Health & Well-being Toolkit

Content Credits

Content

Helena Kosková

Bogdan Romanică

Ana Teresa Santos

Lisa Hofmann

Footage

Nolwenn Chancelier

Roxana Corojan

Bani Christine

Širín Ježková

Ricardo Casado

Editor

Diana Rychlik

Logo Design

Pari BM

Layout

Lisa Hofmann

Copyright IYNF 2022

All rights reserved

NATUREFRIENDS (IYNF)

HEALTH

HROUGH NATURE-BASED

TION FOREST.INK

International Young Naturefriends

International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) is an international organisation, which brings together young Naturefriends and their member organisations from across Europe. Established in 1975 IYNF currently counts 15 members and 14 partners gathering more than 100.000 members in more than one thousand local groups. The core role of IYNF is to facilitate the cooperation between its member and partner organizations and individual members by creating links, organizing meetings, providing direct support and promoting naturefriendly activities all over Europe. IYNF focuses on value-driven meetings and capacity building activities for its members, partners, supporters and interested individuals.

The working methods are based on non-formal, experiential, outdoor and intercultural education. IYNF is a value-based organization representing its members at the European level. One of the core IYNF values is that personal responsibility and independence are cornerstones of democracy and positive social change and the ways in which an individual can better understand the connection between his/her own individual thoughts and actions, and its effects on the level of entire society.

IYNF's Year of Mental Health

Looking back on the 2022 cycle “Let’s Get Outta Here – Outdoor Education as the Path to Mental Health” IYNF tackled one of the most important topics in our current times, the support of the mental health of young people. By hosting activities in Greece, Romania, and Czechia we managed to create more awareness of the mental health benefits of outdoor education.

Our first activity in 2022 “Youth and Mental Health” was located in Greece, where participants from all over Europe gathered to lay the foundation for the whole cycle. The activity in March was used as introductory training on the topic of strengthening resilience and supporting mental health in youth work by using outdoor education methods. The venue was located outside Athens and gave a perfect atmosphere.

We further moved on to our second activity in the rural areas of Romania. This project in May was when our Mental Health Toolkit “Take Me Outside” was born. Surrounded by mountains, cows, and pigs, the participants got to explore the 7C´s of resilience which became the base of our toolkit. They experienced the difference between doing activities outside in nature versus inside a venue.

In August we followed up with the “Advisory Team Action” which was created to help participants from our activities in Greece and Romania to prepare for their advisory sessions where the end goal was to present our toolkit to different organizations who work with youth.

The final activity was located in Czechia, close to our office in Prague. The venue was surrounded by a beautiful autumnal-colored forest and the participants got to tackle mental health, resilience, and outdoor education one last time. The participants worked, played, and hiked throughout the week and ended the activity with a movie night showcasing statement videos claiming more mental health awareness in educational frameworks. The videos can be found on our youtube channel.

by IYNF Secretariat

Health & Wellbeing Through Nature-Based Methods

Health & Wellbeing through Nature-based Methods was just another piece of IYNF's year cycle 2022. This Training Course aimed to develop practises for personal health and well-being through naturebased methods, as well as community building experiences. Nature is seen as a teacher, which activates new perspectives, solutions and tools for young people so they can create authentic and sustainable changes in their lives, their communities and professional work. The training offered methods that are rooted in ancient wisdom, natural laws and strong experiential learning.

The three main objectives of this project were to create opportunities for the participants to:

Project Background

The EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 highlights that currently 36% of young people in Europe do not participate in cultural activities. A lack of cultural participation correlates with less engagement in society and a higher risk of marginalization, particularly for youth from vulnerable groups. Eurostat research on mental health shows that having an active role in society has a positive impact on the personal and mental well-being and vice-versa. However, mental disorders are on the rise within the EU and depression is the most prevalent health problem in many EU-Member States (cf. European Pact for Mental Health and Well-Being). It can lead to a loss in economic productivity, increases in work-disability costs, and creates a burden for educational and judicial systems.

Europe needs young leaders who are capable of handling both the challenges presented by their generation and those occurring in their personal lives. This can be learned with a focus on connection to nature, improving personal well-being, and developing a sense of community.

Consequently, this project proposes solutions rooted in strong experiential learning, holistic thinking, natural laws, and ancient wisdom. We work with concepts like the Wheel of Life, group dynamics, intention clarification and focus, natural elements, Way of Council, Rites of Passage, and creativity.

All this supports participants in reflecting, integrating, and adapting healthy habits and growth.

