We host regular workshops, specialty classes, and events to deepen your practice in a community setting. Payment is required at the time of registration and GST will be added to the price. We often require a minimum number of participants to run a workshop, so if you are considering attending, please register one week prior to avoid disappointment.
Closing circle for 30 Days of Practice at Hemma
with Jonni-lyn Friel and Hemma teachers
Saturday, March 30th 6:30-8:30 pm
Thank you for your devotion to your practice and to the hemma community. Let’s celebrate our connection, support and commitment!
Join your community for a closing circle to celebrate your 30 Days of Practice. We will come together to meet, share and reflect on what this past month has brought us. As an added treat, you are invited to bring that favourite dessert that you spoke about during the opening circle to share with your friends.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Invoking Lakshmi: Goddess of Abundance
with Cedar Sorensen
Saturday, March 30th from 1:00-3:30 pm
Lakshmi is known as the goddess of abundance in Hindu Mythology. We usually think of abundance as wealth, prosperity, success and health coming to us from the outside. Abundance also relates to our sense inner adequacy: of BEING enough. By invoking the energy of Lakshmi through mantra, visualization, intention and meditation, we can find support and affirmation of our natural inner abundance, expansiveness & generosity. We can open our hearts, and also attract those outer boons of wealth & beauty & success.
This workshop will contain primarily a hatha-vinyasa yoga practice, with a “japa mala” practice, mudras, visualizations and meditations. There will be a short description of the symbolism of Lakshmi’s image & mythology. You will come away with tools and knowledge to empower you to invoke beauty & abundance into your practice on the mat, and in your daily life.
Please bring a mala if you have one as well as a notebook & pen. Handouts will be provided for participants to take home.
(This workshop is part 2 of a 3 part series on Exploring the Divine Feminine. Each workshop will explore pranayama, mantra & asana from the perspective of one of the three major goddesses of Yoga: Durga, Lakshmi & Saraswati. In each workshop the practices are employed to give us tools to invoke these qualities to live rich and full life. Stay tuned for the next workshop!)
Investment:$35 before March 16th/$45 after
Ayurveda Beyond the Doshas: A Deeper look at Vata, Pitta and Kapha
with Dalia Yanai and C.Scott Ryan
Friday, April 5th 6:30-8:30 pm
Saturday, April 6th 12:00-4:00 pm
You’ve heard about Vata, Pitta and Kapha and the different “types” of people according to Ayurveda but let’s dive deeper than the three-dosha theory. Each of the three vital energies is made up of 5 sub-types, which have very specific functions in the body and mind and may affect your health, mood, and Yoga practice. Find out how each sub-dosha functions, and learn effective self-care tools to find balance in your life by using Yoga Asana, Pranayama, home-remedies and Meditation.
Friday evening you will get an introduction to the Sub-Doshas and a deeper look into the 5 Vayus, or Vata sub-types, which have an intimate connection to movement.
Saturday we will look into the sub-types of Pitta and their connection to digestion and assimilation; and Kapha with their connection to water, immunity and memory.
*Please note that Friday evening is a prerequisite for Saturday afternoon*
Investment:
Friday only: $45 before March 29th/$55 after. *Please call Hemma directly to register for the Friday night only option.
Friday AND Saturday: $120 before March 29th/ $130 after
Fundamentals of Ease an afternoon workshop in contact improvisation
with Martin Keogh
Saturday, April 13th from 12:30-3:30 pm
Contact Improvisation is a movement form based on the spontaneous interaction between two people playing with mass, momentum, and gravity. Impulses, weight and velocity are communicated through a point of physical contact that involves mutual support and the cultivation of strength and sensitivity. In this workshop we will start with the fundamentals of Contact Improvisation: the contact point, weight sharing, pathways into the floor and into the air, and finding the root of levity. Special emphasis on releasing the neck and pelvis, and surprising ourselves in extended follow-through. For all levels: beginners welcome (Please have the ability to easily move down to the floor and back up to standing)
Investment: $45 before April 6th/$55 after
Martin Keogh has taught and performed contact improvisation for over thirty-nine years on six continents. For his contribution to the development of the form he is a Fulbright Senior Specialist and listed in Who’s Who in the World. Martin spent time traveling to monasteries in Japan and Korea and was the director of the Empty Gate Zen Center in Berkeley before discovering the world of dance. He is the author of numerous books including: Dancing Deeper Still: The Practice of Contact Improvisation. More info at: www.martinkeogh.com
Yoga for Youth
6 week series with Jonni-Lyn Friel
Wednesdays April 3rd-May 8th 3:45-4:45pm
Through the practice of yoga postures, breath awareness and mindfulness techniques, yoga can help youth access skills to bring stability into their lives. These years can often be a time of change and uncertainty and yoga is a wonderful way to be able to calm the mind and center oneself. These classes will include active, fun poses as well as gentle restorative postures to help burn excess energy and reduce stress. The skills learned through this series will be transferable to everyday life.
Investment: sliding scale $80-$100
Friday Night Kirtan
With Kelly, Tia, and Damian
Friday, April 26th at 7:30-9:00pm
Kirtan is a form of Bhakti (devotional) Yoga where community gathers to share in call-and-response chanting, therein discovering that which unites us to each other. Most of the chants are in the ancient but timeless Sanskrit language. These sounds vibrate within the physical and subtle body, quieting the mind and purifying the heart. No experience is necessary, and song sheets are provided.
Investment: $5-$20 Sliding Scale
Restorative Yoga & Thai Massage
Facilitated by Cedar Sorensen, Thai Massage with Coralie Charland
Sunday, April 28th 2:00-4:00pm
Cultivate deep relaxation through the combined therapeutic power of Restorative 
Yoga,Thai massage & a Loving-Kindness practice. During this special 2-hour class, while being guided through a series of relaxing, restorative yoga poses, you will receive Thai massage therapy. The combination of yoga and massage allows you to let go of deep tension, breathe more deeply, and almost effortlessly flow into bliss. The loving-kindness practice offers us a chance for deep self-nurturing and supports our subtle body. This combination will open the practitioner to experience benefits on a physical, mental and energetic level.
Wear comfortable, layered clothing and leave all your cares at the door. Class size is limited to ensure quality massage time. This event usually sells out, so be sure to pre-register!
Investment: $50 before April 22 / $60 after
Refund Policy:`
– If you cancel 7 days prior to the event, we can offer you a full refund or credit at Hemma.
– If you cancel within the week prior to the event, we can offer you a credit at Hemma, minus a $5 administration fee.
– If you cancel the day of the event, or don’t show up for it, no refund or credit will be offered.
– It is rare that we cancel a workshop, but if we do we will give you 24 hours notice and offer you a full refund or credit at Hemma.
Thank you for your understanding.