Wellness, Health & Lifestyle Management in Mexico
$1,195 | IN-PERSON | 72 Hours (equivalent to 6 credits)
DAY 1: 1:00 PM – 8:00PM
DAY 2: 8:00AM – 7:00PM
DAY 3: 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM
DAY 4: 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Offered in collaboration with Hudson County Community College
Instructor/Class Coordinators: Agnes Brandin & Vanessa Hornedo
Wellness Coach: Silvia Galambosi
SPACE IS VERY LIMITED AND FILLS UP QUICKLY, SO REGISTER EARLY!!
**We reserve the right to change any activities, should they be unavailable or unsafe to perform, due to inclement weather.
May 31 – June 3, 2025
[ Class is Full! ]
More Wellness in Mexico classes will be offered in the Fall!
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Living a healthy lifestyle is about taking care of your personal health and wellness. Achieving this requires lifestyle management, which involves developing realistic actions to prevent illness, promote self-care and increase healthy habits. Where better to do this than in paradise?
The Riviera Maya in Mexico is a vibrant destination that offers more than just stunning beaches. It is a top destination for wellness tourism and provides a unique opportunity to enhance your well-being, thanks to its natural spaces, ancestral practices such as Mayan healing techniques, and the knowledge that communities have preserved over time.
This immersive 4-day class will cover the seven core areas of health:
- Movement: Improves overall health and fitness while reducing risks for many chronic diseases
- Nutrition: Contributes to longevity and decreases risk for certain diseases
- Sleep: Impacts all aspects of our mental, physical, emotional, social and spiritual selves
- Resilience: Combats stress, increases contentment, promotes relaxation, builds coping skills
- Mind-body Connection: provides sense of self, spirituality, and direction
- Relationships: promote longer, healthier, and happier lives
- Environment: Affects sense of ease and balance
The class will include daily yoga sessions, meditation, Mayan healing rituals such as Temazcal or Cacao Ceremony and sound healing . There will be workshops on nutrition and healthy eating habits, mindfulness and relaxation techniques for effective stress management, and activities aimed at building self-esteem and resilience. You will be identifying and overcoming key barriers to change, creating a behavior change plan, and putting your plan into action.
Some of the places we will visit during our time in Mexico include Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Ik Kil Cenote, Atik or Cenote Azul and Tulum.
IMPORTANT J-1 VISA INFORMATION FOR EXTENSION AU PAIRS
Au pairs with an expired J-1 visa may travel to Mexico during their extension term, under the Automatic Visa Revalidation system. Make sure you check with your agency for all required and signed documents before you go! In general you will need to bring the following:
– A valid extension DS-2019 that has been signed for travel
– Your I-94 card
– Your valid passport with J-1 Visa.
You should copy these documents and leave a copy with your host family when you travel.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the Concept of Wellness:
– Define wellness and articulate its importance in personal and community health.
– Discuss the interconnectedness of the 7 pillars of well-being, including Nutrition, Sleep, Movement, Resilience, Environment, Social Connection, Mindfulness, and Purpose.
2. Analyze Nutritional Practices:
– Critically evaluate the evidence presented in the documentary “Eating You Alive” regarding nutrition and healthy eating habits.
– Maintain and reflect upon a weekly food journal, demonstrating an understanding of personal dietary habits and their impact on overall wellness.
3. Explore Cultural Practices:
– Explain the significance of Mayan medicine and healing practices, integrating knowledge from the research paper and experiential activities.
– Describe the rituals experienced, such as the Temazcal and Cacao Ceremony, highlighting how they relate to holistic wellness.
4. Develop a Personalized Wellness Strategy:
– Create a detailed 30-day action plan focusing on three chosen pillars of well-being, demonstrating both understanding and application of wellness principles.
– Compose a reflective paper synthesizing personal learning experiences, insights gained, and approaches for ongoing lifestyle improvement in relation to wellness.
5. Engage in Mindfulness and Movement Practices:
– Participate in and apply various mindfulness and movement practices, such as yoga, meditation, and breathwork, understanding their role in enhancing physical and mental well-being.
6. Evaluate Current Trends in Wellness:
– Research and present on current trends or news related to wellness, demonstrating analytical skills and the ability to connect mainstream narratives to personal wellness practices.
7. Appreciate Cultural Contexts of Health:
– Analyze the cultural significance of sites visited, such as Chichen Itza and cenotes, and how they relate to historical and contemporary perspectives on wellness.
8. Collaborate and Connect:
– Work collaboratively with peers during workshops and activities to foster social connection and community-building as part of a holistic approach to wellness.
By achieving these outcomes, students will leave the course equipped with practical tools, deepened knowledge, and enriched perspectives on wellness, health, and lifestyle management, particularly within the context of Mayan culture in Mexico.
– Tuition fees
– 3 x nights of shared accommodations at Petit Lafitte or a different 3+ star hotel along the Riviera Maya
– HALF-BOARD: all breakfasts & dinners are included! (Buffet style)
– Local transportation costs to and from all activities
– All class activities including yoga, temazcal, sound healing as well as entrance fees to parks and cenotes
– Registration fees
– Airfare to/from Cancun or Tulum, Mexico
– Transportation to/from airports
– Lunches
In addition to the in-person meetings, this class will include pre-assignments and post-assignments as part of the 72-hour class.
You will be invited to join Google Classroom about a month before class starts, which is the platform we use for the course. Check your spam folder, as invitations to join Google Classroom sometimes end up there. Please make sure you register for the course with a valid email address, since this is where you will receive the invitation and later, your certificate. Your email has to be Google compatible, so it’s best to use gmail, outlook, hotmail or yahoo. If you do not receive a notification to join Google Classroom, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to contact us.
The pre-assignments will be posted on Google Classroom 2 weeks before class starts. Make sure you join Google Classroom early and complete the assignments BEFORE coming to class. It will take you approximately 18 hours to complete
The follow-up assignments will be posted on Google Classroom on the weekend of class, and also consist of 18 hours. You must complete them in order to receive your course completion certificate. Course completion certificates will be emailed to you, a few days after the class has officially ended. You will have 3 weeks to complete the assignments. If you need your certificate earlier, please indicate it during the registration process and we will email it to you as soon as you successfully complete all assignments.
Attendance IS MANDATORY all days during the class in Mexico. If you are late or leave early, your will risk not receiving your certificate. Please note, that this is a long weekend intensive class and the days are long. Bring comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing, water & snacks. We expect you to come to class rested and ready to participate, learn and have fun!