Online retreat - 25th September and 2nd October 9am - 12:30 pm (AEST)

WoW Heart & Soul is an on-line Retreat that focuses on our health and wholeness - nurturing wholeness of body, mind, spirit and relationships. It will be held over two Saturdays from 9:00am – 12:30pm on the 25th September and 2nd October.

Heart & Soul offers the opportunity to consciously bring a positive impact on our health and wholeness and to our world. We aim to foster connecting to our own inner wisdom by cultivating mindfulness, a sense of calm and exploring ways to bring balance, develop self-awareness and joy to feed our soul and inspire passion. Our intention is to connect a sense of gratitude to the mystery outside of ourselves which some might call God, ‘the Divine’ or ‘the Universal Spirit’. We invite you to relax, grow and heal in an experience of creativity and mindfulness.

We have invited presenters who work at the heart of their practice and are masters who at their core hold an inner wisdom. WoW is about creating an opportunity for masters in their field to share from their passion, their wisdom and their spirit. The upcoming WoW event weaves their presentations and workshops around our theme of Heart and Soul.

Want to see the Program - Click here for the PROGRAM

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HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART? EXPLORING THE HEART MIND CONNECTION.
Since 400 BC philosophers and anatomists have debated the significance of the heart. In this session I will provide a modern-day insight into how our emotions can affect the wellbeing of our heart.  How strong is this link? What does current research say? And what tips might we adopt to better protect ourselves ? All this will be explored in a fun and interesting way.

Julie Anne Mitchell is Director of Health Strategy at the National Heart Foundation. She has previously worked in both the government and non-government sector in Victoria and NSW, with a focus on public health policy and disease prevention.

This includes the areas of nutrition, physical activity, workplace wellness, tobacco control and clinical care.

She has a long-standing interest in women’s health and as national spokesperson on women’s heart health, has strategically led efforts to raise public awareness and address the disparities in care, women with heart disease, often face. 

NURTURING OUR CHILDREN’S EMOTIONAL WELLBEING
Research has shown that children’s positive emotional wellbeing powerfully impacts later attitudes and behaviours, academic performance, career path, and adult health outcomes. This session will provide practical easy to implement strategies and ideas participants can immediately implement to support our children’s emotional wellbeing.
Topics being discussed • Teaching Emotional Intelligence • Recognising children’s strengths • Fostering Gratitude

Workshop: Making the sacred welcome in our children’s lives - 2 Oct - It is important to build a religious and spiritual foundation early in a child’s life. This session will provide practical easy to implement ideas participants can immediately implement to make the sacred and God welcome in our children’s lives on a daily basis.
Topics being discussed • Celebrating life’s special moments – creating rituals • Connecting with nature • Living mindfully

Kari Sutton is an educator, speaker and author who has helped over 25,000 children, parents, and educators with evidence- based strategies, tools and approaches to foster children's positive mental health and plant the seeds of resilience, emotional wellbeing in our children.

SOUND, BIAS & HEALING
This workshop will explore the power of listening, unpack how our brain hears sound, and consider how sound can be a source of healing and an element in combating bias. We will then turn to sounds of Islam, and I will talk about my journey visiting muslim communities around the world for the purposes of listening and recording the Islamic call to prayer. (This workshop will be interactive and I ask participants to bring headphones if they have, and to be prepared with a notebook and pen for a short writing activity.)

Diana Chester is a sound studies scholar, multimedia artist, composer, and educator. Her work draws from sound studies, archival studies, and the ethnographic study of expressive culture in religious festivals and traditions. Her current scholarly research includes three primary strands, the study of sound and culture focused on religion and the environment, the audio essay as a form of sonic scholarship and pedagogical innovation, and new artistic research methodologies and practices at the intersection of spacialized media technologies and scientific research. Diana has recently completed her first book, a sonic exploration of the Islamic Call to Prayer, and holds a lecturer position in the department of Media and Communications at the University of Sydney.

YOUR CREATIVE SOUL
Using meditation, image, colour and word as tools we will explore the link between creativity, spirituality & wholeness. Allowing space to be curious we will explore what lies within and take time to listen and connect with each other. (This workshop will be interactive and I ask participants to bring a pen, unlined paper and some crayons or pastels.)

Anne Bonnefin is Communications Coordinator at Community of Christ, Australia Mission Centre. She has a Diploma of Fine Art, Diploma of Counselling and is a qualified Meditation Facilitator and Health Coach. She is currently studying Transpersonal Art Therapy. Anne loves developing creative experiences that help people connect to wonder and their unique creative spirit; opening the way for people to access the spiritual dimension in the everyday.

“Each of us has inherited a treasure-house of wonders.” John O’Donohue

CHARACTER OF THE HEART
This workshop invites participants to be open to Self, take a light-hearted glimpse into their heart space and create a personalised character, whilst exploring the potential for heart-felt resilience in these times. (This workshop will be interactive and I ask participants to bring a pen, unlined paper and some crayons or pastels).

Dr Glenda McDonald is the owner of SteppingStones Transpersonal Art Therapy & Counselling. She has a background as a university lecturer in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health as well as Health in Culturally Diverse Communities. She currently works on a research project at Nepean Hospital, exploring the experiences of Aboriginal carers for the palliative care service. She has personal experience as a carer and has worked as a recovery coach for mental health organisations. Her passion is assisting individuals, organisations and communities, especially those facing adversities, to develop, enhance and maintain their personal resilience. Her art therapy practice includes relaxation, visualisation and arts-based processes and supports therapeutic outcomes, self-awareness and authentic creative expression.

Nourish - How do we live in the present moment more and care for our body, mind, spirit and relationships so we can live our best life? We will explore the connections between wholeness of body, mind, spirit and relationships and you will come away with tools to use in your daily life to journey to wholeness. 

Move - Embracing change in our lives. What do we need to do more of to bring our lives into balance?  Learn how to enliven your mind, let go of emotional strains and find joy within.

Inspire - We are not separate from each other. In your welfare resides my own. World events are challenging us. How do we embrace life in a deeper way? We long for a different kind of world. How do we respond? We will explore how to become wiser, stronger more intelligent and compassionate people.