LOVEntus

Retreat Modules



Meditation
The meditation module allows you to liberate yourself from thought and emotion, and increase your awareness of nothing by seeking inner clam and detachment. This is contrary to the proprioceptive writing module described below, where participants strive to actively engage with their thoughts.  Nevertheless, meditation and therapeutic writing can complement each other in that meditation allows oneself to separate from one’s own thoughts and emotions, which in turn can pave the way for a more detached approach in the proprioceptive writing exercise. Meditation also strengthens your ability to focus.  Meditation sessions at the Center can be either “clear-mind” or “open heart” in focus, meaning they can be toward oneself or toward others.

Tai-Chi
Tai-Chi, an Ancient Chinese tradition originating from the Martial Arts, has become a form of exercise used to reduce stress and increase concentration. Tai Chi is also known to promote mindfulness and ability to focus. It resembles mediation in its “attention” aspect and deep breathing, but offers more motion through gentle, continuously flowing movements.

Yoga
Yoga is a practice that combines body and mind: incorporating physical poses with controlled breathing and meditation/relaxation. Yoga comes in many styles, forms, and intensities. Hatha yoga, for instance, is one of the most common styles of yoga, with a slower pace and gentler movements. Almost any form of yoga will deliver health benefits such as reduced stress, better and deeper breathing, increased mindfulness, and better management of chronic conditions such as anxiety, depression and high blood pressure. At the Center, we offer mostly Hatha and Restorative yoga. Both Tai-Chi and Yoga can be offered indoors as well as outdoors, weather permitting.

Proprioceptive Writing
In this module, self guided, therapeutic writing exercises are used to create a path to spiritual renewal and emotional health. The proprioceptive writing practice promotes an increased mindfulness which strengthens the sense of self and connection to the world. Meditation, Tai-Chi, and Yoga help in strengthening your focus, which can then be used to listen to your inner self, bringing forth stories and details, and in turn allowing you to zoom in on your memory. Through the proprioceptive writing exercises, you will be able to hear yourself think, observe your feelings and behaviors, and discover the significance of your inner dynamics.Writing gives you the opportunity to not only express your own thoughts, but also to reflect on them. It is through this reflection that you will begin to respond to your thoughts and emotions. If done on a regular basis, over time, proprioceptive writing will allow the writer to regard his/her emotions and thoughts objectively, without inner pre-judgments.

Music
Music is an integral part of any relaxation. It can vary from human pulse- synchronic Baroque music, to mantras, to other forms of New Age music. Music has long been recognized as an effective form of therapy to provide an outlet for emotions. At McGill University in Montreal, a wealth of new studies is touting the benefits of music on mental and physical health, such as how music improves the body's immune system function by increasing the body’s production of the antibody immunoglobulin A and so called natural killer cells, while reducing the body’s stress hormone called cortisol. It is for this reason that humans can associate music with relaxation. At the Center, music will be offered as part of yoga and meditation modules and also as standalone concert events. One event during summer is a lie-down concert, where attendees lie outside under the stars and listen to music, sounds and vibration brought forth by various instruments.

Creative Journaling
Art journaling or visual journaling has long been an integral part of art therapy protocols. Through color, lines, shapes and forms, creative journaling helps people visualize inner feelings, moods, conflicts, experiences, and emotions. The process of creative art journaling provides participants with a greater connection to themselves. It is through this connection that they discover new tools for problem solving. This increased ability to analyze and solve problems is empowering and leads to greater confidence, which in turns provides more productive energy in your life. Art journaling ultimately aims to gain greater insight into various aspects of a person’s life, and to devise strategies to reduce the stress caused by them.

Art journaling comprises various methods. Several well known approaches are:

  • giving expression to the question“ how are you feeling today?”
  • writing a letter to oneself “Dear……”
  • journal with the non dominant hand
  • photocollage a journal
  • doodling in a diary
  • writing an intention journal, such as a gratitude journal
  • collage through mixed media
  • developing a vision board

Beholding
Beholding is an exercise which changes the way you see and listen to the world. Sight and sound are the senses through which most people primarily interact with the world. In the exercise of contemplative beholding, you ask yourself: “What do I see? What do I hear?” while looking at the same object, or listening to the same surroundings over several points in time. This practice increases not only the awareness and understanding of what you are seeing or hearing, but also of how you are an important component of what you see and hear. Contemplative beholding allows you to develop true objectivity through your subjectivity. You come to an understanding of how all perspectives are limited and fluid since they are subject to change in time.

It is accepting this fluidity, this constant coming and going of observations and thoughts, which lies at the heart of mindfulness.

Aromatherapy and Other Essential Oils Therapeutic Services
Psychoaromacology is the science and study of the chemical interactions the aromatic molecules of plants have on the brain. Aromatherapy uses those volatile, natural compounds extracted from plants in the form of Essential Oils to bring about powerful effects on the brain when the oils are diffused or inhaled.

Essential Oils have been around for thousands of years and many civilizations have enjoyed the benefits from them. In the mid 19th Century, it was notably the French who championed their healing and supportive benefits, and to this day, therapeutic treatments using these oils are covered by French health insurance; their healing powers are undeniable. Their benefits vary from influencing mood and emotions, to actually changing the brain’s capacity to effectively transmit neurological information throughout the body. This improved communication may in turn support the body’s ability to carry out biological and chemical functions such as fight inflammation, tolerate pain, maintain a healthy immune system and promote overall cell functions. Since the oils are capable of penetrating the cell membrane and break through the brain blood barrier, they can be powerful allies in supporting our overall health.

In addition to Aromatherapy, we offer general Essential Oil education sessions as well as consultations to address specific issues, for example body cleanse makeovers, stress and mood management, exercise/ activity recovery, and healthy cooking and eating.

To be effective and safe, only the highest grade oils should be used for these purposes. At the Center, we only use Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG)® oils from doTerra, a company with the highest quality control systems in place to guarantee the absolute purity, potency, and consistency of its oils. (*)

(*) Although doTerra Essential Oils are safe to use both internally and externally, we recommend you check with your physician when starting an extensive Essential Oil regimen.

Balancing Touch Massage Technique (Aromatouch) ®
This technique refers to applying a specific set of eight essential oils to the back and base of the head, feet and hands. These oils have been selected for their ability to ease stress, boost the immune system, reduce pain and inflammation, and may help the body’s respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems perform better. Our instructors are doTerra Aromatouch ® Certified and are trained to identify specific Essential Oil solutions for any specific issues you may have.