wonder connection passion breath plants nutrition art nature
We're back! Live...and in person!
Moon and Thunder After School will run throughout the school year 2022/23, serving middle-grade students 5th and 6th graders. The program is designed to offer kids a time to connect, share, learn, and experience ways to build an inner tool kit to help navigate daily stresses by listening to the body, breath-work, and practicing Yoga Calm Principles!
The program offers a safe space to experience life through wonder, observation, curiosity, nature, imagination, art, music, movement and more!
Providing opportunities for people to take part in imaginative programs to help them express emotions and navigate the stresses, while discovering their dreams and passions.
Words from Moon and Thunder Girls!
Moon and Thunder was a great experience for me. I was able to connect with girls my age and learn about becoming an older teen girl. Through hikes in the Wissahickon and mindfulness sessions, I was able to create more connections with nature and learn valuable lessons from others to grow into the young woman I am today. ~ Audrey
I think Moon and Thunder was a great experience that helped me grow my relationship with myself and nature. It was fun to meet other girls my age and do a lot of unique activities. ~ Nora
Moon and Thunder Creative Wellness promotes heart-based practices for young people to learn more about themselves by discovering how the body, mind, and spirit work in unison. Valuing each person’s unique nature, Moon and Thunder encourages fine-tuning the senses to achieve an inner balance. Programs highlight topics that focus on: one's relationship to nature, encouraging curiosity, the value of using all of the senses, understanding how breath can be used for calming, exercising compassion, discovering grace, exploring the health benefits of plants and foods, and using methods for maintaining physical and emotional balance in a challenging world.
"Feelings come and go like clouds in a windy sky. Conscious breathing is my anchor." - Thich Nhat Hanh
Breathing is by far our greatest asset. Involuntary breathing keeps us alive and conscious breathing heals us.
Learning the "power of breath" was the catalyst to initiating Moon and Thunder. There is so much more to the program, but it begins with the breath.
Practicing specific yoga postures along with breathing techniques can be done almost anywhere. They are the key to helping lessen anxiety and fears.
Listening to the body is key to self-care. Eat when you're hungry. Sleep when you're tired. Stretch when needed. Quiet the mind when you feel anxious.
Learning to hear and respond to what the body is communicating is empowering. It can make the difference between losing your temper or taking positive action. Discovering the benefits of eating whole foods and using plants and herbs for optimum health can offer relief.
Learning how the breath can be used for relaxation, moving the body for blood flow, and getting enough sleep and rest are building blocks for vitality.
Emotions, feelings, and moods are powerful forces. The ability to recognize the mood and express what is needed is helpful.
Knowing what tools to use when emotions takeover helps to establish clear, personal boundaries and will help those near to recognize what is necessary at the moment.
Exploring the influences of hormones and learning about individual temperaments are beneficial in figuring out what is happening in the brain and how it relates to the body and spirit.
The brain has the challenge of processing un-true thoughts. It's possible to learn to re-focus the brain. Creative visualization techniques are also helpful.
Staying connected to nature is crucial. Yet it's normal to naturally stray away from the natural world during the tween and teen years. But the push to take the hike brings one into the present moment and allows for gaining more understanding of the world around you.
Considering creative ways to stay playful and keep wonder alive helps support the body, mind, and spirit through movement and curiosity.
The goal of staying connected to nature is staying connected to oneself - the basis for wellness and a reminder to reawaken our connection to Mother Earth.
Mothers and Daughters, Moon and Stars
A surprise box is delivered straight to the doorstep, inviting mothers and daughters to connect, pause, breathe, listen, and experience with one another. Thoughtfully curated and mailed seasonally, the specially designed kit holds heart-based knowledge and wellness goodies. Winter, spring, summer, and fall, a package arrives with activities to encourage discovering more about one another, an important practice during the middle-grade years to help strengthen connection during the teen years.
The element of surprise is integrated in every treasure-like box with engaging guided lessons —providing holistic, intellectual nourishment!
Designed for guardians and growing tweens, 8-12-years-old $68 per box,
(4 special deliveries - September, December,.March, June: Subscription $250
Stardust for Teens
A Witchy Wonder package arrives seasonally and inspires self-care, balance, curiosity, creativity and more! As the seasons shift, so does the rhythm of daily routines which affect movement and moods. Developing an awareness of the innate power to care for the temple (the body!) helps to nourish emotional wellness. The specially designed teen surprise kit surrounds seasonal themes crafted with a touch of magic. Every unique box holds: supplies for a purposeful craft, a task or concoction, Witchy Wisdom, gifts from Mother Earth guiding the time of year, Goddess gratitude cards, poetry, and always a surprise.
Designed for people 12-15 years-old. $68 per box, Yearly Subscription $250
(4 special deliveries - September, December, March, June).
The Element of Surprise
It’s not often we get to experience the delight of surprise!
We generally know what we’re getting and when it will be on our doorstep. Whether you’re a surprise seeker or not, our subscription boxes are designed to surprise you and keep a sense of wonder alive. But, the question is: how will you know what to expect?
Moon and Thunder employs an ‘element of surprise.’ It asks you to take a chance and we make it worth your while. Along with the special creative goodies included in Moon and Thunder subscription boxes, SURPRISE is part of the delivery. To fully embrace surprise, we ask you to trust in us and stay curious. We will notify you when the box ships so you can keep an eye out for it. And when you’re holding it in your hands, the rest is up to you!
Ugh! The PANDEMIC!
Covid-19...Delta...Omicron, BA.2!
The pandemic of 2020 dramatically shifted everything and along with the changes “new ways” on how to work is being established. Learning about oneself helps to strengthen the spirit to forge on during extreme times. With heart-centered, open approaches, our program aims to zero in on the beauty that surrounds us even during the darkest times and encourages expanding one's capacity to restore and heal. "But how," you may be asking?
Much has shifted since the pandemic. Young people have had to learn to ride the wave of change. They are resilient. Yet, acknowledging how our environments and social lives are continuing to adjust, Moon and Thunder Creative Wellness is creating programs for people to express emotions and navigate the stresses as they focus on their passions and dreams. Learning positive approaches to staying in the moment helps to move towards the future with more confidence.
We've had to isolate, distance from one another, and cover the part of us that communicates. Mending and repairing ways to hold our own, diminish fear, and express angst, joy, and love, helps us pave a way to finding our true path.
- Kim Soles
Drawing by Leela Malik
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Dear Younger Me,
I miss you. Can we hang out and play? Let me know.
Love Always,
Me
Moon and Thunder Creative Wellness, developed by Kim Soles, owner and director of Indigo Nature Arts, offers programs for people to connect, inspire, grow and share in strengthening self-care practices. Originally established for girls, Moon and Thunder is now open to all. No matter how one identifies, the programming offers ways to incorporate balance - in body, mind and spirit.
Dedicating her time, resources and wisdom, Kim encourages people of all ages to find comfort in their authenticity and embrace their imagination while navigating life's challenges and victories. She inspires them to recognize the beauty and wonder that surrounds us.
The classes and workshops are designed to creatively present the integration of body, mind, heart, and spirit, and offer a time to pause, breathe, reflect, discover and rediscover passion, purpose and integrity.
Autumn through spring programs offer opportunities for teens, adolescents, younger children, adults and families. One of Kim's goals is to help others balance technology, along with the current pandemic, while aiming to maintain a connection to nature.
