Upcoming Opportunities:
Guided Shinrin-yoku: Winter After Dark Series
Thursdays: Jan 5, Feb 2, March 2, 2023
6-7:30pm, at Blandford Nature Center, Grand Rapids, MI
Mark your calendar to join our guide Katie & explore the relaxing wellness practice of Shinrin-yoku in the beauty of the winter forest! This special 3-part series at Blandford Nature Center will begin with a brief introduction to the background and research of Shinrin-yoku (translated in English as “forest bathing”), how it differs from a hike in the forest, and how it can help enhance our well-being in the darkest months of winter. From there, you’ll be guided in 3 separate Shinrin-yoku experiences over the course of winter to help you relax, tend to your relationship with the cold weather season, and explore the beauty of winter in new ways. Each session will also include a luminary lit guided breathing practice to help you cleanse your lungs after a day inside, and end with a half hour of time indoors, warming up with a hot wild foraged tea, a snack, and time to visit as a community. Hot stone handwarmers provided for our time outside. We hope you can join us for winter wellness & community connection!
Single Session Blandford Members/Non-members: $18/$23
3-Part Series, Blandford Members/Non-members: $49/$64
$5 Community Sit Spot Gathering
Hosted once monthly!
Join us for our NEW community sit spot gatherings, which will be hosted once monthly in 2023! These experiences focus on coming together and enjoying the peace of the forest by our powers of observation, and include: an opening circle to introduce ourselves, a brief sensory opening meditation led by our guide Katie, 20-30 minutes to enjoy a solo “sit spot” invitation in the forest, which is a core forest bathing invitation for reducing stress and reconnecting to nature, and a closing community circle with an opportunity to share what we each noticed in our unique morning experiences. These $5 offerings will be hosted during diverse timeframes and at changing locations each month, as we explore accessibility and making our nature-based wellness experiences available to more people. We hope you grab a few blankets and join this February!
February Date & Location TBA Soon
Just $5 to join!
Fireside Yoga & Winter Breath Cleanse: 4-Week Series
Wednesdays in February 2023, from 7-8:15pm, at the Indian Trails Golf Course
THIS SERIES IS SOLD OUT!
Mark your calendars for the return of our Fireside Yoga & Winter Breath Cleanse class series, in partnership with the City of Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation! Led by IYE’s founder Katie Venechuk, this unique class series offers a wonderful opportunity to keep connected to nature in the depth of winter, while nourishing your body and relaxing your mind for a peaceful night of sleep. Each class will bring you into the fresh winter air for a luminary lit breathwork practice on the golf course before stepping indoors for a slow flow yoga class by the fire in the clubhouse. Class includes hot stone hand warmers lightly scented with essential oils for our time outdoors. Yoga class is designed for all levels; registration limited to 14 participants. We hope to have you there!
4-Week Series Grand Rapids City Residents: $42
4-Week Series Non-Residents: $52
Winter Wellness Retreat, with Wellness Retreat MI!
March 10-11, 2023, Izaak Walton League, Belmont, MI
THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT!
We’re excited to announce our SIXTH retreat with Wellness Retreat MI, hosted at the beautiful land & lodge of the Izaak Walton League! Just 20-minutes from Grand Rapids, this is a great opportunity to set aside a few days for self-care and explore a variety of wellness modalities, led by a diverse group of talented wellness facilitators from the Grand Rapids area. Our guide Katie will be leading a special immersive nature experience & enjoying the rest of the retreat alongside you! We can’t wait to see you there.
Holiday Special: $130 for the ENTIRE EXPERIENCE, including multiple wellness workshops, a delicious lunch prepared by a professional chef, & more!
Wild Zen Yoga Fest
July 21-23, 2023, Smiling Acres, Trufant, MI
We’re excited to join the amazing Wild Zen Yoga Fest for the second time this summer! This festival is a wonderful weekend of yoga, time in nature, mindfulness, meditation, movement, music, community, vendors, and a whole lot more. Our guide Katie will be leading a foraging & wild tending walk during the festival and enjoying the rest of the weekend alongside you. We hope to see you there!
Adult Weekend Ticket: $125
Adult Saturday Ticket: $125
Teen Ticket (13-18): $80
Frequent Offerings
Learn more about our frequently offered events and workshops below and check out our Calendar & Events page to register for upcoming events!
Forest Therapy Walks
If you are interested in a deeper immersion into the world of forest therapy, a forest therapy walk is for you. During these events, you will be offered a sequence of forest bathing invitations to help you relax and connect to the natural world. Events also include hot tea and time among community.
Journaling in Nature: Writing Workshops
Grab your journal and join us in the forest during these special 1.5-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 more opportunities, to be announced soon!
Forest Therapy & Henna Workshops
Join us as we team up with professional henna artist, Danielle Nienhouse from Henna By Design MI, for these 2.5-hr workshops, which include a guided forest therapy experience and henna workshop among the trees.
Stay tuned for more opportunities be announced soon!
Forest Yoga: 4-Week Series
This series is structured to introduce you to the practice of forest bathing and feature one of the beautiful parks in Grand Rapids, hosted once yearly with the City of Grand Rapids Parks & Recreation.
Join us for this series again in 2023!
