with Nichole Brown

A tender practice focused on embracing and validating your anger. Together we'll build heat through somatic movements and powerful poses then start to slow down and soothe the body with breath and touch. We'll follow the physical practice with time for self-reflection and journaling before settling into a guided meditation and savasana. 

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

A workshop for adults (18+) who are actively navigating the death of a loved one, and are seeking support and tools to normalize, validate, and process their grief emotions and loss experiences.

When someone we love dies, it often feels like a part of us dies alongside them. The pain of grief is often minimized, especially in Westernized cultures, and many of us are left feeling devastated, isolated, and activated in the aftermath of losing someone we love. In this 2 hour workshop, you are invited to join Margy, one of our therapists at Room to Breathe, to: 1) normalize, validate, and deepen your understanding of grief emotions and death-loss experiences, 2) learn strategies for identifying, processing, and honoring your grief and ways to care for self,  3) engage in somatic and mindfulness practice to identify and move your emotions, and 4) be in community with others who are also navigating the death of a loved one. 

What to expect:

• 90 min: brief psycho-education on grief and coping, and individual + group reflection & emotional processing

• 30 min: somatic grief mapping & mindfulness practice, with gentle movement (no previous experience with yoga or somatics required!)

• Participants will have access to the recording following the workshop (and if folx aren’t able to attend they will still have access to the recording!). Margy will also provide additional grief resources following the workshop.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $80-60; choose the amount that aligns with your financial situation. If this doesn’t feel financially feasible for you but would like to join the workshop, please reach out to Margy directly to inquire about additional sliding scale options!

with Hatie Parmeter

Join Hatie for a workshop on calming the nervous system. We'll practice breathwork, self-massage, meditation, journaling, and restorative yoga as we come into our bodies and slow our breathing. This is a collaborative workshop, so feel free to come with questions and share your calming practices with the RTB community!

If you have pillows/bolsters, blankets, or any other props you would like to use to support your practice, please have them accessible in your space! Wear comfy clothes, dim the lights, grab a journal, and plan to continue resting after we meet, if possible!

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Candice Tindell

A full moon is more than just a beautiful celestial event; it's the perfect time to reflect, release, and rest. The full moon represents the natural cycles in life, invites us to foster gratitude, and welcomes space for reflection.

This special guided meditation, or yoga nidra practice, will gently guide you into a new season. Use the Hunter's Moon this October to connect with your higher wisdom by restoring and letting go to make way for fresh, new energy.

This class will offer brief, gentle movement and then shifts into still meditation. No previous yoga experience is necessary to join.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Kelsey Schroeder, Psy.D.

As mental health therapists, we play a crucial role in supporting our clients through challenging times, including the heightened stress and anxiety surrounding political elections. This specialized workshop is designed to support mental health professionals with the knowledge and skills useful to address election-based anxiety for their clients and themselves.

In this 2-hour workshop, you are invited to join psychologist Kelsey Schroeder, Psy.D. to unpack election-based distress and dread and find skills to enhance curiosity and community. This workshop is focused on normalizing human reactions to current social and political environments, identifying and incorporating stress management strategies for clients and ourselves, and engage with others to find support and expand sense of community with fellow clinicians.

This workshop is open to mental health therapists, counselors, psychologists, social workers, and other mental health professionals seeking to enhance their skills in managing election-based anxiety in their practice. Whether you are working with individuals, groups, or communities, this workshop will provide valuable insights and skillsets to support clients. This space will center a space to honor humanity, understand the impacts of current social and political climates, and identify useful tools to utilize. Kelsey hopes to support fellow clinicians in gaining a greater sense of community, curiosity, and empowerment in advocating for liberation-oriented care.

What to Expect:

1. Understanding Election-Based Anxiety in Clients: Learn about the unique stressors related to elections and their impact on clients’ mental health.

2. Client Communication Strategies: Develop effective communication techniques to help clients articulate their election-related concerns and fears. Learn how to create a safe space for open discussions.

3. Boundary Setting and Media Consumption: Understand the importance of setting healthy boundaries with media and political discussions for both clients and therapists. Learn strategies to help clients manage their media consumption.

