After a five-year design and construction saga, the TCC Sages Room for seniors at the Community Center is ready to roll out a roster of activities, scheduled to start the week of March 24. Exciting free, new, and low-cost classes are ready for signups.
Fitness/Yoga Fusion. Sharon Donaldson, Sages Activities Director, will begin a free Yoga Fusion class on Monday, March 25, from 1-2 p.m. Recently retired from the YWCA in Santa Monic, she’s a national trainer for the Y and has been certified through American Council on Exercise (ACE) since 1984. Her class blends traditional yoga postures with other modalities of movement, including Pilates, band exercises, and deep stretches. The class is appropriate for most fitness levels. Please bring a mat. This free class will also continue Fridays at 1 p.m. at Woodland Hills Library.
Family Caregiver Support Group. Are you a caregiver or do you help out a family member? Then you would benefit from the free Family Caregiver Support Group to be led by LA County Commissioner on Aging, Oleeta Igar, on Fridays, starting March 29, 2-3 p.m. Oleeta was a caregiver herself and worked for many years for Adult Protective Services. The class will focus on dealing with challenges, grief and loss; reducing stress; understanding age issues; and sharing experiences. If you have questions about the program, contact Oleeta at (661) 259-9444. Drop-ins are welcome.
Mindfulness for Beginners. Dr. Mel Knight, who recently retired and moved to Topanga from Seattle to be near his daughter, has decades of experience as a clinical psychologist. His low-cost ($5 per session) Mindfulness class, runs every other week, starting Tuesday, March 26, 2-3:30 p.m. He describes the class as being “for people who pursue inner peace, those curious about Buddhism, all who are interested in the recent upsurge in the use of mindfulness among mental health practitioners, and those unsettled by the prospect of death.” The group is not meant for those with a severe psychiatric disorder.
CLASSES FOR ARTISTS AND WRITERS
Introduction to Acrylics. Long-time art teacher, Velvet Marshall, is back with a new Introduction to Acrylics class on Wednesdays, 1-3 p.m. Students will learn the basics of acrylic painting— washes, glazing, dry-brush, wet-on-dry and wet-in-wet painting, how to use acrylic in different ways, color mixing and composition, and how to turn a painting from bland to dramatic. The intro class is $20 per session, or $120 total per six-week workshop (plus the cost of materials) and is designed both for beginners and those who want to improve their skills. Begins March 27.
Intergenerational Drawing begins on Tuesday, March 26 from 3-4:30 p.m. Taught by Mary Crescenzo, the class is open to all ages to create a meeting of the minds between older and younger artists. Drawing techniques and exercises in portraiture, nature drawing, still life, etc. will be explored. This 10-week class costs $150 per student and culminates in a final exhibit. Home schoolers and elementary students are welcome.
Reading and Writing Poetry. Also on Tuesdays, Mary will teach two separate writing classes: Reading and Writing Poetry (9:30-11 a.m.), and Memoir Writing (11-12:30 p.m.). The cost for each class is $120 for the 10-week course, paid on the first day of class. Both the Poetry class and Memoir class will end with an open reading.
The Sages are happy to add Mary to their roster of teachers. Her experience is long and varied. She’s an actress, artist, and award-winning writer who teaches through Lifetime Arts, a national nonprofit that brings quality arts programming to older adults. As an independent teaching artist, she has presented workshops in Santa Fe, NM; Tulsa, OK; New York, NY; and Los Angeles, CA.
Most of the Canyon Sages’ existing activities will move to the new space. Costs range from $6 per session for classes like beginning and intermediate Tai Chi, Buff Bones, and Qigong, to free activities, like the monthly Book Club, and weekly Fiber Arts and Meditation. Classes are sponsored by the Sages, but open to all adults so that teachers can keep their costs low.
Starting in April, the Sages Volunteer Meetings will also take place in the new space, each third Wednesday at 3 p.m. New volunteers of all ages are welcome. And, of course, the First Friday free dinner will continue in the Main Room at 3:30 p.m.
Sages Services Network. Listings and links for social services throughout our area is another new feature available online: canyonsages.com. If you know a senior who needs assistance, check out the site or e-mail Dr. Mel Knight at drmelknight@gmail.com.
To sign up or find out more about all our activities, go to the calendar at canyonsages.com and select the individual class for details and teacher contacts.
For more information: contact Michele at gmsjohnson2002@yahoo.com. Some scholarship funds are available for those needing help to pay for classes. Ask Michele for details.
By Michele Johnson