There are days I remember and days I forget. The ones I remember most involve doing something fun, something out of the ordinary, and where I also learned about myself through the connection to others. Tandem Skydiving in Door County, zip lining in Mexico, rappelling, black water rafting and bungee jumping in New Zealand, and kayaking in 4 foot swells on Lake Michigan are days that stick out for me as memorable moments. The anxious stomach before it all, the present moment awareness for each adventure, the gratitude I felt afterwards, the relationships built between me and the ones I was with, the connections made to new places and new people along for the ride. These are great memories of movement and fun in nature's beautiful playground that I wouldn't trade for the world. They taught me about who I am and who I want to strive to become. These experiences have inspired me to spend my time this summer introducing Madison's teens to exciting opportunities that will surely push the boundary of what they think they are capable of. They will gain confidence, build friendships and most of all, they will make lasting memories of joy. Along the way, they will learn healthy ways to take care of themselves, successful strategies to positively lead and influence a group of peers, as well as ways to positively affect the environment in which we live. 

Our Beginnings in Leadership week will test camper's physical, mental, emotional and social well-being. All participants will explore the teachings of mindfulness and yoga to enhance their understanding of what it truly means to be strong inside and outside of the body. They'll have to problem-solve, cooperate and take healthy risks with like-minded peers. They'll explore Madison through hiking, tree climbing, kayaking, slack-lining, nature connection and prepare for an overnight adventure at Devil's Lake State Park where the opportunities get a little more intense. Here, youth will learn intermediate kayaking skills, knot-tying, belaying techniques, rock climbing on real rock face and go through a fire rite of passage ceremony. This is an awesome opportunity for youth already practicing leadership (oldest child, team sports, orchestra, band, choir, etc) in their life. 

It is also a beneficial ​experience for teens who need a boost in self-esteem and/or need to learn skills to build healthy relationships. These young leaders will walk away with more confidence and tools to use in everyday life, while having a BLAST doing it! Teens identifying as LGBTQ+ are highly encouraged to attend and would really benefit from the curriculum taught. For questions, email me (Moira) at info@hikeandheal.com. Space is limited to 20 campers so register today! 

What are people saying about it? People leave feeling deeply relaxed, rejuvenated, grounded and open. A Madison woman left the experience saying, "It felt spiritual to me and I connected to my higher sense of self." ​

Interested in attending? 
Reservations are required as space is limited to about 12 people per session. Registration is free, unless you'd like to pay online with a card. If you pay in person, it's cash only. 

Need the details?
Location: These vary based on the dates! 
Duration: 1 hour for sound and Reiki concerts. Check out our new Hike, Heal & Hum summer series! 
Cost: $20/person. Couples receive a $10 discount referring to coupon "soundcouple" or pre-paying online. 
Items to Bring: Yoga mat, water bottle, pillow/blanket

Jedi Training is underway at Midvale Elementary during the school day, and since the beginning of October, after it. 

Kindergarteners at Midvale receive an extra 30 minutes of REACH class every week taught by yours truly. The focus is learning the Jedi Way. We sit like Yoda, we practice the "Jedi sun breath" and "Jedi sequence," learn how to be peaceful warriors and tap into the force for our strength, focus and community connection. After school, Jedi Training turns into full on fun! In these Kids Yoga classes we laugh and connect through movement. We learn all different kinds of yoga poses. We even make some up! We play hard and laugh hard.  We end with a bit of quiet time to get back into our front brains. We affirm how awesome we are. 

If you are looking for Kids Yoga in Madison, fill out the form at the bottom of the page to get on our mailing list for updates. Weekend Kids Yoga is just around the corner. Learn about birthday party yoga below. Meanwhile, carve out time to drop off your 5-10 year old for an after school class and see if we are a fit for your family! 

OUT There Adventures (OTA) is an adventure education organization committed to fostering positive identity development, individual empowerment, and improved quality of life for queer young people through professionally facilitated experiential education activities. This summer, we are offering a 5 day canoeing trip in the Boundary Waters for queer youth aged 14-22 years old.

Trip dates are June 17th-23rd, 2017. The trip leaves from Tower, MN, which is just outside of Ely, MN and the cost of the trip is $1250. Scholarships are available. All camping and canoeing gear (tents, sleeping bags, etc.) and outdoor clothing (rain jackets, paddling shoes, etc.) will be provided.

Please spread the word and share this information with anyone you think might be interested. Also, feel free to hand out or post this flier about the trip. For additional information, please contact Elyse Rylander at info@outthereadventures.org.

Looking for the Camp Begin website? Click here. Wondering how students & teachers benefit from the curriculum? Continue reading!

What makes Camp Begin special? Our Teachers.
​2017 is our inaugural year at Camp Begin, Madison's newest mindful youth camp. We are thrilled to be able to provide this holistic educational opportunity in Madison from qualified instructors. Our camp teachers are certified in schools or clinical settings, and some are master music teachers from colleges and universities around the area. What does that mean for you? It means that the people who are going to be spending a full week or more with your kids are 1) experts in their field and 2) just as excited about what they'll be teaching as you are.

Where does the passion and excitement come from? Need.
As a teacher myself, I understand why 50% of us quit after the first five years in the profession. It is a highly stressful job that requires incredible patience, foresight and compassion. I teach Physical Education, a "speciality" in schools, and I myself cannot imagine being a classroom teacher. Seeing what classroom teachers endure on a daily basis is alarming. Some experience large amounts of discrimination, get yelled at, hit, scratched, spit on, or have objects thrown at them. All of them are required to make quick decisions that have the capability of affecting a child on a large scale, have benchmarks to meet, meetings to attend during their "planning" and/or lunch time, are required to abide by far too many rules to meet a child's needs and above all don't receive enough support for what they do. Teachers are totally stressed out and often struggle taking care of themselves because such a big focus in their life is keeping their students from falling a part... not to mention having the energy to attend to their own families needs if they are moms (these are the true superhero's of society). 

Reading Mindful.org's article on "When Teachers Get Mindfulness Training, Student's Win," puts this all into perspective. We need more professional workshops on mindfulness to de-stress and understand why the breath is such an integral part of our body's wellness. When teachers get a taste of this, we crave it, and because we are educators at our core, we pass it on to our students. 

That is where I think the beauty lives in Camp Begin. The people on board to provide this education for your kids don't just believe in it, we live and breathe it every day because research shows WE NEED IT. The fun part for us is that we don't have adequate time to teach mindfulness, yoga, art and play all day at school. There are guidelines and standards to adhere to. Teaching at Camp Begin will be play for our instructor team, and let us all live out our passion. Hooray! 

Are you interested in registering your child or children for Camp Begin? Please visit www.campbegin.com for additional information. Currently we are at 1/2 capacity for camper enrollment. Prices will be increasing April 1 so please take advantage of our March Madness special to save! Register by March 31 to benefit from our lowest price of the year. Questions? Email info@hikeandheal.com