Nan Tien Wellness Day 2024 - Family Activities in Wollongong (Illawarra)

If you want FREE things to do in Wollongong for families, experience the Nan Tien Wellness Day: a holistic journey for mind, body, and spirit. Join us for this highly anticipated Nan Tien Wellness Day, an annual immersive event for adults and kids designed to rejuvenate your energy through music, movement, and meditation. 

Celebrate Medicine Buddha Day with a full day dedicated to holistic health practices, workshops and mindfulness. Experience the benefits from a variety of spiritual activities and workshops that engage your senses, including:

• Sitting meditation to center your mind 
• Incense crafting for therapeutic aromas 
• Healing chants to soothe the mind 
• Tea meditation for tranquility 
• Mindful floral arrangement to enhance creativity 
• Tai Chi to harmonise body and spirit 

Join us in the Medicine Buddha Dharma Service in the Mahayana tradition. Book early, limited places.

Make it a Sydney day trip or a weekend stay! Pilgrim Lodge offers accommodation on-site. Click here for details.

THEME DRESS: Come dressed in blue or don a favourite blue accessory to add to the occasion. 

Full day of benefits of Nan Tien Wellness Day:

• Restore your inner health - calm mind, warm heart.
• Unique blend of Buddhist meditative and creative practices.
• Clear out what no longer serves you and mark a new start.
• Join a community of like-minded people.

Flexibility and freedom are important. You know your needs. You select your mix:

• Free sessions: Tai Chi, Chanting + Healing, Medicine Buddha Day Blessing (limited lunch places), Calligraphy, Mindful Calming Jars Workshop.
• Ticketed sessions: Rhythmic Drumming, Mindful Floral Workshop, Incense Crafting Workshop, Tea Meditation, Sitting Meditation. 
• Lunch: Tea House (no bookings), Nan Tien Arts Cafe (no bookings) or in Dining Hall (bookings required).

JUST RELEASED - Pink Ribbon Brunch Buffet - Arts Cafe. $20 

Enjoy a delicious buffet brunch at the Nan Tien Arts Cafes (Nan Tien Institute). Wellness Day ticket holders receive 50%. The ticket sales include some donations to National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Program details below

1. Tai Chi. Free

Harmonise the mind and body as Venerable leads adults and kids through a series of invigorating Tai Chi poses aimed at dispelling negative energy. Tai Chi serves as a powerful method to restore your body's natural harmony and foster a tranquil state of mind. When energy blockages are removed, you'll experience reduced stress, enhanced well-being, and emotional equilibrium. Bring a hat, water bottle, wear suncreen.

2. Sitting Meditation with Temple monastics. Cost $5 

Experience the transformative power of meditation in our 25 minute session led by a Buddhist monastic. Gain valuable skills to enhance concentration and inner tranquility. Ideal for adults and kids. You will further learn the art of quieting the mind through expert guidance on posture, breath control and positive thought patterns. Experience increased discipline and readiness to practice meditation independently at home. Join us for a supportive environment to share your experiences and receive answers to your questions. Socks are required

 

3. Chanting + Healing Workshop - with Venerable(s) from Nan Tien Temple. Free  

Come, sit, raise your vibration and be moved by the healing power of chanting. Be guided in learning the different styles of chanting. A practice of discipline and wisdom. For absolute beginners and those with some experience. No singing ability required! Chanting is an act of meditation and service. A very popular activity for adults and kids. Join afterwards in the Main Shrine straight after this workshop to hear the monastic's ceremonial chanting.

4. NEW Rhythmic Drumming Workshop with Diane Allison. Cost $15

This is where rhythm meets mindfulness. The hands-on rhythmic drumming will reduce stress, improve mental clarity, and enhance emotional well-being. Join Drum Therapy Facilitator Diane Allison from InRhythm Kiama in the Temple's courtyard to find your groove and feel awaken. Bring hat, sunscreen and water bottle. For adults and kids. (NB: need to remove rings for the drumming).

5. NEW Scent & Serenity: Incense Crafting Workshop. Cost $15 

This is a hands-on workshop for adults and kids to create your own incense blend and learn the elegant Asian art of incense making. Perfect blend of cultural practices, aromatherapy, or crafting. Guided by a skilled incense expert, you'll learn the techniques of grinding and blending to create your own unique incense formula, poured into a satin drawstring bag, ready to take home and enjoy. This keepsake will hold the fragrance and memory of your personal creation. In the first part of the class, you'll be introduced to the art of incense making, exploring a variety of natural ingredients and aromatic botanicals. We'll discuss the origins of incense, its cultural significance. Incense burning is an ancient practice in Buddhism. Embark on a fragrant adventure like no other!

