The Art of Wellness documentary spotlights the important role of the arts and the positive impact that participating in arts-based programming has on our well-being, supporting people with high stress, anxiety, and depression Facing grief at the loss of your loved one, or managing your way through life’s challenges and traumas, can be greatly helped by expressing yourself through the arts.
Joshua Creek Heritage Arts Centre is featured in the Art of Wellness short documentary, along with other organizations that offer arts-based programs supporting mental wellness.
Ongoing Events & Workshops
MYndful Movement
Every Thursday @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Last Class of the season is June 22nd, 2023
Join our community for a weekly practice in movement of breath, body and mind for a healthier, happier, more connected life. These weekly sessions of gentle Mind-Body connection will bring you energy and vitality.
Community Meditation with Mayur Patel
Wednesdays @ 6:30 pm –7:30PM
Last Class is Wednesday, May 10th, 2023
Mayur Patel has generously offered his services to provide our community with yoga and guided meditation.
Registration is preferred, but drop-ins are welcome!
Soul Sound - Spring Sonic Journey
April 23rd, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
It is the time of year to prepare and set our intentions as we welcome the beginning of Spring! The energy that is cultivated now will result in the blossoming and unfolding of its manifestation in the summer to come. It is important during this time to root ourselves to the Earth and ground our energy so that we can expand and amplify higher as the sunlight increases!
Wild Wicks: Aromatherapy Candle Crafting
Sunday, April 30th @ 1:30PM to 5:00PM
In this half-day retreat, you will learn how to craft your unique aromatherapy candle using all-natural ingredients infused with hand-picked wild plants sourced from the land in a supportive and community environment.
Sacred Cacao Journey into the Heart
Sunday, May 28th @ 2:00PM to 6:00PM
Cacao is a potent plant medicine that helps us to move into our heart, reflect, explore our wishes & dreams, heal what needs to be healed, & move with love. In this plant journey, gathered in circle, we will work with ceremonial-grade cacao from Guatemala.
Rest & Restore with Restorative Yoga
Every Friday from September 23rd – October 21st (Fall 6-Week Session)
Every Friday from November 4th – December 9th (Winter 6-Week Session)
This 6-week series uses props such as chairs, bolsters, blankets, straps, and blocks to help the body and mind soften more into relaxation and stillness. With consistent practice, the more the body and mind will slip into the familiarity of ease and relaxation.
Upcoming Workshops
Through the support of our local partners and board members JCHAC offers a variety of workshops and events that will help members explore the opportunities social prescribing and healing through art has to offer.
Sound Bath on the New Moon
Thursday, July 4th | 7PM - 8PM
Enjoy the soft, healing tones as we stretch, breathe, and connect for an hour of awesome! Seated or lying on a mat, you’ll feel welcome and comfortable.
This relaxing hour will settle your body, mind, and spirit for clarity, strength, and positivity. Relax to beautiful singing bowls and other sacred instruments for deep relaxation, all played by Deb Taylor @debtaylorlife. These tones will help you release tension from the body and mind.
MYndful Yoga Thursdays
Every Thursday @ 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Join our community for a weekly practice in movement of breath, body and mind for a healthier, happier, more connected life. These weekly sessions of Yoga for your Mind-Body connection will bring you energy and vitality.
Toning movement will up-level your whole-body health and improve mobility while connecting movement to breath for stress relief. A variety of mindfulness meditation practices will build the foundation for greater awareness, self-compassion, and calm.
Joyful Movement : Balance and harmony through Tai Chi & Qi Gong
Every Thursday @ 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Every Friday @ 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
In this course, a combination of slow, relaxed, flowing Tai Chi movements and Qigong exercises offers numerous benefits for people of all ages and health conditions. If ‘Movement is Life’, then adding mindfulness to the movement enhances it manyfold.Collectively they are different modalities towards Self Nurturance
Tai Chi and Qi Gong for Individuals with Special Needs
Every Friday @ 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
A combination of Tai Chi and Qi Gong, involving simple, gentle movements with mindful breathing. These exercises can help relieve all forms of stress – physical, mental, emotional – restoring the mind and body to a state of calm and wellbeing. The grounding effect of the
exercises helps with feeling balanced on a physical level as well as helps promote a feeling of self-worth, having purpose, and being connected to the world at large. Sessions typically end with a short meditation session.
