Activities and therapies
A holistic approach...
At The Monastery we take a holistic approach to nourishing the mind, body and spirit. The Monastery offers a range of physical therapies, counselling and talking therapies, workshops and activities designed to promote wellbeing.
All of The Monastery’s therapists are highly trained practitioners with exceptional skills and experience in their fields. They'll talk with you about the right mix of therapies, activities and workshops for you during and after your retreat experience.
Explore The Monastery’s menu of delightful therapies – view them below or download the PDF (PDF, 228KB).
And of course, please contact us if you would like further information.
Physical therapies
Relaxation massage
The intention of relaxation massage is to relieve muscle tension and enhance, maintain or improve general health. Massage can help relieve stress and tension in the physical body, as well as help with general wellbeing. Generally a relaxation massage is done using fairly gentle pressure, but you will be asked what type of pressure you would like, and your massage will be adjusted to suit your personal wishes.
Remedial massage
Remedial massage therapists are clinically experienced and fully trained to relieve stress, pain, and tension in the body. Remedial massage combines several techniques, including trigger point therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, orthopaedic massage, deep tissue therapy, myofascial techniques, mobilisation, sport massage and Swedish relaxation techniques. Remedial massage encourages a sense of wellbeing and is particularly beneficial for release of long-term stress, tension and pain.
Holistic pulsing
Holistic pulsing is a very special, deeply healing form of treatment – which is also highly enjoyable. During a session, the wellness therapist will apply a constant rocking motion to different parts of your fully clothed body as you lay on a massage table. The power of holistic pulsing lies in its softness and gentleness – the nervous system responds favourably which initiates healing precisely because it uses no force. Holistic pulsing can be used for a variety of purposes, including deep relaxation from aches and pains caused by stress and tension. As well as treating physical ailments, holistic pulsing can be emotionally healing. A truly relaxing therapy.
Reiki
Reiki is a gentle healing energy therapy and is of Japanese origin. Rei means ‘life force’ and Ki means ‘energy’. Over time the energy in our bodies can become depleted. The Reiki practitioner is used as a channel to conduct the energy through their hands. The position of the hands directs the healing energy. Reiki is a complementary therapy which works in conjunction with any other treatment or therapies to promote the body’s recovery from many different kinds of health conditions. During a session you remain fully clothed. Reiki is a very gentle and relaxing therapy that promotes the body’s own ability to heal.
Counselling and talking therapies
Therapeutic conversation
Entering into a therapeutic conversation is an opportunity to give focussed time and attention to any issues that might be bothering you, air your thoughts and feelings to gain renewed clarity, have your feelings validated and of course to discover your own solutions to challenges and problems. Remember: you are the expert on yourself and you know the answers you're looking for. Our therapists will use counselling modalities such as CBT, narrative or art therapy to help you find those answers.
Life/wellness coaching
Life coaching is designed to inspire you to become the best you can be. A life coach enables you to focus on gaining clarity, create a compelling vision, set goals and create a plan of action to achieve these goals. It's all about helping you grow, improve, develop and find your own level of personal success and achievement.
Relaxation
Lying or sitting in a comfortable position, you listen as your guide gently talks you through relaxing each part of your body. Once physically relaxed, you are taken on a visualised journey designed to enhance mental relaxation. These guided visualisation sessions are held in the Ballroom every evening.
Drawing therapy
A picture paints a thousand words: there is lots more going on in our minds and bodies than we can put into words. Drawing is a way of accessing and understanding our minds and answering questions we have about ourselves. In art therapy, the drawing is about having fun, being creative and using this creativity to express what is going on for us, rather than impressing somebody else. (In other words, it’s not about creating a piece of art for others to admire.) Many people find that their ‘solution’ pictures serve as a wonderful inspiration and guide during the weeks ahead.
Workshops
Gardening workshops
All guests at The Monastery are offered a guided tour of the expansive grounds shortly after arrival – having time in the garden helps guests relax and settle into their surroundings. For those who want to know more, gardening workshops can be tailor-made to your interests, covering topics like:
- organic vegetable gardening
- organic fruit production
- growing roses without the need for chemicals
- principles of garden design.
All workshops are conducted by Steve Cantor and Shona Reid, the exceptional gardeners behind The Monastery's stunning grounds and prolific vegetable crops.
‘Nurturing me’ workshop
The ‘Nurturing Me’ workshop is an opportunity to experience some simple ways you can nurture yourself at home in the form of a footbath, foot exfoliation and massage. During this workshop experience, staff will encourage the group with ideas and inspiration to continue these practices once back at home and throughout life. The group will share fun ideas and experiences, as well as thoughts and readings on the topic of self-care. The aim of this workshop is to help you to see the importance and value of taking time out to do nurturing things for yourself and importantly, how this is connected to a continuing sense of wellbeing.
