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 or partial scholarship? Fill out the form below instead of registering. One full scholarship will be offered. Please read the fine print below for notes on accessibility and logistics.
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
WEEKLY AGENDA:
Week 1:
Community building: Meeting organizers in different movements
Philosophy: What is yoga? Lineages and context
Asana: Yoga Foundations - Creating an accessible sun salutation (moving with your breath)
Pranayama+Song+Meditation
Week 2:
Community Building: The ups and downs of organizing
Philosophy: What is Shirin Yoku?
Asana: Yoga Foundations and Alignment - Finding your Warriors
Pranayama+Song+Meditation
Week 3:
Community Building: Post-activism
Philosophy: Yoga for Mental Health
Asana: Sequencing and Flow
Pranayama+Song+Meditation
Week 4:
Guest facilitator - Meesha
Lecture: Queer mythology + re-indigenizing yoga
Asana+Pranayama+Meditation
Week 5:
Community building: Continued connection
Philosophy: Integrating Yoga and Activism
Asana: Deep Flow
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 facilitator:
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!
COHORT DETAILS:
Dates/Time: Sundays 10/5-11/16 (with 10/19 and 11/9 off). 2-4pm
Where: Joaquin Miller, Oakland
With Who: 6-10 QT and/or BIPOC activists, community organizers, and social justice warriors. 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. I know not everyone resonates with activists, but if you: advocate, fundraise, plan cultural events or liberatory workshops, defend our communities, organize or support mutual aid projects, work in nonprofits with a liberatory social, environmental, economic or political agenda --- this space is for you! Additionally, if you are a QT/+BIPOC person who is resting as a political act. You are invited. The definition is broad as there are many roles in our movements! Fat, disabled, and sick attendees welcome. Please read the accessibility note below to ensure that the walking or other parts of the program are suitable for you.
If you have questions, you can email me at hello@solahabibi.com.
Pricing: The pricing is $425 with sliding scale options starting at $350 and going up to $500. I have three payment plan options from 2-4 months ranging from $88-$250/month. I will be offering one full scholarship and a few partial scholarships. Register or apply for a full/partial scholarship using the form above.
ACCESSIBILITY:
Covid: This is an outdoor unmasked event with about 8-10 people. I am working on securing covid tests for each participant for each of the 5 sessions. Participants will be obligated to take a test before class. If someone is exposed to Covid or is feeling sick, 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 participants to ensure we are managing risk.
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. We can stop or walk slowly to accommodate needs. The path can be uneven but generally is a moderate path that folks can walk with sandals (although I always recommend sturdier shoes). The path is challenging for someone in a chair.
Yogic Movement/Breathwork: Yogic movement practices include standing, sitting, and laying down (prone/supine) poses. The class centers your agency. No movements are required of you, everything is a suggestion. A variety of different approaches to poses will be offered to help with accessibility. If something does not feel good or you don’t want to do it, please do not. This practice is for you to get in touch with your body, that can be done through fitness level movements, strength building, stretching, or gentle massage and breath. You are welcome to lay down the entire time if that is what your body needs that day. Some breathwork and yoga poses are not suited for everyone’s body. Please discuss with a medical professional if you have questions on what is good for your body especially if you have an underlying health conditions like high/low blood pressure, POTS, cancer, pregnancy, serious injury, etc. You will be required to fill out a waiver before the cohort begins.
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. Bring your own mat, if you do not have one, please email me so we can sort something out for you.
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.
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.