Happenings

Relax, Renew, and Breathe

Join us in opening the New Year with a calming, nourishing, blissful evening of Restorative Yoga and guided meditation. Restorative Yoga is a gentle, meditative practice that uses supported asanas and slow deep breathing to restore energy by modifying traditional Yoga postures with various props to support the body in deeply comfortable and relaxing ways. Meditation is a simple tool for de-stressing the body and mind in these times of personal turmiol and worldwide crisis. Focusing on the mantra of breath we come into the present moment and the edge of unlimited possibilities.

Friday January 2nd, 6-8pm, taught by Betsy Ceva. Fee: $20

All levels are welcome. Please register by calling Birchwood Center, 845-358-6409, or email info@birchwoodcenter.com.

Treat Yourself to a Day of Relaxation and Renewal with Restorative Yoga and MassageTherapy.

Sunday December 14th

Choose and Restorative Yoga class at 12:45-1:45 or 2:15-3:15 and enjoy a 15 minute massage sampler between 1:00 and 3:00.

Restorative Yoga with Betsy Ceva is based on a yin style of yoga that uses deep stretching of the connective tissue to relax your body and still your mind. This practice modifies traditional yoga postures using various props to support the body in deeply comfortable and relaxing ways. You will sleep better and move easier after this class.

The Wonder of Touch ~ Touch is a basic human need. We all need touch, as we need light to live and grow. Massage Therapy is the art of touch - a flowing conversation between therapist and client. The therapist’s hands help the body to soften, open, and unravel it’s secret aches and pains. Take care of your body, relax your mind, uplift your spirit with NYS Licensed Massage Therapists Victoria Vaprik, Elizabeth O’Hara, Michelle Van Etten and Susan Cherniak Hyde.

$30 Restorative Yoga and Massage  -  $15 Restorative Yoga only  -  $20 Massage only

Sign up in the Birchwood lobby or register by calling (845) 358-6409

Massage Special for Participants of Relax & Renew Day: Book a one or one and a half  hour massage on December 14th and receive 15% off the price!

Discipline, Self-Awareness and Creative Inspiration

Taught by Liz Schulman    Friday December 5th   6-9pm   Fee:$40

Uncover your own unselfconscious, inspired home practice using Kriya Yoga

In this workshop we will explore Tapas (discipline), Svadyaya (self-awareness) and Ishvara Pranidhana (action with out attachment to results/creative inspiration) to find ways in which to create a personal home practice. Using discussion, journaling, meditation and asana this process will enable you to feel confident exptending your yoga practice beyond the confines of a class, and will help you to tap into your inner teacher. You will leave the workshop with three home practices that you have designed and the inspiration to create many more. Prior yoga experience is suggested and materials are included.

 Liz Schulman E-RYT 500, has been teaching yoga since 1999. Her vinyasa classes are crafted using breath-based, organic movement and choreography. Liz encourages her studentss to build strength, endurance and flexibility safely with the right mix of respect and patience for this challenging but creative practice. She is most inspired by the challenge of making yoga philosophy practical and bringing spirituality into everyday life.

To register call Birchwood 358-6409 or email info@birchwoodcenter.com.

Thanksgiving Day Yoga - 8:30-10am

Two mixed level classes with Betsy & Charlene

$20 suggested donation per class - All proceeds will go to People to People

What better way to give thanks and share with our comminity than by moving body, mind, and spirit? Please join us on Thanksgiving Day morning for two mixed level classes taught by Betsy Ceva and Charlene Bradin.

The fee for these special classes is $20 - more is welcome, if participants are so moved - and all proceeds will be donated to People to People, a local charity that feeds, clothes, and takes care of kids and families in our area. Due to the donation theme this class is “cash or check only”, no credit cards or class cards.

All other regularly scheduled classes will be cancelled on Thanksgiving. Classes resume as usual on Friday November 28th.

Call Birchwood to reserve a place in class - spaces are limited and going fast. 845-358-6409 or email info@birchwoodcenter.com

Choreography by Betsy Ceva

Friday November 14th 8:30pm at Ananda Ashram. $15 at the door.

A Moving Mantra expresses the body’s inner voice through shape, imagery and movement, translating the harmony of meditation into dance. It is a formula of moving symbolism, creative expression and prayer.

 A diverse company of Nyack based yogis will perform this integration of Yoga, meditation and dance, choreographed by Betsy Ceva. Presented at Ananda Ashram in Monroe, NY as part of the Merging Movement & Meditation Yoga Immersion Weekend, everyone is invited to this special performance.

To learn more about the performance or the retreat, call Ananda Ashram, 845-782-5575 or visit www.anandaashram.org.

