Embrace Winter with Self-Compassion: A Therapeutic Nature Mini-Retreat Series for Moms
For the overstretched mom who is trying to do it all, feeling the pressure of modern motherhood and the often heavy self-criticism that comes with it. Join us for 1 or all 3 mini-retreats to invest some time and space for yourself so that you can feel more confident, connected, supported, resourced, replenished and ready to move through an often challenging, isolating, and stagnant season with resilience.
Self-Compassion for Stress Resilience
How much energy and time do you spend beating yourself up about things you feel like you're doing wrong as a mom?
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Our culture doesn't support the healing we all - particularly caregivers- have needed after the intensity of the pandemic, the excess information about what the "right" ways to parent are, and a societal upheaval.
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This group is for you to to get the SPACE, SUPPORT, CONNECTION, TOOLS, and PRACTICES to help you to KNOW at a deep level that YOU ARE ENOUGH.
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These mini-retreats will support you to:
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Commit to yourself and be held accountable to make this winter different!
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Feel more like yourself, be more in touch with your intuition, and get the heavy weight of pressure off your back.
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Learn tools, mindset shifts, and insights to help you better manage stress, depression, stagnation, anxiety and above all self-doubt and self-criticism - so pervasive in today’s standards for motherhood!
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Experience the warmth, support, and nourishment that comes from meaningfully connecting with other moms on a similar path.
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Set yourself up for a mentally healthy winter, bring a sense of lightness into your life!
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Mini-Retreat Part 1: Embracing Winter: Finding Light in the Darkness
January 20th 1pm-4pm
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The hustle and bustle that comes with a lot of festivities and light is finally over, and January brings with it a settling into the darkness and somewhat more quiet time of year.
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This Self-Compassion mini-retreat for moms is meant to give you something to look forward to, to replenish yourself, connect meaningfully with other moms, practice wellness skills and be nurtured, and bring some light into your life, both figuratively and literally.
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We’ll be doing nature integrated mindfulness practices involving a fire and candlelight experiences to support you to learn and practice self-compassion so that you can be lighter on yourself in your motherhood journey.
Being more compassionate with yourself in an embodied way is a skill that can be strengthened with support and practice, just like growing a muscle. It starts with you and flows outward, so not only will you benefit from this experience but those around you and your children will, too!
Mini-Retreat Part 2: Embracing Winter: Finding Stillness
February 17th 1pm-4pm
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Many animals hibernate for the winter season, and we feel our animal selves wanting to slow down and close ourselves in in certain ways as well. Although this isn’t always the best for our mental health, it brings to mind what our comfort level is with stillness and slowness. This retreat will explore our relationship with slowing down.
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We’ll be doing nature integrated mindfulness practices related to every day life things, so that you can leave with practical, accessible tools for slowing down and responding to life and yourself instead of perpetually reacting the way many of us tend to do. This slowing down can increase our own self-awareness so that we can have the mental space to cultivate self-compassion in the harder, crunchier moments of motherhood.
One way we work towards greater self-compassion is to truly notice the extent of our self-judgment. The way we judge ourselves can be so habitual and subconscious we may not always notice we are doing it. Through this mini-retreat, you will get to know better the subtle ways self-judgment may be arising and learn to cultivate self-compassion in the little moments of life as a mother.
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Mini-Retreat Part 3: Embracing Winter: Finding Your Center
March 16th 1pm-4pm
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This month we prepare for our re-emergence. Re-emergence of light, growth, expansive energy, and activity. During transitional moments of our lives, of seasons, of the month, and of our days, how do we find our center and attend to ourselves according to the shifting energies? This mini-retreat will explore this question. How can we track our feelings and needs and act out our willingness to be compassionate towards ourselves by giving ourselves what we need or at least portions of it.
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We’ll be learning nature-integrated mindfulness practices to connect with our inner selves, and the cycles we go through. We’ll discuss the 4 phases of the menstrual cycle and how we can accommodate the energy each phase brings. Using self-compassion allows us to honor where we are at and what we are needing and acknowledging that is not always the same. Being present, grounded, centered in ourselves supports us to connect to our highest wisdom so that we know what to do for ourselves.
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In this Nature Therapy Group for Moms, you will:
Be guided through self-compassion exercises so you can embody this experience at a visceral level.
Connect with other moms, who are also navigating a very complex world of modern parenting, and realize you are not the only one having these challenges and feeling like you are never good enough.
Notice what needs or experiences you may have been neglecting that are an essential part of your well-being.
Be held accountable in a compassionate way to practice resourcing yourself.
The best thing you can do for your brain is take a walk in the woods with a friend and discuss your problems.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Experience the power of Group Therapy using Mindfulness & Nature Components
This Nature Therapy Mini-Retreat for Moms series is in partnership with Guided by Nature, LLC and Upward Spiral Wellness. Lauren Bathgate of Guided by Nature is a Licensed Therapist, certified Perinatal Mental Health Therapist, fellow Nature-Informed Therapist, and mother of two toddlers. Nathalie of Upward Spiral Wellness is a Licensed Therapist, Nature-Informed Therapist, Birth Mother of 2 kids ages 8 and 3, and Stepmother to a 13-year-old, certified yoga teacher, certified Stepfamily coach and certified Nature Therapist. With the support of these two experienced professionals, Nature, as well as other moms, a little human guidance, and your own willing and open mind, these sessions are sure to nourish your mind, body, and soul.
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My hope and intention is that this group gives you a new level of input that creates an on-going internal shift for you!
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Resilient Moms Nature Therapy Group is an experience you will savor and cherish!
Important notes on this Therapy Group
1.) Welcoming - This group is meant to be a safe, non-judgemental space for anyone who identifies as a Mother.
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2.) Mindfulness - It is not a group for people wanting an exercise group. The movement involved is intended to be a practice of loving movement- movement where our bodies are respected first and foremost. We only go as fast as the slowest person, and the walking takes up about half of the entire session experience. We will walk/hike for anywhere from 30-45 minutes for 4 of the 6 sessions. If you have any sort of physical or health concerns, please let the facilitator know prior to registering. We try to accommodate everyone's physical needs and take into account any issues when planning the group experience.
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3.) Weather - as long as it's not raining so hard that we can't hear each other, the facilitator will send an email out a few days prior to the planned group time, giving an update about weather and location, any planning that needs to happen accordingly, and if there is a forecast of poor weather when the participants will be notified. We'll discuss appropriate weather gear, and I never want people to be painfully uncomfortable! Again with respect to everyone's needs while also seeing physical discomfort as a potential growth opportunity and resilience builder.
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4.) Authenticity - This is a space for moms to BE THEMSELVES. Sometimes it can be hard not to put on the appearance of "having it all together". The purpose of the group is to be a safe, supportive space for moms to connect with one another in an authentic way that provides real connection and support. This may be a stretch for some of you, and if so we'll support you through that. If there's any hesitation be sure to discuss on your free consultation with Nathalie.
"When suffering constricts the heart, awe stretches it back out, making us more compassionate, more loving, more present."
VALARIE KAUR
In these Nature therapy groups you will get support in cultivating the experience of awe, reaping the benefits in your relationship with yourself and by extension others in your life as well.