Wellness retreats at the Edge

Wellness, fitness, wholeness and stress management are popular themes

Understanding of our design and need for wholeness has become a source of inspiration for planning a wellness weekend.

Wellness retreats are a wonderful way to have a healthy vacation away with your close friends. Lately, it’s not uncommon to see various kinds of wellness outings.  Wellness retreats aim is to promote health and well-being through physical, psychological, or spiritual activities.

Reunions and wellness retreats

Imagine taking a break from it all and focusing on your potential, your future and developing a vision not based on your history, both physically and mentally. Letting go of the stresses, chaos, and noise of day-to-day life. Getting away and focusing on your personal wellness is important, and in Manitoba, there is a retreat centre that offers an easy and affordable way to do just that.

Socializing and connecting to those closest to you also contributes to your overall wellness. The daily stresses and fast pace of life can sometimes get in the way of truly communicating with and enjoying the presence of your close friends, family members. Sharing stories, laughing, crying, and supporting one another are things we don’t always have the time, or the energy, to do.

Wellness retreats offer a perfect opportunity to reconnect with your relationships, whether with a spouse or significant other, your immediate family, your extended family, or a group of close friends.  Sometimes they may not have the wellness title but rather calling them friends retreat, ladies retreat, romantic weekend getaway or family gathering, but they are undoubtedly wellness centric. Unplugging from the demands of daily life and learning more about one another is an important step in building stronger relationships.

You can participate in team building activities like tubing, rafting or sand volleyball, which allow you to learn how to work together and solve problems, while also having fun.  You can take a hike on a  TTC trail (Trans Canada Trail) in a local forested provincial or federal park.  In those open spaces, you will discover a renewed sense of adventure that will give you shared memories for years to come. Sometimes, just relaxing together, whether around a firepit or in a hot tub enjoying the view, can be a meaningful experience. It is these moments that allow a peaceful opportunity for deeper conversations.

Connecting with nature

Having your own wilderness experience is easy when you spend a week or weekend in a provincial park like the Whiteshell.  There are so many places to explore and wonderful discoveries to be made.  It’s often said that a change of pace is as good as a vacation, and wellness is not the art of stopping anything as much as it is aligning yourself with a better future.  Taking time out in nature can help take our eyes off our daily routine and give place to connecting with new beginnings and the promise that your future holds.

Swinging Bridge as part of a walking trail from Wilderness Edge

Located just one hour from Winnipeg in beautiful Pinawa, Manitoba inside Whiteshell Provincial Park, Wilderness Edge hosts a variety of retreats for people of all ages and specializes in hosting groups. Being located in a provincial park means that the centre is surrounded by nature. The sights, sounds, and smells of the great outdoors are waiting for you just outside Wilderness Edge’s doors.

Surrounding the centre are wetlands, forests, nature trails, and a local sandy beach. Experiencing the calming effects of immersing yourself in nature can help you feel more grounded and at peace. Observing local wildlife such as deer and a variety of species of birds can make you feel more connected to the natural world around you, also helping to calm your mind.

Moving your body

Dozen’s of walking and hiking trails are in the area

These natural spaces are also a great place to participate in physical activity, which is critical to improving your overall wellbeing. Hiking, biking, kayaking, rafting, tubing, and canoeing, are just some of the great activities that await you at Wilderness Edge. For winter guests, we offer ice fishing, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing. You can choose to take advantage of expert-guided activities or do some exploring on your own.

Other activities available include golfing at a nearby golf course, horse riding at a nearby ranch, beach volleyball, tetherball, horseshoes, pool, ping pong, and tennis at the nearby courts.

Finding peace

13 Person Hot Tub at Wilderness Edge

Those who are seeking a more relaxed wellness retreat will be happy to know that Wilderness Edge can accommodate those experiences as well. The centre offers a 13-person outdoor hot tub that overlooks Winnipeg River, a newly renovated 10-person sauna, and three firepits, one in their courtyard and two that overlook the Winnipeg River.

Solitude and serenity can be found at Wilderness Edge, and for those who are focusing on their spiritual and/or mental wellness, the centre offers a place to recharge, disconnect from the outside world, and find peace away from the triggers of daily life.  Here is an extensive list for those wanting retreat ideas.

Exploring your creativity

Creative Classes offered at Wilderness Edge include a variety of art, paint and sculpting options.

Getting in touch with your creative side can be a great stress reducer and mood booster. Wilderness Edge offers a variety of creative activities, including painting on canvas, rock painting, cake decorating, flower arranging, clay sculpting, and making wind chimes. These classes offer guided instruction, as well as all of the materials needed to create your masterpiece.

If you prefer a less structured approach to finding your inner creativity, why not bring some art supplies with you and spend time during your retreat creating whatever you’d like? With plenty of inspiration in the form of plants, animals, trees, and water, drawing, painting, and photography should be a breeze. Or get a group together to work on a fun craft project.

Eating for health

Wilderness Edge understands healthy and natural foods.

Another important aspect of wellness is eating right, and Wilderness Edge offers tasty, nutritious meals for all of our guests that opt to book our meal & lodging packages for groups. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a night snack are all offered during your stay. A variety of foods are provided, all made fresh and served buffet style so you can try a bit of everything. Our chefs are able to accommodate food allergies and dietary restrictions, provided these are mentioned ahead of time.

Celebrate life

Bring your wellness retreat home with the smell of pine

1. Before leaving your wellness retreat, collect some pine branches (think Christmas tree).  Pine has a very distinctive smell and it is what you often smell when you walk through our boreal forests.  Plan ahead and during one of your wellness hikes, cut off a few tiny branches and put them in your backpack.  When your back at home, put some music on and enjoy the smell of those branches.  Take a few pine needles and crush them between your fingers while playing some meditative music, easily bringing yourself back to your last hike and recalling the future you saw during your retreat!

2. Spoil yourself. Small retreat weekends reinforces your investment in your future, how much hope you have, how special you are. Try to include in your every day a time in the morning or evening to see a positive, loving future that does not include stress, worry or sickness.

3. Gratitude will give you altitude. The power of thankfulness is that is breaks discouragement.  You can’t hold onto one without letting go of the other.  Reflecting on the day and being thankful for even the tiniest of things will plant seeds in you that will grow into mighty oaks if included in your daily retreat at home.  Out of that thankfulness will come a greater capacity to celebrate others in your life and help them to plant the same seed you are growing.

4. Dance. Moving your body is something we do every day anyway so why not do it with style, passion, and a smile.  Give yourself permission while walking down the street to give a small hop, a skip forward and a beam of light on your face.

5. Superpowers. We forget that we have superpowers that are with us always.  It is our choice whether we use them towards wellness.