Project Team I

Lisa Hofmann (Project Coordinator) did her European Voluntary Service with IYNF in Prague and since 2020 is President of the organisation. As initiator of this project she had been inspired by training courses with IYNF from 2018 onwards, where she developed skills in non-formal education with focus on transformative learning Lisa facilitates Shinrin Yoku (Forest Bathing) and works as a radio speaker Besides, she is interested in ancient wisdom connected to nature and healing.

Diana Rychlik (Project Assistance & Awareness Person) is an inspiring youth worker and teacher trainer on the topics of democratic education, participation, diversity, personal development and community building. She creates and holds spaces for group processes, self reflection, and also in the field of ritual shamanic work.

Cristina Gaetani Liseo (Project Team) was the national coordinator of the Italian Young Naturefriends Group GIANGiò Since 2008 Cristina is in the board of her local section, working with youngsters, organising cultural activities, and leading courses on eco-green life styles and creative writing. Over the past few years she has been working in the integration field, with young refugees and migrants, coordinates groups of youngsters throughout Italy engaging them with regular activities in nature and in meetings at Naturefriends houses In this project Cristina manages the participation of GIAN-Giò volunteers in the project and supports in logistics.

Project Team II

Helena Kosková (Trainer, Czechia)

With educational background in sociology, social work and psychotherapy she has 17 years of experience as a freelance trainer focused on personal and organisational/community development and long term programmes of non formal education – for 12 years she was member of Youth in Action / Erasmus+ trainers pool in Czechia. Recently she is active in education, facilitation of group processes and Councils, nature guiding and moderating of traditional feasts and contemporary rituals connected with natural and life cycles within Natural Spirit platform. You can often find her walking in landscape or in labyrinth, listening to stories in circles or gardening – which is her second profession.

Bogdan Romanică (Trainer, Romania)

His mission is to guide people find their true meaning in life and empower them to live it. He manifests his life mission by being a nature based human development guide, mentor, trainer and inspirer. He sees himself as an active agent of cultural evolution, while serving the human Soul, the Earth and the Great Mystery. He believes that rewilding humans is an essential part of the restoration of human culture He developed his craft by engaging consistently in deep and meaningful work and training with the Animas Valley Institute from the USA (organisation founded by Bill Plotkin), the Mankind Project, Illuman and other organisations and teachers. Born in Romania, he feels deeply connected with the lands where he lives, the hills, mountains and forests that spread not far from his city, Cluj-Napoca

Project Team III

Ana Teresa Santos (Trainer & Project Team, Portugal)

A human being caring for regenerative processes, sustaining the web of life. An educational activist and facilitator of collaborative, participatory, transformative and experiential approaches to learning through non formal education, mainly with youth and youth workers, since 2006 Giving life to community projects, locally and internationally, cofacilitating the empowerment of people and communities. Play, Health, Nature and Community are deep points of connection with this Training Course. Graduated as Sociocultural Educator –Lifelong Learning in 2007 and a certified trainer since 2010 Active in IYNF and the Naturefriends’ movement since 2006, as trainer & facilitator, former member of the presidium and project manager. Member of the Forest School movement in Portugal.

picture ©sklenářka

Venue "Vila Sklenářka"

Vila Sklenářka was built in 1904. The resort was created as a place for love, art and meeting. During World War II, the villa was discovered by the Nazis and used for their own purposes until the end of the war. After the regime change in 1948, the villa fell to the state and an outdoor school was established for children from the cities.

Only in the last 10 years has the place been associated with the themes of personal development of ecology and sustainable lifestyle. Since 2015 there is living a community, which is gradually revitalizing the entire space so that it serves as a place of self-knowledge, rest and inspiration for a conscious way of life.

More info: www.sklenarka.cz

Local Host Organisation

The local host organisation Forest.Ink has its headquartes at Vila Sklenářka and hold regular meetings there. They are directly learning from the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and transferring their knowledge to the Eueopean context.

We believe that a world where humans live in harmony with nature is possible, albeit with significant adjustments in how we lead our lives at the individual and collective level. However, we also understand that each of us only has the agency to change themself. That said, through our personal stories and behavior, we can be the spark for others to instigate their own transformation. With a combined shift in individual perspective, we can improve the trajectory of the governments, communities, and corporations that impact how we treat nature. We care deeply for our natural world and encourage more people to consciously care for nature as well.

