Artists in grades 2nd-5th are invited to explore Fiber Arts during this multi-part afterschool session.

Click/tap the button below for more information and to register.

Registration

Interested in this offering and want to know more? Email Luke at ttkingmsw@gmail.com to get answers to all your questions.

Click / tap the button below to register.

Immerse yourself in this blissful workshop of movement and sound meditation. This 90-minute Yoga & Sound workshop combines a revitalizing yoga practice with the deeply relaxing and restorative benefits of sound meditation.

In the first 45 minutes, you'll flow through a nurturing sequence of yoga asana (postures) designed to release tension and cultivate mind-body awareness. The practice will be accessible for all levels, with many variations to honor your body.

The second half of the workshop will be devoted to a profoundly calming sound meditation/sound bath. As you rest in gentle seated or reclined postures, you'll bathe in the vibrations of singing bowls, chimes, steel drums, and other sound meditation instruments. These resonant tones will help relax your nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety, and transport you into a state of deep relaxation and inner stillness.

You'll leave feeling grounded yet uplifted–your body rejuvenated and your mind at peace.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome! Sliding-scale pricing: $30 - $50.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Artists in grades 2nd-5th are invited to explore Fiber Arts during this multi-part afterschool session.

Click/tap the button below for more information and to register.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

"SHEDDING LAYERS" paintings by Elayna Sturm of The Fantasies of Youth at the Amherst Town Hall Gallery, on show March 4th 2025 through the end of April 2025.

Reception will be Friday March 7th at 6pm.

Shedding Layers explores both what we can shed to feel lighter, and what we can transform to create the lives and worlds we want to be a part of. Venturing to get to the core of what matters, Shedding Layers seeks to cultivate brighter joy and deeper roots.

Elayna Sturm is a lover of singing, a friend of trees, a hopeful curious witch, realm traveler, and an interdisciplinary artist. Elayna resides in Western Massachusetts, with ties to the North Shore of Massachusetts, the Bay Area of California, and the Olympic forests of Washington state.

Registration

Interested in this offering and want to know more? Email Luke at ttkingmsw@gmail.com to get answers to all your questions.

Click / tap the button below to register.

Artists in grades 2nd-5th are invited to explore Fiber Arts during this multi-part afterschool session.

Click/tap the button below for more information and to register.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Event dates and times:

Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71

Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115

Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158

Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end

Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin

Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.

Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.

When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.

Event location:

Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040

Registration

This is a FREE offering!

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Join us as we celebrate the official launch of the Rooted Resilience Project! This event brings together 2SLGBTQIA+ artists, creatives, and culture-makers from Western Massachusetts for a night of live performances, conversation, and connection. 

Come experience the voices and work of the creatives featured in our first season, explore artist and resource tables, and celebrate the power of sharing and preserving intersectional narratives. Together, we’ll honor the resilience and brilliance of our community while looking ahead to the stories we’ll continue to uplift through this multi-part project.

To learn more about the Rooted Resilience Project, visit rootedresilience.substack.com and subscribe for weekly updates! 

Who: YOU and all of your plus one’s (Kids are absolutely welcome!)

What: Think of it as a musical event, book reading, arts market and celebration, wrapped into one, full of glitter and snacks and beverages!

When: Wednesday, March 19th from 6 - 9 PM (doors and the market open at 6, performances begin at 7)

Where: BOMBYX Center for Arts & Equity

Tickets: General Admission. $0 - $100 per person, sliding scale; no one turned away for lack of funds. All admissions fees, after event costs are paid, will help us complete the first year of work for this archive!

Accessibility: There are three parking spots in the BOMBYX lot designated for vehicles with Disability Plates or Placards. The sanctuary entrance is accessible via paved walkways from the parking lot and sidewalk, with only a slight rise to the front doors. Inside, the entire first floor of the sanctuary is on a single level and we have several options for wheelchair seating. The balcony is not accessible.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Event dates and times:

Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71

Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115

Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158

Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end

Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin

Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.

Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.

When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.

Event location:

Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040

Registration

This is a FREE offering!

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Immerse yourself in this blissful workshop of movement and sound meditation. This 90-minute Yoga & Sound workshop combines a revitalizing yoga practice with the deeply relaxing and restorative benefits of sound meditation.

In the first 45 minutes, you'll flow through a nurturing sequence of yoga asana (postures) designed to release tension and cultivate mind-body awareness. The practice will be accessible for all levels, with many variations to honor your body.

The second half of the workshop will be devoted to a profoundly calming sound meditation/sound bath. As you rest in gentle seated or reclined postures, you'll bathe in the vibrations of singing bowls, chimes, steel drums, and other sound meditation instruments. These resonant tones will help relax your nervous system, reduce stress and anxiety, and transport you into a state of deep relaxation and inner stillness.

You'll leave feeling grounded yet uplifted–your body rejuvenated and your mind at peace.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome! Sliding-scale pricing: $30 - $50.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

As we collectively continue to better understand the diverse impacts of trauma in our bodyminds, the call for dynamic, embodied practices for survivors expands. Simultaneously, so many of our communities are being exposed to persistently or increasingly traumatizing conditions in our social-political landscape. Within this landscape, Embodied Possibilities is a 6-week series for folks interested in a non-verbal container to explore the possibility of having a body through choiceful movement. Rooted in research in complex trauma, neurophysiology, and attachment, as well as yoga, Embodied Possibilities provides a pathway to transform embodied trauma patterns through practicing personal agency in a container attuned to safety.

