From scuba diving to breathwork: How a farmstay in Monbulk is helping people slow down

Monbulk’s Bek Milikins first discovered the calming power of nature 24 years ago while teaching scuba diving.

Now, she is helping others centre themselves with breathwork at her family’s farmstay: Nurture Creek.

🫁 In and out: Earlier this month, Milikins invited me along to try out a breathwork session.

I’ve tried a lot of breathing exercises and meditation in the past, but this was a lot more intensive – about an hour-and-a-half-long session.

Upon arriving at the farm, Milikins drove me and three other visitors to a newly-built yurt, where we were instructed to lie down on a yoga mat and get comfortable under a blanket.

• Milikins then took us through a session, which weaved between quick and sharp breathing with slow and careful rhythms.

🧘 Catching up: Breathwork refers to any breathing techniques which aim to alter one’s physical, mental or spiritual wellbeing.

• References to breathwork can be found in texts from cultures thousands of years old, including “pranayama” in India or the Chinese art of Qijong.

🌳 Home among the gumtrees: Milikins and her husband Adam bought the property in 2019, and live there with their two daughters.

The family offer a range of experiences at the farm, including private equine sessions, breathwork and staying in a 1940s log cabin or a cottage.

• 🗣️ "We don't produce anything, we just produce stillness for people,” Milikins told the Eastern Melburnian. "The air sort of feels like it actually energises you and invigorates you. You feel alive in the Hills."

💪 Inner strength: Milikins said she discovered the true power of breathwork after falling off her horse in 2024, with her attributing the practice to the main driver behind her recovery.

• 🗣️ “Lying in that hospital bed, wired up and frustrated, I had this massive realisation: I cannot function without my breath,” said Milikins. “I played my Spotify playlist of Australian birds on repeat, imagining myself outside breathing fresh air under the trees.”

🐎 Horse power: The two horses on the property play a key role in the activities on site for visitors, including grooming and bonding sessions.

• Milikins said horses were especially tuned into the emotional energy of visitors.

• 🗣️ “They’re beautiful mirrors to what’s going on,” said Milikins. “Sometimes we don’t even know that we’re feeling something and our energy changes.”