Erik Liepmann, Co-Founder Forest.Ink

Filip Kňažek (Czechia): What is calling me the most is the wish and urge to incorporate nature based methods into my daily work as a facilitator and trainer and bring nature closer to the city people especially again. Before covid I was organising coaching and mindful walks in nature and I'd like to build up on this competence. Also I'm building up my confidence in this kind of activities and this TC would be very helpful.

Ana Moca-Grama (Romania): Discovering deep ecology, volunteering in a permaculture garden and attending courses and youth exchanges in other eco-villages opened up a new world and motivated me to keep working towards the dream of a selfsustainable, meaningful, grounded life and to share with others what I am learning. I take time every week to be in the forest or in the mountains and I am passionate about herbalism, wild foraging, permaculture, indigenous wisdom and the ways spirituality and nature come together in rituals, traditions and crafts.

Ricardo Casado (Spain):

We live a lot through devices, and the human part is many times lost. Nature helps us reconnect with what we are, animals. And to show ourselves in a truer, less artificial way. When I'm in nature I feel calm, I don't feel the rush or the urgency that surrounds us everyday. Or at least it makes it much easier to feel calm. And I think it also provides a better environment to be open with the others, to create a community feeling, since we can experience that we are all the same and come from the same place.

Bani Christine (Malta):

I do my own studies online by following videos and reading inspiring teachers, however I feel that this course content as well as the benefit of connecting in community would inspire me to create more opportunities to help others connect with nature and open up to the value of community, knowing themselves deeper and perhaps also open the dimension for a spiritual connection with that which we cannot see yet deeply feel the importance of connecting to its mystery

Nolwenn Chancelier (France)

I practice meditation since I am 15. It is a practice I found out about after feeling tired of trying to change the outer world. And community building started mattering to me after my first experience volunteering at a film festival in a rural area in Normandy, France in 2020. I realized how much a cultural event can bring people from diverse backgrounds together and the fact that experiencing something as a community is a strong starting point for a sense of belonging and feeling safe in one's own shoes and environment.

Lukas Helebrandt (Czechia)

As an "IT guy" who grew up in nature, I believe knowing nature and being connected with it is central part of the solution to problems our planet is facing. Seeking to shift my career, I got to know the founders of Green Steps in Shanghai, and started to develop a nature+sustainability learning platform with them. Besides that, for 8 years, I’ve been part of the core team organizing the Shalanaya psychedelic arts and music festival, helping to build the psychedelic community in China.

Gea Gračner (Slovenia)

Currently I am feeling strong wish for remembering myself with others and developing my personal exploration process. And I miss it - a lot. Being connected with myself, with others. Spring is for me an amazing time of the year of reconnecting with my inner self and at the same time period of gathering the community, reconnecting taking the winter grounded energies into movement.

Catalina Berriel Martins (Spain)

I truly think we are nature as well but that we are non really conscious of it, so I try to learn it myself to share the knowledge with those around me, sharing the wisdom. Every day more I feel a strong connection with nature and believe that when we act in harmony with it (and ourselves as nature as well), we have the capacity of overcaming the challenges of living in a modern society disconnected from the natural live.

Adrian Șuteu (Romania)

I know that nature has powers that I don’t fully take advantage of. It’s an amazing improvement of how I take my energy from nature, of how grateful I am day by day, of how I appreciate just a simple walk in the nature, from last year. But I think there’s a lot more to learn. I felt a huge difference from the last project that had nature as a theme and I am confident that the more I participate in this kind of project, the more I improve myself as a human.

Gashaw Amsalu Dessie (Ethiopia)

Many people live without the basic necessities of life. Living in such a way without shelter, clean water, food or education—is something no person should experience. This was my life experience when I was in Ethiopia. Being one of the poorest countries in the world, there is great need for building communities friendly and sustainably where people can receive the basic necessities for living a normal life.

Gabriela Šustková (Czechia)

Nature is my basic source, where I draw energy, I have space to be with myself. Exploring myself and connecting with the community is essential together with nature as my resource is common with other resources a basic prerequisite for my work and especially my being.

As part of my work with schools (prevention programs), we try to connect and involve both individuals and the community so that everyone is well.

Sonia JIANG (China)

I joined a Buddhism summer camp in the university. We stayed in Donglin Temple in Jiangxi China, studied, worked and lived with local monks for one month.

I also went to a shamanic drum circle and reiki healing gathering in Shanghai for a few times. Besindes, I practice yoga and meditation.

