FREE EVENTS

In the spirit of Karma Yoga (selfless service), each season we offer free classes and/or workshops. No registration is required, and the classes/workshops are open to all. We encourage participants to arrive early to find parking and to assure space in the class/es of choice.

ONGOING FREE EVENTS INCLUDE...
 
Silent Morning Meditation
SUNDAYS FROM 9-9:30 A.M.
with blankets and chairs provided for your comfort. Please arrive on time.
No meditation on Oct. 5 or from Nov. 23-Dec. 28

Healing Energywork Clinic
WEDNESDAYS FROM 2-5 P.M.
AUG. 13, 27, SEP. 10, 24, OCT. 8, 22, NOV. 5
A Chinese-style open clinic for participants to receive Quantum Touch, a gentle hands-on energywork, and/or Toyo Hari acupuncture, a system of Japanese noninsertion techniques. Arrive without an appointment anytime between 2 and 4:30 p.m. Sessions with Michelle DeStefano, licensed acupuncturist, last about 20 minutes per person.

MORE FREE EVENTS LISTED BELOW BY DATE:

EXPLORING THE ROOTS OF YOGA
with Judy Jenner
THURSDAY, AUG. 21, 6:15-8 P.M.
A journey into Raja Yoga, the royal path leading to grace, harmony, perfection. Including talk on the history and evolution of yoga. Extended exploration of yoga nidra (final relaxation) and concluding with a 10-minute guided meditation.

THE ARTIST WITHIN
with Sonya Evanisko
Friday, September 26, 6:30-7:30 pm
Artist and professor Sonya Evanisko will present ideas and inspiration in a lecture/discussion on balancing creative pursuits with the obligations of everyday life.

HAPPY, HEALTHY, AGING BONES
with Judy Jenner
Friday, October 10 , 6-7:30 pm (all levels)
Exploring poses and a yogic lifestyle that can increase bone mass and stave off osteoporosis or lessen the effects of this potentially crippling disease in its early stages.

RUMI’S POETRY IN WORDS & MUSIC
with Ethan Fischer and John Bardi
Friday, October 24, 7:30-8:30 pm
Spend an hour with the Persian poet whose stature
rivals Shakespeare’s. Rumi writes loving, sexy, mystical
poems that fly from the quill to nest in our hearts. Ethan
Fischer will read & discuss some of these in translations
by Coleman Barks and others. Transcendental musician
and philosopher John Bardi will accompany poems and
illuminate them.

YOGA FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
with JiJi Beckett
Friday, November 14 , 6:30-8 pm
A calm, soothing practice of yoga poses and breathwork to prepare for a comfortable, sound sleep. Suitable for all levels, including beginners.

We continuously augment our free events offerings, so be sure to check back often. See below some of the many past free events offered at Harmony.

PAST FREE EVENTS HAVE INCLUDED...

Yoga for the People, with JiJi Beckett
A super-easy, level 1 yoga class for all body types. No experience necessary. Chairs provided.JiJi, cofounder of Harmony, teaches regularly at the center.

Cultivating Life Force Energy, with Michelle DeStefano
Join us for an hour and a half of feeling and channeling the universal life force energy for self cultivation and healing. Learn to feel the life force energy between your hands, on your self and on other people. Explore the different parts of your body that absorb this energy and how, with thoughts, some tapping and movement, we can direct this energy for well being. Whether you are a beginner at harnessing life force energy or already a seasoned practitioner, come join the fun. Michelle is an acupunturist and Quantum Touch healer.

Yoga for Feeling Good, with Peter Yates
A free-flowing yoga style, with a variety of facilitating movements designed to promote an increased range of motion, for a release of tension, and to open energy pathways. Suitable for all levels.

Peter is a 37-year yoga practitioner with extensive training in gymnastics, wrestling, Tai Chi and Qigong.

Qigong Exercises for Cleansing and Tonifying Qi
with Barbara Feldman, Blue Heron Martial and Healing Arts
Five simple qigong exercises to rejuvenate yourself—clearing out old qi and bringing in new qi.  These are tools for participants to take home and use to maintain or improve their well being. Including post stance (both feet/one foot, with visualization), shaking, pounding the post, washing the center, and Guanqifa—Qi Permeating technique.

Barbara is a long-time martial and healing arts practitioner and teacher and has a fourth degree black belt in karate.   

