One Day Mindfulness & Creativity Retreat, Amber Springs Hotel, Gorey, with Una Keeley MBSR. Mindfulness Instructor

ONE DAY MINDFULNESS & CREATIVITY RETREATS

(Dates to be Confirmed)

(Date temporarily postponed due to Covid restrictions)

Slow Down, Take a Breath and Witness your Creativity Flow

One Day Weekend Mindfulness & Creativity Retreats

Amber Springs Hotel, Gorey

Slow Down, Take a Breath and Witness your Creativity Flow

Experience the joy of of Mindfulness & learn skills, to help you connect with your Natural Creative Flow.

These specially designed retreats offer a full day of guided mindfulness-practice infused with Creativity.

Retreat Fee : €90

WHEN: Dates to be Confirmed (Date temporarily postponed due to Covid restrictions)

Retreat Theme

MINDFULNESS & CREATIVE FLOW

A One Day Mindfulness & Creativity Retreat dedicated to your well-being. Experience the deep inner stillness, which is available through practicing Mindfulness and Meditation, AND Learn how to identify and work with the blocks, that hold us back from our natural state of Creative Flow.

These specially designed retreats offer a full day of guided mindfulness-practice and exercises, infused with creativity.

Retreat Fee : €90

Our minds are usually racing with thoughts, pre-occupations, worries, anxieties, problem-solving, remembering and anticipating. This tends to leave us stressed out and often overwhelmed. We seldom bring our attention into the present moment and return back to this moment NOW. Mindfulness offers us the practical tools and skills to develop the ability to anchor our attention in the present moment and thus be able to enjoy our lives as they are happening moment by moment. We learn to live less in our heads thinking about experience and more in our body, mindfully sensing experience directly ‘as it is happening’.

When we practice mindfulness, we practice paying attention on purpose to what is happening moment by moment. Our awareness of all the details of our experience increases as we learn to observe and sense with an attitude of Non-Judgment and Curiosity.

Our ability to be Creative is directly related to our capacity to be Mindful. The more mindful we are, the more we can access creative flow. This workshop will show you how this is possible, and how they directly relate to each-other.

What to Expect:

This day is dedicated to your well-being. You will be gently guided throughout the day through a series of Mindfulness practices and creative exercises

Guided meditation sittings will be interwoven with facilitated exercises including.

• Mindful Listening

• Mindful communication

• Mindful Looking

• Mindful Eating

• Mindful Movement

• Mindful Body Scan

• Mindful Creativity

What to Bring:

You will need to wear comfortable loose clothes that do not restrict your breathing. Please wear leggings or sweatpants (skirts are not advisable) as we will be doing Mindful Movement.

Previous participants on Mindfulness & Creativity workshops include:

Meditators from all backgrounds, Primary / Secondary Teachers, Visual Artists, Musicians, Poets, Yoga Instructors, Business Owners, Architects, Designers, Chefs, Restaurant owners, Web Designers, Photographers, Art Therapists, Sound Therapists, Housewives /Househusbands, Parents, and Adults from all walks of life.

To Book Your Place

Retreat Fee : €90

• Max No 10 Places: Places are limited to 10 participants on each retreat, to ensure comfort, quality and group connection

• All materials / equipment supplied

• If you have any queries contact Una on (0879819821)

Participant Reviews Amber Springs Full Day Mindfulness & Creativity Retreat

“I attended Una’s Mindfulness & Creativity Retreat on Saturday! It was so enjoyable. I’m completely new to any guided mindfulness, meditation or the use of art in these areas. There was a lovely group of people there and Una guided us all through each practice with great understanding and made it all very achievable for all of us: newbies or those returning for a refresher! A lovely day & reminder to be present and mindfully experience each and every part of our day! Thank you Una and I hope to be back with you again.”

Edel Finan (Adult Educator)

“It was wild and stormy outside, but inside Una created a warm and inviting atmosphere. The saying “Time flies when you’re having fun” comes to mind. Una guided us through Mindfulness exercises, drawing, painting, walking, relaxing …. silent or chatting ……. delicious lunch. A gift of a day. Thank you Una.

Liz Moffatt (Yoga Instructor-Wexford)

“I attended Una’s mindfulness retreat day yesterday. Very enjoyable with a lovely group – got me back into the space of being more mindful and to have more gratitude. Highly recommend Una’s 6 week course in mindfulness with art and her one day mindfulness retreats. Great for both complete beginners to mindfulness and those who need a refresher.”

