Courses, Workshops & Retreats
Everything I teach can be learned in whichever format best suits your needs.
To learn more about Excellence in Lifestyle (EIL), please click here.
Courses and Workshops are suitable for people who want to have a change in their environment, get in touch with beautiful nature and with a new energy also meeting people who are likeminded and have the same values and work together for a common transformation.
Workshops and courses are offered to small groups to give participants the feeling of a kind of familiarity and protected surrounding to be able to speak free and open about real life issues.
I continuously look for unusual settings to make changes in life possible.
I offer seminars and workshops in South Africa, Switzerland Austria and Germany in a beautiful landscape, on a farm or other retreat centres.
Self Mastery
The Psychology of Personal Development
3 Two-day workshops or 6 one-day workshops depending on your flexibility.
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
- Lao Tzu -
Andrew Bryant and Ana Lucia Kazan (2012) define self-leadership as “having developed a sense of who you are, what you can do, and where you are going, coupled with the ability to influence your communication, emotions, and behaviours on the way to get there”. This broad definition serves as a fitting backdrop to the themes covered during this two-day workshop, led by Dr Jutta Lenz.
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The Psychology of Personal Development
In this workshop, participants explore the psychological background of personal development and the factors that contribute significantly to its progress. We delve into the different qualities that make up our personalities and explore how our individual hierarchy of values forms the basis for our interaction with the world around us.
Finding Balance
During the workshops, Jutta addresses the importance of implementing balance across the four areas of our lives (Body / Cognitive | Work Performance / Contacts / Mind | Soul) and our coping mechanisms and their effects on our lives and physical being. The workshop also touches on the psychological dimensions of change, our subconscious mind, and the effects that subconscious thought patterns have on our lives. The most important aspect of self-leadership is self-reflection. This workshop, therefore, investigates different methods of self-reflection and explores why it is important to reflect in the first place. Finally, it addresses the benefits of meditation for our personal development.
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What you will learn…
The workshops will reveal how we can use self-leadership methods to successfully find balance in our lives. Upon completing the workshop, participants will have gained insight into their own values, an understanding of how our beliefs can make (or break) us, and a clear sense of what they need to work on to be able to continue their personal development. This course will help participants to find their inner-strength and understanding of what makes us flourish. Participants will also learn how to reflect on their values, the different dimensions of change, and the different ways we have of dealing with it without getting frustrated or confused. Ultimately, attendants will gain a powerful understanding of the importance of having direction in their lives.
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Key topics that will be addressed:
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What self-leadership is and how it can benefit our lives today;
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The 4 phases of life and how we can find a balance in them;
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Why our beliefs can make or break us;
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What makes us grow;
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How we can find our inner strength;
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The importance of our values;
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The dimensions of change and how to deal with it;
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The importance of having a direction in life and the power of having a vision.
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Who should attend?
This workshop is not targeted at a certain group of individuals. Instead, it is intended to serve the needs of anybody that craves a greater sense of direction in their lives. The workshops places major emphasis on personal growth and the ability to conquer obstacles in a practical way. Previously this workshop was reserved for executives and industry leaders but, given the fundamental importance of living with direction, today everyone is encouraged to attend.
Overview of activities:
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Many exercises for self-reflection in pairs in small groups, as well as individual work
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Walking and guided meditations;
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Breathing, easy Yoga and Qigong.
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Exercises from movement/ dancing
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Work on your vision by using collage technique
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Painting, writing etc.
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Mindfulness
MBSR & MBCT
Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives.
It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment.
We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources
for insight, transformation, and healing.
- Lao Tzu -
People often equate meditation with a sense of blissfulness and peace. However, mindfulness is about becoming present to ourselves. Often when we are quiet, we become aware of our distress, grief, fear, and pain. Mindfulness is about compassionately engaging with whatever we find, not running away from it. It takes commitment and perseverance, intentionally putting aside time to be present with ourselves.
Research on the impact of mindfulness meditation on a variety of symptoms including anxiety disorder, chronic pain, and psoriasis has been conducted over the past 20 years by mindfulness master Dr Kabat-Zinn.
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OVERVIEW OF MBSR & MBCT
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What is MBSR?
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MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction), is currently most extensively researched fields in neuroscience and psychology. In the meantime there is a highly effective and researched eight week program that helps people to overcome stress, depression, pain, and worry. It assists the individual to have a non-judgemental approval of their present experience.
MBSR programs are now offered by various facilities, hospitals, yoga centres and others. The focus of the program is for its participants to experience more joy in life and to help them access an inner strength for healing and getting clarity about their life.
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Scientific and medical researchers have strongly recommended that MBSR be used as an adjudicative therapy for patients with unipolar depression. MBSR is also effective in treating anxiety and has been used in stress management in healthy individuals. It has also been tested and proven effective in treating mood disorders, ADHD, anxiety disorders, insomnia, and chronic pain, in both young, and old alike.
