This past Saturday, September 28th, just over 30 of our greater community members came together on the grounds of the beautiful Edenvale Retreat Centre in Abbotsford to participate in EmotionsBC’s first ever Mindfulness Retreat Fundraiser. The day started off bright and early at 9am as participants arrived to enjoy some coffee, tea, muffins, and great discussion. From there, our amazingly wonderful facilitator, Brandi Matheson, began to take us through the day in silence. Be sure to scroll down to see some great pictures that were taken! 

Moments of Connection and Self-Care

Though the day was spent with little discussion between participants, the deep connections we were able to form with each other were incredible and impactful. There was a palpable sense of curiosity, inspiration, and love that could be felt by those who attended.

Valley Caterers provided us with a delicious lunch after our participants returned from our first walking practice of the morning. We enjoyed some homemade veggie borscht and barley soups, various sandwiches and wraps, as well as some great little dessert squares as a nice afternoon pick-me-up! Yum!

The group was taken through a variety of mindfulness-based practices such as gentle movement and stretching, walking with intent, and some self-compassion exercises. We were also incredibly fortunate to have our close friends, Meg and Andrew, join us from Alongside You to give our participants the opportunity to participate in a mindful art activity. Meg wonderfully introduced her encouragement card activity to our group before our self-directed period and it was amazing to watch so many people gravitate towards the station during that time. It was a touching experience and produced some brilliant little pieces of unique art.

We ended the day with small group discussions where we took the time to connect and appreciate each other’s presence. There were tears, laughter, struggles, and much more to be experienced throughout the day, creating a holistic and energy filled environment for these intimate chats.

Fundraising Success

We are excited to announce that we were able to successfully raise nearly $5,000 from this event for the families and caregivers in our community! With these funds, we will be able to continue to offer our groups and programs with our low barrier approach and remain free-of-cost to participants.

An extra special thank you to Schill Insurance for their incredibly generous sponsorship of this retreat. Their amazing support contributed to the great success of this event and helped us to make the retreat special for those who attended.

Looking Onward 

Reflecting on this amazing retreat, we are filled with immense gratitude and appreciation for those in our greater community. Special thanks to Brandi for so kindly leading our group through this retreat, to Meg and Andrew for adding a unique and special activity to our day, to the wonderful staff at Edenvale for helping us secure their beautiful facility, Nicole Taylor for having the vision for this incredible day, and everyone else involved in this amazing retreat. 

We hope to offer this event in the future and encourage you to look forward to our 3rd annual Walk for Mental Wellness in 2025! Details to come soon! 

This event was graciously sponsored by Schill Insurance