Holistic Wellness Community

"Say, Pooh, why aren't you busy?" I said.
"Because it's a nice day," said Pooh.
"Yes, but ---"
"Why ruin it?" he said.
"But you could be doing something Important," I said.
"I am, " said Pooh.
"Oh? Doing what?"
"Listening," he said.
"Listening to what?"
"To the birds. And that squirrel over there."
"What are they saying?" I asked.
"That it's a nice day," said Pooh.
"But you know that already," I said.
"Yes, but it's always good to hear that somebody else thinks so, too," he replied..

Stop and take time to listen today! It's a beautiful day!

Love this! ❤️

For any suffering with health anxiety at the moment ❤️

Another restorative and peaceful forest bathing session this weekend at the wonderful Buchan Park. So beautiful to come together as a community, witnessing the personal healing taking place with nature as the therapist. 🙌 Also great to see the connections, friendships and community formed through these sessions. Plus a lovely group ground craft activity this week. Thanks to all who attended. August sessions are now bookable on our website. 🌳🌲

We are so grateful to be partnered with RPD this year and every penny raised is making a huge difference to our community and helping people manage their everyday mental health challenges. 🙏🙌

We are pleased to announce that we have raised £3,632.50 for the Holistic Wellness Centre through our annual event at Gatwick Footgolf ⚽️

A massive thank you to everyone who joined is in raising funds for the Holistic Wellness Community this year, your support is vital in providing therapies that enhance the wellbeing and mental health in the Crawley Community!

For anyone who enjoys forest bathing and has few minutes spare, I highly recommending watching this 🌳

We imagine ourselves as sealed-off individuals, but we are inextricably embedded in a web of life. Our bodies are porous, suffused with the world around us, home to thousands of microscopic symbiotic inhabitants; with each breath, we exchange parts of ourselves with the wider world. Our connection with trees is particularly intimate—oxygen they exhale flows into our lungs and through our blood, coursing from the heart outward through fractal-like branching arteries to feed every cell in our bodies.

By Marshmallow Laser Feast

Breathing with the Forest – by Marshmallow Laser Feast An immersive experience of shared breath with the Amazon rainforest.

This week is and as a small charity we know how important it is to spread the word about what we do so we can help more people.

The Holistic Wellness Community is a community based charity that aims to offer free holistic therapies to support individuals wellbeing and mental health. One of our most popular offerings is our Forest Bathing classes where we all come together in nature.

We also offer online mindfulness singing classes and community circles where everyone is given the chance to restore and reconnect.

If you are part of our community we’d love to hear about your favourite class and why in the comments. ☺️

Sending love to anyone who needs it today ❤️

It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree—not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself—and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fishermen’s song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed.
—- Jiddu Krishnamurti

Photos of Tilgate Lake and Forest 🌳 💫

This June we have a variety of wonderful therapeutic classes to help support you with your everyday mental health needs. The aim of all our classes is to help our community manage their mental health challenges and reduce anxiety and stress. Why not take a look at our upcoming schedule and see if anything interests you. Full class details and timings can be found on the class booking page of our website:

Wednesday 5th June - Online Mindful Singing for the soul with Victoria

Friday 14th June - Community Circle with Rosie - FULLY BOOKED (email for waitlist)

Sunday 16th June - Forest Bathing - Tilgate with Helena and Sarah - LIMITED SPACES LEFT

Wednesday 19th June - Online Mindful Singing for the soul with Victoria

Sunday 23rd June - Forest Bathing - Buchan with Helena and Sarah - LIMITED SPACES LEFT

Wednesday 26th June - Online Mindful Singing for the soul with Victoria

Friday 28th June - Community Circle with Emma-Jo

Book your slot now on our website: https://holisticwellnesscommunity.org/classes

We look forward to welcoming you to one of our classes soon. 😊

🌳 Tonight at 8pm, our very own Forest Bathing leader Helena will be on BBC 2 talking about forest bathing and all the many benefits 🌳😍

BBC Two - RHS Chelsea Flower Show, 2024, Episode 2 Monty Don and Joe Swift launch BBC Two’s coverage of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024.

A little reminder this mental health week ☺️

🌳 🍩 🔥🪵 🌳

We all have unhelpful thoughts sometimes but we can talk back! Try the below next time you have an unhelpful thought 😊

June Classes are now live on our website and available to book.

Coming up in June we have Forest bathing at both Buchan and Tilgate, plus our next Community Circle with the lovely Rosie.

Book your spaces now.

Plus don't forget, most of May's classes are fully booked but we still have a few spaces left for our Forest Bathing on May 25th.

