Health & Wellbeing

We hiked this trail in March 2026 with The Bethesda Social Club, and everyone loved it! **Lake Needwood–Gude–Blue Heron Loop in Rock Creek Regional Park.** • Distance: 3.6 miles • Difficulty: Easy, with a gentle climb of 337 ft • Time: 1.5–2 hours at a leisurely pace • Scenery: Beautiful lake views, wetlands, and lots of birds (herons, ducks, geese) • Ideal if you’re looking for a peaceful, scenic, and not too tiring experience • Wide, well-marked trails — perfect for chatting Don’t forget to pack your essentials (water, snacks, and tissues are a good idea). If you’re bringing your dog, please let us know in the comments, just in case anyone has allergies. We’ll all meet at the parking lot near the boat house.

Join VSDC to enjoy a meal at Brews and Barrels in Gaithersburg, MD! They just launched a **new vegan menu**, and we want to show our support and be among the first to try it! You can **see the vegan menu below**. Out of respect for others, while eating with VSDC, please order and consume vegan food only, even if that is not your norm. **VSDC: More Than A Meetup** We are delighted to have you as part of The Veg Society of DC Vegan Meetup group, and we look forward to seeing you at our events. Did you know that [VSDC](https://vsdc.org/%20) is a nonprofit organization with membership benefits? With VSDC membership, you will save money at area restaurants and businesses, attend VSDC member-only events, and, most importantly, support us as a clear and consistent voice for improving the lives of all beings through community building and education centered on the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle. The membership fee is minimal, but the impact is significant! [Join today](https://vsdc.org/membership/)! **Ways to Stay In Touch with Us** Thank you for being part of our Meetup presence and bringing like-minded people together. We invite you to: * Become a [VSDC member](https://vsdc.org/membership/) to save money at area restaurants and support us in being a clear and consistent voice for improving the lives of all beings through community building and education centered on the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle. * Sign up for our[ monthly e-newsletter](https://vsdc.org/about/newsletter/) to hear more about our activities. * Follow us on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/vegsocietydc/) or [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/vegsocietydc/) to engage with us. **Interested in Volunteering with VSDC?** VSDC offers many events each month, thanks to the dedication of our event planning team. Would you consider volunteering? To learn more and get started, [please visit our website](https://vsdc.org/volunteer/). **Only Vegan Food, Please** While VSDC welcomes people wherever they are on the path to an all-plant, vegan diet and lifestyle, it is our policy that only vegan food be served and consumed at our events. If you would like to [explore a vegan diet or get support in making lifestyle changes, consider these resources](https://vsdc.org/exploringvegan/). **Liability Waiver and Code of Conduct** When you sign up to attend, you automatically acknowledge [VSDC's Liability Waiver](https://vsdc.org/activity-waiver/) and commit to follow the code of conduct found at [Policies - VSDC - Veg Society of DC](https://vsdc.org/policies/). **VSDC. Creating communities. For your health, the animals, and the planet.**

It's that time of year again! Join VOF Preserve Staff in the annual collection and manual destruction of the non-native wineberry bush. This tasty but invasive plant needs removal so that our native plants can thrive, and we need your help! In the process, the collection of the edible berries is encouraged to prevent the spread of seeds. Wineberry, *Rubus phoenicolasius*, is closely related to the native raspberry, *Rubus strigosus* and they make pretty good muffins. This year, we are including a recipe for preserves as well. This is at your own risk, and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation claims no responsibility for the ingestion of this fruit, so please consume at your discretion. Where: We'll meet at the trailhead by the kiosk at the end of Beverly Mill Drive When: We're starting a little earlier than we normally do for hikes (8:30!) so we can beat the heat and eat the berries! Bring: leather gloves (wineberry has thorns,) water, and collection containers. Also bring insect / tick repellent and hiking shoes. Friendly reminder that this is the only forageable that is allowed to be consumed or removed from the preserve, and other tasty plants and mushrooms need to remain here. Looking forward to a fun and fruitful day of ecosystem management! Please email dreif@vof.org if you have any questions. Hope to see you there!

Click to RSVP : https://online.innerengineering.com/en/event-details/24200 Yoga for Beginners (Upa Yoga) - Free and Open to All In this session, you will learn simple but powerful yoga postures to balance and stabilize your system. No prior experience with yoga is necessary. * Can relieve chronic ailments * Can relieve back pain, stress, anxiety, and tension * Strengthens the spine * Takes only 5-10 minutes to practice daily Designed by Sadhguru, a self- realized yogi and foremost authority in the field of yoga. This session will be conducted by a trained Isha facilitator, after which ongoing online support will also be available. For ages 7 and above. Minors between 7 to 17 years must be accompanied by an adult. This session is brought to you by Isha foundation, an international non-profit aimed to bring well-being to everyone through yoga and meditation.