OFF THE BEATEN PATH

JENNA WALKER

SET AMONGST THE MAJESTIC atmosphere of Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens, the Alchemy of Gathering: Wellness – Community - Creativity event debuts in June. This event will focus on creating an open space for community to come together and celebrate our connections – to each other, to nature and to ourselves. After years of separation, division and isolation, it is time to embrace the present moment, and honour the love and community that is here NOW! We could all use the time and space to focus on our own mental and physical health, spend quality time in the natural world and receive the opportunity to learn about techniques to support us during these intense times. The Alchemy of Gathering will provide such a time and space.

The Alchemy of Gathering wellness event will offer attendees access to over 40 local product and service vendors. Discover new healing techniques, natural personal care products, local creations, and so much more. Attendees also have access to the entire Woodland Gardens’ 24 acres of pathways, ponds, plants, trees, hand-built benches, and the Ocean Stone labyrinth.

Also, amongst the Sunset gardens, six different ‘Interactive Stations’ will be set up for attendees to participate in. Several of the interactive stations will introduce different meditation techniques, such a guided walking meditation at the Ocean Stone labyrinth, an open-eye method, and a dance meditation at the stage. There will also be interactive stations that focus on techniques to ground ourselves and participate in a collaborative drawing.

On stage in the Sunset gardens, throughout the day, a host of activity will unfold. Between live music, presentations and a sound healing performance, the audience will experience the power of sound to not only move our bodies, but move and lift our spirits. Some of the lineup includes Jessie Epp, Anand David Embry, Serena Freedombear and Anela Kahiamoe. At noon, the event creator, artist and author Jenna Walker, will have a short talk on stage titled Art for Healing.

After this talk, Walker will then facilitate three different Art for Healing workshops under the pavilion near the stage from 1pm till 7pm. These hour and a half workshops will allow space for artistic emotional expression and teachings from Walker’s book A Guide to the Collective Awakening: Advice, Tool & Art Projects with which this event was inspired.

Each Art for Healing workshops will focus on specific emotions. Participants will have a choice between creating and expressing emotions such as anger, grief, anxiety, and sadness. Or to focus on self-reflection and self-acceptance. For each project, all set up and supplies will be provided for up to 100 interested participants. No artistic skills required! Projects are very simple and complete instruction will be given. Some specific instructions for the technical aspects of the project, but also specific instructions for the emotions and the body. These projects are not so much about a final product, though participants will take home their own projects. These workshops are more about expressing our emotions through the creative process. Letting the emotions create the marks, the layers and design.

The first project, starting at 1pm, will hold space and express anger or grief. Using simple materials such as paper, felt marker, magazine pages, and glue, participants will work through several steps as they layer words, ripped pieces of magazine pages and more words. The second project, staring at 3pm, will hold space and focus on self-reflection and self-acceptance. On a half black and half white canvas board, this project will entail creating an image of reflection. Supplies will include canvas board, magazine pages, glue, black and white acrylic paint, and carrots and cotton swabs for applying the paint. And, the last project, starting at 5pm, will hold space and express anxiety and sadness. This final project is very simple and has few supplies, but is extremely helpful for holding focus on the emotions and just drawing from a stream of consciousness state. A state where there is no plan, no composition, but instead fast and random application of marks. Supplies include black felt marker, yellow or green crayons and thick white paper.

Altogether, the Alchemy of Gathering is an event to explore and celebrate ideas on wellness, connection, identity, creativity, healing and so much more. It is an opportunity to gather in Nature and experience the community and love that is here NOW! Through our togetherness, so many opportunities can ignite.

The Alchemy of Gathering: Wellness – Community –Creativity event takes place from 11am to 8pm, on Saturday, June 10th at the Kitty Coleman Woodland Gardens in Courtenay. Tickets are $25 with children under 12 free with ticketed adult and are available through Tidemark Theatre and at the gate. Dogs welcome.

5% of all ticket sales will be donated to local organization Copper Legacy: Indigenous Empowerment Society. For more information visit www.copperlegacy.org

For more information on this event and to get tickets, please visit www.changesbyjenna.com/the-alchemy-of-gathering-1

STAY WELL

DANA MAHON

WELLNESS. What does it mean to “have wellness” or to be well and, moreover what does it mean to you?

