Upcoming Special Events – 2026 Festivals – 2026 Retreats
Upcoming Special Events:
Guided Shinrin-yoku: Relax & Reconnect in the Highlands
Thurs, August 13, 6-8pm at the Highlands & Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids
Slow down and enjoy the beauty of summer with this special August Shinrin-yoku experience, hosted among the wildflowers, mature trees, and open skies of The Highlands at Blandford Nature Center. As always, our program will start with a brief introduction to the background and research of forest bathing, how it differs from a hike, and why it’s internationally recognized as an effective tool for natural stress release. From there, you’ll be guided to a lovely prairie clearing for a relaxing, guided forest bathing session, which includes an easeful, guided meditation, mindfulness prompts to explore, wild foraged tea in community, and more – helping you reset your nervous system, reconnect to nature, and experience your time outdoors in a new way. We hope you’ll join us!
Program Includes: a sit pad and blanket to use during the program, essential oils for meditation, wild foraged tea and a small snack
General Public Registration: $30
Blandford Members Save 20% and register for $25.60!
9 spots left!
Guided Shinrin-yoku: Relax & Reconnect in Nature (Last Summer Offering)
Thurs, Sept 10, 6-8pm at Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids
Savor one last summer evening in the forest during our final Shinrin-yoku inspired experience at Blandford Nature Center before the fall equinox. As always, we’ll begin this monthly offering with a brief introduction to the background and research behind forest bathing, how it differs from a hike, and why it’s internationally recognized as an effective practice for natural stress relief. From there, we’ll head into the woods for a relaxing, guided forest bathing experience, which includes an easeful guided meditation to held you more fully arrive, mindfulness invitations to expand your experience, wild-foraged tea, and more – helping you calm your nervous system, reconnect with nature, and experience the outdoors in a deeper, more intentional way. We hope to see you there!
Program Includes: a sit pad and blanket to use during the program, essential oils for meditation, wild foraged tea and a small snack
General Public Registration: $30
Blandford Members Save 20% and register for $25.60!
Wild Food Foraging Class
Weds, Sept 30, 6-8pm at Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids
Join our guides Katie & Luke for a 2-hr foraging class at Blandford Nature Center on Weds, July 30, from 6-8pm! We can’t wait to return to this beautiful nature preserve and teach about the wild foods growing there in early fall. This class is an opportunity to explore with our instructors in a new environment (most of our community foraging classes are taught at Peace Park) and is structured to empower you to learn how to safely, ethically, and legally harvest wild foods through accessible information, hands-on learning, growth of identification skills, and an insight into the ethic of wild tending. Pure beginners and experienced foragers are alike will learn something new at this class. We hope to see you there!
General Public Registration: $32
Blandford Members Save 20% and register for $25.60!
Upcoming Festivals
2026 Wild Zen Yoga Festival
Rescheduled for August 21-23, 2026 due to the July wildfire smoke
Smiling Acres Festival Grounds, Trufant, MI
We’re looking forward to joining the Wild Zen Yoga Fest for the FIFTH year in a row! At the 2026 fest, our guide Katie will be leading a nature therapy experience centered around the festival’s ever-growing and changing community nature mandala. This is a wonderful and intimate festival, with a great community, beautiful nature, and a diverse schedule of offerings to help you explore not just yoga, but breathwork, cacao, mindful movement, sound, and more. Head to the Wild Zen Yoga page HERE to learn more and grab your ticket! We’d love to see you there!
Upcoming Retreats
Stay tuned for upcoming retreats!
Frequent Offerings
Learn more about our frequently offered events and workshops below and check out our Calendar & Events page to register for upcoming events!
$5 Community Gatherings
Join our $5 community gatherings to build your community, explore self-care in deeper forest settings, and nurture a new approach to time outside! We host two different gathering formats: Community Sit Spot Gatherings and Community Forest Gatherings. Both offer something unique and special, and are offered year-round, on a pop-up basis.
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities via our class calendar HERE!
Yoga & Guided Forest Bathing Experiences
Originally one of our core classes, our yoga & guided forest bathing experiences hold a special place in our heart and remain one of our favorite pop-up classes to share in the warm weather months. During these 1.5-hr offerings, you’ll bring your mat outside and join Katie for a slow flow class in the living breathing forest – with time to explore the benefits of forest bathing and time off your mat, community connection, and more.
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities via our class calendar HERE!
IYE Winter Wellness Club
Join us for our one-of-a-kind, three-month long Winter Wellness Club! This experience is hosted in select years over the course of the winter season, with special member’s only gatherings, opportunities to learn about winter nature connection techniques for self-care, weekly meditations, class passes, a chance to make new friends, and MORE.
Check back annually for Winter Wellness Club updates!
Guided Shinrin-yoku & Journaling in Nature Writing Workshops
Grab your journal and join us in the forest during these special 2.5-hr workshops, which blend journaling prompts and forest bathing techniques for relaxation, reflection, and connection to yourself and the world around you.
Stay tuned for upcoming opportunities via our class calendar HERE!
