FREE Wellness Retreat for Racialized First Responders

About This Event

Every day, you show up for others — often under intense pressure, with little room to pause, breathe, or tend to your own well-being.

This free one-day retreat was created to give racialized first responders a supportive space to rest, release, and reconnect.

Hosted by two facilitators who share lived experience in both frontline service and holistic health, this day blends movement, breath, sound, creativity, and community connection. Whether you are new to these practices or already love them, you are welcome here.

This is a free event made possible through community partnership with Durham Region Association of Black Professional Entrepreneurs (DRABPE) and the Government of Canada 🇨🇦

Lunch will not be provided. Light snacks and refreshments will be offered throughout the day.

What You’ll Experience

Across the day, you’ll move through grounded, accessible wellness practices designed to support emotional release, nervous system regulation, and deep restoration:

• Yoga for Stress Reduction

A gentle, grounding sequence to soften the body and reset the breath.

• Therapeutic Drumming & Singing Affirmations

Uplifting rhythms and vocal expression to reconnect you with your power.

• Breathwork for Nervous System Regulation

A guided journey into deeper calm, emotional release, and clarity.

• Songwriting for Wellness

A creative process that helps translate feeling into expression — especially when words are hard to find.

• Humming, Toning & Sound Bowls

Vibrational practices that soothe the mind, open the breath, and activate the vagus nerve and inner stillness.

• Community Circles

Grounded, culturally safe spaces to share reflections, feel supported, and connect with others who understand the realities of frontline work.

Light snacks will be available, with 15-minute breaks between all segments to give space for rest and integration.

Who This Event Is For

This retreat is open to all racialized first responders, including:

• Nurses

• Doctors

• Paramedics

• Firefighters

• Police officers

• Corrections and probation officers

• 911 dispatchers

• EMS personnel

• Frontline healthcare workers

If your role requires you to care for others, protect others, or respond in moments of crisis — this day is for you.

The Facilitators:

🌿 Roxanne Christian, MT-BC, MTA

Registered Music Therapist | Founder of Live Love Life Music

www.LiveLoveLifeMusic.com

Roxanne brings nearly two decades of experience supporting mental health through music therapy, breath, sound, and creative expression. Her work centers presence, gratitude, nervous system regulation, and accessibility for communities that have historically lacked access to holistic wellness practices.

🌿 Julie Thompson

Police Officer (20+ years) | Breathwork & Yoga Facilitator

http://Ubuntubreathwork.com

Julie blends frontline expertise with trained holistic modalities to help first responders decompress, regulate, and reconnect. She is a Critical Incident Stress Management Coordinator with a deep understanding of what frontline workers carry — professionally, culturally, and emotionally.

Together, they hold a safe, culturally grounded space for healing, learning, and restoration.

Order of the Day

• Registration Sign-In + Waivers

• Pre-Test Wellness Check-In

• Welcome, Overview & Opening Community Circle

• Break

• Yoga

• Break

• Drumming & Singing Affirmations

• Break

• Breathwork

• Break

• Songwriting for Wellness

• Break

• Humming, Toning & Sound Bowls

• Closing Community Circle, Takeaways & Gratitude

• Post-Test Wellness Check-In

What to Bring

• Comfortable movement clothes

• Water bottle

• Journal (optional — some will be provided)

• A blanket or yoga mat if you prefer your own

• An open mind and a willingness to receive

• Folding chair (if possible)

Accessibility

• The venue has free parking and accessible entrances.

• Yoga and breathwork will be gentle and beginner-friendly.

• All movement and sound-based activities are adaptable for varying abilities.

If you have any accessibility needs, feel free to reach out before the event.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Dave Larocque & Roxanne Christian At Carp Ridge