In practice, an Embodied Possibilities session looks and sounds like a series of invitations to move or find stillness within the range of ways that your body moves. There's no expectation to look, move, or feel a certain way, and you’re free to make each practice your own. Importantly, there’s no specific movement or flow that heals trauma. Rather, this practice is about exploring choices and noticing points of curiosity or sensation that might serve to create more possibilities for how to move forward. I will also be practicing, from my own mat; facilitation is entirely verbal, and never includes “hands-on assists” or other “corrections.” You are welcome to practice from a chair or mat as suits you; both will be available for each in-studio session.

Embodied Possibilities is an expression of Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY), an evidence-based intervention for survivors navigating the effects of complex trauma found to be supportive for many survivors experiencing unwanted trauma-related patterns like fatigue, numbness or detachment, fear and sadness, self-doubt, nightmares, confusing emotions, and more. LB Marger Moore (they/ze) has been supporting folks as a neuroqueer, disabled somatic trauma steward in their work as a movement facilitator and somatic trauma therapist since 2015. You’re welcome to learn more about TCTSY and LB on their website, including a brief sample TCTSY practice.

As part of the registration process for this series, it is required to complete an additional participant waiver/registration form (Google form, only viewable by LB, see below). You will not be asked to identify as a trauma survivor or describe experiences of trauma. While Embodied Possibilities is intended to be therapeutic, this offering is not therapy. Any movement practice can bring up unexpected thoughts, feelings, or sensations; some participants find it useful to identify supportive people (such as a trusted friend, bodyworker, therapist, etc.) with whom they can verbally process their experiences outside of class if desired.

Note: Masks will be required.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Event dates and times:

Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71

Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115

Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158

Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end

Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin

Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.

Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.

When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.

Event location:

Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040

Registration

This is a FREE offering!

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Event dates and times:

Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71

Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115

Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158

Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end

Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm- Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin

Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.

Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.

When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.

Event location:

Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040

Registration

This is a FREE offering!

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

This series is designed especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are looking to connect with their bodies and their breath in a supportive, community-oriented environment. This space aims to create a container where queer and trans folks can cultivate joy, a deeper relationship with their bodies, and a sense of connectedness to their yoga practice. Each class will feature time for community and connection and an alignment-focused physical asana practice, ending with gentle restorative movement.

A certified Accessible Yoga Teacher, Fran’s yoga teaching style is a testament to the belief that everyone deserves a space to explore and celebrate their unique identities. She finds it most important to foster an environment where yoga not only nurtures the body but aligns with principles of equity and justice. She has spent years studying to learn more about the needs of marginalized communities within the yoga space and has made it her mission to ensure that she creates as safe a space as possible for BIPOC, trans, and gender diverse folks.

Registration

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Drop-ins are welcome!

Sliding-scale pricing: $120 - $180. Drop in class rate: $20 - $30.

A note regarding accessibility to all Sanctuary offerings:

Sanctuary has a range of scholarship options available. If the cost of participating is prohibitive, please email them at studio@yoga-sanctuary.com to learn more.

Event dates and times:

Week #1: Tuesday, March 11 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 13 - 71

Week #2: Tuesday, March 25 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 72 - 115

Week #3: Tuesday, April 8 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 116 - 158

Week #4: Tuesday, April 22 5:30 - 6:30pm having read pages 159 - end

Week #5: Saturday, May 20 6:00pm - Culminating Event with Guest Speaker Author Kim McLarin

Join fellow readers for engaging conversations covering aging, feminism, and racial identity. Kim McLarin's "Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me and Has Failed" captures the endless cycle of progress and backlash that has long shaped race and gender. Readers will investigate McLarin's narrative and delve into conversations on these topics. This book discussion group will end with a culminating Meet and Greet featuring Kim McLarin, sponsored by the Massachusetts Center for the Book, which will take place at Wistariahurst on Tuesday, May 20th at 6 p.m.

Kim McLarin is the author of three critically acclaimed novels, several essay collections, and James Baldwin's Another Country: Bookmarked. Her work has appeared in the New England Review, The Sewanee Review, The Sun Magazine, The Root, Slate, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and many others. She is a former staff writer for The Associated Press, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The New York Times. Her book, Everyday Something Has Tried to Kill Me And Has Failed reflects on the experience of being an older Black woman in "periracial” America through the lens of McLarin's personal experiences. McLarin's writing has been described as a "wake-up call" and as "unrestrained" by authors and reviewers. Her unique bibliomemoir sheds light on the pain and power in aging, feminism, and Blackness.

When signing up for the discussion group, please let us know if you want to borrow a book by reaching out to us at info@wistariahurst.org or calling us at (413) 322-5660. Thanks to the generosity of the Massachusetts Center for the Book, 10 copies of the book are available to borrow. Participation in this group and the culminating event is free and open to the public.

Event location:

Wistariahurst Museum 238 Cabot Street, Holyoke, MA 01040

Registration

This is a FREE offering!

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and to register.

Straw Dog Writers Guild invites you to this benefit concert by singer-songwriter Linda Shear at 4 pm on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Northampton Center for the Arts.

Linda is a singer-songwriter and pianist, with music at the center of her heart and life. In the early 70s, she performed in Chicago at the first out-lesbian concert in the U.S. Linda toured with her band, Family of Woman, and played solo in bars, clubs, coffee houses, and festivals, including the main stage at the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival. Linda’s songs come from deep in her heart, and she invites you into that heart when she performs in celebration of love, social justice, and the power of authenticity.

“They stay with you, these beautiful songs of Linda Shear; the tunes linger, and the lyrics take you places to remember and to emotions, you'll know.  And her performances are so compelling.  I have often said that if I played the piano, I would want to play it like Linda."

~Dan Crary, Bluegrass guitarist and 2022 awardee of the Lifetime Achievement award from the International Bluegrass Music Association

Watch a video of Linda's song: Morning Prayer

Click/tap the button below to learn more about this offering and get tickets!