Yoga and Meditation

Mar 23, 2022 | Enhancements

Yoga and Meditation

Upcoming Classes | Chair Yoga | Kundalini Yoga and Meditation

The benefits of yoga and meditation on the mind, body and spirit are vast.

Are you seeking to improve your strength, balance, and flexibility through weekly chair yoga?

Do you want to embrace being you through the transformative and accessible monthly kundalini yoga and meditation practice.

We have something for you…

Upcoming Classes

Date	Class	Location
Open Dates	Chair Yoga – Wednesdays 10:30-11:30	Oak Room
October 7 - December 2, 2023	Senses of the Soul Saturday Workshops	Shepherd Hall at Bethlehem Centre
October 7 - December 12, 2023	Senses of the Soul Complete Fall Program	Shepherd Hall
October 7, 2023	Kundalini Yoga and Meditation (October)	Shepherd Hall at Bethlehem Centre
November 4, 2023	Kundalini Yoga and Meditation (November)	Shepherd Hall at Bethlehem Centre
December 2, 2023	Kundalini Yoga and Meditation (December)	Shepherd Hall at Bethlehem Centre
January 6 - May 4, 2024	Senses of the Soul 50 Hour Meditation Trainings	Shepherd Hall at Bethlehem Centre

map of the Centre

Chair Yoga

Wednesdays 10:30 – 11:30 AM
by donation

Come and join Russel McNeil for his Chair Yoga experience.

Russell McNeil, a senior fitness instructor for the City of Nanaimo’s parks, recreation, and culture department, said neglecting some muscle groups can lead to several health problems later in life that affect mobility and overall health. He designs his classes for people who experience difficulty doing floor exercises and the class will be done seated in a chair.

Yoga exercises have benefits on the body’s well-being and yoga positions stretch, relax, open the joints, release tensions, energize, and revitalize.

Chair yoga has the following benefits:

Low impact on joints.
Improves flexibility.
Stress reduction.
Improves pain management.
Improves circulation.
Combats depression and anxiety.
Improves balance.
Promotes independence and well-being.

Every Wednesday morning from 10:30-11:30 AM.

Drop in’s welcome! By donation.

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation

The first Saturday of every month 9:00 – 11:00 am
$20 – class price | $25– pay it forward

Jay Suttonbrown introduces monthly Kundalini Yoga and Meditation

Kundalini Yoga and Meditation as taught by Jay SuttonBrown is an evolution of Yogic practice. More than mind, body, and spirit …this unique system of Self-Guidance harnesses the power of emotional intelligence and the expansion of conscious awareness with the power of Yoga practice and technology. Learn the integration of movement, breath, and feeling so you can understand and skillfully operate, heal, and care for your TOTAL Self.

You will experience powerful movements that develop willpower, dissolve negative thought patterns, strengthen the body and clear the nervous system.

Build physical vitality and increase consciousness. Get ready for some big sounds* as you deepen your connection between body and breath.

Open to all levels, no previous experience necessary.

* Our work is a blend of silence, soft and large sound. We use large audio speakers. Not recommended for students with auditory sensitivities.

Please bring a yoga mat, supports for a meditative seat, layers for comfort, and a sealable beverage container. You may find a journal useful following practice.

Forest Bathing

Mar 23, 2022 | Enhancements

Forest Bathing

Gentle, slow, and mindful time in nature. Forest Therapy is based in the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or forest-bathing. This is an opportunity to slow down, connect to our senses, notice our surroundings, and reconnect to ourselves and our environment.

Forest therapy offers a chance to reconnect to the beauty and simplicity of the natural world and to tune into our own state of being.

There is extensive research on the benefits of nature on human health – mental, physical, and cognitive health! Research indicates that Forest Therapy is effective in improving symptoms of depression and anxiety, and thereby helping with focus, stress reduction, and relaxation. It also helps boost resilience and creativity and can improve immune function, among other benefits. In essence, Forest Therapy is a holistic intervention to support our health and well-being.

