I offer one-day retreats and workshops
in beautiful natural settings. Here are my current retreats and workshops:
- Earth, Wind, Water, Fire: Using the Elements of Nature to Transform Stress
- Earth, Wind, Water, Fire: Using the Elements of Nature to Reconnect with the Earth and Yourself
These one-day retreats are held in a natural setting where we spend considerable time outdoors and which can be specifically tailored to a group’s needs. As a nature lover long interested in the mind-body connection, indigenous cultural practices, and new findings in neuropsychological research, I am committed to helping people of all ages re-connect with the natural world. We know now that stress causes more than unpleasant emotions; it can seriously affect our health and our relationships, even our parenting. Stress is negative energy, and physicists say that energy cannot be destroyed, it can only be transformed. We will transform stress into positive energy, creativity, and passion.
In our busy, often stressed lives, we often forget the healing benefits of nature that can be as close as our back yard, and we just don’t take the time to re-connect. Using the elements of nature as metaphor is familiar and reassuring. Who among us doesn’t fondly recall the earthy scents of a walk in the woods, lying on a beach and listening to the waves, or feeling a refreshing breeze on our face? These retreats are an invitation to re-experience such memories and create new ones.
Deepening our awareness of the healing gifts of the natural world helps us to transform stress, feel more alive, and take away practical tools to use going forward. The elements of nature can teach us much about grounding, breathing, meditating, and living creatively, and these retreats offer a time for needed relaxation and deep personal healing. We work directly with each element in a slow, relaxed, experiential manner. Using ideas of nature authors/activists Richard Louv (who coined the term Nature Deficit Disorder,) Joanna Macy, Sandra Ingerman, and anthropologists who have studied indigenous teachings, participants will incorporate grounding exercises, drumming, breathing, movement, meditation, sacred rituals, poetry, and alone time outside to explore the four elements in a deeply personal way.
I also offer school/corporate workshops focusing on:
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training
- What is Positive Psychology? and other topics in Positive Psychology
- Nature-based retreats, such as the above
Contact Ann at 203-451-6208 if you are interested in attending these retreats in the future.