Details and cost information for each session is below. We do suggest that you RSVP if you are interested, and please note that RSVP is required for some programs. We reschedule workshops if we do not have some indication of attendance.

Restorative Yoga for the Holidays

Sunday December 18, 2011 3:00 - 5:00 pm (2 hrs)
COST: $20

NOTE: All spots for RESTORATIVE YOGA are currently reserved. We do expect some cancellations and are keeping a waitlist - please contact Toni to be put on our waitlist - she'll contact you if someone cancels.

Has the holiday season left you in a bit of a whirlwind? Join Diane as we realign ourselves mentally and physically. Restorative Yoga is "Active Relaxation". Through supporting the body with various props we in turn stimulate and relax the body to move toward balance. Restorative poses are specifically designed for those times when you feel weak, tired and stressed and are especially beneficial after dealing with the Holiday Rush. Prepare to roll out your mat, take a deep breath, leave behind the To-Do lists and focus on Relaxing and Renewing your Body and Mind.

LET GO!

About the instructor: Diane Eastwood is a certified 200 hour Kripalu Yoga Instructor, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), a Reiki 1 practitioner and a member of the Kripalu Yoga Teacher's Association.  Her classes focus on stress relief and relaxation in the traditional Kripalu style.  Diane utilizes modifications, and props and emphasizes breathing coordinated with movement, allowing students to deeply connect with the physical, emotional and energetic body.

Finding Serenity in the New Year ~ A Yoga Practice for Peace

Saturday December 31, 2011 9:30 am (75 minutes)

*This special class is being run to benefit the Bedford Community Table/Pantry*
RSVP RECOMMENDED TO HOLD YOUR SPOT (a second class will be held at 11:00 am if needed to accommodate all who wish to attend this event)
COST: Donation - Check only (no cash or food will be accepted)
Please make out your donation check to Bedford Community Table/Pantry.

Join us at the conclusion of this class for refreshments and our Open House (11:00 am - 1:00 pm).  Tea will brewed and served by Téa O'Connor of Téa's Art Studio & Tea Shop.  And Diane is baking!

Help us welcome and celebrate a New Year!
The presents are opened and we're nearing the end of the parties - and it's time to begin e a new year. What better way to start than with a beautiful Yoga and Meditation practice! Join Diane as she leads this gentle Yoga, Breath, and Meditation class focused on connecting with the body and breath and setting intentions for a healthy, happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Together we will create a quality of peace, joy, and community that we can carry forward to our lives in the months ahead.
Suitable for all levels and Every Body!

Payment is a donation check made out to Bedford Community Table/Pantry.

The Bedford Community Table/Pantry is located in the new Bedford Town Center. Churches and civic organizations in Bedford have joined to aid provide a dinner meal each week at an open Community Table for whomever wishes to partake. Older citizens of the town as well as families and persons in need enjoy the convenience and availability of a hot dinner in a sociable setting.

The Community Pantry stocks non-perishable food for distribution upon application, and is open Thursdays from 3:30 to 6:00 pm at the Bedford Town Center. They are always in need of volunteers.

For more information, visit their website http://www.bedfordfoodpantry.org

Contact us to reserve your spot or leave a message at 781-275-4092.

About the instructor: Diane Eastwood is a certified 200 hour Kripalu Yoga Instructor, a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT), a Reiki 1 practitioner and a member of the Kripalu Yoga Teacher's Association.  Her classes focus on stress relief and relaxation in the traditional Kripalu style.  Diane utilizes modifications, and props and emphasizes breathing coordinated with movement, allowing students to deeply connect with the physical, emotional and energetic body.

