A broader programme
The Foundation's history dated the introduction of a wider wellbeing retreat range to 2004. Its public descriptions later grouped these programmes under Wellbeing and Prevention. That was the Foundation's category name, rather than a conclusion about the medical effects of attendance.
The range drew on the 7 Essential Elements. Meditation, wholefood meals, reflection, relationships and time outdoors appeared repeatedly, while each retreat gave particular subjects more attention.
This made the wellbeing range a useful view of the Foundation's educational interests beyond its illness-specific programmes. The names of the retreats described a broad collection of themes, from the kitchen to contemplation and from emotional experience to life transitions.
Meditation programmes
Weekend Meditation was described as an introduction to meditation within a residential stay. Its programme language combined practice, quiet time, wholefood meals and the natural surroundings. It was one of several ways meditation appeared within the wellbeing range.
Deepening Your Meditation gave a different emphasis to sustained practice. Meditation in the Forest placed the natural setting prominently in its title and description. These were distinct programme names, even though they shared the Foundation's interest in mindfulness and stillness.
The meditation reference described the teaching vocabulary that connected these offerings. Preparation, relaxation, mindfulness and stillness were the named stages of MBSM, while imagery and contemplation appeared in related parts of the programme.
Food and the residential table
Eat Well : Live Well combined food education with mindfulness. The Foundation's description connected practical food preparation with its plant-based wholefood approach. The kitchen therefore occupied a teaching role as well as preparing meals for a stay.
This programme belonged to a wider food culture at the centre. The vegetable gardens supplied ingredients, recipes appeared in publications, and a cookbook gave the approach another form. The kitchen reference described the dishes and preparation examples that appeared in that material.
Food-focused programme titles identified the subject of the teaching. They did not establish the suitability of a particular diet for an individual or turn a historical menu into personal nutrition advice.
Reflection and life transitions
Set Your Compass brought together meditation, artistic expression and contemplation. The Foundation presented it as a programme for reflecting on direction and personal priorities. Its title expressed the metaphor of orientation that appeared in the programme description.
Living in Balance combined mindfulness meditation with discussion of emotions. Navigating Midlife and Beyond addressed reflection during a life transition. These subjects showed the Foundation's interest in experiences that extended beyond formal illness categories.
Later wellbeing material also included Being Me, which concerned values, communication and self-reflection. The range changed over time, and the different names were part of that evolving educational programme.
Spirituality and personal meaning
Spirituality & Healing was another historical retreat title. Its description concerned inner reflection and the place of spirituality in personal experience. Elsewhere, the Foundation described its spiritual approach as non-denominational.
The subject connected with Quest for Meaning in the seven-element framework. That element made room for discussion of purpose, beliefs and mortality. The Foundation's programme descriptions acknowledged differing personal beliefs rather than defining one religious position for every participant.
The history reference placed this breadth of subjects within the organisation's development. The wellbeing range was one strand in a Foundation that also offered cancer and MS programmes and professional education.
The common setting
Despite their different themes, the wellbeing retreats shared the Living Centre's accommodation, kitchens, gardens and quiet spaces. The grounds included walking trails, landscaped areas and natural bushland. The physical setting featured consistently in how the Foundation presented a residential stay.
The Living Centre reference described these features as they appeared during the Foundation's years there. The retreat model explained how a common setting supported different kinds of educational programme.
The Foundation ceased operations in May 2021. The wellbeing programme names recorded here belonged to that former organisation and its completed history.