Julian Sonntag (Germany)

I strongly believe in the power of building trustful communities and connecting with oneself and one another. To me, there is really no place where connection, care, and learning (with one another and also with ourselves) can happen in such an unhindered and supported way than in natural settings. The hustle and bustle of city life disconnect us from the natural world, but also from ourselves, and from making deeper connection with others. ecially my being. As part of my work with schools (prevention programs), we try to connect and involve both individuals and the community so that everyone is well.

Susana Silva (Portugal)

I am a trainer and I have been trying to go deep into this path, but I am still feel I should get more tools to facilitate health and nature, meet more people doing it. My bigger motivation is linked with the hope that by feeling well through nature based methods people connect deeply with it and grow awareness of us as part of it and fall into taking care of it.

Roxana Corojan (Romania)

I have lived for 6 months in Bali while training to become a Thai Yoga massage therapist and Yoga Facilitator with teachers that have a holistic approach and a deep love for ancient wisdom. Over the years, my motto has become "No plan is the best plan.". Keeping our expectations low creates more space for surprise, wander and exploration. However, I believe that nature-based methods remind us to connect to our inner child and play. Therefore, I hope give myself permission to get lost in presence, to trust the beautiful discovery through play.

Benedikt Praßl (Austria)

In my community, there is a great place where many cultures and mindsets come together to make a campfire and share ideas. With my partner I like to spend time in the green, for example on a blindfolded trip through the forest where one person leads the other through the forest and introduces them to smells and sounds. When I am working on some problem with myself, I go out into nature, sit in a quiet place and write down my thoughts and reflections or write letters to people and then burn them and throw them into a river to be absorbed by the world.

Širín Ježková (Czechia/Armenia)

Nature is the place where I feel the most at home, calm and peaceful. Each year I fly to Armenia for the summer to spend some time in a tent in the mountains with my Armenian friends. Sadly, that ´ s about the time I make for re-connecting with the nature. Connecting with myself (or sometimes at least trying) is part of my everyday life. And I am not a part of a community in a real sense right now.

Alexandre May (France)

I see it as an opportunity to start a journey to develop my empirical knowledge about the relationship of nature and health. It is for me so far a rather intellectual knowledge. I am curious to experience it and for my mind to live through as many physical, physiological, sensorial state enhanced by nature and nature-based methods. I would love to come out with a new body-mind set ups that can help me to create a more purposeful experience of life.

Alexandra Brinzac (Romania)

In Romania I am not surrounded with so many people that have the same openness to naturebased methods and I am looking for a community with like-hearted and-minded people, in which we can grow together, learn from one another and develop future projects and initiatives. I am deeply passionate about ecopsychology and nature-based practices and I am eager to experience more in regard of these subjects. Sometimes, I feel like I am reading and gathering a lot of knowledge, but I don't have many spaces where I can embody this. There, I think that I can find this practice of embodiment here. I am working with youths and I would to expand my knowledge and box of tools.

Educational Tools

Nature Mandala

Medicine Wheel

Group Principles

Morning Practices

Community Work: Service & Care

Labyrinth Journey

Threshold Walk

Health & Wellbeing

Group Mapping

Way of Council

Dreamstar Council

Nature Solo

Cacao Ceremony

Nature Mandala

Objectives:

To map the environment and space of the course. To understand the principle of natural cycles and their interconnection with human life.

To create a framework for the programme flow of the course.

Description:

The Nature Mandala can be perfectly done in the beginning of your seminar. You simply prepare a star-shape basis of sticks on the ground, like a big circle pattern, with parts pointing to different directions. Participants are invited to stand in a circle around the pattern. They get familiar with their position and then each person is invited to walk in one of the directions, collecting natural samples on their way and bring themback to the circle and “draw” with them their piece of map. Like this we composed the whole picture, shared our discoveries about the place and brought the idea of wholeness co-created by everybody. After creating the Nature Mandala is a good moment to introduce the concept of Medicine Wheel.

Medicine Wheel

Objectives:

To deepen understanding of Medicine Wheel and natural cycles. To reflect on own life and present situation.

To understand how to use it for orientation in life and how it connects with rituals and rites of passage.

Description:

Medicine Wheels represent the alignment and continuous interaction of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual realities. The Medicine Wheel is interpreted uniquely by each culture. The order of the colours is not the same in each culture, nor are the attributes. The circle shape represents the interconnection between:

1. Space and directions,

2. Time and cycles,

3. Qualities of human nature.

You can use the Medicine Wheel in your seminar by planning 4 days according to the different directions with its respective qualities and adapt the sessions according to them. Do several exercises to let participants find their own position in the Medicine Wheel (e.g. according to a preferred mood, element, season, animal,...) based on the current moment in their lives. Invite for a sharing. Make space for integration of the experiences in the end of the seminar (e.g. together with Nature Mandala).

