The Joy of Mindful Eating Retreat

Stop the binge-purge or binge-restrict cycle.

Imagine what it would be like to never diet again

Dates: January 29 and 30, 2016

Plate of Food

I invite you to give yourself this gift. Take some time out of your busy schedule to discover tools to help you transform your relationship to food.

  • Mindful eating can help you accept your body as it is and move towards your ideal size.
  • Be more comfortable with your body and take care of it no matter what size it is. Start loving your body and yourself more.
  • Become more aware of what needs are being met by your disordered eating. Find healthy ways to get your needs met with your relationship with yourself and others.
  • This retreat is a good way to start moving away from the compulsive eating/restricting syndrome.
  • Stop limiting your foods to what you consider “good foods” and restricting the “bad foods”.

Retreat Description:

  • There will be a supportive, therapeutic and educational environment for you to learn and grow. The group is a way for you to share with others to know that you are not alone. You will be assigned a support buddy for continuing on after the retreat is over.
  • You will learn about the many types of hunger including stomach hunger, mouth hunger, and heart hunger. It’s not possible to be compulsive and and mindful at the same time. When you participate in the exercises you can slow down and savor your food. It will help increase your awareness of your thoughts and feelings. You will be better able to recognize when you are full.
  • Free follow up conference call (TBA in February 2015) to guide you in your journey of mindful eating.

Say good bye to the clean plate club forever!

Trees in the fog

About the Facilitators

About Gina Vanderham, MA, SD, ICADC, LMFT, SAP

Gina Vanderham has over 26 years in recovery from disordered eating and alcohol and drugs. She also has 22 years experience as a psychotherapist specializing in addictions of all kinds. These include alcohol and drugs food and co-dependency and women’s’ issues. She is a Licensed Marriage Family and Child Therapist, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counsellor, Spiritual Director, Certified Employee Assistance Professional and Substance Abuse Professional.

ShallahAbout Shallah Panjwani

Shallah is a registered dietitian and a member of the College of Dietitians of BC as well as Dietitians of Canada. She has over 25 years of experience working in Nutrition and Dietetics. In addition, she has her certification in the prevention and recovery of Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating.

At A Rocha Canada: Brooksdale Guest House: 19353 16th Ave., South Surrey, BC

Retreat Schedule

Friday 7-9 PM: Includes lecture and exercises, including mindful movement and mindful snack and discussion.

Saturday 8:30-4:00 PM: Includes combination of lecture, discussion and mindful movement. We will practice mindful eating for breakfast, snacks and lunch. We will also take breaks to explore the beautiful natural retreat setting and the Arocha Rivertree Store (preserves, meats, toys, and homemade crafts).

Saturday will also include a special guest appearance by Dietician Shallah Panjwani.

The Joy of Mindful Eating Retreat

Mindful eating meditation can be a very a powerful and transforming experience.

Here is what some others have said:

I found the Mindfulness Eating meetup led by Gina Vanderham to be a profound and valuable experience. Gina really knows her stuff. She introduced the concepts well and made them easy to understand. She guided us through the process well. She was also a good model when she demonstrated how to do mindful eating and the noticing the sensations and feelings that can came up. She used her therapeutic skills effectively and gently helped me to “go deeper” into what thoughts and feelings came up for me. The insights and learning have stayed with me.

The Mindfulness Eating Meetup by Gina Vanderham was definitely food for thought. Leading up to the Meetup I found myself being more aware of what, where, and when I eat. That alone was helpful. The power of intention. What I found helpful in the actual Meetup was not talking while we were eating. Taking breaks and talking about how we felt was also helpful. Being aware of the tastes and feelings and the reasons we eat was interesting and I would like to practice this again. Thank you Gina for this gift of mindful eating.

“Mindful eating has been so helpful for me. I have learned with practice to slow down my eating and to be present with my food. Learning about the different types of hunger has been extremely beneficial. I am learning to distinguish the variety of ways my body feels hunger. This has been key in my recovery. Thank you.”

“I can’t believe it! I left food on my plate for the first time ever!”