Renew, Recharge, Reconnect with Nature
with Christine Hoyer
June 20 - June 23, 2024
We are part of nature and it is important to take the time to pause and renew, recharge, and reconnect with nature and ourselves. This will be an opportunity to drop the stories, the labels, and just be. Nature can offer us a kind of mirror - reflecting something about ourselves, something we may not be able to see in our thoughts, actions or being, or something that serves our journey. All are welcome – no previous experience is necessary - whether you are already connected to nature or seek to feel or strengthen that connection and the benefits that come from such a partnership.
About Forest Therapy and Tai Chi
The practice of Forest therapy (also known as Forest Bathing) connects back to Shinrin-yoku - the Japanese art of forest bathing - and is all about being present in the natural world and spending time in nature for the sole purposes of enhancing health and wellness.
Nature does not live in the past or the future - it can only exist in this moment. The experience of slowing down enough to notice what is alive around you while also encountering and seeing yourself reflected in nature can be powerful. Certified guides are trained to partner with nature and be supportive witnesses to whatever nature offers. It can be challenging to hold space for ourselves and the role of the guide is to hold space for people to have their own experience as they connect in all kinds of different ways to what is around them.
Tai Chi is an internal Chinese martial art that uses simple, repetitive, slow movements designed to cultivate and balance chi (energy). It's like meditation in slow motion that allows you to move out of your head, into your body and connect to your own breath and energy. When practiced outside, it can offer another way to strengthen our interconnection with the natural world.
Retreat Program
The daily program will include sitting/walking mindfulness meditation, guided nature and forest therapy walks, simple mindful movement, and other activities. This retreat will be mostly silent to allow for nature’s voice to be heard. There will be times for sharing, guided activities, and time to explore the land.
About Christine:
Christine Hoyer is a certified guide, mentor, trainer, and the program coordinator for the trail certification program with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and she runs Mindful Meanders based in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. She works in the field of wilderness management. Nature is both Christine's playground and workplace, reflecting her deep-rooted connection with the outdoors. Her attraction to Nature and Forest Therapy stems from a personal yearning to strengthen her authentic bond with the natural world and extend that connection to others.
Christine is a long-time practitioner and teacher of Tai Chi/Qigong. While she learned them through the martial aspects, she now focuses her own practices and her teaching on the meditative side of these arts.
Christine is also a student and teacher of mindfulness and meditation practices. This thread of mindfulness is interwoven throughout her endeavors, inspiring the name "Mindful Meanders" for her business. Christine is commitment to not only sharing a wide array of methods for embracing nature's offerings but also to illuminate the far-reaching advantages that such a connection can bring to one's physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.
Program Schedule
The retreat will begin with check in Thursday June 20th between 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm. Supper will be served at 6:00 pm Thursday evening. All meals, snacks, teas and coffee will be served throughout the event. The retreat will end with lunch on Sunday June 23rd, 2024.
About the Venue:
Well Being Retreat Center
There will be time to enjoy the 160 acres of rural Tennessee land and the 2 1/2 miles of Powell River frontage.
Meals will be mostly gluten-free, vegetarian with a vegan option. Lodging is available on a first come, first serve basis; there are a limited number of single rooms. The Tiny Houses and two of the four earth-sheltered cabins by the river are both listed as "Private Cabins." For pictures of the lodging options, go here. Cabinettes have bathroom facilities in the nearby Conference Building, a short walk away. There is also a low cost option for AT Shelter camping by the river with bathrooms and hot showers nearby.
The Well Being Retreat Center offers a conducive environment for this event: quiet natural spaces and delicious healthy food.
Tuition, Accommodations, Meals, and Lodging
Total cost for this 3-night weekend workshop ranges from $435 - $760, depending on the lodging option selected. This includes your tuition, meals, snacks, and lodging for the weekend.
Go HERE to review Well Being's Accommodation Policies for this Event
Contact & Questions
If you have any questions about the content of the workshop, contact Christine:
E: mindfulmeanders@gmail.com T: 865-366-5371
if you have questions about facilities or accommodations, contact Patty:
patty@wellbeingcc.org; Tel: 423-626-9000; Text: 408-510-0660
Please register for Tuition and Accommodations, meals, and lodging with Well Being Retreat Center using the online form below.
After you "Preview Your Submission," scroll again to bottom of page to "Continue to Payment." (The Payment screen takes a few seconds to appear.) Your registration is complete when payment is made.