A Restorative Retreat for Health Professionals

Resilient Bodies

April 19- 22 2024 | Sunshine Coast

Decompress, Rest, Reflect

“Every healthcare professional needs to be reminded of how much more powerful and effective we can be in our service when we ourselves are wholly resourced in mind, body, and heart.”

– Joan Trinh Pham, Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse

This retreat is designed to support health professionals to cultivate a holistic approach to health and provide a nourishing and caring environment to support vitality and well-being.

Farah Nazarali, Nicole Marcia and Corrine Mckell sitting on the steps of a BC Yoga Retreat for Health Professionals
Close up of the hot tub outdoors at the Halfmoon Haven retreat

Ocean-View Hot Tub

Garden-to-Table Meals

A plate of salad and homemade bread beside a delicious soup - all made with fresh ingredients from the garden on the Sunshine Coast
Relax
Rebalance
Rejuvenate
Retreat
Look After Yourself

Cultivate Well-Being

Learn accessible, body-based tools that you can use on and off the job to support well-being.

Explore emotional intelligence and yoga philosophy and  discover a practical, holistic path for generating and sustaining resilience.

Retreat Program

 

In This Retreat, We'll Explore:

  • How chronic and prolonged stress impacts the body and brain
  • Various yogic practices that build physical and emotional flexibility
  • Empathy distress and compassion fatigue and tools to sustain vocational care-giving

Workshops and yoga classes are healing-centered and trauma-informed.

 

Register Now!Full Schedule Here
View of facilities at our yoga retreat on Sunshine Coast, BC
Yoga Room at Retreat Centre

Who Is This Retreat For?

 

Anyone in the helping professions who wish to explore the mind-body connection and a holistic, empowering approach to health, including:

  • Health professionals (Nurses, Doctors, Care Aids)
  • Caregivers
  • First responders
  • Therapists
  • Counsellors
  • Bodyworkers 

Your Facilitators

 

Picture of woman with short dark hair, glasses and a smile standing in front of a green forest

Farah Nazarali, BA, MA

Farah (she/her) is a devoted yoga student who has been teaching for over 15 years. She has studied classical yoga, Tibetan Buddhism, Non-Violent Communication and conflict resolution. She is a pioneer in integrating conflict resolution skills with yogic practices and Buddhist wisdom; bringing a somatic approach to communication and conflict.

Farah is the former podcast host of In Conversation: The Podcast of Banyen Books and Sound and Hollyhock Talks,  and she is the founder of Drishti Point Yoga Podcasts. She regularly teaches local retreats at Hollyhock Leadership Learning Centre, Salt Spring Centre of Yoga, Xenia Creative Development Centre, and international retreats for True Nature Travels.

Farah is passionate about making yoga and yogic tools accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise find themselves in a yoga studio and facilitating transformation experiences in retreat settings.

Close up of smiling white woman with blonde shoulder length hair

Corrine Mckell, Nurse Educator

Corrine (she/her) began using yoga two decades ago, as a tool to support the physical demands of nursing, particularly back pain. Over time, she realized the practice was having benefits on her mental health.

After taking a break from a decade of working as an inner city ER nurse, Corrine started reflecting upon the profession of nursing and the culture of health care. These reflections were amplified when she became an educator at an acute detox centre and was training new staff. In this new role, Corrine realized she was asking her staff to bear witness to other people’s suffering, without providing tools for their own mental and emotional well-being.

Corrine loves sharing tools and strategies that support health providers to digest the emotional pain and suffering that they are constantly exposed to while providing care. She shares practiced, practical trauma-informed interventions that can be used throughout a shift and when transitioning home at the end of the work day.

Close up of woman with pulled back brown hair, hoop earrings, and sleeveless black top. She is smiling slightly

Nicole Marcia MA, C-IAYT, TCTSY-F, MC (Candidate)

Nicole (she/her) is a dually trained counsellor (graduation 2023) and yoga therapist. In 2009, she was awarded a master’s degree with a specialization in yoga therapy.

For 9 years, she served as the Director of Therapeutic Yoga Programming for the Burnaby Centre for Mental Health & Addictions and Riverview Psychiatric Hospital. From 2007-2018, she worked as a yoga therapist at Onsite, the treatment arm of the safe injection site in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She is also certified as a Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga facilitator (TCTSY-F).

In addition to training yoga and healthcare professionals internationally, Nicole facilitates therapeutic classes for women fleeing situations of human trafficking and works with teens living with mental health challenges. She is also a service provider for First Responder Health, serving emergency workers and healthcare providers. www.finebalanceyoga.ca

 

Your Accommodation

 

 

Halfmoon Haven is located on one of the most secluded beaches on the Sunshine Coast: Just 2 hours from Vancouver, this magnificent property is situated on a sandy beach in a sheltered bay, facing the Pacific Ocean with magnificent views of the Gulf Islands.

With tropical landscaping, a full size sand volleyball court, beach chairs and our therapeutic hot tub, Halfmoon Haven offers all of our guests a rare opportunity to truly relax and rejuvenate. https://halfmoonhaven.ca/

A woman prepares potatoes and salad fresh from the garden

Enjoy delicious garden-to-table meals and time to decompress, rest and reflect.

Spa amenities include an aromatherapy steam-room, outdoor ocean-view hot tub, and direct access to the Pacific Ocean.

Hot tub with view of ocean

Costs

$1695 (shared)

$1795 (private)- only 4 available

$895 (commuter)

Max. 16 students

Testimonials

I loved the immersion into a container of profound care, permission to rest, and learning how to [better] care for myself.”

– Joan Pham, Hospice Palliative Care Nurse

Thank you for creating a deeply calming and welcoming experience. I left feeling relaxed and renewed with tools and understanding to help me stay balanced in my work and life.”

– Sarah Winsor, Registered Nurse

Thank you for the support and guidance and opportunity to know myself and how I want to be in this world. I’ll be back!”

– Janine Pham, Public Servant

The retreat was a beautiful reset.”

– Kirsten Graham, Registered Massage Therapist

“This was life transforming in a single weekend! It was amazing to connect so deeply within, underrstand the mind-body connection, and re-set.”

– Candace Houden, Paramedic

“You are the perfect trio. I would absolutely recommend this retreat.”

– Sheri-Lynn Kane, MD

“You make a complimentary team with your unique experiences, styles, and perspectives. The open, collaborative teaching style was appreciated and valuable.”

– Eddie Rooke, MD

“I would recommend this without reservation. This experience was absolutely transformational. The facilitators were so talented and knowledgeable. This will lead to changes in my daily life.”

– Jim Dickey, Professor

“I am deeply inspired. It was lovely to meet people in a safe and loving space and to get much needed rest and relaxation.”

– Jaymie Shannon, CCA

“I had done retreats before, but this was very unique in its trauma based approach. I loved the solidarity and community that I found in the sharing circles. Amazing.”

– Xochitl Hanson-Pastran, MD

Relax and Recharge

Treat Yourself to a Weekend of Rest