Overview

It’s challenging in today’s world of unpredictability and hectic daily life to build and maintain healthy habits. But more and more, self-care is being recognized as essential for not just surviving, but thriving. We know it takes more than a few days or a short course to build a daily self-care routine.

Over a period of nine months, this self-care course will introduce many ways of nurturing yourself and those around you, and its relaxed timetable will allow you time to pick and choose what works for you and your lifestyle. Participants will be supported in building personal habits of gentle self-care following the natural cycles of life, which include not only hard work and physical exercise, but also rest, healing, celebration, community, remembrance and gratitude.

Aspects and variations of these cycles or directions are found in many indigenous cultures that live closer to nature, including Native American, Celtic, and others. These cycles of nature are also an integral part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems. In addition to exploring these traditional cultures, Dr. August has spent several years studying Village Building and Nature Connection with the 8 Shields Institute, an organization dedicated to supporting community connection through the cycles of nature. The interpretation presented in this course is primarily based on the 8 Shields approach, including the personal experiences in nature of the instructor as well as the attendees.

Building upon itself over nine months, this course will include access to materials and recordings along with a monthly 90-minute online session for discussion of the current topic. Such interactive discussion and contemplation allows for further growth with the sharing of experiences of a diverse group of participants. Of course there will be an herbal aspect to each module—we will be sending out care packages in advance! There will also be journaling and other at-home exercises to enhance the understanding of each lesson.

We were planning this course for 2021, but given the state of the world, we feel like this is the perfect time to offer it.

Each month includes a different topic and activities:

1. Topic recording and written handout available before group meeting.
2. 90-minute interactive live Zoom call emphasizing discussion and connection; groups will be limited to 15 attendees each.
3. Personal journaling questions intended to deepen your experience on each topic. If desired, these can be shared by email with facilitators or in the Zoom discussions where time allows.
4. Teas and other surprises included in the care package (see below) to explore for each month.
5. Additional activities and ideas to explore depending on the topic
6. A Google Group Chat for ongoing discussions with classmates over the nine-month period.

Care package:

• Sent one time in September
• 9 different tea samples—1 for each section that supports each month’s topic
• Additional surprises for experiential and hands-on activities throughout the course