Health and Wellness

Aging Gracefully; Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m.
In this gentle class, we combine simple yoga stretches with basic movements to cultivate freer, stronger and more vibrant bodies. Everything can be done in a chair, so this class is available to everyone.
$11/class to be paid in full monthly, $13 drop-in

All Levels; Monday, 4:45-6 p.m.
This is a more traditional yoga class with as strong emphasis on cultivating a balance among flexibility, mobility and strength to move from basic to more advanced yoga postures.
$12/class to be paid in full monthly, $15 drop-in

The instructor
Robin Raver has been teaching yoga since 1996, completing a yoga teacher training at Lighten Up! Yoga in Asheville, N.C. in 2001. She continued her studies with Aadil Palkhivala in Bellevue, Washington and considers Aadil her most influential teacher. Her teaching is also influenced by Paul Grilley and Ariele Foster. Robin has been a massage therapist since 1995, and you may recognize her as manager of the Café @ St. Stephen’s. To learn more about these classes, contact Robin via email.

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Mindfulness Yoga Class; Thursdays, 5-6:30 p.m.
This class gives us “time out” from our concerns and dreams, our planning and remembering—things we so automatically do—and “time in” to our inner selves. Each class begins with Yoga Nidra, an inwardly connecting guided meditation, including breath and sense awareness, in a comfortable restorative position. We move into a gentle warmup that prepares us for deeper yoga movements and stretches, creating balance among strength, flexibility, stamina, and stability. The session ends in full rest, a time to absorb the benefits of the class. Students will find peace and an alive relaxation here.

$15/class to be paid in full monthly, $18 drop-in

The instructor
Heidi Chaffee has taught yoga since 2002. She possesses a Yoga Alliance E-RYT 200 certification from Glenmore Yoga in Short Pump, plus certifications in Prenatal Yoga with Leslie Lytle, and Yoga for 12 Step with Nikki Myers; as well as dozens of teacher trainings. Her teachers in various yoga disciplines include Paul Grilley & Sarah Powers (Yin); Seane Corn & Rolf Gates (Vinyasa); Aadil Palkhivala (Purna), Frank Jude Boccio (Mindfulness); David Swenson, Dave Oliver & Gabriel Halpern (Ashtanga); Richard Miller (Yoga Nidra); and Dr Ariel Foster (Anatomy). She taught yoga at the CCV for 17 years, and at many other venues around Richmond and Ashland. She has taught at St Stephen’s since 2018 (minus the period of the COVID shutdown).

St. Stephen’s offers special events focused on wellness, to which the entire community is invited. Examples have included seminars on the connections between physical and mental health, and a special week-long focus on mental health with a panel discussion, a mental health ministries fair, and a play dealing with the difficult issue of suicide. These events are publicized in our regular communications–the Spirit and the eSpirit–on our social media channels, and on our website.

St. Stephen’s Church provides meeting space for a number of 12-step and recovery groups such as AA, Al-Anon, DA, and OA. On weekdays when the parish office is closed, such as holidays, the AA group can still meet. (Please note that this is the case only for AA, not for the other recovery groups that use space at St. Stephen’s.)

For the most up-to-date information on group meetings held at St. Stephen’s Church, please see our calendar.

If you have further questions about any particular group, please consult their websites. Because these groups are anonymous, we neither publish nor provide contact information.