Curated Winter Experiences

Posted by Gizelle Erickson

November

As the leaves begin to fall and we feel the call of cozy fires and warm smells from the kitchen, we turn our hearts and minds to reflect on the year and find the sparks of kindness and gratefulness that will keep us warm through the winter.  A time to appreciate family and celebrate the good things. 

FOR THE BODY

Heal Your Health: Relearn to Breathe Presented by Kali Patrick. 

We often take our breathing for granted, but paying more attention to our breathing is important for several reasons. These include:

  • the affect our default breathing pattern has on our overall health & well-being
  • the usefulness of the breath as a signal that warns us about unmet self-care needs
  • our ability to use the breath intentionally, as a way to reduce acute symptoms (e.g. anxiety or depression)
  • the breath as a portable, always available tool for increasing stress-resilience

In this interactive presentation, your attendees will learn: 

  • Whether or not you’re breathing properly and the surprising implications of improper breathing
  • A simple practice to correct disordered breathing patterns created from chronic stress 
  • Specific breathing techniques designed to: build stress resilience, alleviate muscle tension/pain (including headaches), provide relief from anxiety/depression, increase energy, improve attention and focus, improve posture, restore healthy blood pressure & restore refreshing sleep

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.  We have ways to help you & your team take a deep breath.

FOR THE MIND

In the month of November we uplift caregivers as well as bring light to the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease through Caring for Your Loved One Who has Alzheimer’s.  Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s is never easy. It takes time, transition, training and techniques. This presentation aims to help address and target those skill sets and to help caregivers successfully care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s to the best of their ability.  Presented by Maranda. 

November also brings to the forefront and awareness of stress and helpful ways to mitigate this in our lives.  Garten has a number of resources available to help you and your team find the balance. 

FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT

Creating an environment of kindness and compassionate listening can be challenging.  Here to help is Amy with a talk specifically designed for World Kindness Day.  Kindness doesn’t just happen one day a year though… feel free to schedule this anytime!

CELEBRATE WITH GRATITUDE

Enveloping ourselves with kindness creates a space to be grateful.  Nurture this with The Gratitude Effect presented by Devin.  He demonstrates how gratitude, when given frequently and crowdsourced, changes not only the receiver, but also the giver. In this session, see how some of the most admired global companies in the world achieved eye-popping ROI through case studies supported by unique data science. Learn how to achieve an appreciation structure with the right level of investment to positively impact culture and performance.

Find this and more resources on building a culture of gratitude with garten Experiences. 

December

‘Tis the season to celebrate what is good and set our sights on the New Year to come.  Like fresh snow, deep starry nights and your breath becoming crystalized before your eyes, there is a refreshing tingle of new goals and the excitement of building on what we accomplished last year. 

FOR THE BODY

As winter approaches our bodies may need some extra help to keep healthy as we prepare for the cold and flu season. Julia can help your team learn the role that food, teas, herbs and supplements can play in boosting the immune system, especially when viruses are making the rounds at the workplace. She shares practical, evidence-based (and delicious!) ways to enhance the health of your employees all winter long in her talk on Winter Wellness. 

Would you like to Spice Up Your Vegan Holiday?  Jennifer will help your employees explore how to use spices that are especially useful during the fall and winter seasons to support a healthy lifestyle, including immunity and digestion, and provide unforgettable flavor and richness to classic holiday meals. Or, have Cathy show you how to prepare one or two vegan holiday recipes in her live cooking demo Easy, Healthy Recipes for the Holiday Season.

Did you know that December 13th is National Cocoa Day?  Did you also know that chocolate can be healthy? Learn all about cacao beans and their transformation into delicious chocolate as Cathy guides you to make your own chocolate treats with assorted tasty add-ins such as sea salt, cinnamon, coconut, ginger, chili powder, and more in her From Beans to Bar – Chocolate Crafting Workshop. Continue the fun by hosting a Rosé & Chocolate Essentials Social Hour where Danielle will awaken your senses with the gift of an essential oil to promote relaxation and mindfulness while you experience an interactive wine and chocolate tasting. 

FOR THE MIND

Did you know that doing a hands-on creative activity can help to relieve stress and clear the mind?  Wear your most atrocious attire to celebrate National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day AND host a fun meditative knitting party! In this workshop, participants will learn how to knit, practice pranayama breathing exercises and stretching techniques, providing them with a new skill that nourishes both mind and body.  You may love it so much you will want to make it a regular part of your workplace culture for the New Year!

Along with the fun of the holidays comes stress. Help your team through what may be a stressful & emotional time with Tom, a Licensed Psychologist and Life Coach, who speaks on Navigating Holiday Stress.  Browse through our providers’ offerings of ways to handle stress, from meditation to movement and breathwork. 

FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT

From a place of gratitude comes generosity – giving of our time and resources to make this world a better place for all. Support your team to find ways to volunteer and serve the community around them: 

CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS

Finding ways to come together for end-of-year celebrations and creating room for building community during the holidays means fun, laughter, creativity and celebrating the wins.  We have a collection of holiday celebrations to choose from!  Here is just a taste: 

January

Don’t let your team’s motivation fizzle like last year’s champagne bubbles… keep up the momentum!  Support your team’s wellness goals with some added motivation and fun events:

BUILDING HEALTHY HABITS

Whether your workforce is remote or hybrid, we all need to re-asses those things we do routinely and maybe reboot those habits to serve us better going forward.  Here are some of our top picks for just this thing: 

Creating a Self-care Habit
Building a Sustainable Wellness Routine
You can Change: Making New Habits Stick
SMART Goals

The whole package: these events come in a weekly series that will set your course.  From food to fitness, this is the way to start off the new year!

2023 Food and Fitness Challenge
Food and Movement as Medicine

WEEKLY WELLNESS CLASSES

Establishing a weekly routine within the workplace can create the foundation for a well-rounded wellness program.  Here are some ideas to get you started: 

  • Monday Meditation – start the week off with intention and a clear mind
  • Training Tuesday – kick it in high gear, get the blood pumping, and get going on the most productive day with weekly fitness classes.  
  • Fri-Yay Yoga! From beginners level to advanced, there is a yoga class for everyone.  Try a few styles to see what fits well, or stick with the same provider so you can build on skill sets.

January is MENTAL WELLNESS MONTH and we have experts in the field to encourage and educate your employees as we build awareness for this important topic, from maintaining mental wellbeing through mindfulness to addressing mental health issues both in the office and at home.