A Yoga Immersion Weekend Retreat with Betsy Ceva at Ananda Ashram

Friday November 14 - Sunday November 16

This weekendand  retreat at Ananda Ashram merges movement, meditation and mantra to explore the essential question “Who am I?” Usingintention, breath and repetition, students will enjoy a focused asana practice that ranges from gentle to vigorous with detailed attention to balancing the physical structure, finding equilibrium in body, breath and mind. Through creative exploration you will investigate meditation in motion, using mudra, walking, and other movement patterns. Find your way into “now” through the body, through inner examination, letting go of old ideas and looking from a new perspctive. Open to experienced beginners through advanced students.

Merging Movement & Meditation Yoga Immersion Weekend includes the Friday evening Moving Mantras performance at 8:30.

Workshop Fee: $160 (does not include accomodations) Register early, space is limited. Call Ananda Ashram: 845-782-5575 or visit www.anandaashram.org.

Be Prepared to Move and Be Moved

With Gina Martin

Two Saturdays, 3:45-7pm November 22nd and December 20th

Presented in two sections, Anatomy and Physiology for Yoga teachers and practitioners is an engaging and unconventional workshop on the muscles and bones. Gina Martin presents the material in an experiential, fun way that includes movement and palpation within the lecture format. These workshops are part of the Birchwood Center 200-hour Yoga Teacher training program - all other interested students are invited to attend.

Gina Martin is a Shiatsu Sensei and Licensed Massage Therapist who specializes in eastern bodywork and herbal medicine. Gina has been an Anatomy & Physiology instructor at the Swedish Institute College of Massage Therapy since 1987.

Fee: $35 per session. Call Birchwood Center to register (845) 358-6409, or email info@birchwoodcenter.com. Register early - space is limited.

An Otiyot Hayyot Movement Workshop with Judith Rose

Sunday November 9th, 2-5pm.  Fee: $40

In the tradition of mystical Judaism, this face of the Divine is called Shekhina. In yogic tradition, She is referred to as Shakti. Etymologically, the word Shakti is related to the word Shekhina, which derives from the Hebrew root, Shakhen, meaning “to dwell” or “to rest upon”.  In this workshop we will engage in an intense exploratiojn of the Hebrew word Shekhina, utilizing the dynamism and beauty of Otiyot Hayyot, literally meanning “Living Letters”. Together we will learn how to “em-body” the five focus letters and weave them choreographically into a graceful and meditative body-chant. As we move together in the passionate space of Mystery, we will put forth the intention of awakening to the Presence of the Divine that rests within all of us. 

Judith Rose is a movement artist, educational consultant, and award winning poet. She is the founder and director of Vital Movement and an Otiyot Hayyot practitioner certified by Dr. Yehudit Goldfarb. Judith maintains a private wellness practice in Nyack.

To register call Birchwood Center: 845-358-6409 or email info@birchwoodcenter.com.

With Betsy Ceva, Liz Shulman and Charlene Bradin

Friday October 17th, 6-9

Beyond Asana; Yoga Sutras workshop is designed for the serious Yoga student who is ready to delve into the philosopy behind the practice. The Yoga Sutras, authored by the sage Patanjali sometime between the fourth and second centuries, is an exposition of the essential philosophy and techniques of Yoga in the condensed form of 196 sutras. Sutra means “thread” or “string”. The Yoga Sutras bind together the essential aspects of Yoga as a thread binds the beads of a necklace.

In this workshop we will examine Chapter I, which answers the question “What is Yoga?” We will also study the Yamas (restraints) and Niyamas (observances), the first and second step on the eithg-fold path of Yoga.

This workshop is part of the Birchwood Center Teacher Training Program.

Fee: $35. 

To register call: 358-6409 or email info@birchwoodcenter.com  

Thanks to all of you, Birchwood Center for Yoga and Massage is flourishing.  Throughout the month of October, we’ll honor our first double-digit birthday with these terrific events. Stay tuned for details on each one:

• Family Fun Yoga with Betsy
  Sunday October 5th, 2-3:30
  For kids six years and up with their adults.
• Free Intro to Yoga with Charlene
  Sunday October 12th, 2-3:30
  For new students - includes a free one week unlimited class card.
• Raffle to benefit breast cancer
  Tickets are $5 each
  All contributions will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• Three winners will each receive one of the following prizes:
  • One hour private class with Betsy
  • One hour massage with Charlene
  • $100 gift certificate to Birchwood Yoga Essentials
• Sale on Yoga!
  Each week two different classes will be discounted to $10 per class.
• 10% off in the store all month!
• Yoga Challenge!
  Take ten classes in ten consecutive days and win a Gift Certificate for a half hour massage.
• Free Birchwood T-shirt with any purchase of a class card.
• 10th Anniversary Party
  October 26th, 4-8pm
  DJ, drinks, and hors d’oeuvres.