Cambridge Wellness Festival

All day Art-therapy Drop In: Rowan Charity 11am–2pm and Kimberley Lyemere 2–6pm

Rowan is running drop-in creative workshops for everyone at the Festival. The charity is an arts centre and forest school for adults with learning disabilities, providing a safe, creative, and enriching environment where the arts are used as a tool to bring people together and tackle social exclusion.

Kimberley Lymere is an Independent Art Therapist whose sessions were overwhelmingly popular last year. Restorative, grounded and relaxing sessions which provide creative opportunities for self-expression, and exploring thoughts, feelings and new ideas through the non-verbal medium of art.

Yoga Nidra – with Lilly (Running in the Main Arena at 11.15 am, 12noon): An effortless and deeply relaxing form of meditation known as Yogic Sleep. This revitalizing practice does not only restore balance in the nervous system but also brings clarity, peace, resilience, fulfilment and purpose.

All-day drop-in Menopause Café with free coffee and cake!

Dementia and Autism Experience: Experience firsthand what it might be like to have dementia or autism with the Virtual Dementia (11am-2pm) and Virtual Autism (3.30-6pm) experiences. By understanding the issues faced by a person with these conditions, we can unlock new ways to communicate, understand their behaviours, reduce frustration, anxiety and really improve their lives.

Massage Gazebo: five masseurs giving free head neck and shoulder massages throughout the day.

Meditation sessions for beginners and those who are experienced – with Elevate Wellness.

Mobile Fitness Facility delivering complimentary exercise and well-being support from a state-of-the-art mobile fitness facility.

Positive Psychology Drop-In Pod: Join NINE Lab to discover scientifically-backed, self-administered techniques that have been evidenced to boost well-being.

Reiki tasters with Siobhan from Art Willow Soul: Pronounced “ray-key”, this Japanese healing technique uses gentle touch to balance and change energy fields in and around the body.

Urban Smoothie Bikes: Kindly sponsored by Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust and Royal Papworth Hospital Charity, participants pedal on a bike to blend their own delicious smoothie.

Restart a Heart workshops and CPR competition: bring your friends and colleagues – a fun way to see who can restart the heart the quickest! Join in the competition and learn CPR at the same time with Sara Almeida, Lead Resuscitation Officer at Royal Papworth Hospital.

Liver Health Pod from Addenbrooke’s Hospital: Offering Hepatitis C information and screening, as well as providing liver health advice.

CUH Arts: Create your own lino-printed badge with artist Sandra Scott. Design your own or print one using the stamps provided. This creative activity is extremely satisfying, and you walk away with your own wearable artwork!

11.15am Qi Gong –  with Jemma Golds from Golden-Bliss Retreats: Qi-Gong is the art of movement & meditation to help decrease stress and increase energy.

12noon Pilates – with Hannah Bebbington Physiotherapist at CUH: Improve strength, flexibility and balance

12.45pm Sound-Bath – with Jemma Golds from Golden-Bliss Retreats: Sound-baths use frequency and vibration from sacred instruments to help relax and de-stress and give us a break from busy lives.

1.30pm Yoga – with Daisy Worzencraft – wear loose, comfortable clothing. All ages/abilities are welcome!

2.45pm Qi Gong – with Jemma Golds from Golden-Bliss Retreats:  Qi-Gong is the art of movement & meditation to help decrease stress and increase energy.

3.30pm Pilates – with Hannah Bebbington Physiotherapist at CUH: Improve strength, flexibility and balance

4.15pm Sound-Bath – with Jemma Golds from Golden-Bliss Retreats: Sound-baths use frequency and vibration from sacred instruments to help relax and de-stress and give us a break from busy lives.

5.15pm Yoga – with Daisy Worzencraft – wear loose, comfortable clothing. All ages/abilities are welcome!

With Heilsa Wellbeing Mission (Mike Hills and Paula Todd)

11:30am:  Sound Bath Meditation with Mike Hills
12:30pm: Grounding Meditation  with Paula Todd
13:30pm: Sound Bath Meditation with Mike Hills
14:30pm: Drum Journey Meditation with Paula Todd
15:30pm: Sound Bath Meditation with Mike Hills
16:30pm: How to Manifest Through Meditation with Paula Todd
17:15pm: Arrow Break with Mike Hills and Paula Todd

The Talks Tent returns for a second year: join us for an inspirational range of talks given by experts in their fields. Come and listen, ask questions – and learn…

11.15am “I Can (not) Avoid Stress – How About Burnout?” – Ivana Stulic, positive psychology trainer, coach, consultant: Ivana has flown in from Croatia to be with us at the CWF.  A recent survey found that nearly two-thirds of full-time employees experience burnout at some point. Although burnout is formally defined as an “occupational phenomenon” symptoms of burnout (with harmful consequences for people’s physical and mental health) can also occur because of other extremely stressful circumstances so it is smart to be able to recognize it. In this talk, you will learn whether healthy stress exists and when it is okay, what is the difference between stress and burnout, and how to spot symptoms early on and prevent burnout. With positive habits, we can greatly influence how we deal with stress, and sometimes we have to ask ourselves if the (work) environment is really good for us and whether we are taking care of our own needs adequately. From the perspective of managers and employers, it is good to understand what leads to burnout and how we can avoid it by our actions and encouraging a healthier work culture. The talk will be informative, practical and hopefully inspiring for all attendees.

