On a sunny, blue sky Saturday in April, we recently hosted our transformational Wellness in the Wilderness day with an exciting group of participants, ranging in age from 16 to 60 years young ! Congratulations to each person for choosing to spend a day working just on themselves in a pristine, rejuvenating and peaceful natural environment at the foothills of MT. Warning in far northern NSW.
In this self-development process of guiding people towards better connecting to mind, body and spirit, we used powerful principles from advanced positive psychology embedded within the fun activities of the day. The four foundation blocks, explained below within the context of our program design; were originally drawn from the same model designed by the Harvard Business School for coaching high performing executives in the workplace.
PHYSICAL – We enjoyed healthy, natural, wholesome and mostly unprocessed food. This culinary treat was delicious, nutritious and nourishing. All the food was personally chosen and prepared by our accredited food coach, with the opportunity for participants to follow up and learn more about the recipes and selection process.
Throughout the day we also got physically active with outdoors exercise circuits, heart pumping cardio fun and exhilarating high ropes adventures in the forest.
Later in the afternoon we physically calmed the mind and calmed the body through gentle yoga and guided visualisation.
EMOTIONAL – We explored how to move through aspects of our own individual fears and recognise that under enough stress every person will experience some aspects of fear & doubt. In a collaborative and non-competitive way, people were given the space to focus on their own personal power. This involved a recognition that happiness is not the absence of fear or doubt, but rather the courage to take action and move through these negative emotions as a process of trusting in yourself.
INTELLECTUAL – We created time & space for people to better connect their hearts with their heads and identify how frequently, underlying negative self-talk and neurochemical arousal to perceived stressors can lead to limiting beliefs and self-sabotaging behaviour.
Integrated personal workbooks enabled people to later work on their goals and strategies for improved personal & professional results into ongoing daily life.
INSPIRATIONAL – The magnificent natural setting, healthy foods, and absence of mobile phones/technology encouraged people to connect more deeply to their inner spirit. For many this involved getting back in touch with that laughing, loving playful inner child within all of us. For others this meant having enough time out from the busyness of life to regain peace of mind and clarity during that day. For everyone it created the powerful opportunity to reflect more deeply on what truly touches, moves and inspires them as unique worthwhile individuals. A transformational day to remember the core reasons and purpose that will support people confidently walking their own path towards ever increasing personal power health & well-being.