Walk for health, connect with the sea and the Forest and be part of something wonderful.
The wellness walks are a series of free walks across the New Forest aimed at the over 65s and those with mobility issues. The walks will include a coffee and a chat at selected locations, giving participants a chance to socially engage with others.
The walks will consist of stretches, meditative and breathing practices aimed at relaxing muscles, and encouraging connection with nature. The walks will run for 40 minutes to one hour every month in different locations. The locations are selected with specific requirements such as natural beauty, parking, toilet facilitates, and stops for people to rest or chat. We’ll help you reduce muscle tension and increase free flowing energy with breath awareness exercises and gentle breath-led stretches before and during the walk. This will help relax the body and mind, enhancing your connection to the natural environment.
From April 2023, the walks will be funded by New Forest National Park Authority’s Sustainable Communities Fund.
The walk is approx. 40 mins with plenty of refreshment stops, toilets and pick up points along the way. This walk is weather dependent.
Due to the uncertainty of the weather conditions, an email will be sent 24 hours before the walk to confirm location, weather and other specifics. If you have any questions please contact our box office.
What you need: Wear comfy clothes, shoes appropriate for the weather and water.
Sessions: Wednesday 6 December 2023, 10 January, 21 February, 20 March, 24 April, 15 May 2024 1.30pm - 2.30pm.
FREE refreshments on selected locations.
Jan - Highcliffe Castle
February - Tall Trees Trail, Blackwater
March - Barton on sea
April - Keyhaven
May - Milford on sea
Tickets: FREE
Tutor: Julie Hand
With a background in fitness and dance and a Reiki II practitioner, Julie’s focus is on the therapeutic aspects of conscious movement and breath to promote health, well-being and peace of mind.
Qualified with the British Wheel of Yoga and teaching since 2003, she has since spent time studying the principles of Tibetan Yoga and works to incorporate the philosophy of Kum Nye Tibetan Healing Movement into the practice. Julie has focused her yoga sharing on breath awareness and using it as a tool for improved well-being, relaxation and calming of the nervous system – often working on a one-to-one basis with people suffering with stress and its associated symptoms.
Julie’s teaching style is breath-led, incorporating flow and rhythm, to impart a sense of ‘being’ in one’s body. She says finding her way to the Parkinson’s Dance Science Model in 2016 was a complete joy.
Book your space on Sounds of the Forest: Wellness Walk at Hampshire Cultural Trust's Forest Arts Centre, New Milton now!