Maeve Bolton Lee ( Gorey)

“It was a joy to be able to attend Una’s full day workshop on Mindfulness and Creativity. The whole day flowed with a seamless flow due to Una’s versatile facilitation skills and we wove in and out of a blend of practices without feeling hurried or pressured in any way. This experience offered me a real opportunity to connect with my own deep well of ‘ being’ and to draw from there in my “putting my mark” on the page. This was a beautiful approach to helping me honour the artist within, who has been very shy over a number of years! Thank you Una for creating space where I could ‘drop down’ and into the heart to allow a mark trickle forth!

Mairéad Heaney, Mindfulness Teacher, MTAI (Dundalk)

“I was at the Mindfulness retreat on Saturday and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.. I felt grounded and uplifted leaving.. Una comes from a place of gentleness and her passion for what she does shined through on the day.. I’d highly recommend her… Thank you Una.”

Regina Redmond (Healer)

“I feel relaxed, energized & recharged after Una’s one day mindfulness. Having not done anything with mindfulness before, I didn’t know what to expect but found the whole day just flowed with Una’s simple guidance and non-intrusive manner. I really enjoyed learning how to meditate. Thank you for a really lovely day.”

Sorcha Ui Dhonnabhain (Secondary School Teacher)

“I can’t recommend this highly enough, Una is easy to listen to, interesting and fantastic at helping you feel at ease. Completely non judgmental atmosphere and you leave with a sense of calm and enlightenment.”

Rachael Elliot (Care Worker Special Needs)

“Super relaxing day – a total retreat capably facilitated by Una – so wonderful to meet up with others who incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives ! Would thoroughly recommend this Mindfulness & Creativity Day Retreat to others ! Thank you soo much Una for facilitating this day for us all !”

Mary O Tool (Wexford)

“I really enjoyed the mindfulness and creativity full day retreat with Una. The full body scan was a wonderfully relaxing experience and a lovely prerequisite to a gorgeous lunch with lovely people. The creativity part with the art was such a nice way to shift away from stress and focus on the page in front of me. It was really good to not have a plan and just paint/colour/sketch spontaniously. The whole experience was a lovely day out for myself…where I got to refocus and reexamine different aspects of my life. I met some lovely people and really enjoyed it. Thanks Una.”

Aoife Coade

“Thoroughly enjoyed Una’s workshop. The day past quickly and encompassed many aspects such as meditative breathing, meditation through walking and exploring your creative side through art. Highly recommended this workshop to anyone who is looking to switch off from the daily bustle of life. You come away feeling more energized and refreshed. Thank you Una.”

Deborah Cosgrave

Why not treat yourself and book into the Amber Springs Hotel for the Night?

Amber Springs Hotel Website: http://www.ambersprings.ie/

Participant Reviews of Past Retreats

Gorey School of Art One Day Retreat

I recently took part in the one-day Mindfulness & Creativity retreat at the Gorey School of Art, having previously completed the evening course. It was an amazing day with a very open and creative group of people; I even got to meet one of the students of another of Una’s classes whom I had been connecting with ‘creatively’ in the course participants’ Facebook Group! The relaxed environment Una creates really fosters an atmosphere of acceptance and play, which allowed us as a group to ‘let go’ and allow our creativity surface! I thoroughly enjoyed the vast variety of exercises and approaches to exploring both mindfulness and creativity, from meditation and body scanning to mixed media creative exercises and mindful yoga. Una provided us with various tools to anchor our awareness in the present, which we can use in our daily lives to continue the practice following on from the course. Furthermore, I came away with new creative techniques that I’m already exploring and developing further since the course, not to mention lots of new creative buddies! As ever, a massive thank you to Una, whose expertise and experience in this field are second to none. The adventure continues!

Elizabeth Cuddy (Artist / Web Programmer)

Gorey School of Art One Day Retreat

Recently I participated in a one-day Mindful Create retreat. Una creates such a safe space for people to become present in themselves and feel relaxed to explore new territory creatively. Through her gentle guidance and focused intuition, her generous and stimulating materials, her imaginative and spontaneous activities the day’s events moved seamlessly and effortlessly. Una is a skillful facilitator who applies such effective resources to the practice of both disciplines. I came away with an understanding and better knowledge of what mindfulness is and gained clarity on how many blocks I stack in the way of my creativity. There was a real sense of non-judgement and support from Una and within the group and I think we all felt nurtured and minded to continue on our journey of awareness and expressing our unique selves. Thank you, Una and Mindful Create.

Sarah Malin (Artist & Care Worker)

AFTER YOUR RETREAT

And After your Retreat, why not take a 15 minute Drive out to Cahore pier for a mindful walk around the head and down onto the beautiful sandy beach of Old Bawn. Then stroll back and enjoy refreshments in the Strand Bar overlooking the pier … It’s absolutely Gorgeous … and well worth a visit…!!!

