Do you know the saying “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”? That’s a quote from the Hangover movie. In this blog post I want to tell you what happened in our latest courses in Ireland. Well, it was nothing like the Hangover movie (thankfully!). But it was so good that I hope that what happened in Ireland definitely won’t stay in Ireland, and that our 33 course participants will use their new skills and knowledge in their working and private life.
So what have happened?
- Every day we cycled, hiked or did other (sometimes crazy) outdoor activities.
- We practised breathing (did you know that most of us don’t breathe correctly?!)
- We cooked together, laughed, mediated and practiced Chi Kung
- There was a lot of learning, including new method of coaching and counselling and new tools to motivate and support change.
- All participants said they gained a greater understanding of mindfulness, motivational and empowerment techniques
PS Did you know that you can participate in our courses in Ireland, Poland and Tenerife for free! Grants from the Erasmus+ programme can cover all your expenses (travel + accommodation + course fee). If you want to find out more you can contact me at marzena@m-powered.eu
A couple of weeks ago, we held three courses in Ireland: two on mindfulness, empowerment and motivation and one tailored course on social and vocational activation of adults at risk of marginalization (for professionals working in labour offices).
Our courses are designed to provide the optimal conditions for personal development. First, we want our participants to feel comfortable and to have good energy levels. Only after achieving that we can expect them to take on a new subject, work creatively and develop skills. Therefore:
- Each session lasts a maximum of 90 minutes. After that, we all take time to rejuvenate our individual energies.
- Theory is always accompanied by practice. We do not preach and we do not present theory that we haven’t tested. We are open for discussion, criticism, and questioning.
- Our programme is flexible and sensitive to the group. They decide when to move forward and when to stop or even take a step back.
Diverse Activities: Outdoor and indoor
Our course participants had a chance to:
- Test different aspects of mindfulness and motivational strategies,
- Eat healthy food
- Take a scenic hike along the Killary fjord,
- Practice mindfulness and breathing exercises that help in stress reduction,
- Do physical exercises in one oof the cleanest environment in Europe!
- Laugh, laugh and laugh some more during our powerful energisers!
Feedback from our participants:
- The course gave me tools and tips for dealing with my emotions. The fact that
I am completely innocent and perfect made me feel free. - I am more relaxed, more calm, more open to other people.
- The course drew my attention to the need for acceptance.
- I will think about breathing, my posture and feelings, how they influence our behaviour and how they can empower people.
- I learned about my own weaknesses and how to control them.
- I feel empowered and satisfied.
- The course gave me strength and motivation to improve myself, to work on myself and to change things in my life and my behaviour.
- I feel more motivated to face challenges in my workplace. I feel so energised!
Our courses are organised in compliance to work-life balance principles: Short sessions, breaks, healthy food, a lot of physical activity, and relaxation exercises. Each participant found this approach to be helpful in promoting motivation, engagement, and openness to change and new ideas. We always say that it is worth continuing at least some of the work-life balance practices in the workplace going forward.
