Join us for a day of wellbeing activities and connecting with others who’ve had a similar experience.
All sessions are free, morning tea and a light lunch will be provided. You are welcome to stay for all or part of the day.
Program for the day:
10.00am – Registration and welcome.
10.30am – Energy breathing workshop
11.15am – Morning tea (fruit provided)
11.30am – Mindful movement for inner calm
12.30pm – Lunch (provided)
1.30pm – Origami cranes: a symbol of hope and healing
2.30pm – Thank you and closing remarks
Audience: Women who have experienced a cancer diagnosis (recent or in the past) are invited to come along and try some wellbeing activities and chat with other local women. They are welcome to bring a friend, partner, family member or carer along too.
Counterpart is happy to be partnering with Bairnsdale Regional Health Service for this special event.
Click here to register for the Bairnsdale wellbeing day for women with cancer
Or call us on 1300 781 500
Registrations close 12 noon on Tuesday 1 October.
More information on sessions and presenters
Energy Breathing
Dr Bruce Stafford, Evergreen Natural Health.
Bruce is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncturist and Western Medical Herbalist. He has been training in martial arts for over 35 years. He is an instructor in the internal martial arts of Tai Chi Chuang, Hsing-I and Qigong.
Dr Bruce has treated many thousands of patients in his busy Chinese medicine clinics. He realised early on that at the root of most people’s health problems was poor blood flow to internal organs. Qigong and learning how to breathe properly is the foundation of developing strong internal energy and blood flow. Bruce knew that if people learned how to breathe properly, moved to improve their blood flow and practised for 15 minutes a day, that it could make an enormous difference to their health.
Learning to breathe properly brings a lot of health benefits:
- Most people don’t breathe properly which can contribute to health problems
- Learning how to breathe properly is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your health.
- Promotes the strong flow of oxygen-rich blood – good blood flow is good health.
- Retrain your diaphragm – most people’s diaphragms are stiff and don’t move well at all.
- Massages your internal organs – engaging your diaphragm properly helps massage your internal organs to improve fluid and blood flow in and around them.
- Develops a relaxation reflex instead of a stress reflex – retraining yourself to breathe properly will also retrain how you respond to stress.
- Improves Lung function – your lungs are a key source of postnatal Chi (internal energy) – oxygen-rich lungs directly and powerfully build your energy.
- Improves Chi, blood and oxygen flow – this is the ultimate goal of Qigong. I always tell my patients – ‘good blood flow equals good health…everything your body needs is in your blood and strong Chi helps propel your blood.’
Mindful movement for inner calm
Dr Bruce Stafford, Evergreen Natural Health.
In this Qigong session dedicated to self-healing, participants will use the breathing techniques they learned while performing graceful movements. The session focuses on harmonising breath with motion to optimise energy flow and promote wellness. Attendees will engage in a series of exercises designed to enhance their self-care and inner balance. Through this mindful practice, they will experience a deep sense of rejuvenation and healing.
Art therapy: A guided creative experience
Rhonda Gray, Contemporary visual artist
Rhonda, an East Gippsland local has been painting and drawing for as long as she can remember, completing extensive studies in painting, drawing and sculpture and achieving a Diploma of Visual Arts. Rhonda’s artwork has featured in joint and solo exhibitions. She has received many awards for her work, including the prestigious art prize for Best Contemporary painting at the Camberwell Art Show in Melbourne.
Rhonda keenly passes on her passion and knowledge through teaching, offering regular drawing, mixed media and painting classes and workshops locally, interstate and overseas. Visit Rhonda’s website to read more about her work.
Origami Cranes a symbol of hope and healing. During this session participants will create an origami crane from paper or card and decorate. Both sides of card/paper can be decorated using texta to create line drawings, etc. Participants will then learn how to fold an origami crane using their created paper. We will attach a ribbon in order for the participants to hang their creation in their home.