Una Keeley is a professional MBSR Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Instructor. She is the founder and owner of Mindfulness Wexford. Training Adults (including Executives, Managers & Staff ) to De-Stress with Mindfulness Stress Reduction Skills. Una is a HSE approved Mindfulness Instructor, training HSE staff in mindfulness. (Irish Health Services Executive). She offers Courses & Workshops to the general public and the corporate sector.

Una has been practicing meditation for 25 years. She is a professional member of The Mindfulness Teachers Association of Ireland (MTAI) and adheres to The Irish Good Practice Guidelines for Teaching Mindfulness-Based Courses. Una is a trained MBSR Mindfulness Instructor with the Institute for Mindfulness Based Approaches, IMA Germany.

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In 2021 the National Concert Hall of Ireland, specially commissioned Una to create a New Mindfulness & Music Listening Track . This is a Deep Listening collaborative work with Musician/composer Nick Roth.

Una is also a professional Artist with a Masters in Art Education. She has designed educational programmes for arts organisations and institutions for over 25 years. Including 15 years with The Irish Museum of Modern Art. Her background includes a Masters in Art Education, an Honors Degree in ceramics, and a Diploma in illustration for children's books. Una designs and offers courses which combine Mindfulness and Creativity; exploring divergent thinking, ways of attending, poetic perception and creative response.

I was blown away by the quality of the course contents and the support each week from Una. As the time went by, I was taken deeper into practices of mindfulness, we committed to a daily practice and had lots of support and handouts. I was challenged and excited by the processes, yet willing to give them all a go. Una inspired me by her commitment to her own practice of mindfulness. This course has changes the way I live my life. It has allowed me to be fully present in my day, both in my work and in all other areas of my life and I now know what to do when my attention is pulled in all directions. I feel calmer, more grounded and balanced. I am aware that I am kinder to myself, I have more patience and am less judgmental. This course is a wonderful gift; it will help you in all areas of your life. It is one of the best courses I have undertaken, brilliant contents/ delivery and amazing value for money. I am so delighted I gave myself this time.

BredaMc Donald (Employment Facilitator / Poet) Arklow

“Silence is Golden” are the words that comes to my mind when I think back to my day long Silent Mindfulness Retreat with Una Keeley in September at the Amber Springs Hotel. Set at a really gentle pace, the day held no agenda, “doing” was on pause and simply being was celebrated through each mediation, poem read, meal shared, rest taken and movement made. All the ingredients needed to allow the mind and body to rest, giving permission to allow the inner voice to reflect and move through the ebb and flow of one’s emotions in a very dignified and respectful shared space. The learning in the here and now compounded and my own mindfulness practice was refreshed and brought to a deepened level, which I’ve been able to bring more often into my everyday life. I was really grateful that I got the opportunity to spend the day on this Silent Mindfulness Retreat. I would highly recommend the day to anyone who needs some “me time”, along with anyone who wants to deepen their practice at a very personal level. Thank you Una for a really super day.

Zoe Dixon (Social Care Worker & Art Therapist) Arklow

The MBSR Course on Mindfulness with Instructor Una Keeley, which I attended for 8 weeks recently, was completely new to me & I had no real knowledge or concept of what it entailed, but for stress related reasons I made a commitment to take part. I feel very fortunate to have met wonderful people, who seemed to be there for different reasons, All of whom, brought uniquely different helpful views to our meetings. Every meeting was challenging for the right reasons, with plenty to practice at home on a daily basis. Every Monday was so well planned, organised & executed in such a thoughtful, caring, professional & different way each night, that seemed to lend itself to each participant really benefiting. I for one, found this course enlightening, thought provoking & I would say, very important & most helpful for today’s challenges.

Paschal Whitmore (Jeweller) Gorey, Wexford

(Mindfulness Through Art & Meditation Course) I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Una is an inspiring teacher and in each of the classes she created a welcoming, safe and nurturing environment in which I felt motivated and comfortable enough to allow myself to reconnect with my creative side, which had been a bit neglected! I have been practicing mindfulness for a number of years and was very familiar with the concepts and theories behind it but this course helped me to gain a much deeper understanding and appreciation for it as the concepts were taught in a hands on, visual and practical way. The tasks we were set were enlightening, motivational and fun and they have each left a lasting impression on me. The course helped me to find my creativity again, for which I am so very grateful. Everyone in the group was so lovely and a really relaxed atmosphere of encouragement and support developed over the 6 weeks. Each lesson was planned out so carefully and we all took so much from each session. I really looked forward to going each week. Thanks so much Una. I will most definitely be back again soon!

Jan Feeney (Yoga Teacher) Ferns