ABOUT THE WORKSHOP:

Follow the Wheel of the Year with seasonal forest bathing sessions in Rock Creek Park. Shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, is a Japanese wellness practice that helps individuals access the healing properties of nature. These can be especially powerful during the times of transition offered by the changing seasons. Each walk will follow a different route, but all will allow us to experience this familiar landscape at
different times of the year. You will be invited to slow down, to be curious, and to touch, smell, hear, and see nature more fully. The walks will not be strenuous but requires the ability to walk a mile or so on uneven surfaces.

ABOUT SUSAN:

Susan is long-time member of the Willow Street Yoga Community and a Kripalu certified Outdoor Mindfulness Guide. She provides customized outdoor mindfulness excursions in the Washington DC region and beyond. She is also a passionate advocate and non-profit consultant who is committed to leveraging natural and historic places to connect citizens, promote social justice, and foster health and well-being. Learn more at susanwestmontgomery.com

COST: $40 per individual session || $200 for all 4

WHEN:

Spring Equinox, Saturday, March 22, 3:00-4:30 pm
Summer Solstice (RESCHEDULED) Saturday, August 23rd, 4:00-5:30 pm
Fall Equinox, Saturday, September 20, 3:00-4:30 pm
Winter Solstice, Saturday, December 20, 3:00-4:30 pm

WHERE:

Each location will be at a different location. Location and parking details will be sent out via email one week prior. Locations will most likely be varying meeting points within Rock Creek Park.

Making use of a chair in our yoga practice can help us to access familiar poses in new ways, manage injuries, and simply release with greater support into a steady, comfortable practice. Chair-Enhanced Yoga Flow ensures all the beneficial elements of yoga - strengthening, flexibility, balance, relaxation - using a variety of pose adaptations both on and off the chair.*

As a result, you will learn how to use the chair to best advantage for your body and your practice goals. Everything you learn can be easily applied to your home practice as well!

Interested in learning more?
Please join Alene for this 4-class series as we learn to use the chair as an effective prop to increase the accessibility and variety of a gentle asana sequence. This is a practice for every BODY!
* Please note this is not a fully-seated practice.

About Alene:

Alene began studying Iyengar yoga 24 years ago as a way to address work-related stress. After years of practicing various yoga styles, she was excited to complete her 200-hr teacher training in 2024 in alignment-based Hatha. Alene has since received certification in accessible/chair yoga through Jivana Heyman’s Accessible Yoga School and certification in Yoga for Seniors with yoga therapists Kimberly Carson and Carol Krucoff, based on the program they developed at Duke University’s School of Integrative Medicine.

With a focus on mixed-level, integrative practice, Alene strives to make yoga enjoyable and accessible for all, using props to support all bodies and all ages. When she is not on her yoga mat, she enjoys mat and reformer Pilates, strength training, long walks, backyard birdwatching, mystery novels, and learning about Ayurvedic cooking.

DATES: Sundays 9/21 & 9/28 || TIME: 10am-11am || COST: $40 for both; $30 for individual sessions

Join us for a heart-opening ceremony that blends the sacred medicine of cacao with a restorative sound journey, guided by the energy of Keme in the Mayan Cholq’ij calendar- a day of ancestral connection, release, and spiritual renewal.

We’ll begin with a ceremonial cup of cacao to soften into presence, followed by intention setting and gentle movement. We will flow into an immersive sound bath using crystal alchemy bowls and other instruments, supporting deep rest and emotional release.

Keme reminds us that healing ripples across time. Together, we honor what we carry, what we’re ready to release, and the wisdom waiting to be remembered.

All are welcome.

DATE: Saturday, July 12th || TIME: 3pm - 4:30pm || COST: $40

Resilience -- Returning to the wisdom of your body/mind to deal with life’s challenges – strengthening our ability to bounce back from adversity.

Yoga Nidra, a guided meditative practice, can help you find a source of internal stability, clarity, and self-empowerment. It can ease tension and fatigue, calm the nervous system, and restore energy.

In this workshop you’ll:

• Learn centering and relaxation techniques
• Practice gentle asana stretches for joints and muscles
• Explore yoga breathing techniques
• Be guided through a complete Yoga Nidra practice

Yoga Nidra is practiced in a comfortable lying or seated position. No prior experience is needed — everyone is welcome. All registrants will receive recordings of these practices.

Sundays 9/28, 10/26, 11/16, and 12/21 | 5:00 - 6:00 pm | online | $20 per class or $70 for entire series