Students, it's time to take a moment for yourself and de-stress!

More than 120 Temple students from the Main and Ambler campuses are anticipated to be taking part in the 3rd Annual Wellness Day at Temple Ambler taking a deep breath and de-stressing. View the event gallery from the 2nd Annual Wellness Day on the Ambler Campus Facebook page!

Whether it's painting, coloring or taking part in yoga in the Formal Gardens, taking a tour with Ambler Arboretum Director Kathy Salisbury, or taking a nutrition and cooking class, there will be a something for everyone!

Temple University's 3rd Annual Wellness Day on Friday, October 11, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. will provide students at Temple a chance to stop and take a breath during a busy fall semester. Register online here. Intercampus bus transportation from Main Campus and a shuttle from the Ambler Train Station will be provided! 

"The Ambler Campus is a 187-acre Arboretum that serves as an outdoor classroom and much more. With its collection of gardens, woodlands, and meadows, it is the perfect setting for meditation, stress reduction and enjoying the outdoors," said Krista DeLone, Assistant Director for Student and Campus Life at Temple Ambler. "This year, we are focusing on the eight dimensions of wellness — physical, spiritual, emotional, social, financial, environmental, intellectual and occupational."

According to DeLone, students will be able to make their own candles by choosing essential oil scent mixtures and pouring wax.

"Aromatherapy, the practice of using natural scents to promote physical and emotional well-being, is at the heart of this experience. Students will leave with their custom candle, perfect for creating a peaceful atmosphere, reducing stress," he said. "Returning for another year, Professor Peg Schofield from the Tyler School of Art and Architecture Horticultural Therapy program will be leading mindfulness sessions in the Healing Garden labyrinth."

Interest in planting succulents? Head to the Conifer Garden. Feeling reflective? There are countless opportunities to get introspective — picking up a journal and prompt from the journaling station, sharing what you are grateful for on the gratitude tree, or grabbing a contemplative card and exploring the campus.

Want to get your game on? The new Ambler Campus Esports and Gaming Center will be also be open for any students looking to hangout indoors and relax while gaming with friends.  Interested in Team Building? The Low Ropes Challenge Course awaits! How a little snooze? Hammocks straight ahead. Feeling stressed? There is nothing better than releasing all of your stress spending time with a therapy dog!

"Students last year absolutely loved exploring the (Tyler School of Art and Architecture) Greenhouse Education and Research Complex," said DeLone. "This year, we've added additional Greenhouse tour sessions, led by Greenhouse Manager Benjamin Synder."

The plants in the Greenhouse Education and Research Complex, a key component in the Temple Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Landscape Architecture and Horticulture programs, are being diligently cared for at Temple Ambler.

"The fundamental goal is to keep the teaching and research collection alive and thriving for our students, faculty and researchers. Our collection includes many plants that were collected in the wild, as well as rare items that you're not going to easily find and replace," said  Snyder. "The Greenhouse, essentially, follows the same guidelines as an animal care facility. We have some wonderful species, such as several corpse flowers, flowering cacti and lots of orchids, including the coconut pie orchid, which remarkably smells exactly like you think it would."

Snyder, a graduate of the Tyler School of Art and Architecture's Horticulture program, has a particular passion for the oddballs like the corpse flowers (Amorphophallus titanium). The Greenhouse and the Ambler Arboretum don't disappoint when it comes to the fascinating and the strange. The Greenhouse provides a perfect home for an eclectic group of carnivorous plants, spiny cacti of every shape and size, and species that are a great deal more bizarre. Learn more here.

All Temple Wellness Day programs are designed for a stress-free outdoor day of relaxation held in association with the Wellness Resource Center. Not able to make it to Ambler Campus for Wellness Day? The Wellness Resource Center is offering online, accessible content to support rest and well-being for all Temple students! Visit link.tree/BeWellTu. The online programs may be accessed with a Temple email address.