Innovation Fund Feedback from our friend Erika, manager of the project.

Erika was awarded the Innovation Fund to a provide wellness gift box initiative to help guide service users to engage in self-care and mindfulness practises.

Erika created 40 wellness gift boxes containing a beginner’s kit to mindfulness practises. The box included:

• Tea.
• Chocolate.
• Aromatherapy massage oil.
• A piece of selenite crystal.
• Palo Santo (natural incense).
• Notepad and pen.
• A self-care ‘voucher’.
• Welcome flyer.  
• A pre-recorded mediation talking through the contents of the box.
• 15 weekly live guided sound meditations.

Erika stated that alongside the weekly sessions, she was able to deliver an extra guided session for the DAWS team as part of the United Nations ‘16 days of Activism for Violence Against Women’. This workshop was well attended and she received great feedback.

Erika said that she started the sessions by greeting my participants as they join and doing a check in with the participants, asking how they were feeling. They would start the meditation by taking a comfortable seat; the first few minutes were spent taking slow guided shoulder rolls with guided breathing. Then Erika moved onto using the sound bowls.

Erika informed me that her usual style of meditation is to do a visualisation meditation of the chakra system, starting at the base of the spine and moving up the body, breathing light and healing to each area. The session came to a close by more slow shoulder rolls and slowly coming back into the room. Erika ensured that there was time for feedback and sharing at the end of each session. Erika said that she explored few different breathing and meditation techniques throughout the 15 weeks.

In total there were 40 participants that benefitted from the Happy Hamper project.

 Erika  stated “I have really enjoyed creating and delivering this project and would love to do more work like this with turning point and related charities. It has inspired me to offer more free live sessions which I will do from an Instagram Live free for everyone and anyone, including participants from this project, which everyone joins without video and anonymously”.

Feedback from participants including the following:

‘I’ve always wanted to try Sound bowl mediation but have never had the opportunity’

‘The box is lovely, I loved the chocolate it’s my new favourite’

‘The massage oil smells so nice, it’s so calming’

‘My son recognised the Palo Santo, but I’ve never heard of it before it’s such a relaxing smell’

‘I could see the colours you were describing especially the green and blue’

‘Thank you I feel so calm and relaxed, I’m going to join every week’

‘Please could we do the colour meditation in the future, I really liked that the best’

‘You did the colour meditation again after I mentioned it last week, thank you I love it’