It Started with Yoga Outside...
and a text message from Sue Crutch, a colleague from Fort River School:
My sister-in-law wants to offer yoga at the greenhouse. Do you know anyone who might be interested in teaching?
I had recently retired and just returned from visiting my stepdaughter in Southern California where I attended a free, donation-based yoga class outside in a public park every day. On the plane ride home, I had said to my husband, "I could do something like that. Sure, we don't have Southern California weather, but New Englanders are tough. They'll come to yoga outside."
Sue's text message arrived two days later, and 2024 was our ninth summer outside - yoga every day from 8 to 9am, rain or shine, free and open to all. We've grown to seven weekly teachers and over a dozen substitutes who fill in to teach our growing community outside June through October and now indoors November through May.
Now, nine years in, we are expanding. There are many routes to wellbeing, and they should be free and accessible to all.
Scroll down for upcoming classes, workshops, talks, and events.
Yoga continues seven days a week from 8 to 9am. Outdoors at Andrews Greenhouse June through October, and indoors at the Munson Library November through May. See who's teaching every day in the calendar below.
Understanding Osteopenia & Osteoporosis
with Dr. Amy Rothenberg, Naturopathic Physician
Yoga helps prevent and reverse bone loss and contributes to better balance, improved posture, strength, and coordination and a wider range of motion, which all lower the risk of falls and fractures.
Licensed naturopathic doctor, Amy Rothenberg, will review the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and share evidence-based integrative medicine approaches to maintain and build strong, healthy bones.
Don't worry if you missed Amy's talk in November, we are hoping to schedule another very soon!
Dr. Amy Rothenberg has practiced as a licensed naturopathic doctor since 1986. She is the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians 2017 Physician the Year. She is the author of the Amazon Bestseller: You Finished Treatment, Now What? A Field Guide for Cancer Survivors (Koehler Books). She served on the Board of Health in Amherst for six years and as Vice President of the Board of the Amherst Survival Center. She spearheaded the successful effort to license naturopathic doctors in the Bay State. Dr. Rothenberg is a beloved teacher in the world of integrative medicine. Her humor, grace and knowledge as both a doctor, a cancer survivor, a wife, and mother inform her clinical practice, teaching, and writing. She shares her life with partner, Paul Herscu ND, MPH. Together, they raised three wonderful, now adult children and continue to enjoy the good life in Western Mass, including the arrival of their first grandchild. When not working in the world of natural medicine Dr Rothenberg enjoys spending time with family and friends, on the ballroom dance floor, making art, and playing the guitar.
Intro to Qigong
Qigong is a gentle, healing practice that involves slow movements, deep breathing, self massage, and meditation. It’s easier on the joints than many yoga postures and is especially gentle on the knees, wrists and shoulders. A mostly standing practice that is over 5,000 years old, Western research has proven Qigong's healing and preventative health effects.
Sundays 9:15-10AM
All are welcome!
Intro to Tai Chi
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, it has evolved into a gentle, low-impact form of exercise in which practitioners perform a series of deliberate, flowing motions while focusing on deep, slow breaths. Often referred to as "meditation in motion," tai chi provides benefits to mental and physical health by balancing the body's chi (vital energy).
Mondays 9:15-10AM
All are welcome!
Meditation Practice
Join an on-going inquiry into the practice of meditation (sitting in silence) immediately after our daily asana practice at 9:10 AM at the Munson Library. This is a peer-led, drop-in session that varies in length from 15-20 minutes.
If you are interested in more formal, guided practice, please complete the interest form below. We will contact you about other offerings and opportunities as they become available.
Nature Walks
Evidence suggests that spending time in nature offers emotional, mental, and physical benefits. Sharing a walk with others increases the positive impact on our health.
Our Valley has unique geology and natural history that has provided inspiration for artists, poets, writers and naturalists. We will enjoy the scenery of local fields, pastures and woodland forests to observe birds, wildlife, plants and trees.
"There is nothing like nature to bring you back to your self and connect you to your senses."
- Mark Coleman, Author of Awake in the Wild
Kathy Kellogg has been hiking and walking in nature her whole adult life. She's hiked Diamond Head, Iao Valley State Park and the Grand Canyon, as well as parts of the Appalachian Trail. She has an understanding of forest bathing and a great appreciation for the beauty, calm environment, variety of trees and vegetation, and changing seasons of the natural world. She is also a flower gardener and seeker of new ways to be in nature. She looks forward to sharing her passion for the natural world with others who are interested in walking together.
Next Scheduled Hike
Amethyst Brook Conservation Area
132 Pelham Road
Amherst, MA
Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 11AM
Email Kathy for more info.
