workshops and special events

We offer a full array of workshops that range from informative to challenging to just plain fun. There's always something new, so check back often! We recommend reserving your place ahead of time since many of our workshops fill up quickly. Call, email or reserve online through our convenient online schedule. (coming soon)

To learn about our yoga and kung fu birthday parties, click here.

tao yin yoga for hips and lower back

open, strengthen and lengthen with tao yin yoga

with Deanna McLaughlin
saturday, march 13 • 1:30 – 4:30 pm
$50 • please call or email to register

Explore new poses. Visit some familiar ones. Tao Yin Yoga offers a variety of methods to open, lengthen and strengthen each area of the body. In this workshop we will focus primarily on the lower back and hips. Two common areas where individuals hold dis-ease in the body. This is a workshop appropriate for men and women who have never taken yoga as well as for those who have a regular practice and want to venture deeper into themselves. Come and experience the art of Tao Yin Yoga. Cultivated from an integration of Indian yoga and the healing practices and spiritual philosophies of ancient China, Tao Yin yoga is based on Taoist principal of living in harmony with nature and integrates simple and gentle chi-gong movement performed at the beginning and end of class to increase vitality and restore harmony. Guided visualizations enable the participant to move into a meditative state for deepening ones practice and transcending perceived limitations.  Unique postures promote stillness, clear energetic blockages, enhance circulation, develop deep core strength, muscle tone, balance and stamina. Tao Yin postures are done primarily on the floor allowing the body to receive support from the earth while opening into the pose like a flower opening into a bloom. Soft flowing movements promote space between the joints while inviting fluidity, flexibility and grace in the body.  Participants notice a difference after the first class yet the outcome of this practice over time is a noticeable rehabilitation of range of motion, of increased flexibility, joint mobility, overall health maintenance, balanced emotions, and improved metabolism and health of the internal organs.

About the teacher: Deanna’s teaching enables participants to cultivate a deep understanding of how postures relate to one’s own physiology. She has extensive experience working with people of all ages and levels of mental and physical abilities. Combining her skills as a certified art teacher, yogi, and former art therapist, Deanna guides students on their inward journey to gain flexibility, build concentration, reduce stress of the mind and body, and tap into natural abilities to create positive, healing energy from within. For the past 16 years Deanna has taught workshops, lectures at Alternative Medical Conferences, corporations and conventions. She certifies teachers in Taoist Yoga and in Hatha Yoga through the AAAI. Deanna is registered at the ERYT 500 level with the Yoga Alliance. (back to top)

introduction to the pure heart of yoga:
ten steps to personal transformation

with Bob Butera
saturday, march 20 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm
$40 • please call or email to register

Join us for an inspiring afternoon as we look deep into the ways yoga can transform your life. This workshop provides a detailed overview of each of the ten steps in the personal transformation process, including: Personal Intention, Attitude, Archetypal Patterns, Posture, Bio-energetic Awareness, Mental Focus, Energy Centers, Locks and Seals, Psychological Blocks and Emotional Transformation. For those students looking to deepen their understanding of the connections between the philosophical and physical sides of yoga, this workshop is a great way to go beyond your everyday practice.

About the presenter: Robert Butera, M.Div., Ph.D., author of The Pure Heart of Yoga, publishes Yoga Living magazine and directs of The YogaLife Institute in Devon, Pennsylvania.  He trains Yoga teachers, leads seminars and writes on yoga.  His programs and books emphasize individual education about health, emotional, social and spiritual growth as they relate to Yoga's comprehensive psychology. Bob is certified to teach yoga through The Yoga Institute of Mumbai in Bombay, India, and has a PhD in Yoga from The CA Institute of Integral Studies.  He has studied yoga, meditation and personal growth since 1985 in Japan, Taiwan, India. More information about Bob can be found at www.yogalifeinstitute.com or www.PureHeartofYoga.com. (back to top)

restorative yoga

with Laura Chalfant
saturday, april 10 • 2:00 – 5:00 pm
$50 if you bring your own bolster • please call or email to register

You may purchase bolsters for an additional fee. Please inquire with the Yoga Garden prior to March 24.

