NEW ♦ MINDFULNESS RETREAT ♦ $475
WEEK 4 JULY 18-22
WEEK 5 JULY 25-29
GRADES 7 + 8:20 AM – 3:30 PM
This course is an immersive retreat experience for students entering grades 7-11 in which we will learn an evidence-based skill set of habits that keep us working and feeling our best. Our body’s resources all have limits. Our energy, our attention, our willpower, our memory, and even our good mood are all finite, so in order to keep working for us, they need to be recharged regularly. In this course, students will learn about mindfulness, meditation, and a range of complementary movement and wellness practices to help individuals regulate their emotions, focus attention, relieve stress, and more.
This immersion will introduce the fundamentals of practicing mindfulness–the ability to purposefully direct our attention where we want it rather than where our thoughts, emotions, distractions, and our outside environment may take it. Believe it or not, by learning to pay greater attention to the simple things that are going on in any given moment–from our breathing to the sounds in the room to the taste of our food–we’re actually able to become more attentive, calm, and at ease, while working better with inevitable distractions, impulsivity, difficult feelings, and stress that can be a part of our lives.
Each day will also include restorative exercise (including yoga, tai chi, pilates) and relaxation practices. We will spend time each day learning the science of well-being: what we can learn from the research about topics ranging from the effect of stress and sleep on the body, to practicing gratitude. And we will allow time for creativity and self-reflection to allow these practices to soak in in new and different ways. Students will leave the retreat with a toolbox and an action plan for carrying these habits into their daily life and integrating them into their school-year routines.
Sample Daily Schedule:
8:20-8:35 Welcome & Morning Meditation
8:35-9:45 Morning Movement: Yoga
9:45-10:00 Break
10:00-11:00 Mindfulness Lesson
11:00-12:00 Mindset Activity
12:00-12:30 Lunch
12:30-1:00 Relaxation
1:00-1:30 Afternoon Movement: Walk
1:30-2:15 Reflection/Creative Activity
2:15-3:15 Science of Well-being
3:15-3:30 Closing Meditation