12-noon Premenstrual Disorder – Dr Ola Abdellatif at Ola Womens’s Health

1pm Menopause – Dr Susanna Unsworth Cambridge Women’s Health –  Menopause: Everything you need to know! What is menopause/perimenopause. Timings of menopause transition. What symptoms to expect. Self-help strategies. Treatment options, HRT, and testosterone. Menopause in the workplace.

2pm How to Come Home: The Profound Loving Power of Listening – Henry Johnstone TRIGGER WARNING This talk will be centered around the profound power of listening and opening up. covering subjects such as addiction, mental health illness, self-worth, family, and relationships. Henry will explore how silence creates disconnection and suffering and how community and openness create the simplest most profound opportunities to bring us all home. This talk is in support of the Samaritans.

3pm Nutrition for Better Health – Dr Maria Chondronikola – Principal Investigator and Lead for Human Nutrition, Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge. Maria reviews the role of nutrition in health and pathological conditions affecting a large number of people in the UK(obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer). She will discuss practical information that can be used to improve one’s nutrition habits for better health, followed by a Q&A session.

4pm Supporting Individuals to Overcome their Eating Difficulties – Becks Burrell, Ward Manager, Adult Eating Disorders, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust. Supporting individuals to overcome their eating difficulties.

5pm Positive Ageing –  Matt Freeman at Viva Positiva: Gain insight into the physicality and psychology of how we age and take on the misguided, generalised perceptions of ageing with a more optimistic and holistic perspective. With an awareness of mind-body connection, there is a proactive, practical framework we can adopt, enabling ourselves and those we love to embrace getting older with the same energy and enthusiasm as in previous stages of life.

Join us for a series of interactive workshops. Take part or just listen, whatever makes you feel comfortable…

11.15am Resilience Workshop from Emma Warren, Workforce Health and Wellbeing Practitioner at Royal Papworth Hospital. What is Resilience? How do we build our Resilience?

12noon Cultivating Happiness How to Build Optimal Well-Being with Briony Quested from NINE Lab. This workshop introduces the key components of enduring well-being and helps you to create a personalised roadmap for increased happiness.

1pm ‘Finding your Playful Self’ with Sarah Creevey, the Playful Coach. Are you in touch with your playful self? We tend to think of playfulness as something we grow out of as we get older, but there are huge benefits to our well-being in engaging playfully with life as adults. Playfulness in adults has been linked to better cognitive functioning, better coping during times of stress, higher motivation, a greater sense of meaning and overall well-being and satisfaction with life. The effects can be truly profound, and some experts even say play should be a matter for public health. This workshop will show you how to get back in touch with your playful self, even if it’s buried deep, and give you the tools and confidence to start engaging playfully in life and work once more!
Sarah is an ICF-accredited coach, facilitator, positive psychology consultant and expert on playfulness. She works with individuals and groups to help them identify their unique playful self and how to bring this to the fore to help deal with challenges, achieve goals, build confidence and achieve better meaning. She has trained in improvisational theatre and applied neuroscience, and has a masters in Applied Positive Psychology from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU). She has worked with many varied clients including Octopus Group, KFC, Channel 4, University of Exeter and the Cabinet Office. She lives in Surrey with her husband and two young daughters, who challenge her to be playful every day!

2pm No Booze Workshop from Zoe Godfrey at No Booze Network. An informative session delving into the knowledge of what alcohol truly is, looking at what a grey area drinker is and the benefits of having a break from the booze. The rise of the no/low alcohol industry and how this offers the power of choice for today’s socialising.

3pm ‘Positive Journalling Workshop’ with Jane Jennison. Using the science of positive psychology to guide our reflections to boost wellbeing: Journalling is a great way to boost our mood, but it can be easy to fall into negative reflection or being self-critical. In this workshop, Jane will share some positive psychology-based tools and techniques to help you reflect positively as you journal. You will learn why journalling is a great way to have a positive focus, and how your journal can be your guide when you feel low. We’ll share the mental health benefits of journalling. Finally, we’ll look at some examples, and share some tools that you can use to help you on your journalling journey.

4pm The 4 Breath Method – the tiny habit that changes everything – with Sam Thorogood from Tiny Pause. Develop a sense of peace that we can always return to. An internal strength to help us understand that we are enough and that we can find a way through whatever we are faced with.

5pm Pelvic Floor – Practical Breathwork and Postures Workshop with Claire Forrester, Osteopath (The Form Practice in Cambridge). For all ladies having trouble with pelvic floor disorder such as incontinence, sexual dysfunction or prolapse, or those wanting to prevent any of these from happening. Or perhaps you are looking to strengthen your core, wanting to prepare your body for pregnancy, or recover pelvic floor strength after giving birth, along with anyone looking to decrease their waist size, improve posture, flatten their abdominals, improve circulation or improve athletic performance. Join Claire who will take us through Hypopressives which are a series of exercises, postures and breathing techniques wrapped up neatly into a short, flowing routine that are really easy to fit in to your day. Everybody can benefit from Hypopressives because they are all about retraining your core muscles to work as they were designed to.