The Art of Living Well
New year, new self? On the art of transformation
January 08, 2026 (Thursday)
hr. 18:00
Entrance to the event: staircase 10 (opposite the Little Hall Café)
TAURON Arena Krakow
The beginning of a new year is a moment of conventional breakthrough, which brings with it pressure for change and unrealistic expectations of ourselves. Instead of another list of resolutions, it's worth stopping and looking at where the need for change comes from and how to think about it in a gentle and realistic way.
The lecture "New year, new self? On the art of transformation" will be an invitation to take a calm, mature look at (not only) New Year's resolutions. How to distinguish the authentic need for development from imposed expectations? How to implement changes in harmony with yourself? We will talk about this at the Art of Good Living on January 8, and our guest speaker will be Ewa Woydyłło.
(...) personal change is really personal. Everyone changes on his own. He himself must choose what is worth changing, and he himself must carry out this plan. Others can at most point him in the direction and help him a little in this.
✍️ Ewa Woydyłło in her book "In harmony with yourself"
The presenter is a doctor of psychology, addiction therapist, publicist and author of many books full of advice and the belief that our happiness depends on ourselves, including the bestselling "Corners of Life" (Zwierciadło Publishing House). A promoter of movement, she is a lover of tennis on the court and in the stands.
After the lecture, we traditionally invite you to a workshop.
WORKSHOP I: "Me at the Body. A workshop for taming tender touch". Conducted by: Maja Hawranek
This is a workshop on working with the body and taming tender touch. Maja will invite you to enter a state of deep relaxation and look for different dimensions of pleasure in the body.
Each and every one of us - without knowing any special technique - is able to give the other person solace through touch. The presenter will guide you through the experience of receiving and giving tender touch with such intention that you will take away from this practice into your life what speaks to you, and can use the power of touch on a daily basis. During the workshop, our tools will be free intuitive movement, conscious breathing and mindful touch. They will help release accumulated tensions in the body, deeply relax you, open you to play and experience pleasure, and perhaps discover a new perspective of how you view your own body. Perhaps they will help you rediscover the lightness, flexibility and strength contained in your body and become part of a new relationship with your own body.
What will we experience?
- to begin with a short relaxation, which will help calm the vagus nerve and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for putting the body into "rest and digest" mode, regeneration and digestion,
- a moment of meditation in motion, in an intuitive search for pleasure in movement with inspiring muse,
- A session of giving and receiving gentle touch, in harmony with each other and respectful of one's boundaries and the boundaries of the person we will be working with,
- At the end of the circle meeting, which will be an opportunity to integrate experiences.
What do you need to take part in the class? Comfortable, non-restrictive clothing (leggings, sweatpants, soft T-shirt and socks if the floor is chilly), a blanket if you tend to get cold, something to drink and... an open heart! If you feel that your body is crying out for attention, if you feel that you need rest and time for yourself, this workshop is for you.
Maja Hawranek - lomi lomi masseuse, forest bathing guide, author of the reporter project Intoamericas, the podcast "To the Ear" (Audioteka) and the books "Schools you want to go to", "Grow your freedom" and "We only dance in All Souls anymore".
WORKSHOP II: "Do I really need to change?". Conducting: Sylwia Talach-Kubas
January often brings with it pressure: new resolutions, new goals, a new self. But what if, instead of another list of tasks and changes, you need... detention? This workshop is an invitation to people who feel overwhelmed by New Year's expectations and want to plan their development in a way that is gentle, meaningful and in tune with themselves.
During the meeting:
- you will stop and check what really serves you and what is just someone else's "should/should",
- You will experience a short relaxation and visualization that will help you look deeper into your needs and desires,
- you will learn a concrete, practical tool for action planning based on your own values,
- you will create a more realistic and supportive vision of your development - without pressure, but with mindfulness.
This will not be a workshop about fixing yourself. Rather, it will be about listening, organizing and choosing the direction that is yours. If you're wondering if you want to take a step in a new direction in 2026, this meeting will help you discover how to be closer to yourself in doing so.
Sylwia Talach-Kubas - coordinator of educational projects, personal development trainer, forest bathing guide. On a daily basis she works at the Center for Good Life, where she supports adults in their search for well-being, conducts development workshops for women and well-being programs for senior citizens. She is an environmental educator at the Jurasto Association and a facilitator at the Polish branch of the Forest Therapy Hub.
She practices yoga, mindfulness and various activities in nature. What she loves most is immersion in the forest.
WORKSHOP III: "Hands that remember the warmth of clay". Led by Theodora Woyciechowska-Wawrzyk
The ceramic workshop with Dora is an invitation to creatively stop and be mindful of the "here and now." During the meeting, you will mold a chosen form of kagome, in which you will place a candle with your own intention for the new year. Working with clay has a deeply regulating effect - the contact of your hands with the natural material helps to relieve tensions in the body, calms the nervous system and puts thoughts in order. It brings us closer to nature, allows us to get away from everyday life and helps to log off your mind for a while from the world that overloads us. Repetitive movements, focus on texture and form promote relaxation of the head, reduce stress and return to inner balance. It's a workshop where creativity meets relaxation - no judging, no rushing, with space for intention, peace and the pleasure of creation.
Teodora Woyciechowska-Wawrzyk - artist, graduate of the Faculty of Painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow. She has participated in plein-air art workshops as a participant and leader at home and abroad. For years she has been leading ceramic and handicraft workshops for children and adults. Author of two solo exhibitions and participant in several group exhibitions. Currently, she is mainly engaged in painting on ceramics.
Each edition of The Art of Living Well consists of a free panel and ticketed workshops (cost of participation is PLN 20).
Free entrance fees and tickets for workshops - click HERE
Entrance to the event: staircase 10 (opposite the Little Hall Café)
For those who cannot be with us that day at TAURON Arena Krakow, we invite you to watch the LIVE TRANSMISSION!
The series is organized by the Arena Krakow Foundation, with the support of funds from the KPO.
Partner of the meeting is the Oshee brand.
Meeting partners:
The Art of the Good Life is a year-long series of meetings at TAURON Arena Krakow, led by experts in their respective fields, dedicated to emotions, mental health and well-being care. Each installment of the series consists of an open lecture-panel part (participation is free, you just need to download a pass) and ticketed workshops.