Are you longing for time in your day to nurture yourself? Join us for this deeply restful experience

In this workshop you will learn:   
• basic restorative yoga postures   
• benefits of the postures
• how and why to incorporate them in your daily life
• how to create the right environment for your restorative practice through body
   support, warmth, quiet, trust, comfort and darkness.

Restorative yoga is not about stretching. It's about trusting and feeling supported so you can truly moving into a state of sensory withdrawl, or pratyahara. Through practice, this quiet state leads you deeper into meditation, or dharana, allowing the nervous system to rest and heal. Restorative postures use props and personalized positions to guide the body and nervous system into a state of deep rest and relaxation.

meditation for total well-being

with Marie Roberts
saturday, april 17 • 1:00 – 3:30 pm
$35 • please call or email to register

Learn to use techniques of mindfulness, breathwork, and guided imagery for awareness, stress reduction, and health of body, mind and spirit. Whether you're a beginner or want a meditation review, you'll find a simple technique you can use in your own life.

About the teacher: Marie Roberts has been teaching yoga and wellness since 1992. She considers herself a ‘recovering intellectual’ who came to yoga as a way to live healthily in her body instead of just in her head. She holds an M. A. in World Religions, an M. S. in Counseling Psychology and has been an ordained Presbyterian Minister since 1982. Marie is also published poet and author of two books: ‘Out of Your Mind and Into Your Heart: Using Love Energy to Heal your Life’ and ‘Life Lessons and Soul Skills: Learning from Your Mistakes the First Time Around.’. (back to top)

ayurveda – yoga's sister science of self-healing

with Sally Miller
sunday, april 18 • 12:00 – 2:30 pm
$45 • please call or email to register

Ayurveda is a holistic system of medicine that has been practiced in India for over 5,000 years.  Spreading to the West as a “sister science” of yoga, it offers tremendous insight into how we can live healthier, more balanced lives. Through understanding our connectedness to nature, ayurveda sees each person as a unique combination of the five elements — ether, air, fire, water, and earth.  These elements come together to form different body types, personality traits, and tendencies for specific diseases. In this workshop, we will discuss how to apply the principals of ayurveda to your life, both on and off your yoga mat. We will discuss how to enhance your practice through understanding your unique constitution, how to use food as “medicine,” as well how to improve digestion and increase immunity through simple Ayurvedic recipes and remedies.

living beyond breast cancer benefit event

with Yoga Garden Staff
saturday, may 1 • 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Donations of any amount accepted. All proceeds will go to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. • please call or email to register

Come join the Yoga Garden staff for this all-levels yoga class in celebration of those who have survived the battle with breast cancer and those who are fighting right now! This is a wonderful opportunity for you to benefit an incredible cause while discovering the different styles of yoga taught at the Yoga Garden. Also, make sure to attend the LBBC community yoga event on May 16th on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We sincerely look forward to seeing you there! Blessings. (back to top)

just breathe

with Deanna McLaughlin
saturday, may 8 • 1:30 – 3:30 pm
$35 • please call or email to register

Using the power of the breath, move from moments of chaos into a place of quiet, calm, peaceful healing. Research demonstrates that a well oxygenated body is a calm body. The simple techniques presented in this workshop will enable you to change how you feel in less than one minute! They're simple enough to use when you need them most, anywhere, anytime.

This workshop is for yogis and non-yogis alike, and is particularly appropriate for people who've never tried yoga. You may want to share the experience with a loved one or someone that you know could benefit from learning to relax!

• Discover five specific and easy-to-do healing breathing techniques.
• An interactive look at anatomy will help participants understand how each breath
   benefits the body and mind.
• Participants will learn to create a sense of renewal within themselves.  

Each breathing technique offers multiple benefits from balancing mood swings/hot flashes, clearing the mind, enhancing concentration, eliminating headaches, lowering anxiety and blood pressure, releasing tension and alleviating insomnia. These techniques have been taught to persons with chronic heart disease, cancer patients, their caretakers and many others.

VIdeos, booklets and DVD’s will be available for purchase for yourself or someone you love.