4. Self-Care for Therapists: Recognize the importance of self-care in maintaining your own well-being while supporting clients. Learn practical self-care techniques and develop a personalized self-care plan.

5. Ethical Considerations: Discuss ethical considerations when addressing election-based anxiety, including maintaining professional boundaries, managing personal biases, and ensuring cultural humility and liberation-oriented clinical care.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $80-60

This workshop will be recorded; all registered attendees will receive access to the recording.

with Lauren Gestes

The Autumn Equinox marks the beginning of a season of introspection, connecting with gratitude, and preparing for winter ahead. This seasonal shift provides an opportunity to reflect on the year thus far and consider what you’d like to focus on before it comes to a close. 

Join us Sunday, September 15th at 6pm in our virtual studio to celebrate this seasonal transition. Together we’ll explore themes of balance, letting go, nurturance, and gratitude through gentle yoga, an autumnal meditation, and journaling prompts led by Lauren Gestes. 

This practice will be recorded and sent to all who register, so you are welcome to join even if unable to join live!

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Kelsey Schroeder, Psy.D.

In this 2-hour workshop (via Zoom), you are invited to join psychologist Kelsey Schroeder, Psy.D. to unpack election-based distress and find skills to enhance curiosity and community. This workshop is focused on normalizing our human reactions to current social and political environment. Additionally, community members will find support in identifying and incorporating stress management strategies and engage with others to find support and expand sense of community.

This workshop is open to adults (18+) who are seeking to find support and tools in navigating election-based anxiety and related concerns. Whether you’re a first-time voter, a seasoned activist, or simply concerned about the political climate, you’ll find valuable tools and support here. We will center a space to honor humanity and understand the impacts of current social and political climates. Kelsey hopes to support community members in gaining a greater sense of community, curiosity, and empowerment.

What to Expect:

1. Understanding Election-Based Anxiety: Gain insights into why elections can be particularly stressful and how political events impact our mental health.

2. Somatic Stress Management Techniques: Learn various techniques such as mindfulness, deep breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation to reduce anxiety and stress.

3. Active Processing and Support Strategies: Identify some impacts of politics on mental health and well-being, and ways to explore personal and communal meaning of said impacts.

4. Boundaries: Discover ways to set boundaries with social media, news consumption, and political discussions to protect your mental well-being.

5. Community Support: Explore strategies to foster a sense of community and mutual support. Additionally, identify ways to create greater space for collective grief and curiosity for forward movement.

6. Self-Care Planning: Develop a personalized self-care plan to maintain your mental health during the election season and beyond.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $80-60 **poll workers/election staff take an extra $10 off with code COMMUNITY24

This workshop will be recorded; all registered attendees will receive a copy of the recording.

A workshop for adults (18+) who are actively navigating the death of a loved one, and are seeking support and tools to normalize, validate, and process their grief emotions and loss experiences.

When someone we love dies, it often feels like a part of us dies alongside them. The pain of grief is often minimized, especially in Westernized cultures, and many of us are left feeling devastated, isolated, and activated in the aftermath of losing someone we love. In this 2 hour workshop, you are invited to join Margy, one of our therapists at Room to Breathe, to: 1) normalize, validate, and deepen your understanding of grief emotions and death-loss experiences, 2) learn strategies for identifying, processing, and honoring your grief and ways to care for self,  3) engage in somatic and mindfulness practice to identify and move your emotions, and 4) be in community with others who are also navigating the death of a loved one. 

What to expect:

• 90 min: brief psycho-education on grief and coping, and individual + group reflection & emotional processing

• 30 min: somatic grief mapping & mindfulness practice, with gentle movement (no previous experience with yoga or somatics required!)

• Participants will have access to the recording following the workshop (and if folx aren’t able to attend they will still have access to the recording!). Margy will also provide additional grief resources following the workshop.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $80-60; choose the amount that aligns with your financial situation. If this doesn’t feel financially feasible for you but would like to join the workshop, please reach out to Margy directly to inquire about additional sliding scale options!

