Information as a key to wellbeing...
During your stay you will take part in workshops designed to inform and inspire. Workshops are included in the cost of your stay at The Monastery. Please feel free to contact us if you would like further information.
Introduction to Wellness
This workshop illuminates seven aspects of whole person wellness, giving you a chance to evaluate these areas in your own life and to learn about the ways that a five-day Wellness Retreat can enhance your wellbeing. You will be invited to fill in a wellness wheel of your own, identifying your key intentions for these seven aspects of your life.
This workshop is offered as part of The Monastery Relaxation Retreat.
Nutrition workshops
The following nutrition workshops are offered as part of The Monastery’s five and seven-day Wellness Retreats.
Optimal Nutrition
An introduction to obtaining a positive relationship with the food we eat. Gives an objective overview on fats, minerals and vitamins and offers discussion on the acid/alkaline balance of our bodies.
Eating for Health
Having discussed the importance of fats minerals and vitamins, we now integrate this knowledge into everyday life. We look at the nutrient density line, demonstrating a variety of healthful alkaline and phytochemical-rich recipes. We discuss the importance of organics, how to grow your own greens without a garden, some helpful shopping tips and a ‘9+ a day’ menu.
The following nutrition workshop is offered as part of The Monastery’s Rejuvenation Retreat.
Wellness Through Nutrition (Maintaining Optimum Health and Bone Structure)
This workshop looks at key nutritional topics such as why it’s recommended to keep modern day processing to a minimum in our diets, exploring the nutrient density line and the importance of vitamins D and K.
‘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.
This workshop is offered as part of the five and seven day Wellness Retreats.
Staying on Track workshop
This workshop combines a guided visualisation and art therapy exercise to help you appreciate how far you’ve come in your life’s journey and to look ahead to where you want to go. This will be followed by a discussion on mindfulness and strategies for staying mindful as you move forward.
This workshop is offered as part of The Monastery's Rejuvenation Retreat.
Guided Reflection
Increasingly, research is being conducted on the application of mindfulness and its proven benefits for reducing stress. Through mindfulness 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.
Through gentle introduction to mindfulness practice, the sitting meditation exercises develop the ability to use the breath as a bridge between the body and the mind. Through the process of lightly letting the attention rest in the present moment, we come to recognise that this quality can be attained and can inform our daily living.
Natural Assertiveness workshop
Assertiveness is saying what we mean and meaning what we say. It’s about respect for ourselves and others. 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.
Happiness workshop
A focus on healthful living creates a sound physical body and improves our immunity against disease. In the same way, a focus on happiness and wellbeing improves our resilience when it comes to suffering and setbacks. Science is now confirming what many old wisdom traditions have long known – happiness is something we create for ourselves, regardless of our circumstances, and it has numerous health and social benefits.
In this workshop the different forms of happiness – pleasure, satisfaction and fulfillment – are explained, along with ideas for increasing each one. The link between happiness and compassion is especially explored. Self-questionnaires will help you measure your current happiness levels and exercises will be given to help you foster the ingredients for happiness in your own life.
Art Therapy workshop
There’s a lot more going on in our minds and bodies than we can put into words. Drawing is a way of accessing the symbols our mind/body/spirit is using to understand our situation. These symbols also hold the answers to our problems. To access these symbols, it is important to use our drawing as a way of expressing 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.)
During an art therapy workshop, you will be invited to think of a particular problem area you wish to work on. After a relaxation exercise, you will use coloured pastels to draw the issue. It may emerge as a picture, as symbols or shapes, or simply as colours on a page. Once you sense that the whole issue has been expressed, you will be guided in a process that helps you find ways forward. Many people find that their ‘solution’ pictures serve as a wonderful inspiration and guide during the weeks ahead.
