Forest Tender is a nature-based yoga and wellness cohort for QT+/BIPOC* activists.

*Identifies with one or more of these identities: Queer, Trans, Lesbian, Gay, Intersex, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, of the diaspora, SWANA, Latine, Pacific Islander, Asian, South East Asian, African, South American, from the Global South

**Looking to get a full scholarship? Fill out the form below instead of registering. One scholarship will be offered.

community intimacy + movement + meditation + breathwork + song + queer mythology + land stewardship + forest bathing + mental health skills + philosophy + circle + peer support + decolonized yoga

Forest Tender is a container for peer to peer healing so we may combat burn out and continue our life’s work within the movement. 

In the cohort you can expect to receive:

• Peer support with likeminded organizers

• Yogic tools to regulate your nervous system

• A soft place to land and feel all your feels

• Community intimacy to overcome isolation

• A decolonized approach to yoga helping you connect more to the practice

• A renewed companionship with land

QT+BIPOC community organizers hold space for others, but we are not always offered the same opportunities to process and be held. We manage our own trauma, created from systems of oppression, while vicariously taking on the pain of the collective. Left with compassion fatigue, many of us burn out. 

Burnout might look like:

• Loss of executive functioning

• Brain fog

• Anxiety

• Pain

• Apathy

• Lethargy

• Loss of interest

• Numbness

• Constant fatigue

• Avoidance

• Feeling unreal/ depersonalization

• Isolation

• Feeling overcapacity and overwhelmed

• Unable to manage time

• Depression

Meet your host:

Sola Habibi is a multi-heritage ~ Palestinian, Ecuadorian, and Italian ~ non-binary, neurospicy queer from the Bay Area. An author, space curator, facilitator, entrepreneur, griever, creator, yoga instructor, organizer, and systems thinker, they value connection, care, and community in all that they do. Organizing with mutual aid groups and non-profits since 2016, Sola has burned out on more than 5 occasions, each time they have returned to this work with evolved skills and tools to navigate the stress of community organizing. In 2023, they received their 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification and since then have hosted healing spaces using yogic tools for processing grief, building community, and supporting the mental health and wellness of QT+BIPOC in the Bay Area. 

Special guest facilitators:

Joyous Dawn Bey is a singer, song writer, community facilitator, and youth educator. A founding member of Wild Choir, their voice brings grounding and clearing to our cohort. Joyous will be guiding us to explore healing through sound.

Meesha (they/she); a queer diasporic South Asian (Kashmiri/Punjabi) decolonial yoga guide, seeker, organizer, artist, and fairy. In more traditional yogic terms: they come from a saṃpradāya (lineage) of Nath Yogis and Vedic scholars. Meesha’s classes are a space to learn Shaiva-Shakta Tantra philosophy (how to apply yoga philosophy in daily life), āsana (physical practice of yoga), prāṇāyāma (breath work), and dhyāna (meditation). Her Kuladaivaṃ (lineage deity) is Ardanarishvara (a two spirit representation of ShivaShakti).

Additionally, they are the founder of Alchemystic Studio, queering and re-indigienizing yoga. Alchemystic Studio cultivates healing through inclusive yoga, somatic resilience, and creative expression—dismantling colonial frameworks while nurturing sacred belonging. Guided by integrity and intersectional justice, they empower community, uplift teachers, and aspire toward collective liberation. Alchemystic Studio strives to be a space of authentic and accessible wellness; bridging ancient lineages and contemporary activism. Meesha will be offering a short lecture on queer Hindu mythology and an asana yoga practice. Learn more about Meesha and Alchemystic Studio here: https://alchemysticstudio.com/

PLEASE READ BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY BEFORE REGISTERING!

Time+Dates: 2PM-4PM Sundays from 10/5-11/16. We will be taking several days off throughout the program including: 10/19 and 11/9. Please make sure this time works for you before registering! I expect that some days we will run a bit later by 30 minutes. This will allow for more spaciousness around our circles and for our extra activities with our special guest(s). 

Pricing: There are three options for pricing: $350, $425, and $500. The pricing is sliding scale to help the space be more accessible. If you have the means to pay more, please do. I'm hoping to offer one free spot using a scholarship fund created with the sliding scale pricing. QTBIPOC folks will have priority over the $350 sliding scale price.

Transportation: We will be holding our sessions at Joaquin Miller by the Redwood Glen Trailhead in Oakland. There is no public transit and it's up a large hill, so not very accessible by foot or bike. Carpools can be arranged if necessary. Please let me know before registering if you will need to carpool - I will do my best to arrange something but cannot guarantee it.

Covid: This is an outdoor unmasked event with about 8-10 people. If someone is exposed to Covid, we ask that there is communication with the group, depending on the circumstance you can potentially still attend the session while masked. We will gauge this with the rest of the other participants.

Walking: The walk from the parking area to our destination is a semi-paved fire road. There are parts that will be dirt and occasionally muddy areas. It's about a 5-10 minute walk with some uphill and downhill. The path can be uneven but generally is a moderate path that folks can walk with sandals (although I always recommend sturdier shoes).

Amenities: A bathroom is available halfway down the trail and can be used at any point during our day together. No drinkable water is available so folks should bring a water bottle. Please bring anything you might need to be outside for 2-3 hours including snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. Bring your own mat, if you do not have one, please email me so we can sort something out for you.

This cohort is creating space for those historically left out of the alternative wellness community. Reserved for folks who identify as one or more of these: Queer, Gay, Lesbian, Pansexual, Trans, Intersex, Gender Non-Conforming folks and/or Black, Indigenous, People of Color, People of the Global Majority, Mixed Race/Heritage folks.

For questions and concerns, email: hello@solahabibi.com. 

Permissions:

If you haven’t tended to yourself, here is your permission to do so. 

Community organizers are labeled as selfless, empathetic, and chronically overworked. I’m here to tell you, you are allowed to take care of yourself. Your problems matter, your feelings matter. Just because we don’t address our own internal challenges does not mean it does not affect our organizing or our community at large. You are allowed to slow down and be taken care of. This is my role in the movement, to care for our social justice warriors, activists, and organizers so that they can keep changing our worlds.