Join Room to Breathe for a free hybrid info session! Explore a short practice with our lead teacher training faculty member, Whitney Pasch, ask questions, and learn more about our upcoming 225-hour Psych-Sensitive Yoga Teacher Training.

with Hannah Lee

Join us to mark the midpoint of the year with a special summer solstice event. You can expect gentle yoga, guided imagery, and time to reflect on journaling prompts alongside others in the Room to Breathe community.

with Karen O’Leary

Yoga can be a true keystone in your life, a practice where you can tap into and process thoughts and feelings. The mere act of being a human in the world can present us with situations that ask us to be brave. As the hero of your own life, what is the source of your courage?   

In this workshop, we'll explore where you find the resources within yourself to step outside of your comfort zone (or not - because it also takes courage to say no!) Choosing one path over another may require us to draw on wells of courage that we didn't know we possessed. 

Do you find courage in your yoga and meditation practices?  Whether the answer is yes or no, we'll explore the theme of courage through journaling prompts, gentle movement, and breath.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

Join Room To Breathe teachers, friends, and fundraisers buddies Hope and Hannah as they raise support for Chicago Abortion Fund. This practice will focus on the values of choice and bodily autonomy that are cornerstones to both psychologically sensitive yoga and the reproductive justice movement. We will offer options for gentle movement, guided relaxation, and a chance to rest in community with fellow supporters of abortion access.

The class will be free to register, and we offer this class free to anyone with financial limitations. If you are an abortion provider and/or have had an abortion, this class is our gift to you! If you have the means, we are so grateful for your donations to our fundraising page: https://fund.nnaf.org/team/564476 (suggested donation of $30). Donations April 22nd-28th will be matched. All registrants will receive a recording of the class. 

The mission of the Chicago Abortion Fund is to advance reproductive autonomy and justice for everyone by providing financial, logistical, and emotional support to people seeking abortion services and by building collective power and fostering partnerships for political and cultural change.

with Kristin Urbanus

Do you find your energy or attention pulled in many directions?  

Do you sometimes think about the past or future but would like to be more fully present?  

Do you ever feel distracted, and long for a deeper lived experience of what matters most to you?  

In this workshop, you will be guided through simple yet powerful practices and inquiries, meant to expand your awareness and capacity for presence.  When we expand our capacity for presence, we not only expand our ability to be present with life’s challenges, but also with the creativity, joy and love that is also a part of our human experience.

Join us for an evening of using the inherent wisdom of the body to guide you into a deeper felt sense experience of presence.  

You will: 

• Explore an area of your life where you would like to experience greater presence

• Identify what assists you in being present

• Experience organic movements meant to ground your nervous system and open your heart

• Experience the support of like-minded community

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Lauren Gestes

"The Body Is Not An Apology" by Sonya Renee Taylor explores the concept of radical self-love and advocates for embracing one's body without conforming to societal beauty standards. The book examines harmful beliefs about body image to support readers in moving towards self-acceptance and empowerment. Lauren will facilitate reflection questions and discussions included throughout the book around topics such as: media influence on beauty standards, exploring internalized messages of body shame, and the connection to systems of oppression. Participants will have the opportunity to explore what it means to practice radical self-love in daily life. 

What Lauren has to say about The Body is Not an Apology: “For me, this book is an invitation to re-evaluate my relationship with my body with compassion and new insight. It presents an opportunity to reclaim the story of my body and challenge long-held negative beliefs. I'm excited to share in conversation with others as a way to engage in activism and contribute to body-positive movements!”

Cost: Free for members; $10 for non-members

with Candice Tindell

Staying tender and compassionate in difficult times

Join this special workshop to explore the concept of bodhichitta - the nobled and awakened heart - through yoga, meditation, breathing and journaling. We live in an age where suffering is broadcast to us on a nonstop loop. It can leave us feeling helpless and ready to give up, look away, and shut it all out. But Bodhichitta offers a different perspective. 

Through this workshop, you're invited to explore questions like: 

How can you stay actively compassionate towards your loved ones, community, and the world at large when there seems to be so much suffering around the world? 

How can you begin to tap into the deep well of compassion and tenderness that resides inside you when it feels like existing requires having protective shields up at all times? 

What if vulnerability in caring for others is the key to true peace? 

While these questions might feel overwhelming to answer, you'll be invited to approach them with gentleness and nonjudgement. No previous yoga experience required to participate. 