Examples:

Medicine Wheel: SOUTH

Qualities:

Summer

Fire

Childhood

Body

Spontaneity

Curiosity

Exploration

Sensuality

Instinct

Presence

Hedonism

Selfishness

Materialism

Egocentrism

Adrenaline

Consuming

Medicine Wheel: WES

Examples:

Qualities:

Autumn

Soul

Water

Adolescence

Identity

Emotions

Meeting the Shadows

Anima/Animus

Suffering -> compassion

Dreams

Addictions

Rebel without a cause

Stuckness

Depression

Examples:

Medicine Wheel: NORTH

Qualities:

Winter Earth

Adulthood

Mind

Structure

Work

Being in Service

Responsibility

Action

Community

Nurturing

Workoholism

Weight of the world on my shoulders

Rigid

Disconnected

Elderhood

Death/ Birth

Spirit

Wisdom

Humor

Trickster

Transformation

Vision

Creativity

Ungrounded

Vision & no action

Impractical

edicine Wheel: EAST

Examples:

Objectives:

To develop the group principles and stimulate the cooperation between participants.

To enhance the group dynamics.

To facilitate introspection and self-reflection into the personal values of participants.

Description:

Firstly, let participants spent an individual time to think about what are important principles that they would like to propose to the group. Secondly, let them gather in pairs and share their principles with another person. After they exchanged their ideas they should found a common list of principles. Thirdly, they gather in groups of 3-5 people and continue the same process and in the end have a list with common principles. Then, they gather in groups of eight. They exchange the conclusions of the previous groups and create a list of common principles of all of them. Afterwards, each small group (3-5 p.) is invited to present their principles and afterwards invite to a collective discussion about them. Let the participants write the group principles on a flipchart paper and put it on the wall.

Morning Practices

Objectives:

To facilitate self-organised morning practices. To nurture the sense of community and practice repetition for health and wellbeing purposes.

playing music

listen to your needs!

having a walk

Description:

meditating journaling

Introduce this session in the beginning of the training. Morning practices can be done individually or as a group. For participants who want to share their practices with the group, provide a flipchart, where they can write down their offers. Participants are asked to schedule their offers (e.g. every morning; twice a week etc.). swimming

Community Work: "Service & Care"

Objectives:

To establish clear ways for the group to function within the community.

Description:

Give an explaination about the concept of Service and Care to the group and for what it is good for. By contributing to the community with different tasks you give your energy to a cooperative process and strenghten the community. Find out which different tasks are possible and realistic to do by informing yourself at the members of the community you are being hosted and/or within the seminar group. Then create a chart with the divided tasks and let each person sign up for the different teams. Service and Care should be done in the morning (e.g. after breakfast) for getting vitalised and prepare the space for community action. Make sure to have guidance from a member of the community or the project team.

Community Work: "Service & Care"

Labyrinth Journey

Objectives:

To learn about the meaning and potential of working with labyrinth. To have an opportunity to process personal topics and expand the sensory perceptions.

Click here for more about labyrinths!

Description:

Labyrinths were used by various cultures around the world. Their use is also very relevant today in our so modern world. A co-creative labyrinth experience opens and facilitates the way towards the heart, prayer, intuition, metaphor, imagination, creativity, sacred geometry, conscious play, spiritual pilgrimage, ceremonial practice, mindfulness and community building. It has potential in letting go of any expectations, surrendering and allowing the simplicity of the present moment to reveal itself in the process.

After introducing the theory of labyrinths you can purify participants with smudge and tune in to it by a silent walk. If you wish you can create a common mandala using natural elements as an offering before the labyrinth journey.

Then everybody is invited to enter the labyrinth in individual rhythm with own intention, until everyone is finished. You can light up a campfire, where to gather for sharing stories and closing the ceremony.

Threshold Walk

Objectives:

To experience the practice of Threshold Walk.

To deepen attention towards the natural world and possibility to get insights in/from nature.

To support the group spirit and trust.

To practise authentic self-expression and attentive listening.

Description:

You can start this session with a morning ritual in the circle, by facilitating a guided meditation, a check-in round, make space to recap the previous day(s), followed by the introduction of the daily programme and eventually combine it with the direction/quality according to the Medicine Wheel. Then introduce the practice of Threshold Walk and let people experience this solo time in nature with a clear question, e.g. “What nurtures me?“.

