Yoga Nidra: Deep Relaxation and Meditation with Vickie MacArthur

Free event

Yoga Nidra will be offered as part of our Community of Christ Peace Forum Weekend. If you're not familiar with the deep relaxation of Yoga Nidra, here is an explanation from our facilitator, Vickie MacArthur.
"When we allow ourselves to rest and relax, healing becomes possible.

There is no true healing without true rest."
---Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear Community
I started practicing and teaching the meditative practice of Yoga Nidra over 15 years ago. Through the years yoga Nidra has been the "go to" practice that has sustained me through the loss and grieving of my mother in 2011 and a traumatic accident in 2023, and everything in between. It has truly been my life raft when life threatens to overwhelm me. It is conscious breath work that keeps me afloat in these difficult times. (You can learn more about these stories and how yoga nidra helped me heal, in my memoir, A Lotus on Fire

The Yoga Nidra that I practice and teach is the integration of what I've learned from training with two very different teachers in the yoga tradition: Nischala Joy Devi and her Abundant Well Being program, and Richard Millar and his I-Rest program.
However, the teacher I've learned the true essence of rest and how to expand this restful state of being into daily life is from Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh. These are the principles that I integrate into every yoga nidra class I teach.
Read more about the principles of yoga nidra and how true rest can help you heal here:
6 Week Online Yoga Nidra Series Begins Monday, October 26th
More Info Here

Please join me online, as we discover the power of true rest to heal, and how to integrate a state of restful awareness into our daily lives.
Peace & Equanimity,
Vickie

See our full schedule of events below:
🌿 SEEDS OF PEACE
Environmental Justice in Action
Vancouver Peace Forum Satellite Site Schedule Friday, October 16 – Sunday, October 18
Questions? Email [[PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca](mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca)]([mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca](http://mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@communityofchrist.ca/))
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🌲 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16
1:00 p.m. | Lynn Canyon Temperate Rainforest Tour Meet at Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre 3663 Park Road, North Vancouver at 12:45 pm Free with pre-registration! Maximum 30 people so register early! Email: [[PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca](mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca)]([mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@CommunityOfChrist.ca](http://mailto:PeaceForum.Vancouver@communityofchrist.ca/))
4:00 p.m. | Welcome & Gathering Community of Christ Vancouver 3333 Kaslo Street
4:15 p.m. | Guided Deep Relaxation & Gentle Stretch Rest and Come Home to Mother Earth with Vickie MacArthur. Bring a yoga mat, blanket, and pillow. We will have a few extras available.
5:30 p.m. | Dinner By donation
7:00 p.m. | Opening & International Peace Award Presentation Livestream from the International Peace Forum
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🌎 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17
9:00 a.m. | Coffee & Visiting Community of Christ Vancouver 3333 Kaslo Street
9:30–10:30 a.m. | Livestream from the International Peace Forum
11:00–11:30 a.m. | Guided Meditation Breathing the Earth with Vickie MacArthur
12:00 p.m. | Lunch By donation
1:30 p.m. | Canada-Wide Young Adult ONLINE Focus Group What does it mean to be a Peace church?
1:30 p.m. | Livestream from the International Peace Forum
2:30 p.m. | Sew It, Don’t Throw It! Learn simple ways to repair, mend, and embellish clothing to extend its life. Bring your clothing projects or your sewing skills and creative mending ideas.
2:30 p.m. | Livestream from the International Peace Forum
⭐ 4:00–5:00 p.m. | Special Guest: Joshua Bennett from Chennai, India Joshua will share how Community of Christ is confronting the injustice of the caste system and how communities can build peace while responding to social and ecological injustice.
5:30 p.m. | Dinner By donation
7:00 p.m. | Songs to Bless & Heal the Earth An interactive evening of music and singing with Doug and Vickie MacArthur
8:00 p.m. | Social Time Relax, visit, and enjoy community.
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🌿 SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18
9:00 a.m. | Coffee & Visiting Activity Hall - Community of Christ Vancouver 3333 Kaslo Street
9:30–10:00 a.m. | Loving-Kindness Meditation For All Creation with Vickie MacArthur
10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. | Closing Livestream from the International Peace Forum
12:00 p.m. | Lunch By donation
2:00 p.m. | Community Ravine Cleanup Renfrew Park Ravine. Come help care for our local environment!
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🎤 PRESENTER SPOTLIGHT
Joshua Bennett | Saturday, October 17 • 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Joshua Bennett travels from Chennai, India, to join us in Vancouver for an in-person conversation about peace, justice, and ecological responsibility.
Drawing from his work with Community of Christ and with Dalit, Tribal, and Adivasi communities in India, Joshua will explore how communities that have been pushed to the margins are reclaiming their belonging and advocating for the dignity and worth of all people.
He will discuss efforts to challenge caste discrimination, including calls for land rights, political representation, and greater ecological responsibility.
With caste discrimination also affecting South Asian communities in Canada, this session invites us to consider how greater awareness can help create a more just and sustainable future—one where everyone has a voice in caring for our communities and our planet.