Fountain CourtVentnor Botanic Garden
The Wellbeing Experience: don’t just work in the Garden, sit in it…
A Garden visitor wrote to us with an extraordinary confession, “I came to the Garden after my wife’s passing questioning my own existence - ambling around this open and peaceful garden restored my will to live and enjoy.”
The quality of light, the sea air, the extra radiance of the sun, the cocoon of smells and textures created by the unique subtropical plant collection, and the sheltered setting all combine to positive effect.
In the words of Sue Bolton who teaches Yoga Nidra at VBG, “There is a history of healing at VBG, you can feel it." To extend the wellbeing benefits of the Garden which stretches back to the Hospital days, we began offering classes from yoga to pilates and Qigong.
One could argue that stress and anxiety are the incurables of today; whereas, tuberculosis was the incurable of the Victorian era and some 38,000 people, mostly in their twenties, came through the Hospital; nearly all of them returned home clear of TB with fond memories of their time by the sea at Ventnor.
We see developing The Wellbeing Experience at VBG, a three-legged stool, which combines healing foods, therapies, and the tranquillity of the Garden as an important part of our mission to bring the benefits of the Garden to a wider community.
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