Shawntà Hooks is a mindfulness practitioner and wellness curator devoted to serving to people reconnect with themselves by way of intentional relaxation and reflection. With a ardour for creating therapeutic areas, she based The Zen Zone—a multisensory, nature-based mindfulness expertise designed to assist members unplug, recharge and refocus. Her work facilities on the ability of stillness and neighborhood.
What impressed the creation of The Zen Zone, and the way did the idea of a multisensory, nature-based mindfulness expertise come to life?
The Zen Zone was born from a second of stillness with my 8-year-old son, Amir. We have been on the Dunwoody Nature Heart for a junior beekeeping class—one thing easy, one thing candy, one thing he insisted on. However as we walked by way of the woods, one thing shifted. I watched Amir gentle up with curiosity, fully tuned in. And I spotted: That is it. That is what so many adults are lacking.
At occasions, we’re dashing, reacting, performing—high-functioning, however low-feeling. I work with leaders navigating burnout, large transitions and emotional fatigue. And time and again, I hear the identical story: I don’t know the way to cease. Or: I really feel responsible for stopping. … That day within the woods made it clear—we want sacred areas to recollect how, why and what it feels wish to honor our wants.
The Zen Zone is that house. A spot to reset your nervous system, join with nature and honor the pause. It’s a name to Begin Stopping—as a result of therapeutic isn’t a luxurious. It’s a management observe.
The theme for this occasion is “Begin Stopping.” Are you able to unpack what that phrase means and the way it units the tone for the expertise?
Begin Stopping is each a mindset and a motion. It’s not nearly pausing—it’s about selecting presence over strain. It’s a framework for what we start to begin after we lastly give ourselves permission to cease.
How does being immersed in nature improve the mindfulness journey you’re curating for attendees?
If you’re surrounded by timber, daylight and the sound of water, your physique remembers what security seems like. And there’s actual science behind that. Research present that simply 20 minutes in nature can decrease cortisol ranges—the hormone linked to emphasize. … It’s not only a vibe; it’s a physiological reset.
What can friends anticipate through the grounding observe you’re main, and why is intention-setting an vital a part of this course of?
Image it: You arrive at a treehouse-style pavilion tucked inside a lush forest. In your seat is a customized Zen Pack—your private invitation to melt. Inside, there’s a yoga mat, meditation pillow, eye masks and blanket. As a result of stillness isn’t all the time simple. For a few of us, it’s uncomfortable—even scary. That’s why this house is constructed with intention: to create psychological security, ease and luxury from the second you arrive.
We’ll open with a grounding observe utilizing breath, mild motion and music—easy instruments to assist us land in our our bodies and shake off the psychological noise. Then I’ll information everybody by way of a second of intention-setting. … As a result of how you start units the tone for every part else.
How do breathwork, visualization and sound therapeutic work collectively to help emotional and bodily launch through the expertise?
We’re not simply sitting and respiration—we’re reclaiming elements of ourselves. Breathwork will get you out of your racing thoughts and into your physique. Visualization offers your coronary heart one thing to hope for. And sound therapeutic? That’s the half that sneaks previous all of the psychological noise and reminds your spirit the way to soften.
Collectively, they work like a reset button. Like opening the home windows in a stuffy room and letting the recent air in. You don’t need to drive it. Your physique is aware of what to do once you lastly give it permission to relaxation.