Two-day wellness retreat planned for June

by Stephen Dafoe

Holistic wellness practitioners Michelle Bateman of Soul Journey and Kyli Hope of Hope’s Healing & Coaching are joining forces to host what they say is a transformative weekend of mind, body, and soul renewal.

The Expanded Wellness Weekend, set to take place on June 10 and 11 at the Putnam’s Free Spirit Ranch just outside of Morinville, promises to be a powerful event aimed at helping attendees gain self-awareness, discover their inner potential, and achieve proper balance in all aspects of life.

Kyli Hope said the idea came to her to bring people together to teach holistic wellness modalities for their mental health and wellness.”

“Talk therapy is great, but there is more to it. You have to heal in mind, body and soul,” Hope explained. “I wanted to bring a bunch of facilitators together to [instruct] people who are willing or wanting to learn more about holistic healing.”

The two-day retreat offers a variety of holistic techniques led by several practitioners in the field of holistic wellness, including morning yoga with Kristy Weibe of Optimal Yoga and Wellness, hypnosis and stress relief with Carole Latawiec of Honor Yourself Hypnotherapy, and sound bowl healing journey with Tiffany Sparrow. The retreat also offers various workshops and sessions focused on improving physical and emotional health, removing masks and moving past trauma, healing through relationships, and more.

“We don’t really understand how our past experiences contribute to how we show up in life, how we navigate challenges, how we see stressful situations. So, when we use negative beliefs, these learning from childhood, we move through life in sort of a jaded way,” co-organizer Michelle Bateman said. “When you can bring awareness to where you are getting stuck and what might be contributing to stress or relationship breakdowns, or not filling fulfilled in your career, or not living up to your potential, you can begin to trace those things back and heal them on that mind, body, soul level. Then you can be truly free to be who you were created to be.”

Hope agrees with the assessment that to become who one truly wants to be; one has to heal on all levels. “It’s spiritually, mentally, physically, emotionally,” Hope said. “There are blockages from childhood, any traumas you’ve been through in your life, anything as simple as neglect. It’s a big pattern. It’s learning your patterns and overcoming them using different healing tools that work for you. Not everything will work for everybody.”

The retreat organizers believe that true healing doesn’t happen in isolation. That’s why they’ve created what they see as a supportive and uplifting environment where men and women can connect with like-minded individuals and form meaningful relationships. At the Expanded Wellness Weekend, attendees will be part of a community that understands and supports their journey to holistic well-being.

Bateman adds that people have lived through unprecedented times over the past few years. “Humans are designed to connect and have community,” Bateman said. “So, when you remove that, people are really struggling with their mental health.”

According to the retreat organizers, collective healing can create a ripple effect that impacts those who participate and those around them. They believe that you inspire others to do the same by healing oneself.

In addition to what organizers see as powerful sessions and workshops, the retreat includes lunch and a marketplace where attendees can explore different wellness products and services. Attendees can also participate in an evening fire release ceremony and take home an in-depth workbook, prizes, and other takeaways.

Bateman and Hope say the Expanded Wellness Weekend promises an unforgettable experience for those looking to immerse themselves in a transformative journey to holistic well-being, connect with like-minded individuals, and form lasting friendships.

Bateman believes investing in oneself is the best investment one can make. “The ripple effect of that will feed your family, will feed your career, will feed your relationships,” Bateman said. “It’s like vehicle maintenance. We spend money to maintain our vehicles so that they run optimally, and we kind of forget to spend money to maintain our own human self to live an optimal, healthy, well-balanced life.”

Hope agrees. “You are the greatest investment you’ll ever make.”

The Early Bird cost per person is $297 for the weekend retreat. A product raffle will take place during the event, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation.

Further information and tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.ca/o/expanded-wellness-weekend-63020203903.

A full list of presenters is below:

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Michelle Bateman, Soul Journey – Mindset, confidence and inner child healing

Kyli Hope, Hopes Healing – Balance and heal your energy centers

Kristy Weibe, Optimal Yoga and Wellness – Morning Yoga

Travis Belanger, Men on Fire – Removing our masks and moving past trauma

Carole Latawiec, Honor Yourself Hypnotherapy – Hypnosis and stress relief

Crystal Aletheia – Improve your health with breathwork

Heather Cameron, Heartwave Healing – Mindfulness and our emotions

Jodi Harty, Elements of Wellness – Trauma, grief and hormones

Travis & Michelle – Healing thru relationship

Tiffany Sparrow – Sound Bowl Healing Journey

Wayne Noel – Quigong session