Happenings

Deepen Your Practice… Discover the Yoga Sutras
Three Special Evenings with Betsy Ceva, Charlene Bradin & Lynne Aubrey

Join the Birchwood Center Yoga Teacher Training for three special evenings and explore the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

The Yoga Sutras is a foundational text of Yoga philosophy authored by the sage Patanjali over two thousand years ago. It is an explanation of the essential philosophy and experiential techniques of Yoga, which teaches about the nature of the mind, and how to work toward Self Realization through the practices of inner reflection, concentration and meditation.

Three Tuesdays, 7-9pm
February 28, March 6, March 13

$15 per class
To register call 845-358-6409 or email info@birchwoodcednter.com

Sanskrit Jazz and Kirtan with Damodar Das and BlisSing is Coming to Birchwood!

Sunday, February 12th ~ 2:30-5:30

Sanskrit Jazz is the “special event band for the spiritually minded”. Their music is infused with the healing, uplifting vibrations of Sanskrit, the ancient language of yoga.

Music by Sanskrit Jazz seamlessly fuses Western influences of jazz, rock, blues, and reggae with Eastern sounds of tabla, harmonium and healing mantras. Join Dennis Winge (Damodar Das), founder of Sanskrit Jazz, Cliff Hackford, Eileen O’Hare, Cat Guthrie and Tony Ventura for a joyful afternoon of music and kirtan. Kirtan is an infectious, deeply healing and uplifting practice of call and response chanting. You do not need a great voice to participate, just an open mind and a willing heart. 

2:30-3:45 Sanskrit Jazz Concert
3:45-4:15 Refreshments
4:15-5:30 Kirtan

$25 registration by February 7th
$30 registration after February 7th

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

Come with your partner, a friend or family member for a fun, soothing experience

Connect through breath, movement, and touch, learning how to stretch together and give each other a really great foot, shoulder and neck massage. Charlene Bradin and Betsy Ceva, founders of Birchwood Center, will join forces for this very special workshop. Materials are included. Everyone is welcome!

Saturday, February 18th | 2-6pm
$150 per couple

Space is limited. Please call (845) 358-6409 to reserve your place or email info@birchwoodcenter.com. To learn more about Betsy Ceva and Charlene Bradin or to register online, visit www.birchwoodcenter.com

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

In studying, singing, and moving together, we will put forth the intention of opening the channels of healing for ourselves, our beloveds, and the earth.

The words “Heal”, “Whole”, and “Holy” share a common root. What might this etymological fact reveal to us about the true nature of Healing?

In this workshop,we will invite a deeper understanding of the process of healing through chant, mantra, sacred study, and movement. Our focus text will be an ancient one, drawn from the biblical Book of Numbers. We will read about Miriam who is stricken with a sudden, acute illness and then receives spontaneous healing after her brother Moses cries out on her behalf.

We will explore the ancient and unique wordsof this prayer text utilizingthe dynamic beauty of the movement practice of Otiyot Hayyot (“Living Letters”). This lyrical art form brings together the worlds of ecstatic movement and the rich mystical understandings of the Hebrew alphabet as taught by the early Kabbalists.

Sunday, February 26 | 2-5pm | $35

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

Yogic Perspectives on Skillful Relating
a workshop with Kamini Desai

What Do Your Relationships Say About You?
Yoga is not about changing the other, it is about transforming ourselves through what the other reveals to us. The people we relate to at home and at work represent our greatest opportunity to transcend ineffective ways of being. But how do we make use of it?

In this workshop we will very specifically explore a set of teachings which help us understand how yoga is meant to energetically return us to a state of wholeness and how imbalances in these energies lead to patterns in the way we relate to others. Through understanding the mechanism through which we create these patterns, we can also understand how to undo them.

This is a fascinating set of teachings and exercises which will help you context many of your past and present relationships and will give you concrete tools to experiment with in all aspects of life. Everyone is welcome. Please wear comfortable clothes.

Wednesday, April 25th, 6-8:30pm
Pre-registration by April 18: $35 ~ Registration after April 18: $40
To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

Join dancer, choreographer and Yogi Betsy Ceva merging movement & meditation to access joy, delight, and connection. The workshop includes a showing by the Moving Mantras Performance Group - Don’t miss it!

Sunday, January 22nd, 2-5pm

Fee: $30

Embody the sacred syllable OM with Moving Mantras. The mantra OM is the cosmic sound which brings illumination to the mind and represents the trinity of the physical, mental, and spiritual reality. In chanting OM one empties oneself and is filled with the essence that is beyond the body and mind.

Open to anyone who enjoys self-expression through movement, we will combine guided movement experiences with divine play and exploration of Self through the body. You will experience meditation in motion through improvisation, mudra, repetitive movement patterns and a flowing asana practice that ranges from gentle to vigorous.

Moving Mantras merge movement and meditation with the power of word. They are embodied formulas of moving symbolism, using shape, imagery, movement and repetition to chant with the entire body and the mind. Students will learn to compose Moving Mantras embodying the sacred syllable OM.

These workshops will open your heart and free your creativity. No experience is necessary, everyone is welcome.

For information and to register contact pilatesandmore@gmail.com, call 914-325-9520 or visit www.pilatesandmorestudio.co.

To learn more about Betsy Ceva or Moving Mantras™ visit www.movingmantras.com

Yoga for Kids with Aida Sanabria begins a new winter session on Thursday, February 2nd, 4:30-5:30.

February 2, 9, 16, March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

Yoga for Kids The Birchwood Center approach to Yoga for Kids incorporates creative, enjoyable exercises that engage the whole child. Yoga for Kids fosters self-esteem, concentration, physical and emotional equilibrium, and an overall sense of well being. Kids learn movement games to increase listening skills, concentration and the ability to collaborate, as well as postures, breathing techniques, meditation and relaxation, all in an age appropriate setting.

Fee: $15 per class or $110 for an eight class card

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

Take it on… 30 consecutive days of yoga!! Birchwood’s Yoga Challenge starts Wednesday, July 6th and ends Sunday, August 14th.

Jump start your practice! Take thirty consecutive days of yoga at Birchwood Center and win a 30 minute massage therapy session with one of our fabulous and talented massage therapists.

Are you up for the challenge? Sign up in the Birchwood office to begin your 30 day yoga immersion. For more information call or email: 845-358-6409, info@birchwoodcenter.com

Come salute the moon in an all levels open air yoga class, meditate on the sounds of wild life, reflect and refresh around the campfire …all on a secluded hilltop by the edge of Lake De Forest.

8-10:30pm on Friday, August 12th (rain date August 13th).    Fee: $35

Includes yoga class, refreshments around the fire, and the moon. Bring your own mat and any props you may need. Please register in advance. You will receive directions to the location when you register.

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.

 All Day Yoga Immersion led by Jill Ganassi and Betsy Ceva has been cancelled

Sunday June 12th     9am-4pm     Fee: $125

Open to intermediate and advanced students, this daylong workshop begins with a three hour back bending class, followed by a light lunch (provided) with lighthearted dialogue on yoga philosophy. The afternoon session includes a series of slow, safe inversions, restorative yoga, pranayama and meditation. Come immerse yourself in a complete yoga experience and deepen your practice with two great teachers!

Registratioon in advance is required since space is limited.

To register, click here or call 845.358.6409.