You can expect occasional reflections, simple practices, seasonal offerings, community events, and resources from my work as a therapist, yoga teacher, and human being.
Autumn Welcome
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An Autumnal Welcome to Heart Stone If you’re receiving this, chances are you’ve connected with Heart Stone in some way, through therapy, yoga, a workshop, a community event, a friend, or simply by being part of the same community. However you found your way here, I’m glad you’re here. For the past several years, Heart Stone has primarily been known as a counseling practice. Counseling will continue to be an important part of the work, while Heart Stone grows to include yoga, embodiment, trauma-sensitive practice, education, wellness, and community. So, what is Heart Stone? The name comes from something simple: finding a heart-shaped stone. Maybe you’ve noticed one while walking, picked one up and carried it home, or found one and thought of someone you wanted to give it to. There’s something lovely about that small moment of noticing, something ordinary becoming meaningful because you stopped long enough to see it. That small act of noticing feels connected to what Heart Stone has become: creating space to slow down, pay attention, connect with ourselves and one another, and notice what has meaning. Over the years, my work has continued to evolve alongside the people and communities I’ve had the privilege of working with, bringing together more than 25 years of clinical and community experience with yoga, mindfulness, embodiment, and trauma-sensitive practice. Across all of these spaces there is the opportunity to explore choice, curiosity, authentic connection, and a kinder relationship with ourselves and one another. Ways to stay connected Monthly newsletters are one place to share upcoming classes and workshops, community opportunities, reflections, resources, things I’m learning, and occasional invitations to pause and notice what’s here. You may find a little something to consider, practice, explore, or carry with you. I’ll be thoughtful about what I send and why I’m sending it. You can always choose how much you want to hear from me, and I welcome your feedback about what feels useful, what doesn’t, and what you’d like to see more of. My hope is simply that this can be a place to stay connected without adding more noise. Autumn Opportunities to Practice & Connect Sunday Reset: Seasonal Yoga & Restoration 12-week series • September 13–November 29 Sunday Reset was created as a welcoming, accessible space to slow down at the end of the week, reconnect with yourself, and spend a little time in community. Each Sunday we weave together gentle movement, breath awareness, meditation, mindful awareness, and restorative practices. The series follows the rhythms of the season, giving us an opportunity to pause, notice what is here. The practice is all-levels and rooted in choice. There is no particular way you need to move, experience, or participate. Come as you are. No previous yoga experience is needed. https://medwayma.myrec.com/info/activities/program_details.aspx?ProgramID=30690 Flow at Drift & Oak Come flow with me Thursday mornings at 9am at Drift & Oak in Medway. This weekly class is a chance to move, breathe, and connect in a small, welcoming boutique studio. We'll explore a thoughtfully sequenced flow with options along the way so you can find a practice that works for you that day. https://www.driftandoak.com/classes Individual TCTSY I'm also beginning to offer individual Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) sessions. TCTSY is a body-based practice that centers choice, agency, and present-moment awareness. Rather than focusing on how a pose is supposed to look, the practice creates space to explore movement and sensation through your own experience. An individual session might include gentle movement, grounding, breath awareness, stillness, and opportunities to notice sensations and make choices about what feels supportive. Sessions can be adapted to meet you where you are, with no expectation that you move in any particular way. If you're curious about TCTSY or wondering whether an individual session might be a good fit, I'd be happy to talk with you. Reach out anytime at joannphillipslicsw@gmail.com. Coming Soon I’m excited to be expanding opportunities to experience Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY) through Heart Stone. Coming soon:
If you’re interested in TCTSY whether in person or virtually please reach out anytime for more information or to let me know you’d like to be notified as these offerings take shape. joannphillipslicsw@gmail.com A Little Invitation If you'd like to join me for a class, workshop, TCTSY offering, or community event, I'd love to see you there. And if you have an idea for something you'd like to see offered in the community, I'd love to hear that, too. With gratitude, Jo-Ann |
Heart Stone Counseling Services
You can expect occasional reflections, simple practices, seasonal offerings, community events, and resources from my work as a therapist, yoga teacher, and human being.
Heart Stone | November As we move deeper into autumn, I’ve been thinking about the rhythms of the past few months, what we have to opportunity to take from them, and what helps us feel grounded and supported as we move through the season. At a book club recently, we found ourselves talking about what a beautiful summer we’d had. Bright, airy, sunny and warm, with cool, windy nights. It was just about as lovely as a New England summer can be. And this fall has been pretty remarkable, too. The...
This week I’ve been spending a lot of time talking about and feeling through the news out of Cornell, and the ongoing story of Nolan Wells. There is a lot of heaviness in the news right now, sexual assault and gender and race-based violence, questions of safety, justice, and accountability. This week, TCTSY and The Center for Trauma and Embodiment are holding sessions that are free and open to anyone who wants in. I am going to do the same, because moving together, breathing together, is...
Well, I keep putting one foot in front of the other and taking one breath at a time. And that’s part of what the Autumn season asks of us, too. To notice what has grown, what we’re ready to gather, and what we might be ready to loosen our grip on. To return to ourselves without needing to have everything figured out. Just in time for the change of seasons, I finally hit publish on my very first Heart Stone Newsletter. A little reflection on where we’ve been, what we’re carrying forward, as we...