Join Yoga and Qi Gong on the Lawn
Join the launch of Wellness Programs at Woodlands in spring 2023! On various dates listed here you can join a wellness program at the Garden. 1-hr sessions are $15/person a portion of the fee is donated to Woodlands
Yoga on the Lawn led by an experienced instructor (listed below) will focus on a full range of motion in a lovely garden setting. This yoga practice will promote stretching, flexibility, and strength. No prior experience needed. Must be at least 18 and online registration via credit card in advance is required. Minimum of 4 registrants required and registrants will be notified 48 hours in advance of session with updates regarding class changes due to weather or too few registrants. Bring yoga mat, towel, and wear comfortable clothing.
Qi Gong on the Lawn led by experienced instructor and will focus on an engage 60 minutes to restore your energy. This is a beginner's class and used Qigong/Tai Chi to help with balance and relaxation while building strength and flexibility. The class is low impact and is accessible to most everyone. No prior experience needed. Must be at least 18 and online registration via credit card in advance is required. Minimum of 4 registrants required and registrants will be notified 48 hours in advance of session with updates regarding class changes due to weather or too few registrants. Bring yoga mat, towel, and wear comfortable clothing.
Steps to Participate
- Select session and pay $15 registration fee here at least 48 hours prior to session.
- Complete online Participant Waiver here.
- Stay tuned for an email with any session updates like potential cancellation 48 hours in advance.
- Arrive 10 minutes early on the open Lawn space with mat, towel, water, and comfortable attire for an outdoor session.
- Stretch, focus, and enjoy!
Wellness Instructors:
- Ashley Cocchi-Miller: Ashley is a Georgia native who found her love of yoga almost 20 years ago. Finding it to be a great way to alleviate daily stress and become more connected to herself, she quickly became a lifelong yoga practitioner. Ashley has been teaching adult and children’s yoga in the metro-Atlanta area since 2018 and holds RYT200 from Kashi Atlanta and RCYT from Kidding Around Yoga. Embedded with Hatha, Vinyasa, and Yin techniques, her classes are adaptable for all levels of students with a focus on alignment and connection. When Ashley is off the mat, she can be found backpacking in the North Georgia mountains.
- Betsy Godfrey: Betsy has a passion for practices that help us heal and deepen our relationship with the earth. As such, she is excited to teach yoga at Woodlands. Betsy earned her yoga teaching certification from the Pranakriya School of Yoga Healing Arts in 2012. She has completed additional certifications in prenatal yoga and yoga for mental well-being. Betsy creates accessible and fun classes that focus on mindful awareness of the present moment.
- Frani Green: Frani is a lifelong student of Yoga. She began meditating on the beach in her teens and then found yoga in 1985. For the first 8 years of her practice, she was a serious student, going to many different classes seeking a path of spirit, community and health. In 1993, Frani felt the calling, deeply, to teach yoga. Her studies include many different styles of yoga, including classical Hatha , Kundalini, Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Kripalu, Restorative, Yin, and yoga for children. In 2003, after teaching for 10 years, Frani thought it would be a good idea to get certified, and has received several certifications including Classical Yoga 200-hour level 1 through Kashi Atlanta's 200-Hour Classical Yoga Teacher Training. She has been teaching in the greater Atlanta area for 30 years.
- Rebekah Horne
- Mamie Mabery: Mamie discovered yoga around 2004, finding improved balance and flexibility and a slowing down, calmness, and peace. Seeking simply to deepen her own practice in 2013, she completed a 200-hour yoga certification. Yet, in her practice teaching there, she discovered pure joy in helping others begin or deepen their own practices. She earned her 300-hour advanced yoga certification in 2018, and teaches in the Atlanta / Decatur community and online. She creates a safe, inclusive, fun, and challenging space for her students to discover the gifts yoga has for them.
- Heidi Signs: Heidi has had a fascination with Qigong since the late 90’s, when her interest in the healing arts began. She has kept a daily qigong practice for well-being and a healthy lifestyle. She has studied and trained with high level instructors and medical professionals in qigong, tai chi, breath work, somatics, internal martial arts, occupational therapy, sensory integration and trauma, as well as many other healing modalities. Her other favorite fitness activities include swimming, yoga and dance.
Kira Wilsterman: A Decatur native, Kira attended Clairemont, Renfroe, and graduated from Decatur High School. She taught at Oakhurst Elementary for 27 years and retired in the summer of 2021. Kira has completed over 1,000 hours of yoga teacher training both stateside and abroad in a wide variety of lineages. She is currently studying and learning more about gene keys, human design, and astrology. In her classes, Kira uses functional alignment cues to help you really feel into the sensations of your body and she encourages you to be the authority of your own practice. She also loves to share the "nuggets of wisdom" she is currently learning about herself in this School of Life in which we are all currently enrolled. With a balance of silly and serious, her classes are infused with mantra, meditation, breathwork and asana.