THE JOY LAB

Where neuroscience meets movement, mindfulness and connection.

Join Wendy and Fi for a day of delight designed to nourish, expand and uplift your mind, body and spirit.

The Joy Lab is a playful and experiential full-day retreat exploring the psychology, neuroscience and embodied experience of joy.

Together, we’ll discover what creates joy, why it can sometimes feel easy and spontaneous and why it may be more difficult to access at other times. We’ll explore how joy is experienced through the brain, body and nervous system, while discovering practical ways to create more room for joy, connection and meaning in everyday life.

Led by senior psychologist Fiona “Fi” McKay and multidisciplinary facilitator Wendy Douglas, the day will weave together psychological insight, mindfulness, yoga, movement, music, reflection, conversation and play.

You’ll be invited not only to learn about joy, but to notice it, remember it, move with it, express it and experience it with others.

JOY WITHOUT FORCED POSITIVITY

The Joy Lab is not about denying difficult emotions or pretending everything is wonderful.

Joy can exist alongside grief, stress, uncertainty, pain and change. We don’t need to feel joyful all the time or even feel joyful when we arrive.

Instead, we’ll approach joy with curiosity. We’ll explore the small, ordinary and meaningful experiences that can bring warmth, vitality, pleasure, interest, amusement and connection and consider how these experiences may influence what happens next.

WHAT TO EXPECT

Throughout the day, Fi and Wendy will guide you through an engaging balance of learning and direct experience, including:

An accessible exploration of the psychology and neuroscience of joy
An introduction to how joy is experienced through the brain, body and nervous system
An exploration of what can support or inhibit our capacity for joy
Mindfulness and nervous-system awareness
Accessible yoga and uplifting movement
Music, rhythm and playful exploration
Reflection, conversation and meaningful connection
Practices for noticing and savouring genuine positive experiences
An exploration of values, choices and what brings you alive
Simple evidence informed tools for cultivating more joy in everyday life
Space to pause, rest, receive and integrate

The day will move between learning, stillness, movement and connection, allowing the ideas to both experienced and understood.

Everything will be invitational. You’ll always be able to participate at your own level, pause when you need to or choose an alternative.

WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY

You’ll leave The Joy Lab with:

An accessible understanding of the psychology and neuroscience of joy
Greater awareness of how joy is experienced in your mind, body and nervous system
A clearer understanding of what brings you alive and what may get in the way
Practical ways to notice, receive and savour positive experiences
Tools for creating more opportunities for joy, meaning and connection
One small, realistic personal Joy Experiment to take into everyday life
A renewed appreciation for the small moments that make life feel more alive

WHO IS THE JOY LAB FOR?

The Joy Lab is for anyone who is curious about joy and would like to create more room for it in their life.

You don’t need to be naturally exuberant, feel joyful when you arrive or have any previous yoga or movement experience. Everything will be accessible, choice-based and adaptable.

The Joy Lab is an educational and experiential wellbeing retreat. It is not a substitute for psychological therapy, medical care or group therapy, and you will never be required to share anything personal.

EVENT DETAILS

Date: Sunday 15 November 2026

Time: 10am–4pm

Venue: Soul Centre, Omaha

Early-bird price: $195

Full price: $245

A nourishing lunch, including vegetarian options, and afternoon treats are included.

Contact the host of The Joy Lab