6. Medicine Buddha Day Blessing Ceremony. Free 

Connect with the community in the Main Shrine. For Adults and kids to experience the deep healing sound of a Medicine Buddha chanting, a practice treasured in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. You can chant or listen to the healing sounds to experience a meditative state. Continue your walk with Buddhism. The practice purifies and removes the underlying karmic causes of diseases and cultivates the causes for holistic wellbeing. Receive a Medicine Buddha blessing and gift from the monastics.  A wonderful experience where you see the Shrine in full colour. Stay for the short 15 min. talk on Nourishing Body and Mind - daily practices.

7.Pink Ribbon Brunch Buffet - Arts Cafe. $20 

Enjoy a delicious buffet brunch at the Arts Cafes. Wellness Day ticket holders receive 50% discount of normal ticket price. The ticket sales are donated to National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Lunch: Nourish yourself and enjoy the benefits of delicious vegetarian meals.

Nan Tien Temple Dining Hall - bookings required: $22 adult; $12 children 5-12; under 4 free. No booking needed for the Tea House and Nan Tien Arts Cafe (Nan Tien Institute).

8. Ink & Flow: Calligraphy Workshop - Free

Join us for a calming and creative calligraphy workshop. Discover how this mindful art form promotes emotional well-being, stress relief, and creativity through the precise strokes of writing. Calligraphy encourages focus and relaxation, fostering a deeper connection to the present moment while offering holistic health benefits. For adults and kids new to calligraphy or experienced, this workshop will guide you in exploring its cultural richness and personal fulfilment through artistic expression. Don't miss the chance to enhance your wellness with the meditative practice of calligraphy.

9. Petals & Presence: Mindful Floral Workshop - professional florist Sue Wong. Cost $20pp inc. flowers + notes

Working like an artist, you create a harmonious floral arrangements using plants elements that represent the sky (Heaven), the earth (Earth), and the essence of life (Human), each piece becomes a thoughtful expression of the interconnectedness of nature and the human experience. Join us for a step-by-step journey into the world of sustainable and seasonal arrangements, using a mix of traditional flowers, vines, twigs, and eco-friendly materials. You will create a stunning balance arrangement to take home. Unlock the secrets of traditional symbolism associated with foliage and various arrangement styles, allowing you to express themes of grace, movement, heaven and earth, flexibility, and resilience in your seasonal creations.  This is creative and calming experience. 

10. NEW Mindful Calming Jars with art therapist and curator Venerable Youji. Free

This mindfulness tool is sometimes called “calming jars” and ARE SO MESMERIZING. The monastics use the bottles themselves! The idea is that after you shake the meditation jar, you watch and wait. By the time all the glitter reaches the bottom you will have found your happy place – comfortable in your own stillness as you serenely watch the pieces of glitter swirl around and slowly sink with the soothing voice of Ven Youji. For adults and kids.

11. NEW Tea Meditation - with Venerable Juefang from Nan Tien Temple. Free

Learn this unique form of tea meditation, perfect for adults and kids, where each step in making, serving and drinking tea is a meditation practice to create unity and an elegant mood. Serving tea is an expression of Buddhism’s equal-minded offering and being aware of the effects on your mind and body. You can practice tea meditation during any time of the day — in the morning to start your day with presence, enjoy it in the middle of the day for increased focus and clarity, or end your day with the practice for a peaceful night’s sleep. 

Complimentary gifts - participate in 5 or more sessions to receive a FREE Medicine Buddha crystal-like necklace or a soft plush toy.

Collect your Wellness Day Passport at Registration, attend any workshop and have it stamped each time. With 5 or more stamps you receive the free gift. Present at the registration table before you leave.

View the Nan Tien Temple map here.

Why we support the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals?

Thank you to the generous support from the Hsing Yun Education Foundation who has made this Series possible.

Nan Tien Temple and the Hsing Yun Education Foundation are commitment to serving the community and play a vital part in achieving the global goals namely in good health and well-being for all people, peace, justice and sustainable communities (Goals 3, 11,16,17) as reflective of our commitment to universal human values.