Sometimes it is helpful to go back to the drawing board so to speak, and ask ourselves basic, fundamental questions.

Does a definition or description of something (still) resonate with us? Is said definition holistic or vast enough to represent our beliefs? Is it time to redefine something? When was the last time you asked yourself, ‘what does wellness look like, for me, for my body, for my mind, in my heart’?

Wellness is such a dynamic, ever changing and ever-evolving notion, isn’t it?

It may be defined as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being. It may also include something like “wellness is more than the absence of dis-ease, it is a feeling of vitality, health and vibrancy”. As we grow, evolve and shift, and as time passes, so too may our definition and it is important to revisit it and calibrate accordingly.

A state of wellness is never achieved or complete; it is something we continually cultivate, nurture and feed, and how refreshing is it to know that we’re never going to “finish” it, and we can’t really get it wrong, so why not enjoy the journey and the meandering along the way, even the not-so-high moments.

We are evolving and complex beings and thus we are continually seeking news ways to support our evolution (including our wellness) in a myriad of ways. Subsequently, a feeling of wellness may look very different now than it did five years ago, one year ago or even a month ago. What helped us feel good then vs. now, or what helps us now vs. then changes as we change, as we shape-shift and become more of who we are.

If you have not yet considered your wellness on a deep level, perhaps once you do you will start to notice there is space in your experience for increased vitality, nutrition or ways to support your body. Perhaps you seek more meaningful relationships and means of connection. You may notice the need for more rest, or more activity, more reflection time or quiet, or you may be questioning or seeking your life purpose or duty, in Yoga what is referred to as our Dharma. You may be examining your financial well-being more closely.

These are all tied to wellness; in fact there is no separation among any of these. Just the same way our bodies are complex, intricate and connected, and our systems are fully integrated and reliant upon one another, so is our well-being. And just the way the environment of a plant dictates how it will thrive, including the health of the soil, the sunlight exposure, pesticides, rainfall etc… so too is our wellness dependant to a degree on our practices like movement, meditation, breathwork, fresh air and exposure to natural light. It is also dependant on our internal environment…the relationships we foster, the state of our mental and emotional well-being, the conversations we have with ourselves and the inner peace we experience.

The word Alignment can be helpful when looking to “define” or connect more closely with our state of wellness. It can be instrumental when we find ourselves at a crossroads, or simply wanting to take our wellness to the next level but aren’t sure which step to take.

What feels good? What feels easeful, in flow, fun, inspiring and uplifting? What feels like a slog, like resistance, like forcing?

When we feel good and things feel in flow, easeful and relatively effortless, it means we are in alignment with our inner being - with the purest part of ourselves. When we are in alignment, positive feelings emanate from us and as a result, our wellness does too. When we are not in alignment with our inner being, we often struggle and as a result our well-being suffers.

When we are doing things we love, that inspire us and feed our soul, we shine. When we are trying too hard, or living in accordance to the rules of others that may not resonate with our values, goals or dreams, we shine less. Listening, tuning in, calibrating and feeling is all key to doing what is best for us.

So before taking the advice of anyone, before hitting add to cart, before looking outside yourself for a quick fix, before making any sudden rash moves to increase your wellness (although sometimes we do need to flip a switch and only you know when that time is), ask yourself: ‘what feels aligned for me right now? When I’m feeling my best, both inside and out, what am I doing, who am I with, where am I, am I connected to my inner knowing? When we allow ourselves to get quiet enough, the answers always reveal themselves.

Ask yourself, what feels like nourishment, what feels like wellness, and then go do that! It is almost guaranteed that it will connect you directly with your wellness.

Dana has been a devoted explorer of wellness for over 25 years. She combines her love of body work, aromatherapy, holistic nutrition and mindful movement to offer women her very best on their wellness journeys. Her first book, Release Your Inner Wild, is the modern day women’s guide to reconnecting with your true Self and honouring health, passion and power..

Dana Mahon | Wellness for the Wild Woman danamahon.com