of life. We definitely found that practicing good communication where everyone gets to speak and be heard really helped the overall harmonious daily running of the business and enjoyment of the retreat lifestyle. This then translated to the over all vibe of the environment and those first impressions when people walk in the door. A common statement we have often heard over the years is things like " I love the peaceful feeling here " or " I feel the relaxation just walking in the door ".
So all in all it has been 6 incredible years of learning, growing and co-creating a business that in turn got to serve 100's and 1000's of more people over the years with our well-being location and services.
Then 2020' came along and a curve ball got thrown up into the air called lock down which took us into a new growing awareness that it maybe time for us to move on from Vibrant Living Retreat to have more time to relax into the flow of new creative explorations and adventures of heart, body and soul calling our names.
For Steve it is definitely having more time focused on his endurance cycling events and cycling movie ideas. As for myself Mary Jo I am been guided into more public speaking creations that guide, empower and support the greater consciousness awakening journey underway for many on earth. After our March-May 2020' lockdown I got the inspired hit to create 'Stories of awakening' WebTV video series and absolutely loved the experience and getting to connect and talk about consciousness while sharing fascinating authentic stories. That seems to be a place of excitement for my heart. However with getting so busy with our business again by June and July this started to fall more and more to the side lines of my daily life as I had less time and motivation along side the running of my business to give it focus.
So all in all it has been 6 incredible years of learning, growing and co-creating a business that in turn got to serve 100's and 1000's of more people over the years with our well-being location and services.
Then 2020' came along and a curve ball got thrown up into the air called lock down which took us into a new growing awareness that it maybe time for us to move on from Vibrant Living Retreat to have more time to relax into the flow of new creative explorations and adventures of heart, body and soul calling our names.
For Steve it is definitely having more time focused on his endurance cycling events and cycling movie ideas. As for myself Mary Jo I am been guided into more public speaking creations that guide, empower and support the greater consciousness awakening journey underway for many on earth. After our March-May 2020' lockdown I got the inspired hit to create 'Stories of awakening' WebTV video series and absolutely loved the experience and getting to connect and talk about consciousness while sharing fascinating authentic stories. That seems to be a place of excitement for my heart. However with getting so busy with our business again by June and July this started to fall more and more to the side lines of my daily life as I had less time and motivation along side the running of my business to give it focus.
Click to be brought to my Youtube Stories of Awakening Play list.
I do intend to continue on with facilitating my Vibrant Wellness Academy holistic intuitive massage & facial trainings in and around New Zealand and Hanmer Springs. I am excited just to take a couple of months to travel around N.Z. and have lots of free time to explore in nature and follow my heart. I am pretty confident lots of new inspired ideas will come my way once I have more free time to be available to them. Hence feeling the strong urge that this is the time to sell Vibrant Living Retreat & Mountain View Massage. It would bring us so much delight and joy to pass on what we have grown to new people that are passionate about it also and has a vision to improve upon what we have developed. I see so much potential still to be tapped into for the right people with the right skills and attitude.
So that is where I will leave this 6 year Story for now. I hope you enjoyed the reflections. Thank you for reading and coming on the journey.
As we step into 2021 we invite expressions of interest to purchase our business on a new 9 year lease with 2 rights of renewal 3x3x3.
If this opportunity sings to your heart, body and soul then please email us with the subject title EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR VLR BIZ to our email info@vibrantliving.co.nz and we will forward on information for you to review with our business broker.
We intend to support the transition to be easeful, joyful and mutually win-win for all involved. We want to see new people thrive by taking Vibrant Living Retreat & Day Spa to the next level if they choose too. We believe in operating in the paradigm of business and harmonious living which is based on the values of open authentic communications, co-operations, collaboration, co-creation and supporting a wonderful win win resolution for all involved.
In 2021' and beyond fulfilling success is going to be far more related to who we are being and how we contribute to others rather than how much we are doing and getting from others.
So that is where I will leave this 6 year Story for now. I hope you enjoyed the reflections. Thank you for reading and coming on the journey.
As we step into 2021 we invite expressions of interest to purchase our business on a new 9 year lease with 2 rights of renewal 3x3x3.
If this opportunity sings to your heart, body and soul then please email us with the subject title EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR VLR BIZ to our email info@vibrantliving.co.nz and we will forward on information for you to review with our business broker.
We intend to support the transition to be easeful, joyful and mutually win-win for all involved. We want to see new people thrive by taking Vibrant Living Retreat & Day Spa to the next level if they choose too. We believe in operating in the paradigm of business and harmonious living which is based on the values of open authentic communications, co-operations, collaboration, co-creation and supporting a wonderful win win resolution for all involved.
In 2021' and beyond fulfilling success is going to be far more related to who we are being and how we contribute to others rather than how much we are doing and getting from others.
Follow your heart and gut feelings in 2021'. So with that, signing off with much LOVE & BLESSINGS for your year ahead into 2021'. I will leave you with some wellness tips and guidance for 2021'.
Guidance for 2021.
Follow your heart as best you can and take good care of your BODY-MIND, EMOTIONS & SOUL.
Take time each day to connecting more deeply with your inner truth so you can trust your gut feeling and guidance to guide you step by step into some new territory for humanity over these coming years.
Focus on the glass half full and reach for the solutions rather than getting stuck on the problems in your mind and hanging out in fear, worry, constriction and overwhelm.
Get out into Nature as often as you can, breathe deeply and keep your heart open to the possibilities.
Spent moments dreaming and imagining and feeling into your bright future NOW.
Practice gratitude daily as a way to focus on the abundance of your life already and remind your body and mind to stay out of excessive stress and accept all is well in this NOW moment.
Affirm " I AM SAFE & PROTECTED WHERE I AM ".
" I TRUST MYSELF & I TRUST LIFE TO SUPPORT AND PROTECT ME"
" I EMBRACE MY ENTIRE BEING WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION "
Namaste beautiful HU-man.
Infinite DIVINE LOVE & BLESSINGS.
Mary Jo, Steve & Magica ( Our Dogie )
Guidance for 2021.
Follow your heart as best you can and take good care of your BODY-MIND, EMOTIONS & SOUL.
Take time each day to connecting more deeply with your inner truth so you can trust your gut feeling and guidance to guide you step by step into some new territory for humanity over these coming years.
Focus on the glass half full and reach for the solutions rather than getting stuck on the problems in your mind and hanging out in fear, worry, constriction and overwhelm.
Get out into Nature as often as you can, breathe deeply and keep your heart open to the possibilities.
Spent moments dreaming and imagining and feeling into your bright future NOW.
Practice gratitude daily as a way to focus on the abundance of your life already and remind your body and mind to stay out of excessive stress and accept all is well in this NOW moment.
Affirm " I AM SAFE & PROTECTED WHERE I AM ".
" I TRUST MYSELF & I TRUST LIFE TO SUPPORT AND PROTECT ME"
" I EMBRACE MY ENTIRE BEING WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION "
Namaste beautiful HU-man.
Infinite DIVINE LOVE & BLESSINGS.
Mary Jo, Steve & Magica ( Our Dogie )
