Mental As Anything

Overview

When the Paramount Recreation Club fitness rooftop opened back in April, we were promised a new haven for physical, social and mental health. It has certainly delivered on the physical and social sides, and now, with the launch of the Mental As Anything festival, it has made good on that mental health promise, too.

The week-long festival kicks off spring with a series of workshops, talks, guided meditations and classes, all hosted on the venue's lush rooftop terrace. To do it right, the Paramount team has partnered with some of Australia's leading meditation centres including The School of Life and A–SPACE, along with sound therapist Phoebe Joel and mindfulness expert Tom Cronin.

Workshop topics include understanding anxiety and stress, mindfulness in relationships and the pursuit of happiness. The talks are especially important considering one-in-three Australians currently suffer from mental illness, and depression is slated to be the number one disease in the western world by 2020.

Other highlights include an usual laughter meditation session with comedian Nick Coyle, a special edition of Dance Memory with Groove Therapy and a Sonic Yin workshop — which combines yin yoga with Tibetan singing bowls. Plus, a Golden Age Cinema screening of the mind-bending cult classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Ticket prices vary, but the opening evening includes a free-with-registration mass meditation session. To check out the full program, head over here.