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

Join us for an in-studio open house! Following a free practice at 5 pm, we’re opening both studios to gather as a community.

Come meet fellow community members, snack on some light bites, and enter to win some incredible raffle prizes from our generous partners Alchemy Acupuncture + Herbs, Division Chiropractic, and Five Point Holistic Health. Stop by anytime between 6-8pm! Registration required only if you’d like to join the practice.

with Nichole Brown

A powerful, gentle yoga practice intertwined with journal prompts and guided meditation to help you connect to Svadhyaya. Svadhyaya, or self study, is an important piece of Yoga, as it acknowledges who we’ve been, who we are, and who we want to be. Join me on February 18th to compassionately reflect and hold space for all you’ve been and all you can be. 

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Hannah Lee

“I recognised winter. I saw it coming (a mile off, since you ask), and I looked it in the eye. I greeted it and let it in. I had some tricks up my sleeve, you see. I’ve learned them the hard way. When I started feeling the drag of winter, I began to treat myself like a favored child: with kindness and love. I assumed my needs were reasonable and that my feelings were signals of something important. I kept myself well fed and made sure I was getting enough sleep. I took myself for walks in the fresh air and spent time doing things that soothed me. I asked myself: What is this winter all about? I asked myself: What change is coming?” 

-Katherine May

In the Northern Hemisphere we often treat the cold, dark winter days with a kind of dread. What if there is another way? What if, instead of yearning for the perpetual growth and activity of summer, we see the winter as an important time to slow down, follow the cycle of the seasons, and allow ourselves time to hibernate?

Join yoga teacher and therapist Hannah Lee for gentle movement and journal prompts inspired by Katherine May's book, Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat In Difficult Times. 

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

This workshop with Kristin Urbanus is designed to assist you in clarifying your intention, or sankalpa using the inherent wisdom of the body.  

We will use this ritual time of year to clarify and/or cultivate a deeper relationship to your heartfelt intention.  

In yoga, a sankalpa is a sanskrit word referring to a heartfelt desire.  This intention is different from a goal, in that it comes from a deep listening within and assists you in fulfilling your next level of evolution and growth.

 As Brian Klemmer says, "When the intention is clear, the method appears."  Cultivating a clear, positive intention related to your deepest most heartfelt desire assists you in focusing your energy, habits, actions and even healing and growth in alignment with the experience that you desire.  

In this workshop, you will experience gentle yoga asana movements that assist in connecting you to the wisdom of your body, meditation, visualization, yoga nidra for deep relaxation, and more. You will co-create a Sankalpa in service to your greatest growth, fulfillment and upliftment.  

Teachers and teachers-in-training: This workshop content is registered through Yoga Alliance as continuing education. You do not need to be a teacher to attend!

Kristin (she/her), E-RYT 500, is a Certified Yoga and Meditation teacher, Somatic Touch & Spiritual Psychology practitioner and life coach, and interweaves Somatic Experiencing practices and principles into her work.  She finds that this uniquely gentle, yet powerful blend of modalities provide holistic healing, and deep and sustained transformation.  

with Adam Grossi

When something moves us deeply, we might say that it resonates with us. The term resonance implies both a sense of connection or kinship and also a deepening of the richness of our experience.

Join Adam and greet the turning of the calendar year with a gentle extended practice. We’ll use resonance as thread to weave explorations of physical techniques, sound creation, breathing practices, and the crisp focus of deep listening. Leave the session with a felt sense of the renewal and integrity that result from internal resonance, and let that feeling-state orient you to your path through the new year.

This session is open to beginners as well as seasoned practitioners. Adam will provide open-ended instruction designed to create accessibility throughout the practice. Attending part of the session is welcome: come and go as you please. A block and a strap may be useful, as well as any supports you need in order to take a comfortable seat.

Cost: Tiered pricing, $20-40

with Sierra Buffum

The Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and a celebration of the “birth of the sun”, draws us into a period of reflection and pause. As we circle towards the solstice, this practice will invite us to draw inward and notice our own cycles through gentle, intuitive movement, conscious breath, and journal prompts for self-reflection.

