Holistic Wellness, Counselling & Growth Events Vancouver

Sign up ahead of time necessary at www.newtides.ca/classes - first time visiting our space for a yoga or expressive arts class is free - please write "Free Class - Meetup" when you sign up in the 'reason for attending' box.

Have you been feeling disconnected lately, found yourself at a point of transition, or wondered how to navigate a challenge on the horizon? Do you find it supportive to process your thoughts and feelings in the company of others? Our Expressive Arts Therapy drop-in sessions might be for you. Come spend an evening exploring new ideas, new materials and new possibilities in a cozy group setting.

Expressive Arts Therapy is a creative, therapeutic practice that invites individuals to explore their inner world and experiences using creative modalities, such as movement, sound, visual arts, photography, and writing. Each session will have a theme that participants are welcome and invited to follow, if they feel called to do so. One beauty of expressive arts therapy is that where you begin may not be where you end up, therefore not art or creative experience is required to participate.

Materials will be supplied, however you are welcome to bring your own if there are materials you work with regularly, or have always been interested in but have never tried.

We will begin each session with a brief check-in and orientation to the of the session, then participants are welcome to engage in their own individual process or they might choose to work alongside others to share in the experience together. We will come together at the close of the session, with an invitation to reflect together on the creative work done.

Please note that your first yoga or art drop in is on us - if you bring a friend, they are also of course able to attend their first class for free as well!

Please write "Free Class - Meetup" when you sign up in the 'reason for attending' box.

Sign up ahead of time necessary at www.newtides.ca/classes - first time visiting our space for a yoga or expressive arts class is free!

Come lay on the ground and relax for an hour! This class is all about creating space to slow down, tune in, and connect to yourself. During this slow, candlelit class, Morgan will guide you in and out of stretchy, low energy shapes, weaving in invitations to breathe, tune into your nervous system and your body.
Occasionally there will be moments where we move into something more active or ‘challenging’, but the intention, slowness and breath will remain the same: to find a steady, relaxed place within where knowing yourself , your experience and who you are can feel good.

This class combines little therapeutic moments of connection and introspection combined with slow yoga shapes and movements that are held anywhere from 1 to 5 ish minutes with a long restful savasana (laying on the ground, doing nothing!) at the end… designed specifically to develop a deeper connection to all parts of you: your body, heart, mind ,energy (and sense of soul/spirit for those that want it!)
This class includes soft, and sometimes emotionally evocative music with lyrics, candlelight and occasional options for hands on assists ( consent is given ahead of time - no surprises! ), and lots of silent moments to reflect.

Sign up ahead of time necessary at www.newtides.ca/classes - first time visiting our space for a yoga or expressive arts class is free!

Have you ever felt overwhelmed or overstimulated in a yoga class, or worried about even showing up in the first place? Or perhaps you were looking to connect a little more with yourself rather than feel like the focus is on exercising or pushing yourself to look a certain way?

A lot of us have had experiences of feeling out of place in yoga classes, or as if it didn’t wind up quite feeling like we were expecting it to!

As the teacher paces around behind, you glance at the person next to you, trying to figure out where your feet are supposed to go next - (what was it that the teacher just said?) while feeling hyper aware of the fact that no one else is in child’s pose, though that seems like a really nice place to be at the moment…. thinking “I don’t feel great in this position but don’t really know what else to do and even if I did, then I would be the odd one out…. I thought I came here to relax, but I can’t get out of my head….”

If ANY of this sounds familiar, we hope this will be the place for you to develop a different relationship with yoga, or expand the relationship you already have!

In a trauma-informed, low sensory hatha yoga class with Mercedes, you can expect to start with a grounding practice, shift into a gentle flow, and end with a breathing practice and savasana. There will be soft music playing, low lights, no scents or smells, and no hands-on assists. The class will always have an invitational nature to it - you can choose what forms you do, you might choose pause, or move a different way, and you’ll be offered lots of different options for forms and for movement or stillness.

You’ll be invited to slow down and get curious about how different forms and different types of movement feel in your body, and invited to check-in with your emotional and physical experiences throughout the class. Yoga’s roots will be named and acknowledged throughout the class. There will be room for moments of levity, joy, and laughter, as well as moments of stillness and calm.