Qigong with Thu Nguyen and the Herd

Experience Mindful Movement, Practice Presence and Appreciate Your Senses

Do you struggle with staying present? Are you ruled by runaway thoughts? Does your anxiety keep you up at night? Is COVID burnour keeping you on an emotional roller coaster?

Discover the joy of meeting a gentle heard of horses and donkeys and set the stage for your transformational journey of healing, personal growth and renewal. Gain practical skills to enhance your own resilience as you learn how our nervous system responds to the world around us.

Unify your body, mind, emotions and spirit with Qigong, as Thu Nguyen invites us to participate in a series of slow, graceful, no-impact, non-contortion movements, coordinated with deep, relaxed breathing, suitable for people of all ages and physical abilities. This experience will be presented in the pasture with horses at liberty.

It’s been scientifically proven that nature can enhance our mood and reduce stress. We feel better, renewed and more resilient when we step into the embrace of Mother Nature. Come explore the breathtaking beauty of this century farm with pasture fields, a woodland trail, a walled garden, stone labyrinth and the sensory gifts that nature presents each moment.

The benefits of meditation and mindful practice include:

• Reduced stress and greater self-regulation
• Enhanced sleep
• Enhanced compassion for self and others
• Healthier relationships and healthy boundaries
• Enhanced sense of personal mastery

Who Should Attend: Adults 18 years plus. All are welcome. No previous experience with mindfulness, meditation or horses is required. All experiences with horses are on the ground.

Tuition: $200 plus HST (payable by credit card or e-transfer to jgarland@themaneintent.ca)

To Register: Contact Jennifer Garland at jgarland@themaneintent.ca or call 705-295-6618

How to Prepare:

• Bring a lunch or snack, water bottle, face mask (optional)
• Dress for weather and wear boots/running shoes
• All participants will be required to sign waiver forms prior to participating in the workshop

Your Host and Lead Facilitator:

Jennifer Garland, BA, MA is a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) and Owner of The Mane Intent who appreciates the power of horses and nature to support our overall health and wellness. In 2014, Jennifer founded The Mane Intent, located east of Peterborough, offering virtual and in-person psychotherapy, equine-assisted psychotherapy, health and wellness workshops, individual and team effectiveness coaching and leadership development. Our equine-inspired programming is informed by the FEEL™ approach, EQUSOMA™ – Somatic Experiencing® Skills for Equine-Facilitated Practitioners and Fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship training in Traum-Focused Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing® Professional Training (Intermediate), and the work of Paula Josa-Jones, SEP Practitioner and Author, Our Horses, Our Selves.

Guest Facilitator:

Thu Nguyen is a leadership coach (PCC, CPCC) and body intelligence facilitator at Nusqool and is a fellow coach at BetterUp. Over 12 years ago she had a near death experience and subsequently diagnosed with all the stress related illnesses: cancer, diabetes and asthma which changed the trajectory of her engineering career. That big wake up call shifted her focus into exploring the world of wisdom traditions of healing and community. 

She has 8 years of experience with Vipassana meditation, 5 years of Qi Gong and Tai Chi practice. She is a space holder for circles, facilitator of Gender Equity and Reconciliation courses and Trauma Release Exercises. As of 2020, she no longer has cancer and is managing diabetes and asthma the best she can. She generously shares the modalities, mentors, books and resources that have worked for her as she meets others on the path from the head to the heart. She is always exploring ways to support purpose driven entrepreneurs, creatives and creators of new systems to reconnect with their heart, body and spirit and recover from burn-out.

As part of her coaching practice, Thu supports values-based leaders in Fortune 500 companies, professors in academia, and social change leaders in non-profits. She continues to learn and introduce various frameworks of behaviour change and tools that help clients increase their awareness, shift in perspectives and be fully resourced to show up as leaders with authenticity and purpose.