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What is MBCT?
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MBCT (Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Therapy) is a psychotherapeutic technique which utilizes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) methods, with the help of meditative processes. MBCT was originally designed to help treat patients with major depressive disorder and it has since grown in popularity. Research has shown that MBCT and mindfulness-based stress reduction can help to improve mental health and wellbeing.
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MBCT was designed to avoid and reduce the risk of future episodes of depression in people that have suffered previous mental breakdowns. The therapy helps the patient or/and individual to stop criticising themselves to dissociate from negative thoughts and bad moods, and, to learn to embrace themselves, no matter what.
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In addition, MBCT has also been medically proven to help cravings, addictions, and people suffering from substance abuse. A study on using the therapy on smokers over a two-week period showed that the level of smoking decreased by about 60% and the subjects gradually lost their craving for smoking.
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The MBCT program lasts about eight weeks, with a weekly course, which runs for about two and a half hours. The initiative behind the program is based on learning how to focus, pay attention and concentrate fully in each moment.​
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What is the difference between MBSR and MBCT?
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"Both MBSR and MBCT programs last for 8-weeks and include formal meditation, psycho-education, home practices, and discussions.
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In its first incarnation, MBCT was designed as a pure stress reduction technique for patients that had life-threatening diseases and chronic pain.
John Teasdale, Zindel Segal and Mark Williams, hypothesized that the technique could be adapted to also treat patients with depression. The thought that if standard CT (cognitive therapy) techniques would be combined with the insights gained by MBSR, their depressive patients could benefit greatly.
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They contacted Kabat Zinn and adapted his eight week course to suit their needs. The major difference they introduced is that in MBCT, there is a focus on using low mood and bad thoughts to teach early on in the program, so that the participants will know, from experience, what these symptoms are and how to reacts/ respond to them.
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MBSR, on the other hand, teaches its participants how to recognise habitual, unsupportive reactions and to incorporate accepting themselves, without judgment and criticism. MBCT replaces some of the teachings of MBSR and mainly focuses on patterns of negative thinking and help its participants to overcome it."
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Source: mindfulnessbasedhappiness.com
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The MBSR & MBCT eight-week mindfulness courses are suitable for people who:
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Are suffering from work or non-work-related stress, or those living with acute or chronic diseases and suffering from chronic pain;
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Are burdened by psychosomatic complaints and or afflicted by anxiety or depression;
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Are suffering from sleep disorders;
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Are affected by internal unrest and/or bad mood swings;
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Are motivated to make a positive change in their situation and restore their health;
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Are looking for a proactive way to support their medical or psycho-therapeutic treatments;
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Are curious about learning a powerful new method of self-inquiry.
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Basic mindfulness exercises*
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Mindful body awareness (body scan);
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Mindful bodywork (Hatha yoga);
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Meditation while sitting and walking;
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Different mindfulness exercises in everyday life (breathing techniques);
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Easy Qi’gong exercises.
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* These exercises are very simple and flexible, regardless of age and weight.
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What to wear / bring:
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Comfortable clothes, loose at the waist that allows for unconstructed breathing and ease of movement during exercises and meditations.
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Bring along a yoga mat and a light blanket to cover yourself if you get cold quickly.
About your health:
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Eat lightly before classes, food in the class room should preferably be avoided
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If you have any health issues that may course difficulties, make your own decision as to which of these exercises (especially yoga) to do, taking good care of your body. You can make a mindfulness practice out of any movements you do, by bringing full attention to them.
OUR MBSR and MBCT COURSE TIMETABLES WILL BE ADVISED.
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MBSR
An Introduction to Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
Eight week course of 2.5 hour sessions
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
- Lao Tzu -
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OVERVIEW OF THE 8-WEEK MBSR COURSE
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The MBSR Course is suitable for people who are feeling stressed out in their work or private life, live with acute or chronic diseases, suffer from chronic pain, are burdened by psychosomatic complaints, experience impairments from anxiety or depression, suffer from sleep disorders, listlessness or moodiness and they want to work on changing their situation.
Introduction
Our First Appointment is an introduction to MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) and getting to know each other.
MBSR history, development and the meaning of Mindfulness - an introduction
KEY CONCEPTS OF EACH SESSION
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- Session 1: Building Mindfulness Fundamentals
- Session 2: Overcoming practice obstacles
- Session 3: Connect to sensations of motion with awareness and acceptanc
- Session 4: Letting go of attachments, how they relate to expectations and how to
respond to them mindfully through acceptance
- Session 5: Stress: Reacting or Responding
- Session 6: Mindful communication - Bring mindfulness in our relations
- Session 7: How can I best look after myself?