After about 30 min call participants back by e.g. drumming. Then gather in a circle and invite participants to share about their discoveries. For a nonverbal expression you can invite participants to present it with a movement and the whole group repeats that movement.

Health and Wellbeing Group Mapping

Objectives:

To zoom into the concepts of health and wellbeing. To collect the different understandings of and associations to these topics. To co-create a common ground on the topics.

Description:

Each participant gets a piece of paper and is invited to draw or express through it freely their inner clues about Health and Wellbeing. After everyone is done, the group circles around the drawings/paintings and in pop-corn style speaks out loudly what they are seeing. As facilitator you can take notes and later post them on a wall, together with the drawings/paintings as word associations. Afterwards you can give an input by a presentation about ways that nature-based approaches may serve health and wellbeing and community development. This might include the 4 key dynamics, the polyvagal model of the autonomic nervous system, the sensory system - 8 senses and other.

Health and Wellbeing Group Mapping

Way of Council

Objectives:

To create a space of deep sharing, in which the participants develop their openness and communication skills.

To connect the participants with each other, by listening and witnessing personal stories.

To create a space of self-discovery and introspection.

Description:

The practice of the Council is a deep sharing practice, rooted in indigenous people’s sharing culture, that is based on the following principles:

Speaking from the heart

Listening from the heart

Speaking the essential

Being spontaneous Confidentiality

There is a talking object that is passed around the circle. The person holding the object is the only one speaking, all the others are listening. The Council can have a certain question to be explored by the participants (a question could be “Who are you?”).

Dreamstar Council

Objectives:

To pay attention to dreams as another possible connection with our soul.

To strengthen group connection.

To practise self expression and the skill of storytelling.

Description:

Dreamstar council is a Way of Council format, best shared early in the morning. Make sure to introduce the method in the evening before and give the advise that participants should continue their evening in a quiet mode, to start inviting the dreams for the night.

Meet in the time between night and day. Participants lay down on mats with their sleeping bags or blankets and put their heads together in a circle towards the centre. Dreams of that night or previous nights are spoken one at a time out of silence, told in the first person and present tense. After the dreams have been shared, the dream weavers start weaving a bigger common dream by remembering pieces of the individual dreams and speaking out loud these pieces.

Nature Solo

Objectives:

To develop the connection of participants with nature. To create the context for personal discovery, insights and revelations. To stimulate the autonomy of the participants and their responsibility for their own personal development.

Description:

When introducing Nature Solo make sure to give participants safety instructions including the duration the solo will take and invite to activities that they can do:

Staying in one spot for the whole time and receiving the medicine of nature.

Engaging in conversations with the natural world.

Thinking about an important question and looking for answers from nature. Writing a letter of the deepest longings, dreams, wishes and reading it to a natural being.

Make a little departure ceremony and e.g. read a poem, smudge participants with sage, pass a bowl with seeds as offering for nature. Then, each person crosses a threshold (it can be an imaginary one, a bend branch or a rope that you tight between two trees) and leave to their solo time, in the forest. When time is up give a clear loud sign that participants come back to the starting point. It is recommended that participants are fasting a few hours before the solo. When they return welcome them with a small ritualistic moment and give them free time to integrate before you meet in a Council for sharing.

Cacao Ceremony

Objectives:

To have an opportunity to integrate happenings and outcomes of the course.

To celebrate common time and learning process.

To experience another kind of ceremony.

To invite the power of prayer.

Description:

The cacao tree has been cultivated on earth for thousands of years. Initially native only to Central and South America, this sacred tree has always had numerous worshipers. Enjoyed by the Aztecs and Maya as a fiery, hot, tart drink, it unfolded its euphoric effect and contributed to an exuberant mood in aristocratic circles.

When hosting a Cacao Ceremony make sure to have a facilitator that is experienced with the origins of Cacao Ceremony and has skills in holding ritual space. You can use this space to provide knowledge on ceremonies, their different backgrounds and procedures, especially when you work with cacao as medicine from South America you can tell about interconnectedness of native tribes and plants.

Before the ceremony you can prepare the space together with participants, light a fire together. Elements such as sharing, singing, dancing and praying can be invited to the ceremonial space.

Useful Links

Aftermovie Health & Well-being through Nature-based Methods

Report “Nature speaks the language of my soul” (by Nolwenn Chancelier & Bani Christine)

Video about Polyvagal Theory

Video about 8 senses Sensory System

Video Playlist for "Work that Reconnects" (Deep Ecology)

Labyrinth Journey: Bani's Website