Personal strengths
This workshop has been designed to discuss personal strengths and resilience – to identify what your personal strengths are and what they mean to you individually. In examining these, you will gain knowledge of strengths you may have not consciously been aware of.
Sleep
Sleep is quintessential to our lives. We all have this major basic function in common. Though we all have different sleep patterns, sleep different amounts, and the quality of our slumber varies greatly, sleep is literally necessary to stay alive. Though it is just as important as breathing, the importance of sleep is often overlooked and many people live with agonising and life altering sleep disorders. At the Monastery we understand the importance of sleep and how lack of it can affect our physical and mental wellbeing. We offer a sleep workshop, guided meditation, relaxation, homeopathy and herbal teas to aid restful sleep.
Cooking Q&A
Enjoy The Monastery's fabulous food, then learn its secrets. Join in Earl's informal question and answer time, where he will give a seasonal cooking demonstration and answer any questions you may have.
Guided relaxation
The goal of relaxation is to release unnecessary muscle tension and to quiet the mind. Relaxation can take many forms – ranging from body-focused tension relief (such as breathing, stretching, massage, progressive relaxation) to combination strategies that use both physical and mental approaches (such as passive progressive relaxation and yoga) and mostly mental techniques that calm, centre or clarify (such as meditation or guided imagery and visualisations). All the different forms of relaxation are important because they appeal to different people and may be appropriate for different life situations. They are all stress reducers.
Guided meditation
Through this meditation practice the attention is directed at the present moment and participants have an opportunity to observe the nature of the mind and learn how, through this practice, to return to the present moment with awareness. Increasingly, research is being conducted on the application of 'mindfulness' and its proven benefits for reducing stress.
Natural assertiveness workshop
Assertiveness is saying what we mean and meaning what we say. Assertiveness happens naturally when we feel confident and secure, but feelings of fear, anger or unworthiness can have us acting in aggressive or other non-assertive ways. This workshop will clarify what assertiveness is and explain ways of thinking that promote assertive behaviour. Guests’ own experiences will be used to demonstrate assertive ways of behaving even if we’re not feeling confident. Guests may choose to practice, in the safety of the group, what they might say to ‘that difficult person’. Information will also be given on how to communicate about tricky issues in a way that won’t create conflict.
Activities
As some activities at The Monastery need to be pre-booked, you will talk through the available options with your wellness consultant before your stay. Your wellness consultant will tailor a programme just for you.
Yoga
Three times a week, The Monastery offers yoga classes where our experienced yoga teacher will lead you through techniques for enhanced physical and mental wellbeing. You will learn basic poses, meditation techniques and yogic wisdom that will improve your physical health, mental concentration and personal resilience. Regular practice of these techniques will give you greater mental peace and increase your ability to handle stress and overcome obstacles.
Garden tours
The Monastery’s glorious gardens offer a unique opportunity for our guests to reconnect with the natural environment and experience a greater sense of wellbeing. All guests at The Monastery are offered a guided tour of the expansive grounds shortly after arrival – having time in the garden helps guests relax and settle into their surroundings.
Beyond the initial tour, you can choose your own level of immersion, from relaxing in a garden chair marvelling at the change of seasons, to selecting one or more of the gardening workshops on offer.
Guided deep relaxation
There is relaxing...and then there is deep relaxation. For those who wish to learn how to go deeper with relaxation techniques, relaxation therapist Nicky Leonard offers additional guidance.
Homeopathy
Homeopathy to improve general wellbeing is offered to guests on Wednesday afternoons. Please pre-book this activity with your wellness consultant.
Walking and biking
The Monastery has 10 acres of grounds to enjoy. Pack your walking shoes, stretch your legs and experience the beauty of the Waikato scenery. You can also have a look around by bike: we have two mountain bikes available for guest use. We do recommend you pack your own helmet as one that fits perfectly is always more comfortable!
Nutritional conversation
Your wellness consultant can give you guidance on how your current health status and your choice of foods align, with tips for achieving ongoing wellbeing.
Hamilton Gardens tours
Hamilton Gardens are the Waikato region's most popular visitor attraction - for good reason. The collection of Paradise Gardens, productive gardens, fantasy gardens, cultivar gardens and landscape gardens sprawl over an impressive 58 hectare site. Join a guided tour or pick up a map and enjoy a leisurely self-guided stroll. For a sneak peek visit www.hamiltongardens.co.nz.
Personal training sessions
Improve your current exercise programme with the support and guidance of our personal trainer. Your session will be designed to suit your particular physical training needs and may include strength and conditioning, interval training, core essentials, stretching, re-alignment and corrective work. Please pre-book this activity with your wellness consultant.