Please have a bit of wall space available for this practice, props that help you feel supported, and any journaling tools that you enjoy working with. Candles to represent the return of light might feel like another welcome addition!

Cost: Tiered pricing, $30-40

with Hannah Lee

Yoga and poetry are both beautiful ways to access mindfulness. Join yoga teacher and therapist Hannah Lee as she shared poems, journal prompts, and gentle yoga sequences to help you connect to your body and explore the experience of being human.

Cost: Tiered pricing from $30-40

with Hannah Lee, LSW

Pregnancy and postpartum are intense times of transition, often focused solely on the new arrival. This workshop, designed for people in pregnancy or up to one year postpartum, is a space for you to explore how to care for yourself and your own mental health while taking care of your baby. We will reflect on the challenges and strengths we bring to parenting, learn more about what "perinatal mental health" is, build strategies to care for ourselves, and share resources in a validating and supportive space. Class will be online in real time, with replay of the recording available to registrants for 7 days following the workshop.

Cost: $60

Purchase as a bundle with Empower Your Pregnancy and take $20 off! Choose Empower Your Pregnancy + Mental Health Bundle at checkout for discounted rate.

with Shanna Linn

Beginnings, belonging, remembering, acknowledging our family, accepting our history. Finding balance in our past, present, and future “take root” in the first energetic center at the base of the spine.

Like the acorn that spawns a mighty oak tree, the Root Chakra Muladhara (“root” in Sanskrit) is a powerful grounding force in the body. On a physical level it is associated with the earth element and the functions of the lower body, the strength of the lower limbs, and mula bandha, the “root lock” engaged to stabilize the pelvic floor and organize physical sensations. The Root Chakra energetically tethers us to the physical world, helping us take root as we grapple with the life lessons of basic survival—food, shelter, safety, comfort, and community.

This session of Yoga + Journaling will focus on elemental yogic postures that promote grounding and gravity, journaling prompts to help articulate feelings of safety and stability, and affirmations, visualizations, and meditations to bring deeper awareness of the root chakra. 

Cost: Tiered pricing from $30-40

Join us for our quarterly October book club on We Heal Together: Rituals and Practices for Building Community and Connection by Michelle Cassandra Johnson, led by Jamie Pikulin.

It is a different kind of book, so we are inviting you to join us for a different kind of book club event. For the first hour of the bookclub, Jamie will facilitate a discussion of the ideas and practices shared in the book. For those who feel called to stay, or for those who prefer to join after the discussion, at 7pm Jamie  will guide us for 15-20 minutes as we share a healing practice from the book.

Here’s what Jamie has to say about We Heal Together:

“For me, this book is inspiring and challenging. Hopeful and difficult. Expansive and confusing. Calling to something deep inside me and meeting my intellectual skepticism. It may seem familiar or foreign. All feelings are welcome. I found that remembering that Michelle Cassandra Johnson shared this book from a place of vulnerability and love helped me to keep an open mind.

I quickly realized when I picked it up that, for me, reading it from cover to cover was not an option. Rather after reading from the forward through the section entitled, “Shared Language,” I bounced around the chapters over the course of several months depending on what called to me in the moment. You may find yourself similarly called. If so, do not worry that you have not read the entire book before you join the book club. However, it may be helpful to read the section entitled “Shared Language” to help to connect more meaningfully to the discussion.

If you prefer to join only for the practice at the 7pm, you are also welcome. 

Michelle Cassandra Johnson reminds us, ‘We are whole, and part of our work toward collective liberation is remembering our collective wholeness and that we are interconnected with every other living being and the planet.’ I look forward to connecting and practicing with you in community with this special book.”

Cost: Free for members, $10 for non-members

with Renee Zambo

This workshop is designed around one of yoga's ancient philosophical frameworks, the Kosha model. Kosha means "layer" or "sheath" and refers to the five dimensions of self - physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual (or connectedness). These five layers of the self are interconnected, but can be pulled apart to examine how one aspect of ourselves affects and relates to the whole. Practices will range from supine to prone, to seated with a few standing postures given the option of a chair. Journaling prompts will be woven throughout the class as we move from physical awareness to spiritual awareness, uniting our multi-dimensional selves with compassion.

Cost: $25