Yume Japanese Gardens of Tucson reopens for the fall/winter season on October 1, and its Stroll for Well-Being Program resumes at mid-month. Strolling the gardens is a measure to pull out of dire spiritual and mental circumstances that has the added benefit of enhancing a youthful and creative outlook on life.

Participants in the Stroll for Well-Being Program walk through Yume Gardens with journals prepared by healthcare professionals containing questions to encourage them to pause and reflect at a dozen designated spots along garden walkways, where the setting serves as an allegory of a crucial life situation, such as making a difficult transition, proceeding without knowing exactly where one will end up, or drawing upon inner resources for strength.

Open to everyone and repeated throughout the year, the 12-week program at Yume Gardens offers an initial group welcome from a professionally trained facilitator. Participants receive a journal/guide book at this session, and may opt for an iPhone app as well. Four weeks later, participants and facilitator meet again to go over questions and to listen to each other’s experiences. At the end of the program, participants meet to share how the stroll has affected their life.

Veterans suffering from PTSD, cancer survivors and widows and widowers are just some of those who have benefited since the Stroll for Well-Being Program was instituted at Yume Gardens in 2015. They report discovering a new purpose in life after losing a family member, learning how to focus their minds to better observe and better create, and learning to put the past behind them and move confidently into the future.

Location: 2130 N. Alvernon Way, Tucson. For more details on the program and to sign up, call 520-272-3200 or visit YumeGardens.org.