CURRENTLY SCHEDULED WORKSHOPS IN 2012

Mindfulness Practice - An Afternoon Retreat

Sunday, January 8, 2012 2:00 - 5:00 pm (3 hrs)
COST: $30 if registration is completed by 1 January 2012; $35 after that date

FOR ADDED INFORMATION ON THIS PROGRAM, AND TO REGISTER ONLINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Ring in the New Year by giving yourself the gift of engaging in a silent afternoon of guided mindfulness meditation practices from the world renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program (MBSR) developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. This program is ideal for graduates of the MBSR program, as well as those individuals who are interested in learning more about mindfulness practices. Some Experience with meditation is recommended. The afternoon will include:

• Guided Sitting Meditations
• Gentle Mindful Hatha Yoga
• Walking Meditation
• Guided Body Scan Meditation
• Lovingkindness Meditation

TESTIMONIALS FOR THIS PROGRAM:
"Cindy's peaceful and inviting demeanor immediately put the class at ease. Her tone is gentle and inspiring, and her dedication to guiding her class is always present."

Please visit Cindy's website for additional information and to register: www.sunrisemindfulness.com

About the instructor: Cindy Gittleman, our MBSR teacher and founder of Sunrise Mindfulness, LLC, was trained at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. She presents the full MBSR program at Serenity Yoga several times a year..

Satsang

Sunday, January 29, 2012 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm (3 hours)
Suggested cost: $20-$40 (you choose)

Please join us for an inspiring, enlivening, heart-opening all-community gathering for Yoga-twisting, spiritually-minded, evolutioneries.

SATSANG means "Meeting in Truth". If you would like to inquire into and really touch the vast spaciousness and freedom in every experience...if you're open to questioning the paradigm for happiness and success our Western culture promotes...if you want to finally live as your authentic self and come home to the Truth of who and what you are... and if you'd like to experientially resolve the split between brilliant, ancient mystical teachings or perhaps your own "openings" to the eternal presence of existence with your pain, heartache, loss, disappointments...then please join in an afternoon of deep spiritual attunement and inquiry within a community of shared intent.

There will be:

• Inner-Body focused Gentle Yoga

• Deeply relaxing and awakening Guided Meditation

• Dialogue

• Facilitated Spiritual Inquiry

• Community Celebration!

Starting in 2012, Serenity Community Satsang will be a regular monthly event at Serenity Yoga Center.  Check back on this page for upcoming dates. 
Next Satsang is February 26, 2012.

We have invited Serenity Yoga Center's resident Meditation teacher, Nina Carmel, MSW, RYT to offer these community Satsangs and to share her unique insight into the psychology of the spiritual and the spiritual reality encompassing every individual ego and its search for wholeness and happiness. Asked to teach by both Eastern Buddhist Masters and Western Awakened colleagues, Nina is happy to be available for these Satsangs to guide serious seekers of Truth to awaken to their essential nature, and to integrate this clarity of seeing with their very human experience.

About the instructor: Nina Carmel is a certified Kripalu Yoga Instructor and Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance.  She has twenty years of experience teaching Yoga and Meditation in Europe and the United States.  She is founder and Director of The Therapy Center for Mind and Body, LLC in the Boston area.  She is a psychotherapist (MSW), and a consultant and coach with specialties in mind-body therapies, trauma and the interface of psychology and the existential.

NUTRITION & HEALTH SERIES

This series of nutrition and health workshops deals with how we eat, helps us understand why we eat the way we do, and teaches us how to improve our attitude and relationship with food. See the Topics and Schedule below.

COST: $30 per session
**NOTE: PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

Transformational Weight Loss
Sunday, January 22 2012 3:00 - 4:30 pm (90 mins)
On a diet… again? Perhaps it's time to try a new approach, a dramatically new approach, in which you give yourself permission to fully enjoy food without guilt, fear or shame, and still lose weight. Sound too good to be true? Come find out for yourself!
Sign up now

Sugar Blues & Deconstructing Cravings
Sunday November 20, 3:00 - 4:30 pm (90 mins)
Are you constantly craving sweets and want to understand why? You will gain an understanding of the causes of your sugar cravings and receive practical tools for dealing with them. It's not about deprivation, it's about freedom – the freedom to eat foods you love and have sweetness in your life without the side effects or the guilt.
Sign up now

