Women's Wellness Programme (10 weeks) - To view/print brochure click here.

Freedom from Dieting Programme (4 weeks) - View/print brochure click here.

See which programme is for you:

The Women's Wellness programme is for you if any of the following apply to you:

• I want to learn effective tools to help me enjoy greater wellbeing
• Having knowledge about healthy lifestyles hasn't been enough to help me make positive changes and sustain them
• I have an illness or symptoms that are made worse by stress
• I'd like to improve my stress-coping ability or sense of control
• I'd like to enjoy improved sleep, fewer headaches and less pain, & more energy
• I want to reduce anxiety, stress or depression
• I'd like to optimise my health based on the latest research in mind-body medicine
• I'd like to struggle less & enjoy life more
• I'd like to feel more relaxed & accepting of myself

The Freedom from Dieting programme is for you if any of the following apply to you:

• I'm fed up with the guilt & deprivation of dieting
• I'm fed up with being preoccupied with food
• there has to be more to life than dieting, losing weight & regaining it
• I've tried so many diets, & am now ready for a different approach
• I'm ready to learn new skills to enable me to eat in response to my body signals of hunger & fullness, rather than in response to 'diet rules', stress or emotions
• I'd like to recover an enjoyment in eating
• I'd like to improve my stress-coping ability
• I'd like to struggle less and enjoy life more

Both programmes are based on research in 'mind-body medicine' and behaviour change. They teach you skills to produce the 'relaxation response' (the opposite of the body's 'stress response'), and enable you to develop healthier lifestyle patterns and coping skills. They also enable you to learn more effective ways of handling negative thoughts and painful emotions.

The 'relaxation response' tools reduce your heart rate, rate of breathing and blood pressure, shift your brainwaves to slower patterns associated with deep rest, and improve immune function.

Elements of the 10-Week Women's Wellness Programme:

• 'Relaxation response' tools - a wide variety of skills are included
• 'Mindfulness-based stress reduction'
• Skills to handle negative thoughts & painful emotions more effectively
• Coping techniques
• Self-nurturance
• Peer support
• Healthy eating
• Physical activity
• Yoga
• Creativity
• Communication
• Humour

Elements of the Freedom from Dieting Programme:

• Learn 'intuitive eating' skills (eating in response to body signals, rather than in response to emotions or situations
• Skills to reduce emotional eating & stress-driven eating
• Skills to free yourself from the destructive diet cycle & instead enjoy eating
• Tools to melt away the guilt & deprivation linked with dieting
• Tools to enhance physical health & psychological wellbeing

Free talks :

Free talks are held prior to the start of each programme. This provides: an opportunity to better understand the programme and what's involved, to meet the facilitator, and ask any questions you may have.

To Register : click here, or contact us for more information

It is important to attend one of the free talks prior to commencing the programme.

Programme Sessions (4- & 10-week programmes):

First programme session is 2.5-hours, remainder are 2-hour sessions.
Maximum of 14-member groups.

Materials: include a programme guide-book and CD's.

To take part, you will need to have use of a personal CD player or ipod so that you can listen uninterruped on a daily basis to the CDs provided.

What happens when I complete the programme? Ongoing Wellness sessions...

After completing a programme, you may choose to join occasional group sessions which help you to stay on track with your new skills, and also deepen and further the skills that you've developed. Each session has a theme which reinforces the principles and skills from the programme, and there is opportunity for sharing experiences, questions and discussion (times: to be advised). Cost = $25 / session (1.5 hours).

Individual Sessions:

If you are unable to attend the currently scheduled group programmes, or prefer the option of individual sessions, please let us know by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Location of Group Programmes and Free Talks :

1st floor Seminar Room (please note: stairs only)
Heart Foundation
97 Frederick St, Dunedin

For more information on group programmes:
View and print our brochure here.