Winter Mindfulness Retreat

My aim in offering the Mindfulness Retreats is to support participants in deepening their own wisdom and compassion through a variety of formal and informal compassion focused meditation practices.

I will guide a variety of mindfulness practices (sitting & lying down meditation, mindful walking, mindful movement & mindful eating) structured throughout the day. While I will be leading the day through guided practices, others will be asked to take a vow of silence for the duration of the retreat to allow themselves to deepen their own experience as they embark on the practices (of course I will discuss exceptions at the beginning of the retreat. Silence will be slowly lifted at the end of the retreat where we will come together and reflect on our experience of the day. There is free time during the full day Mindfulness Retreats (still in silence) from 10:00am-10:30am for a morning break, and 1pm-2pm which will include time to eat lunch, rest, or engage in more mindful walking.

*A baked good and tea will be provided during our morning break, and the cost is included in the registration fee.  This can be retrieved at the wonderful cafe at the lower level from where we will be engaging in the retreat activities throughout the day.

What do I need to bring?: a water bottle, a blanket for comfort, and wear comfy clothes.  Also be sure to bring outdoor clothes appropriate for the weather forecasted for the day of the retreat (as you will be invited to engage in mindful walking outdoors if you choose).  Provided: yoga mats, meditation cushions, bolsters and back jacks (they look like legless chairs to support the back).

Instructor: This program will be facilitated by Nicole LeBlanc (MA, MSW RSW).  Nicole is a clinical Social Worker and Qualified Mindfulness teacher.  She is qualified in the following mindfulness intervention approaches: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (University of Massachusetts, School of Medicine) and Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT) (developed by Dr. Jean Kristeller, co-founder of Center for Mindful Eating NH).  She is currently a teacher-in-training in Mindfulness Self Compassion Training (MSC) (University of San Diego, School of Medicine) and Mindfulness-Integrated Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (MiCBT) (North American Chapter of MiCBT Institute, Ontario Canada). Nicole has been offering mindfulness-based interventions to individuals and groups for over 6 years.

Prerequisites

No previous experience with mindfulness or meditation is required to attend any of the mindfulness courses that I run. To insure safety, participants are asked to provide background information when they register for any of the mentioned courses.

All mindfulness programming that I offer is not appropriate for anyone who is:

• Under the age of 18
• Currently struggling with an active addiction
• Experiencing psychosis
• In crisis
• Experienced a recent trauma

Cost for full day Mindfulness Retreat:  $120 for each participant.

How to Register:

Email Nicole at info@nicoleleblanc.org.   Nicole will follow up with payment instructions to secure a spot, as well as send you online forms for you to fill out prior to the event. Spots are limited so you are encourage to book ASAP!