Please check out our website for all details and how to book.

https://holisticwellnesscommunity.org/classes

We especially like the first reminder 😊

A little reminder for everyone. Sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves things can become overwhelming, this is your reminder you don’t have to do that ☺️

We are very pleased to announce that Richard Place Dobson has chosen us as their Charity Partner this year!

As we are a small grassroots charity, this partnership really will have a great impact on our community and the services we are able to offer, and we are excited to start working with RPD and the RPD Foundation this year.

We are so grateful for the generous support that this organisation can offer us, and it really will help us make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of our local community.

Thank you! 🙏💚

There are so many benefits of Forest Bathing and here are a few of ours! What’s your favourite thing about forest bathing? 🌳🍃

✨ COMMUNITY CIRCLE ✨

Introducing our new Community Circle class. A safe space to gather and be held as you relax, restore and reconnect. 😊✨

Starting off with Emma-Jo next week, on Friday 19th between 7-9pm, this circle is open to everyone in our community. (Though please remember all our classes are for adults age 18+).

We will gather in circle sitting on the floor on cushions and yoga mats. The facilitator will start with a welcome and brief check in, followed by a guided visual meditation to aid relaxation and connection to your internal world. After the meditation, you will be offered a journaling prompt(s), creative technique or crafting invitation to allow you to process what has arisen, express yourself and reflect inwards. There will then be time to share as a community whatever is needed to be shared, to be voiced, and to be heard with compassion and no judgement. The sharing will be over some tea as we regain a sense of community that is lacking in our society and culture today.

Please note this is a shared circle, for all walks of life. Everyone is welcome. (age 18+)

Book your space today on our website.

https://holisticwellnesscommunity.org/classes

Another beautiful forest bathing session today at GirlGuiding Crawley bluebell forest. A beautiful pome chosen and read by Laura Anne Wild, and a beautiful selection of crafts and food from Nature Nurture Sussex.

A very big thank you to The National Lottery Community Fund for once again making this possible and supporting our work in the community 🙏🌳💕

This weekend we are back at Tilgate for some mindful time in the woodlands. Come and join us on Sunday 7th April 12.30-3pm for Forest Bathing.

These session are amazing and offer attendees peace and time out in the woodlands. Though you don't need to take our word for it. Here is what some of our previous attendees have said about the recent forest bathing sessions:

"It's just such a great activity to help your mental health and physical well-being"

"Very peaceful"

"I felt truly relaxed and the people were lovely."

"Absolutely amazing. Well organised and brings so much peace to my mind."

"Being mindful in nature is just wonderful."

"It helped to clear my mind."

Join us this weekend or on another upcoming date. Check our website for all upcoming sessions and to book your space.

https://holisticwellnesscommunity.org/classes

🌳🌳🌳 Forest Bathing - Back at Buchan 🌳🌳🌳

Next weekend we have a wonderful Easter themed Forest bathing session back at the beautiful woodlands in Buchan Country Park.

The session is on Saturday 30th March at our usual time of 12.30-3pm.

After meeting by the visitors centre, this weeks session will involve a short mindful walk before arriving at the beautiful woodland site. Helena will guide you through a wonderful Forest Bathing experience, which will be followed by Easter wreath making with Gemma.

Spaces are available to book now on our website and places are limited so if you would like to join us, book now.

https://holisticwellnesscommunity.org/classes

This session is provided free of charge courtesy of funding provided by The National Lottery Community Fund

Thinking of everyone today 💜

Sharing this post in honour of our board and management team who last year between them sadly lost two beautiful, kind mothers and a grandmother.

These strong women live on in you all every day 🕊️💕

https://www.facebook.com/100064331756796/posts/793291806158537/?

IF YOU ARE A WOMAN WITHOUT HER MOTHER

There will never be a day you don’t miss her.
Never a day, where you don’t wish you could hear her voice or ask for her advice just one more time.
There will never be a moment that you don’t regret all the times you screened her call, or missed a visit, simply because life was just too busy.
And now you realise busy is fake, it isn’t real.
She was real and she is gone.
And you are alone.
And the feeling of abandonment and loneliness is huge. Mind-blowing, no matter how loved or surrounded by family you may be.
None of it is her.
When the woman who brought you into this world is no longer here, it is a lonely place.
And you are now she.
You are now the one expected to guide, to discipline, to love, to handle everything, for everyone. And that is a shock.
But you got this.
Because she taught you well.
She made you right and she made you strong and she filled you with enough love to share around, even after she was gone.
So go on.
And make her proud.
And remember, look out for the little girl who still lives inside you somewhere, she misses her Mama very much.
Be kind.

•

I think this is so beautiful but it’s worth acknowledging that sadly not everyone had mothers that are missed like this 💔

Words by the one and only Donna Ashworth
Painting by William Rothenstein