About the teacher: Deanna’s teaching enables participants to cultivate a deep understanding of how postures relate to one’s own physiology. She has extensive experience working with people of all ages and levels of mental and physical abilities. Combining her skills as a certified art teacher, yogi, and former art therapist, Deanna guides students on their inward journey to gain flexibility, build concentration, reduce stress of the mind and body, and tap into natural abilities to create positive, healing energy from within. For the past 16 years Deanna has taught workshops, lectures at Alternative Medical Conferences, corporations and conventions. She certifies teachers in Taoist Yoga and in Hatha Yoga through the AAAI. Deanna is registered at the ERYT 500 level with the Yoga Alliance.

* This workshop is applicable to yoga teachers interested in applying hours toward their yoga alliance registry hours. An additional $20.00 and written assignment will be required for those interested in this option. Please express interest in this option when registering for the workshop. (back to top)

the art of yin and yang yoga

with Paulie Zink
saturday and sunday, june 19 and 20 • 2:00 – 6:00 pm both days
$150
$85 if attending only one day • please call or email to register

We encourage you to register early. Paulie's workshops fill up quickly.

 
This workshop will be largely experiential with some short lectures. Students will engage in Yin Yoga postures of stillness for promoting growth, clearing energetic blockages, and enhancing circulation, Yang Yoga postures for developing core strength and muscle tone, balance, and stamina, and Taoist Flow Yoga. Taoist Flow includes both Yin and Yang yoga. It is more than just a sequence of postures. In Taoist Flow the process of transition from pose to pose is as much a part of the practice as the postures themselves. Taoist movement incorporates continuous, smooth and circular motion designed to develop fluidity and grace in the body and a relaxed confident demeanor. 

Taoist yoga is an earth honoring tradition born out of the indigenous health practices and spiritual philosophies of ancient China. Taoist principles follow the way of simplicity and living in harmony with nature. In this all-levels workshop we learn to let go of concepts to free ourselves from the constraints of the thinking mind, grow the body supple, flow with movement, and be in harmony with our own Tao, or way of being.

We explore specific yoga postures that activate the vital properties of the five alchemical elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) and invoke the spiritual essence of various creatures, thus enlivening the body and consciousness with these energetic qualities.

Through this process of renewal we balance emotions, restore bodily systems, clear energetic obstructions, increase vitality, and enhance self-awareness. By returning to our true state of being we awaken to our primal power and playful spirit.

topics covered include:

• How to endow the body with the energetic properties of the five elements
• Maintaining health and balance of emotions and the internal organs
• Unlocking the joints and clearing toxins
• The circulating breath cycle and the flow of energy throughout the body
• Relaxing the thinking mind and learning to feel with the intuitive heart
• Meditations for grounding and relaxation
• Visualizations for developing flexibility and deepening your personal practice

About the teacher: Master Paulie Zink began his training in Kung-fu, Chi Kung and Yin and Yang Yoga as a teenager. During ten years of intensive one-on-one training with Master Cho Chat Ling, Paulie became the only Westerner to master the martial art of Tai Shing Pek Kwar. Master Zink's martial arts career includes hundreds of regional and national tournaments, two books, fifteen training videos and a BBC documentary. Mr. Zink was influential in developing Yin Yoga, popularized by Paul Grilley and Sarah Powers. (back to top)

yoga and kung fu birthday parties!

How cool is that! Two fun-filled hours where kids get to learn all kinds of new yoga poses or kung fu moves with their best friends. While parents socialize in one of our spacious studios or hit some of the boutiques in downtown Narberth, the kids get to burn off some extra steam in the other room while they experience first-hand how exciting yoga and kung fu can be! There's even a demonstration of what they learned at the end!

party planner details:

We host groups aged 3 and up.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons are most often available.

Parties last two hours including arrival and set-up.

We provide games and activities, a certified children's teacher, music, props, etc.

Parents can bring refreshments or we can provide them for an additional fee.

Each child gets a free Yoga Garden goody bag as a gift.

Cost is $225 for up to 10 children, and $15 for each additional child.

to reserve your party:

Please call 610.664.2705 or email us at info@yogagardennarberth.com to save the date and make arrangements for a memorable party! We'll even provide you with a printable birthday invitation to send out to all the guests. (back to top)