- Session 8: Listening to your heart and reflection of the MBS
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MBCT
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
Eight week course of 2.5 hour sessions
Our life is what our thoughts make it.
- Marcus Aurelius -
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OVERVIEW OF THE 8-WEEK MBCT COURSE
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The MBCT course consists of a series of workshops covering various mindfulness methods, spread over eight-weeks. The emphasis is on finding practical ways to integrate these mindfulness methods into everyday life. Participants learn how to use their inner resources and abilities to better cope with stress, anxiety, pain, illness, or depression.
Introduction
Our First Appointment is an introduction to MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) and getting to know each other.
What is MBCT actually?
The doing and being mode of the mind.
A life in "automatic mode" as opposed to conscious awareness and freedom of choice What does mindfulness mean?
KEY CONCEPTS OF EACH SESSION
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- Session 1: Beyond "automatic action"​
- Session 2: A different kind of knowledge
- Session 3: Learning to perceive the present - gather the scattered min
- Session 4: To perceive aversion, to deal with negative thought
- Session 5: Allowing things to be what they are
- Session 6: Recognize thoughts as thought
- Session 7: Friendliness in daily activities
- Session 8: Realizing the deep importance of maintaining the practise of mindfulness
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Excellence in Yoga, Fitness & Nutrition
Reset Your Life Course
A 7 week course combining Yoga, Pilates, Mindfulness and Qi'gong
WHAT IS YOGA?
Introduction
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In this 7-week course we combine Yoga, Pilates and Qi'gong poses with meditation and breathing.
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Performing these exercises cleanses the body, leads to good blood circulation, removes toxins and waste products from the body and thus protects against diseases of the ligaments, joints and tendons through regular practice of twisting, bending and stretching.
The basic exercises restore strength and tension to the body.
Exercises that are carried out together with breathing bring back calm and inner balance. They have a positive effect on stress and illness. Among the many ailments that yoga can improve are inflammation of the joints and bones, high and low blood pressure, diabetes, asthma, and anorexia.
Body and mind are in constant interaction. Yoga does not draw a line where the body ends and the mind begins, but addresses both as a unit.
The exertions of daily life stress the body, mind and soul. This leads to anxiety, depression, restlessness and anger. When doing yoga exercises the body is trained, but at the same time the chemical balance in the brain is affected. This improves the mental state of the practitioner. After a series of exercises, the mind becomes calm and passive.
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The exercises activate the glands and vital organs by pumping fresh blood into them and into the brain, resulting in relaxation. Yoga has the ability to calm the nerves. The nerves connect the physiological body with the psychological one. Practicing yoga has a holistic effect on the body and calms the mind.
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THE YOGA LEVELS
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The first goal of yoga is to achieve the calming effect on the psyche in order to be free from stress and confusion.
This simple goal, this sense of order and calm, happens through practicing the exercises and breathing. Yoga exercises integrate the body, mind and soul in 4 stages:
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- The 1st stage is the one in which we train the body very strongly.
- The 2nd stage is reached when the spirit forms a unity with the body
- The 3rd stage is reached when the intellect and the body become one
- The 4th level is that of perfection, the unity with oneself of the soul.
At this stage the exercises become meditative and spiritual. One could also call this stage a "dynamic meditation".
The lack of spirituality and self-reflection in our time of the materialistic lifestyle leads people today to realize that inspiration, peace and happiness cannot come from the materialistic way of life, but from the person himself.
THE EFFECTS OF YOGA
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The effects of yoga are never purely physical.
When done correctly, the exercises form a bridge between the physical and mental spheres.
Yoga helps overcome feelings of pain, fatigue, doubt, confusion and despair.,
The mind of a person who practices yoga regularly refuses to accept such negative emotions. Yoga seeks a way to overcome such turbulent feelings on the way to inner personal freedom.
Regular practice of yoga brings a new perspective on yourself and your personal goals appear in a new light.
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YOGA AND FITNESS
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Normal gymnastics exercises are usually performed quickly and dynamically. It is constant repetitions that often lead to tension and fatigue. Yoga exercises, on the other hand, contain movements that bring stability to the body, the psyche, the intellect, the consciousness. The essence of the asanas is the flowing movement, a process that does not simply end, but finds fulfillment in inner calm.
Through yoga practice, the practitioner learns to see the mind as an object and the body as a subject. Energy is directed from the brain to other parts of the body. The mind and body work together and the energy is balanced between the two. Yoga is therefore a holistic practice. There is no other form of exercise that addresses both at the same time. Other gymnastics exercises focus only on one part of the body.
The asanas do not lead to breathlessness. When yoga is practised, strength and focus play a role.
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WHAT IS QIGONG?
Translated, Qi means working with life energy. The Chinese syllable Qi means life energy. The syllable gong working with life energy. It is essentially about an art of movement to get the energy that circulates in our body moving again. Because the view of Traditional Chinese Medicine for short called TCM is that in every person a form of life energy circulates.
