Jul 28 2024 - Aug 2 2024

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Week Retreat

Serenity Now!

Are you easily ‘stressed out’?
Do you find it difficult to quiet your mind?
Thoughts racing? Lose focus easily?
Struggle with depression or anxiety?
Difficulty sleeping? Too much or too little?
Easily angered with your kids or spouse?
Do you experience panic attacks?
Digestive difficulties?
Do you worry about your health a lot?

Learning to pay attention, using mindfulness, a skill which can be cultivated, will help to reduce stress and diminish many problems associated with a busy lifestyle, stressed out mind and allow you to stop spinning and greet your life with awareness, acceptance and a calm response to whatever comes your way.

The goal of meditation is not to have your mind go blank and feel blissed out, unaware of life around you. Rather it’s a skill to cultivate awareness, noticing everything and choosing what, when and how to respond rather than being swept away in an automatic reaction.

Imagine living with a greater sense of ease, more peace in life, resilience, able to deal with stress effectively and with less anxiety. MBSR is the program that cultivates that skill. Traditionally an eight week program, but this week retreat will include all of the curriculum in a condensed time frame, allowing you to deepen your practice through the week and decide what form of mindfulness suits you best.

Mindfulness is a way of cultivating awareness of whatever is happening in your life and invites you to be present moment to moment. As you become more aware of the subtleties of thoughts, emotions and actions, you naturally become less reactive to emotional situations and better able to respond to events from a place of calm perspective. This MBSR program incorporates an educational component with the experiential learning of mindfulness meditation and yoga, in a way that enables you to apply what you learn to your daily life. There is no goal of having your mind go blank and feel blissed out.

MBSR was developed by Dr. Jon Kabat Zinn in 1979.  Since then it has been offered at over 200 clinics around the world and has been researched in medical settings with over 40 peer-reviewed articles in scientific literature.  Hundreds of doctors refer their patients to this program when medicine is not able to meet all their needs in dealing with life issues such as chronic pain, stress related conditions and emotional turmoil.  It can be a complement to modern medicine.

This week will balance time between learning new skills, group discussions, and plenty of free time to relax and enjoy the natural setting here.

Side effects of a regular meditation practice include elevated self-esteem, self-confidence, better communication skills, better relationship dynamics, improved immune system functioning, lower blood pressure and at times walking around with a smile for no apparent reason.

Leave this week feeling relaxed

I was interested in learning more about mindfulness as a way to treat anxiety. I can say with pure honesty, that the MBSR retreat far surpassed any of my expectations. Not only did I learn several styles of meditation, by the end of the week I was very much aware of my thoughts and the control that I have over them. Understanding what makes you anxious is a precious gift.

Liz is an amazing teacher. She allows every student to learn at their own pace, offering thoughtful suggestions along the way. I never felt judged or ashamed. When I left the retreat, I had an overwhelming sense of calm. Thank you for your guidance, Liz!

The accommodations were very cozy and comfortable. However, the highlight was the incredible food. Liz told us that each meal is made with love and I believe it.

I would recommend this course to everyone! – Tammy, MBSR Participant October 2017

Benefits of this week

Here are some reasons this week can benefit you:

Reduced anxiety & panic feelings
Increased coping with feelings of depression, anger, or other strong emotions
Improved sleep patterns
Improved immune system
Lower blood pressure
Opening doors to new ways of `seeing’
Increased ability to manage chronic pain
Taking time just for you
Understanding how stress manifests physically and emotionally

RETREAT SCHEDULE

Sunday July 28
3-5pm
Arrive and settle in to your cabin
5:30pm
Dinner
7-9pm
Introduction and course orientation
Mon-Wed, July 29 - 31
7:30-8:30am
Optional Yoga class
8:45am
Breakfast
9:30-11:30am
Workshop
12:30pm
Lunch
2-4:30pm
Workshop
5:30pm
Dinner
Thursday, August 1
8:30am
Breakfast
10am-4pm
Workshop (lunch today is part of the workshop schedule)
5:30pm
Dinner
Friday, August 2
7-8:15am
Optional Yoga class
8:30am
Breakfast & time to pack up your cabin
10am-12:15pm
Workshop
12:30pm
Lunch - Stay as long as you wish and depart at your leisure

Meet Your Facilitator

Liz Frost

Liz Frost MA Ed, RP, is a certified yoga teacher, mindfulness coach and psychotherapist. She was introduced to meditation in the early 90’s and found yoga as a form of meditation. With a foundation in meditation and somatic based psychotherapy, she incorporates mindfulness into yoga practice. She is the owner of Sugar Ridge and devotes her time and energy to making the world a more peaceful place.

Liz Frost, M.A. Ed, RP

Book Your Retreat

Sunday July 28
|
Friday August 2
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Tuition

$1,630 + HST including semi-private accommodation, meals & materials

$2,195 + HST private accommodation, meals & materials

$865 + HST for workshop, lunch every day, dinner Sunday, materials and no accommodation.  Arrive daily after breakfast and depart before dinner.  Any meals or morning yoga classes can be added for an additional fee.

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Shared - Cabin will be shared with up to 3 other guests of the same gender. If you are booking for just yourself, depending on the retreat, we will match you with other guests of the same gender.

Semi-private - Cabin will be shared with the 1 other person you are registering with. If booking alone, we will try to match you with someone of the same gender.

Private - Cabin for one person, not sharing with others.

Book now

The Centre

Welcome to Sugar Ridge! It is our mission to provide a space for you to be nourished in body, mind and soul. From completely silent to dip your toe, testing mindfulness, we have what you’re looking for!

28th July: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Week Retreat