The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy will be hosting The Four Seasons of Wellness program—a custom series of four retreats and four health education and group coaching sessions led by Deirdre Breen, IHC, MYT, RMT. The sessions, which are coordinated with the four seasons, are designed to enhance health by improving self-knowledge and self-care.
The retreats are four hours each, and include yoga, mindfulness meditation, journal exercises and walks on the lovely grounds of the preserve. The health education and group coaching sessions are 90 minutes each and utilize the evidence-based Duke Integrative Medicine Personalized Health Planning process.
“The body has an intrinsic healing intelligence that gets blocked out by the stressful pace and the noise of life. The Sands Point Preserve is such a healing environment, and conducive to transforming well-being. The retreats create an opportunity for the community to come together and have a conversation about what health really is,” says Breen, a Duke-certified Integrative Health coach and ISHTA Master Yoga and Meditation teacher. “They encourage participants to get in touch with their own nature in a beautiful, natural setting. The retreats will reflect seasonal changes that our lives and bodies go through, and support the body-mind connection to that season.”
Retreats may be purchased individually, but the health education and group coaching sessions require registration for all four sessions. There is an important reason for this, according to Breen. “Personalized health planning is a process,” she says. “It involves assessing where you are, focusing on what you want to improve and developing a plan of action. Personalized health planning is the process of identifying nourishing behavior and reducing harmful behavior, and behavior change takes time.”
“When Deirdre first proposed this idea,” the conservancy’s Managing Director Beth Horn said, “I immediately thought that this could really improve lives by giving people the tools they need to set priorities for good health, reduce stress and balance the many responsibilities that we all have.”
Registration for the retreats and education and coaching sessions is now open, and more information is available at www.sandspointpreserveconservancy.org/education/four-seasons-wellness-retreats or by contacting Deirdre Breen directly at Serenitybreathxo@gmail.com.
Retreat Dates, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., includes light lunch:
- Fall: Saturday, Oct. 15
- Winter: Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017
- Spring: Sunday, March 12, 2017
- Summer: Sunday, June 11, 2017
Health Education & Intergrative Coaching Sessions:
- Late Fall: Saturday, Dec. 3, 9:30–11 a.m.
- Winter: Saturday, Feb. 11, 9:30–11 a.m.
- Spring: Saturday, April 29, 9:30–11 a.m.
- Summer: Thursday, July 27, 7–8:30 p.m.
Information about these and other programs is available via the Sands Point Conservancy’s website at www.sandspointpreserveconservancy.org and be sure to follow them on Facebook, Sands Point Preserve Conservancy and Twitter @SandsPtPreserve for daily updates.
The Sands Point Preserve Conservancy is a nonprofit organization with the mission to protect and preserve the 216-acre waterfront grounds and historic mansions and to provide a range of cultural events in Hempstead House and Castle Gould and educational programs for families and schools in the Phil Dejana Learning Center and Outdoor Classroom.