Small Group Acupuncture
Saturdays at 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Community Auricular Acupuncture is a unique experience that takes place in a group setting. The serene and tranquil atmosphere of the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre in Oakville provides the perfect backdrop for this therapy. The combination of art and healing creates a harmonious environment that promotes a deep sense of well-being.
Mobility Classes (Awareness Through Movement® lessons)
Thursdays, 9:30am - 10:30am | April 18 - June 27
Do you often feel stiff and sore? Feldenkrais® Awareness Through Movement® lessons will help you improve your mobility. The lessons are done with people lying down on mats. Each lesson has a particular focus – for example, improving stiff hips – and over the course of about 45 minutes, after a series of gentle movements, students notice a big change in their mobility.
Summer-Time Peace & Pamper | Women’s Day Retreat
Saturday, August 10 | 10am-4pm
Because you deserve it!
This special day is just for you.
Together in kind and friendly community, we will settle your body, mind, and spirit for clarity, strength, and rejuvenation.
Starting with tea and mingling we will acclimatize to this Me-Day in the beautiful gallery setting and outdoor patio sunshine.
Forest Therapy
Monday, June 10th | 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Join us for a mindful experience and deepen your relationship with nature. Forest bathing is inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, which gives you the chance to reconnect with nature.
Expect a series of invitations to guide you to interact with the land and nature at the grounds of this urban oasis. There is no right or wrong way to engage these invitations, just come be yourself. Tea service will be offered at the end of the program. You are welcome to bring your own reusable mug.
Reiki Balance & Bliss Series
Thursdays, 7:00 PM - 8:15 PM | February 15th - March 28th
Release and balance your energy with an intentional practice guided by Reiki (an ancient Japanese form of energetic healing). Each week will focus on a different chakra in the body. The class will have an educational focus learning to get in touch with your energy through gentle movement, breathwork and Reiki. A session will include breathwork, meditation, gentle movement, journaling as well as group and
individual reiki healing.
Monthly Dose of Wellness: Susan K
Susan Ksiezopolski, following her retirement from a 32-year career in the public sector, reignited her life-long passion for poetry. In 2016, she graduated from the Humber School for Writers. In 2018, she founded WriteWell to support organizations and individuals in creating a path to success and wellness by unleashing the power of expressive creative writing.
She has developed and delivered a wide range of sought-after writing workshops including; Free the Writer Within, Write on the Spot, Write to Heal, Creative Resilience, Write Your Story – Memoir Writing, How to Build Your Writing Habits. Since 2016, Susan has delivered over 300 workshops.
Susan will be sharing some of her thoughts and experiences in the form of blog posts that can expand your knowledge in the Art of Wellness.
Scents of Summer
By Susan Ksiezopolski Nothing says summer like a gentle summer breeze, carrying along with it all the fragrances of summer that float in the air, the roses in bloom, the sizzling BBQs, the freshly cut grass, the freshness of a summer rain. The scents of the outdoors can instill in us a sense of calm,
Stay in Wonder
By Susan Ksiezopolski As June arrives and schools may be letting out don’t stop the learning. Engaged in learning activities helps us grow our imagination and our creativity. Learning and creativity are intrinsically linked. Innovation and new discoveries are made when we ignite our creative processes leading to increased sense of wellbeing and confidence. How
Tend to your garden it will help your mind to bloom
By Susan Ksiezopolski Here is to more sunny days ahead and more time outdoors! If you are going outdoors anyways why not consider doing some gardening, planting some seeds and tending to them? Being outdoors, digging, planting, watering, not only keeps us physically active and also benefits our minds. In England a study of over