Taster day of mindfulness at Mullingar Arts Centre
A rare opportunity to sample a myriad of mindfulness techniques is coming to Mullingar. If you have ever wanted to explore the mindfulness phenomenon but didn’t know where to start, a taster day in various mindfulness methods will be on offer at the Mullingar Arts Centre on Sunday August 10.
The event will consist of a series of workshops in yoga, meditation, Pilates, breathwork, and more, and conclude with a theatrical performance which will be an artistic collaboration of the arts and wellbeing. Proceeds from the workshops will go to Relay for Life Westmeath.
This is the second year of the mindfulness event, the brainchild of Siobhán Moore from Mullingar, a busy businesswoman, wife and mother of three. Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Siobhán explained that the pressures of business and having a busy life style sent her in search of different ways to relax and “switch off”.
“I had gone on a cruise of wellness classes and was really blown away by how good I felt,” she said. She felt so good that she wanted “to spread the word”.
Having tried many techniques, Siobhán decided “it would be great to be able to experience it all under one roof”.
So she set up a taster workshop “where you can sample lots of different things”. Professionals in the various disciplines will be on hand to give patrons a taste of yoga, meditation, Pilates, breathwork, nutrition, art. And for the younger visitors, there will be a Kind Kids club, face painting, children’s singing and massage.
The taster workshops will take place from 10am to 4pm. The theatrical performance will be staged at 7.30pm, all in Mullingar Arts Centre.
“Because I am so involved in arts and wellbeing, I thought we could bring them both together,” Siobhán said. This year, they have gone “big and bold” and are performing on the main stage in the Arts Centre, where Dionysus School of Dance, which Siobhán established 21 years ago, is based.
Siobhán has “amazing friends” who volunteered their time, coming on board to present their own classes, all under one roof. That has allowed her to concentrate on the show, ‘The Feather’.
Siobhán wrote and produced it. She describes it as a visualisation a collaboration and interpretation of daily thoughts and feelings. It is an combination of the arts and wellbeing with a linking theme throughout”, Siobhán said. She added that people will take their own interpretation of it.
‘The Feathers’ will feature singing, dancing and music as well as Qigong, Tai Chi and Yoga, in a choreographed fashion. “I have taken wellness themes and choreographed them into a routine, but you don’t have to get it, you can just sit and enjoy it,” she said.
A woman who oozes energy and enthusiasm, Siobhán was not content with bringing a multitude of relaxation techniques to the public in a one-stop-shop; she also wanted “to do something good”. Therefore, all the money raised by the workshops will go to Relay for Life Westmeath.
Relay for Life is for all those affected by cancer – survivors, caregivers, volunteers, and participants in the run. The first ever Relay for Life Westmeath event will be held at Tyrrellspass GAA Club on September 20.
• Bookings for the theatrical show are at mullingarartscentre.ie; and places on the workshops can be booked by calling the arts centre on 0449347777.