Due to our way of life, this is in most cases not optimal. Disturbances in the flow of energy occur. This can lead to various diseases, various symptoms of a physical or psychological nature. That is not separated in Chinese.
This Qi, this energy circulates in the body on the so-called meridians. You can imagine that like fine energy channels, similar to a nervous system only finer and these meridians run through the body from top to bottom and from bottom to top and as long as this Qi can flow freely, the person is physically and mentally in his center and healthy.
Qi Gong is one of the tools used in traditional Chinese medicine to re-harmonize and regulate this flow of energy.
The other tools that Chinese medicine uses are:
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Acupuncture, in which needles are inserted into the body and these blockages are released.
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Herbal therapy, where various Chinese herbs are used to harmonize the organs,
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Massages such as Tuina or Shiatsu or acupressure, which also take care of releasing blockages that arise in the body, in the muscles, in the organs.
However, these 3 tools acupuncture, massage and herbal therapy are reserved for a doctor or therapist and are difficult to carry out yourself.
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It is completely different with Qigong, you can actively practice it yourself.
4 important Qigong principles:
1. Principle: Movement, in Qigong it not only serves primarily to strengthen and strengthen the muscles, but above all to loosen and harmonize the flow of energy in the meridians and to dissolve any blockages that may be in the body
2. Principle is breathing, the main focus of breathing is trying to bring the energy, which is present everywhere in the universe, into the body through breathing. From the Chinese point of view, breathing is simply there to absorb Qi into the body and this is then distributed over the meridians. The basic breathing in Qigong is that you try to breathe as deeply as possible into your stomach, because there is an important energy center there, the so-called "TanTien" or the "Sea of ​​Energy". We try to activate this area through breathing.
3. The 3rd principle is the posture Qigong exercises are mainly done while standing, because one tries to align the body between earth and sky. You try to put it as straight as possible so that the muscles have to work the least. Because when the body is straightened up, neither forwards nor to the side, the muscles need the least amount of strength to keep the body upright. This is the point of posture, including the fact that the meridians also relax when the muscles are as relaxed as possible.
4. Principle is that of mental concentration, an important principle in Chinese medicine says that the energy is always where your attention is. If you think about where your attention is during the day, namely at work, in traffic, with family, with your friends, in your social environment, then you will notice that it is mostly somewhere outside, just not with yourself , in your body, it should be there, at least in between. So that your body is refueled. To put it simply, Qigong is nothing more than focusing your energy in the body again, bringing your concentration into the body.
A nice side effect of this is that this circle of thoughts, which more or less torments most of us, by concentrating on another area, e.g. the stomach, the thoughts often come to rest more. This can be like a great salvation for many people.
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OVERVIEW OF THE 7-WEEK RESET YOUR LIFE COURSE
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To manage our life in these difficult times we must learn to feel our inner strength again and develop a positive attitude in spite of all we are dealing with in our daily lives.
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We will learn the fundamentals of Hatha yoga, Pilates, Qi'gong, meditation & breathing techniques. We will also discuss and experience the positive effects of these practises on the body's inner organs, ligaments, muscles, brain and soul.
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The course will include discussions about nutrition, healthy eating habits and weight management.
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Beside the practical side, every week we will discuss and learn about special topics which helps us to understand the deeper levels behind all the practical methods and exercises we get introduced to:
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EXAMPLES OF TOPICS OF DISCUSSION:
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- The difference between a stress state and a healing state in the body
- How trauma is held in your physical and emotional body
- The maldadaptive stress response
- Emotional stress why do we get stuck ?
- The Being and Doing- the automatic pilot
- Coming home to the present- gathering the scattered mind
- The 5 myths of meditation and mindfulness
- The 'Stop Process' a powerful tool for breaking habits
- The 5 patterns that most people have. etc.
- The inner critic and its effect on self esteem and what we can do about it.
BENEFITS
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- A body transformation according to your ideal
- Functional and pain-free joints at any age
- Less inflammation and pain
- Significantly improved blood values
- Prevention of diseases such as dementia, diabetes, heart & vascular, cancer
- Increased energy, vitality and well-being at any age
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What to wear / bring:
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Comfortable clothes, loose at the waist that allows for unconstructed breathing and ease of movement during exercises and meditations.
-
Bring along a yoga mat and a light blanket to cover yourself if you get cold quickly.
About your health:
-
Eat lightly before classes, food in the class room should preferably be avoided
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If you have any health issues that may course difficulties, make your own decision as to which of these exercises (especially yoga) to do, taking good care of your body. You can make a mindfulness practice out of any movements you do, by bringing full attention to them.
OUR RESET YOUR LIFE COURSE TIMETABLES WILL BE ADVISED.
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