Upcoming Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing Therapy)

Sorry, no programs exist here.

Labyrinth Walking

Mar 22, 2022 | Enhancements

Labyrinth Walking

The morning is a beautiful time to walk the labyrinth, an ancient tool for walking meditation, and a symbol of your personal journey and spiritual renewal.

Always Open

Why Walk a Labyrinth?

In labyrinths, whether ancient or modern, we walk in and we walk out. We coil and we uncoil. We do so both physically and spiritually. The body and the spirit experience an intentional, simultaneous outing. We walk a path one foot after another, and it is a path to the holy place inside us.

The American Cancer Society states that labyrinths “may be helpful as a complementary method to decrease stress and create a state of relaxation.” Labyrinths are thought to enhance right brain activity. Research studies conducted in a variety of settings consistently have shown that walking a labyrinth reduces stress.

Suggestions When You Take Your Journey

Take a moment to stand at the entrance of the labyrinth and become clear about your intentions for walking.

Perhaps enter with a question, a statement, or an image; perhaps with prayers or meditation for a particular person or situation. You may want to reflect on the past year or walk into your dreams and goals for the upcoming year.

As you walk, let your intention or question sink more deeply into your heart and soul with each step. Responses and intuitions may come in the form of words, feelings, awareness, images or just knowing.

Finger Labyrinth Meditation

Mar 21, 2022 | Enhancements

Finger Labyrinth Meditation

Another form of mediation is by using a finger labyrinth. It is an emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual tool for relaxation and meditation. Like a metaphor of life, the path is not always straight, the labyrinth can remind us to allow us to find our way and trust the path.

The labyrinth museum (relocated in the Oak Room), is an open, cozy space for guests, neighbors, and friends to interact and enjoy.

Learn more about the Godden Finger Labyrinth Museum

Spiritual Lending Library

Mar 20, 2022 | Enhancements

Spiritual Lending Library

Looking to nourish the mind and spirit with a book? Or to find a cozy, quiet space to go inward? Visit the Centre’s Spiritual Lending Library relocated in the Oak Room.

Stop by the Centre Shop/guest services desk to learn more about the new location.

Restorative Wellness Counselling

Mar 14, 2022 | Enhancements

Restorative Wellness Counselling

Providing mental health supports through low-barrier, accessible, and culturally sensitive counselling services.

Bethlehem Centre is proud to host the Restorative Wellness Project (RWP) which offers full-spectrum counselling services focused on mindfulness and self-compassion. RWP is committed to decolonizing mental health and addiction services, creating a safe space for traumatized and minority clients.

Their programs combine modern mental health practices with culture, relationships, mindfulness, and spirituality.

We use the magic of intergenerational wisdom in our therapeutic circles which are co-facilitated by Elders and Wisdom keepers. Group programs provide stabilization, social support, and deeper healing or maintenance care.

Skilled clinicians offer various gold-standard mental health modalities. They offer Individual counselling, case management, and resource connections aiming to remove barriers for clients of all cultures and financial situations, promoting inclusivity.

Modalities include:

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT),
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR),
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

Culture, mindfulness and spirituality are weaved into all services offered.

The project integrates culturally-enriched community-based groups, mentorship and individualized care to help clients reclaim the Sacred and experience comfort and safety in their wellness journey.

A desire for regular attendance and a minor donation are the only requirements for non-insured clients.

Restorative Wellness Project at Bethlehem Centre

Their goal is to remove barriers to support for people of all cultures and to assist individuals in reclaiming the Sacred through culturally-enriched community based groups, mentorship and counseling. This is achieved through working in the indigenous community, leveraging proven model to reach priority populations.

Priority populations we serve:

Remote locations/reserves
Resicential school survivors and impacted family members
Metis (status and no-status)
First Nations
Inuit
LGBTQ2S+
Differently abled (PWD)
Low income