About Center Yoga & Healing Arts

Yoga Nidra:

Set the tone for your Breathing Space weekend. Friday night's Opening Circle will conclude with a session of Yoga Nidra.  Yoga Nidra is a systematic guided meditation wherein you’ll be encouraged to set an intention while in a deeply meditative state. Examples and guidance with intention setting will be provided.  No experience is necessary. You'll be either lying down in a "nest" you create with blankets and pillows. For more  detailed information on Nidra,  find the healing arts section on this Center Yoga website.

Yin Yoga

A class suitable for all. All poses will be either seated or lying down and held for approximately five minutes. Detailed description can be found under classes in the main menu at the top of this page.

Restorative Yoga

Is exactly as it suggests. All poses are propped for comfort and held for approx. 10 minutes allowing your body/mind to rest and restore. Marcy will be offering a sound bath during this class on Sunday night. This will leave you feeling wonderful, balanced, and well, restored.

Chakra Shining & Heart Energy Qigong

Culminate your weekend's energy with a yoga sequence designed to acknowledge and polish each of your chakras for optimum flow, followed by qigong from the Shaolin tradition for building heart energy resilience as we go forth into the world. Beginners encouraged! Whether totally new to Yoga or a seasoned practitioner, you’ll find this gentle slow flow approach a welcome addition to your “Breathing Space” experience. Simple poses and breathwork will leave you feeling balanced, relaxed, and rejuvenated. Props and instruction on their use will be provided.

  Junk Journals

A handmade book of (clean) recycled and found materials and ephemera that might have otherwise ended up in the trash. With a few prompts, traditional and non traditional tools and supplies, we’ll explore creating small journals.

The pages can be used to write, draw, paint or record memories, thoughts, ideas and inspiration. A junk journal can become anything you want. By choosing materials for pages then adding marks, colors, words, photos, bits of nature, thoughts and ideas, your junk journal becomes a unique one of a kind keepsake.

Repetitive or creative motion like knitting, writing or even coloring can activate “flow”. Creative flow, reached during the act of making, is the place we arrive when we’re completely absorbed in what we’re doing, often even losing track of time. It has a calming affect on our brain and body, focusing the mind much like meditation. It can elevate mood, lessen anxiety and even lower the heart rate. Anything that engages the body and brain in repetitive motion can have a grounding and calming effect. Being creative doesn’t always refer to hand crafts and artistic endeavors. Gardening, cooking, photography and home decorating are a few examples. Creative engagement can lessen depression, isolation, anxiety and stress and even improve mental health.

We are born creative beings. As young children we play endlessly freely using our imaginations. As we grow older, somewhere along the way, we often lose sight of the importance and benefits of play as it’s replaced with the responsibilities of adulthood. As a group we’ll take deep breaths, gently shake off any fear or expectations and allow ourselves the freedom of unconditional play!  

Sound healing, which is also known as sound therapy, has been practiced since ancient times. The concept of sound therapy is based on the idea that every part of our bodies creates a vibration which resonates in a certain way. Put another way, vibrational healing is based on the idea that everything in the universe - including our bodies - is in a state of vibration.

When our body is out of balance, disease, injury, depression, anxiety, etc. can result. That is, these things are caused by blockages within our energy centers which stop the organ(s) from vibrating at a healthy frequency. Sound healing works by sending sound waves throughout our body, and helps restore our body’s balance, in turn helping us heal.

One type of bowl commonly used in sound therapy is known as the crystal singing bowl. Each bowl varies in frequency to reflect the vibrational frequency of each energy center, chakra, and is believed to have a significant beneficial effect on the healing of our mind and body, especially when combined with positive affirmations in the form of mantras

and chants. During sound therapy, participants may sit or lie down in a comfortable position with eyes gently closed, simply listening and receiving the vibrational sounds for ultimate relaxation, healing and balance.

Wild Thing, Embracing the power of Nature.

When we salute the sun, we engage in a moving meditation where we visualize it filling us with its energizing light. Yoga is a way to connect to the natural state of being we felt as children when we were completely at home in our natural landscapes. Our yoga practice asks us to be present in our bodies, so that we are able to let go of the feelings of separation and are able to embody the oneness of our true beings. The truth of our beings is that we belong in Nature and Nature belongs in us. The more at peace we feel with this reality, the more accepting of our own cycles and seasons, and hence, the more harmonious we feel.

From 10:30-11:00, we will begin our practice with Forest Bathing. Depending on the weather, we will be outside (preferably barefoot, but comfortable shoes would also be fine). Please make sure to bring warm

layers that are appropriate for an Autumn walk. I will be leading us in a moving meditation and weed walk

in which we will be learning about the healing benefits of forest bathing and tree teas as we interact withour natural landscape.

From 11:00-12:15, we will transfer back to the yoga studio where we will engage in a gentle Vinyasa Flow to embrace the cycles of Nature inside and outside of us. Moving from our roots up, our practice will

culminate in Wild Thing, a yoga asana that invites us to embrace the natural child within us that fearlessly

thrives in Nature. 

Wendy Weiger will share the joys and challenges of solo wilderness travel as a middle-aged woman. Wendy lived the first forty-two years of her life in and around major cities. But during difficult periods of her life she found her greatest solace in nature. Twenty years ago, she moved to the Moosehead Lake region, determined to learn the skills that would enable her to explore wild woods and waters on her own. Since then, she's trekked hundreds of miles up mountains and down rivers, traveling under her own power - in hiking boots, by canoe, on snowshoes and skis - in all seasons. And she's spent two full winters alone, off the grid, miles from the nearest neighbor. Through photos and stories, Wendy invites you to join her on her inner and outer journeys into the heart of the Maine Woods.

w/Kaitlyn Watson Bouton  

We have all gone through big, and sometimes sudden, changes in our lives. Whether it be a retirement, a marriage, birth of a child, an empty nest, a death of a loved one, a new job or a big move; these transitions and others, even those infused with joy, can also contain a deep sense of loss. 

By creating a safe and nurturing environment, I invite you to explore your emotions surrounding these transitions. In offering support and encouraging open discussions, you may feel comfortable to share experiences and connect with others who are going through similar journeys. 

You’ll be encouraged to write a “letter to loss”, enabling healing and  promoting forward motion in a positive, compassionate light. You’ll also be guided in the importance of self-care, and in identifying ways to improve overall well-being. 

By the end of the healing circle you’ll have learned some practical tools and gained a sense of empowerment, allowing you to navigate life’s transitions with resilience and grace.