Wild and Well in Alaska
$1,295
+ registration fees
IN-PERSON | 72 Hours (equivalent to 6 credits)
WINTER SCHEDULE
DAY 1: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
DAY 2: 8:00AM – 8:00PM
DAY 3: 9:30 AM – 12:00 MIDNIGHT (includes Aurora viewing)
DAY 4: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Offered in collaboration with Hudson County Community College
Wellness Instructor: Silvia Galambosi
Class Coordinator: Agnes Brandin
SPACE IS VERY LIMITED, SO REGISTER EARLY!!
**We reserve the right to change any of the activities listed below, should any of them be unavailable due to inclement weather.
March 18 – 21, 2026
May
For four unforgettable days, Alaska becomes your guide, your classroom, and your catalyst for personal renewal. Wild & Well in Alaska is an immersive wellness experience that blends breathtaking adventure, cultural connection, and restorative practices—all designed to help you feel grounded, energized, and deeply alive. This is not a sightseeing trip. It’s a full-body, full-heart encounter with one of the most powerful landscapes on Earth.
Throughout the course, we will explore the 7 Pillars of Wellness—physical, emotional, social, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, and occupational—and discover how each one is shaped, supported, and awakened by the northern landscape.
Take mindful walks, using simple practices to calm your mind, support emotional balance, and reconnect with your body.
Explore how Alaska’s dramatic light, seasons, and elemental forces influence resilience, rest, and the rhythms of daily life—and what these patterns can teach us about our own wellbeing.
Hear stories and perspectives informed by Alaska Native traditions, with a focus on respect for land, community, and reciprocity—with deep care to honor the people and cultures of this place.
Try hands-on wellness practices—breathwork, reflection, creative expression, and nature-based grounding techniques—that you can carry home into your own life, wherever you live.
You don’t need to be outdoorsy or experienced in wellness practices—just open to being present. This course is designed as a reset: a chance to feel the difference that true connection to nature and culture makes, even in a short time. Students leave with a personal mini-toolkit for grounding, reflection, and balance, plus a lasting sense of connection to the land, the people, and all seven dimensions of wellness.
Key Experiences
– Hike on the Matanuska Glacier
Walk across ancient blue ice, surrounded by towering formations, while learning grounding techniques and presence practices in this otherworldly landscape.
– Soak in the healing waters of Chena Hot Springs
Let mineral-rich warmth melt away tension as you relax under wide northern skies, reflecting on rest, recovery, and what it means to truly slow down.
– Try to catch the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
When conditions allow, we’ll venture out into the night to look for the northern lights—an awe-filled chance to practice wonder, stillness, and quiet connection with the sky.
– Go dog sledding
Feel the power and joy of an Alaskan sled dog team, learning about partnership, trust, and rhythm as you move across snow-covered ground.
– Visit with reindeer
Spend time with these gentle Arctic animals, explore their natural history, and reflect on their cultural significance in northern lifeways.
– Engage in reflection circles, storytelling, and values-based wellness practices
Inspired by Alaska Native traditions of respect, reciprocity, and relationship with the land (shared with care and cultural awareness), these circles help you integrate what you’re experiencing.
– Explore seasonal and environmental wisdom
Learn how light, weather, and landscape shape wellbeing in northern environments—and what lessons you can carry back home.
Required Winter Clothing
Alaska is very cold in the winter, and you MUST be prepared for the weather in order to take the class. Bringing warm clothing is essential and required. Here is a list of necessary clothing:
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- -> base layers
- -> warm, heavy down jacket
- -> insulated snow pants
- -> wool socks
- -> snow boots
- -> scarf and warm hat
- -> warm gloves
- -> ski goggles recommended for some activities
- -> hand and foot warmers strongly recommended HotHands warmers
Attendance is mandatory for all days of the Alaska class. You may not arrive late on the first day or depart early on the final day. Please book flights that allow you to attend all scheduled class hours.
This is a long-weekend, intensive course, and days will be full. Please bring comfortable shoes, appropriate clothing, water, and snacks. We expect you to arrive well-rested and prepared to participate fully, learn, and enjoy the experience.
WINTER SCHEDULE
DAY 1: 10:00AM – 7:00PM
DAY 2: 8:00AM – 8:00PM
DAY 3: 9:30 AM – 12:00 MIDNIGHT (includes Aurora viewing)
DAY 4: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
– Tuition fees
– 3 x nights of shared accommodations with 1-2 other au pairs at a Clarion Suites, Extended Stay OR similar Hotel
(WINTER: 1 night in Anchorage, 2 nights in Fairbanks, SUMMER: 2 nights in Anchorage, 1 night in Denali. )
– 3 x continental breakfast
– Local transportation costs to and from all activities
– Shuttle flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks or Fairbanks to Anchorage as part of the class (Winter class only)
– All activities including entrance fees to museums, spas, cultural centers and national parks
– Airfare to/from Alaska
– Transportation from airport during arrival, and to airport during departure
– Lunches or Dinners
– Registration fees (platform and processing fees)
This 72-hour course consists of in-person instruction as well as required pre- and post-assignments completed through Google Classroom. You will receive a Google Classroom invitation approximately two months prior to the course start date. Please register using a Google-compatible email address (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, or Yahoo), as all course communications and your course completion certificate will be sent to this email. Invitations may be filtered to spam/junk folders. If you do not receive the invitation, you are responsible for contacting us to request access.
Pre-assignments will be posted three weeks before the course begins and require approximately 18 hours to complete. These assignments must be completed before attending the in-person sessions.
Post-assignments will be posted during the course weekend and also require approximately 18 hours to complete. Successful completion of these assignments is required to receive the course completion certificate.
Course completion certificates are emailed within a few days of the official course end date, provided all required assignments have been successfully completed. Students have four weeks to complete post-assignments. If you require your certificate earlier, please indicate this during registration; and provide necessary documents.
Once you have been invited to Google Classroom, you will be able to join a class WhatsApp group, providing an opportunity to connect before the trip and coordinate shared transportation from the airport or to make additional plans.
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1.) Analyze the relationship between natural environments and human wellbeing, using examples from course experiences (glacier, hot springs, boreal forest, night sky) and relevant wellness frameworks.
2.) Demonstrate proficiency in at least two nature-based wellness practices (e.g., grounding exercises, mindful walking, breathwork, yoga-based movement) and evaluate their effectiveness for personal regulation and stress reduction.
3.) Explain core principles of respectful engagement with land, drawing on Alaska Native values or perspectives introduced in the course, and discuss their relevance for contemporary approaches to wellness and place-based learning.
4.) Interpret their own responses to key experiential activities (e.g., glacier hike, dog sledding, reindeer encounter, aurora viewing) and connect these responses to broader concepts of resilience, embodiment, and environmental awareness.
5.) Identify and assess personal patterns of stress, imbalance, or disconnection, and match them with specific tools or practices introduced during the immersion that support improved wellbeing.
6.) Participate effectively in collaborative learning environments—including reflection circles, group discussions, and shared physical practice—demonstrating active listening, respect for diverse perspectives, and the ability to synthesize collective insights.
7.) Develop a personalized, evidence-informed “Wellness Toolkit” that integrates at least:
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– two nature-based practices,
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– one cultural/value-based principle (e.g., gratitude, reciprocity, stewardship), and
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– a plan for sustainable application in their academic, personal, or professional life.8.) Compare and articulate shifts in their perspectives on nature, culture, and wellness by synthesizing pre-course expectations with post-immersion reflections, demonstrating growth in awareness, critical thinking, and self-understanding.
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