Seasonal Eating
Sunday, March 25 2012 3:00 - 4:30 pm (90 mins)
Why do we crave hot soups in the winter and cool salad in the summer? Eating in accordance with what's in season in your particular region has many advantages. "The closer we eat to the source, and the less processing and shipping, the more nutritional value we can access. "Every season has a specific health focus, with seasonal foods and cooking methods that support the body during that time. The body naturally needs different foods during specific times of the year—foods that protect us from the effects of seasonal change
Sign up now

Spring Cleanse
Sunday, April 2012 (check back for date) 3:00 - 4:30 pm (90 mins)
As a side effect of modern living, most of us have fallen out of alignment with nature and our optimal state of health and happiness. Spring is the perfect time for clearing away the sluggishness of the winter season. If you suffer from headaches, indigestion, frequent colds, constipation, acne, bad breath, disturbed sleep, PMS, or low energy, a spring cleanse could be just the thing to get you back on track.
Contact us to hold your spot.

Raw Food 101
Sunday. May 2012 (check back for date) 3:00 - 4:30 pm (90 mins)
Have you been curious about all the buzz on the “raw food diet”? In this workshop, we will talk about what the raw food diet actually is, the benefits of eating raw, sample tasty raw food dishes, and receive some easy recipes to try at home.
Contact us to hold your spot.

About the instructor: Charlotte Ott is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and graduate of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. She practices health coaching and leads workshops on whole foods nutrition. She is a regular instructor at Serenity Yoga Studio, and has Yoga teaching certifications from Kripalu and Shiva Rea. She also has certifications in Circus Yoga, Yoga Ed, Thai Yoga Massage, and Reiki Level I.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program

9 weeks starting Saturday, February 4, 2012 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm (2-1/2 hrs)
with an extended practice Saturday, March 17, Noon to 7:30pm

COST: $350 if registration is completed by Jan 23 2012; $375 after that date
FOR ADDED INFORMATION ON THIS PROGRAM, AND TO REGISTER ONLINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE

Is stress affecting your life? Would you like to learn easily accessible methods of increasing well-being and decreasing stress? Come explore the connection between mind and body in this highly engaging and supportive program, originally developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn. This is the exact same program that is taught at the Center for Mindfulness at UMass in Worcester.

The MBSR program includes guided instruction in mindfulness meditation practices, gentle stretching, group dialogue, daily home assignments, and home practice materials, including guided mindfulness practice CDs. MBSR is both challenging and life affirming, and involves a commitment to practice at home every day between classes.

There is a significant body of research supporting the benefits of the MBSR program. People who engage in mindfulness-based stress reduction can experience:

• A decrease in physical and psychological symptoms
• An increased ability to relax
• An enhanced ability to cope with pain
• Greater energy and enthusiasm for life
• An ability to cope more effectively with both short and long-term stressful situations

TESTIMONIALS FOR THIS PROGRAM:

"I came away from Cindy's class with a firm understanding of the principles of mindfulness practice and a renewed sense of my own responsibility for self care. She is a nurturing and patient teacher who models the basics of mindfulness meditation and empowers her students to develop their own practice." - Teacher

"Cindy's course in Mindfulness had a major impact on my state of mind. I went from always feeling frazzled to feeling calmer, more attentive and focused. I procrastinate less and get difficult tasks handled with more efficiency. I even lost some weight with mindful-eating." - Psychotherapist

For more information about this program (including FAQs) and to register,
please visit Cindy's website: sunrisemindfulness.com

About the instructor: Cindy Gittleman, MA. MA, CAGS, is a Licensed Educational Psychologist who holds graduate degrees from Columbia University and City University of New York. She undertook additional graduate training in psychology at Adelphi University and earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

She completed the Stress Reduction Program, the Practicum in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and the Teacher Development Intensive training for experienced MBSR teachers at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society, affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester. She has appeared as a guest on the cable television programs "Shrink Rap" and "Where's Wilmington," and has presented workshops on Mindfulness-based stress reduction to various organizations and groups.