When: July 25, 2024 @ 5:30 pm
Connect with yourself and our fellow living beings through this 4-part summer series
This event has been POSTPONED to due to weather concerns. We hope to add an additional date for this event series in October. Stay tuned!
Disconnection from nature is a modern malady. We are surrounded on all sides by fellow creatures, yet rarely do we find the space to experience life alongside them, at their pace, through their eyes. The Māori people of New Zealand recognize the innate connection that humans have to nature, and describe this connection as “ensoulment.” When compromised, lack of ensoulment leads to a sense of “soul-loss” and uprootedness.
This summer, re-root into nature with Ashlyn Miller, co-creator of Inner Woven Wellness LLC, as she leads us on a journey of ensoulment amidst the local flora and fauna of Tessentee Bottomland Preserve. During this 4-part summer series, we will deeply connect to the natural world through a practice of movement, gratitude, and learning.
This experiential mind-body-soul practice will occur once a month, beginning on the Summer Solstice and concluding a week before the Autumn Equinox. We will practice at locations throughout Tessentee Bottomland Preserve to nurture our relationship with the local species. Attend all four offerings, or pick the ones that work for your schedule.
Practice will start with Skye, Mainspring’s Conservation Outreach Associate, speaking to the identity and intelligence of the surrounding plants, animals, and fungi, and how they may guide and support us through our practice. After the brief talk, Ashlyn of Inner Woven Wellness will lead an all-level Yoga & Meditation practice, integrating the teachings from the surrounding beings into an embodied practice and fostering a sense of inner strength, peace, connection, and ensoulment.
Updated Event Schedule
June 20th, 5:30pm-7:00pm: Connecting to Abundance and Oak
August 15th, 5:30pm-7:00pm: Connecting to Community and Forests
September 12th, 5:30pm-7:00pm: Connecting to Self and Roots
October, TBD: Connecting to Change and Autumn
This practice is donation based, with all proceeds supporting the efforts of Mainspring to tend to our local lands, waters, and communities. Donations can be made online, or through cash or check at the event. Suggested donation is $15.
We will meet at Tessentee Bottomland Preserve (2249 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC 28734) at 5:30pm sharp before each practice. Please bring your own mat, water, an extra layer, and any additional props you may want. This practice should run for about an hour and a half. We may walk up to 1 mile to reach our practice location. Trails at this preserve vary from wide, flat, and even to narrow, sloped, and uneven.
Email Skye with any questions. Please leave pets at home.