Chanting, Pranayama, and Meditation
A morning practice of breathwork and song to tap into the wisdom of the ancient yoga tradition. The class will begin with gentle stretching to cultivate a comfortable seated posture. We’ll then practice several pranayama (breathwork) techniques, followed by Sanskrit chanting, and culminating in meditation. All levels welcome.

PRENATAL YOGA
Prenatal yoga offers a wonderful opportunity for women to nurture their bodies, minds, and spirits through the transitions of pregnancy. Call Christa for more info: 304-876-0535

BALANCING FEMALE HORMONES NATURALLY
This workshop will focus on ways to balance female hormones through diet, nutrition and stress management. If you want to achieve an asymptomatic menstrual cycle and a healthy transition into menopause, please join our discussion. Learn what a normal female cycle is, the differences between synthetic and natural hormones, how diet and stress can affect your hormones, and the appropriate lab testing necessary to determine proper female hormone function. with Dr. Alissa Harris

THE DANCE OF YOGA
Join SS Yoga teacher JiJi Beckett for a high-energy dance-inspired yoga class that will offer new and delightful ways of moving and becoming attuned to your body's vital energy, or prana. Participants should have at least one year of yoga experience and be free of major injuries. No dance experience necessary.

LIVING IS BREATHING: AN INTRODUCTION
TO RESTORATIVE BREATHWORK
Full-body breathing is an extraordinary coordination of the body that creates movements that not only allow for greater exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, but also relaxes and massages the internal organs, gently moves the joints, and tones and releases all of the muscles of the body. Relearn how to engage your entire body while breathing, releasing stress and anxiety, along with affecting many medical conditions, including breathing problems, high blood pressure, asthma, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and headaches. This workshop is educational, experiential, and fun!    
Linda O'Brien, the workshop facilitator, is a licensed massage therapist and certified Breathwork facilitator. She has been practicing yoga and meditation for more than 25 years, teaching clients how to create an environment within their bodies that will promote health and healing.

TAI CHI CHUAN
Tai Chi Chuan is an internal martial art based on philosophies of balance and change. The Yang Style long form promotes harmony between the mind and body and between oneself and others.  When practiced regularly, Tai Chi has been shown to improve balance, strength, flexibility, coordination, and posture; improve digestive, respiratory, heart, and cognitive functions; and provide an overall sense of well-being and peace.

QIGONG
Qigong (or Chi Kung) is energy work. The goals of this class are to increase sensitivity and awareness of one’s body and qi (energy), to increase and refine body/mind connections, and to improve overall health, well-being, and calmness.  The gentle movements are adaptable for all, regardless of physical limitations.

A RAINBOW OF ANTIOXIDANTS, AN EXPERIENTIAL APPROACH
Explore with us the varied world of color in fruits and vegetables.  Learn interesting nutrition facts about many fruits and vegetables as you help to prepare for and participate in a taste testing/sensory evaluation. Come to the session a little hungry, and be ready for a surprise “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow! With Sandy Spicher, registered dietitian, and Barbara Hartman, master of science and registered dietitian.

HOMEOPATHY DEMYSTIFIED
Nancy Gregory, a family nurse practitioner and experienced
yogi will lead a workshop/discussion on homeopathy, a method of stimulating the body’s vital energy to cure illness in accordance with natural laws of healing.

SELF-DEFENSE PRIMER FOR WOMEN
Self-defense training includes self-awareness, situational awareness, conflict avoidance and resolution, dealing with bullies, handling anger and other negative emotions, and deescalation techniques, as well as physical self-defense techniques. This workshop is suitable for all women and teens interested in improving their ability to take care of themselves in everyday situations, as well as potentially threatening situations. 
 
EATING FOR ENERGY
Revitalize your relationship with food, and explore ways to optimize your physical energy.  This session will begin with some nutrition-science basics and unfold into a discussion of the more intuitive, esoteric nature of food consumption. Presented by Barbara Hartman, MS, RD, LD and JiJi Beckett.

NURTURED HEART APPROACH TO PARENTING
Most parenting strategies are based on consequences or punishments and inadvertently energize unwanted behaviors.  Learn about an approach that energizes positive behaviors in very specific ways and transforms children from the inside out.  This is an approach for all children but is especially successful with intense, difficult, and sensitive children. Workshop led by James “Jamie” Gregory, a certified practitioner of Neurolinguistic Programming, certified specialist  in the Nurtured Heart Approach, and consultant for the Jefferson County school system.