Workshops and Support Groups
Nurture your body and mind through workshops that promote relaxation, creativity, and overall well-being. They are designed to help members manage stress, restore balance, and reconnect with themselves.
What’s Happening This Week
Monthly Group: Caregivers Support Group
Monthly Group: Living with Advanced or Metastatic Cancer Group
Thursday Bereavement Support Group (Andrew Hearn)
1-Minute Relief from Stress
The Joy of Smartphone Photography with Casey Chinn
Body Movement
Gentle, beginner-friendly practices that connect body and breath.
Gentle Flow into Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra (also known as Yogic Sleep) is a practice that cultivates a deep relaxation response via guided meditation to de-stress and calm the body and the mind.
We will begin with a gentle movement practice to release tension and stretch in order to prepare for the meditation.
The various approaches included in this session will take you through visualizations, breathing techniques for a focused mind-body connection, and an awareness of the sensations in the physical, energetic, and emotional aspects of your being, leaving you with a sense of wholeness and calmness.
Seated Yoga
Seated Yoga offers a supportive environment for participants to learn and practice gentle, chair-based yoga postures in an effort to connect with his/her body on the living-with-cancer journey.
Tai Chi Easy™ and Qigong
A simplified version of Tai Chi makes Tai Chi and Qigong accessible to everyone. The Tai Chi Easy™ sequences are practiced seated, standing, and/or walking. Both the Tai Chi and the Qigong movements increase balance and coordination skills, develop fall prevention techniques, as well as create a peaceful state of mind to promote inner healing within the practitioner. If you are curious about these practices and their healing qualities, or if you had previously tried Tai Chi and found you could not memorize the sequences, this class is for you! Gentle movement with breath coordination increases one’s vitality, and creates a moving meditation to promote mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. Class will include an extended guided deep relaxation.
Wellbeing: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Way
This practice supports the body in managing stress and finding balance. Qigong draws inspiration from nature, and reconnects us with a steady, nourishing source of energy. We’ll learn a bit about the physical organs and how they contribute to the body’s whole flow of energy. Practicing on your own can help deepen these benefits over time.
Yoga: Refresh and Revitalize Workshop
Tap into the full complement of yoga’s tool chest in this class that combines pranayama, meditation and a range of asana designed to increase flexibility, improve balance, and build strength. Suitable for both beginners & long-time practitioners!
Gentle Yoga Workshop
Gentle Yoga offered by Red Door Community guides participants through classical poses and mindful breathwork, thoughtfully sequenced and adapted to meet each individual where they are. The practice helps build strength with ease, offering a nurturing experience that restores the body and calms the mind. Whether you are new to yoga or seeking a softer approach, Gentle Yoga supports you in honoring your body’s needs while cultivating balance and relaxation.
Healing Through Humor
In this interactive workshop, get ready for plenty of humor as you are immersed in a world of improv games and writing exercises that will help you spark the creativity within and find your own inner superhero.
Pilates Mat Workshop
Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on core strength, flexibility, and awareness to support efficient movement and balance. All fitness levels are welcome.
New! Zumba Gold® Seated: Fitness from Your Chair
Enjoy all the fun and energy of a Zumba® dance fitness class – right from your chair! Zumba Gold® Seated is designed for individuals who need to modify movement while still enjoying an upbeat, engaging workout. This class is appropriate for adults of all ages and is especially beneficial for those with limited mobility, balance concerns, or who use a wheelchair.
Movement Meditation Workshop
Release stress and find stillness through simple movements connecting body and breath. A meditation class designed for beginners, inspiring basic, tangible tools to effectively manage stress on your own starting with breath practice, followed by repetitive small movements, and eventually arriving to a guided meditation.
Women’s Energy Wellness: Supporting the Menopausal Transition
Menopause is more than the end of fertility—it is a natural life transition that invites us to care for ourselves in new ways. While change can be challenging, it also offers an opportunity to cultivate greater balance, resilience, and vitality. This three-part experiential workshop introduces participants to the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on menopause while exploring simple, practical strategies to support energy and overall wellbeing. Each session includes a brief educational discussion followed by a gentle qigong practice designed to promote circulation, reduce stress, cultivate vitality, and support the body’s natural capacity for balance.
Appropriate for women in perimenopause, menopause, post-menopause, or those experiencing medically induced menopause. Caregivers, family members, and other women interested in learning supportive self-care practices are also welcome. No prior qigong experience is necessary.
Creative Expression
Explore new ways to process, express, and connect through art and communication.
Comedy Writing Workshop
Anything you experience, observe, feel, or imagine can be a source for stand-up comedy. This interactive workshop on creating jokes and comedic stories is for anyone wanting to become funnier, heighten their appreciation of humor, or simply share joy and laughter. No experience needed!
Embracing Your Creative Path: A Circle of Friends
This engaging, interactive workshop, offered with Theatre Within, welcomes writers, performers, and visual artists in all fields and at all levels of experience. Workshop members may share work at any stage of development, or talk about or share any aspect of their creative life. You’ll receive nourishing feedback in a supportive setting.
Free Writing
The practice of free writing consists of writing whatever words arrive at the tip of your pen, without judgment. In this new workshop you’ll be inspired by a series of prompts — quotes, poems, ideas, images, and more. We’ll practice this expansive technique together and share our work in an atmosphere of support, exploration, and freedom.
This workshop will hopefully encourage introspection and self-awareness, and enhance emotional well-being.
Introduction to Playwriting
Whether you’re inspired by the greats or just curious to try something new, playwriting can begin at any point in life. This workshop offers a relaxed, supportive space to explore the basics — like building characters, shaping a plot, and creating meaningful moments on stage. You’ll experiment with writing and short scenes, then have the chance to hear your words read aloud and share reflections with others.
This is a low-pressure environment focused on creativity and discovery — no experience is needed. Just bring a pen, a notepad, and an open mind. Every other month, a selection of pieces will be featured in a casual Zoom performance.
John Lennon Real Love Project: A Songwriting Workshop
Express yourself in song! Drawing inspiration from John Lennon, you’ll learn basic songwriting techniques from a working singer-songwriter.
Bring a song in any stage of development: a melody, lyrics, a fragment, or an idea. Or join just to listen!
Non-musicians are welcome, and no previous songwriting experience is required.
The Joy of Smartphone Photography
“The best camera is the one that’s with you.” — Chase Jarvis
Learn to take great photos and use creative features built right into your smartphone. We’ll explore basic photo design principles, plus apps for turning your smartphone photos into works of art you can’t wait to share!
Knitting & Crocheting Circle Workshop
Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned pro, this workshop has something for everyone! Learn the basics or master new techniques in a fun, supportive environment, with expert guidance to help you unlock your creativity with yarn. Perfect for:
- Beginners eager to start their crafting journey
- Intermediates looking to refine skills
- Experts hoping to explore new patterns and techniques
Don’t miss out on this creative experience! Bring your yarn, bring your ideas, and let’s stitch something beautiful together.
Unsent Letters
This workshop invites participants to write letters to people, places, concepts, or parts of themselves, giving voice to thoughts and feelings that may otherwise go unexpressed.
Guided prompts and reflective exercises help participants explore relationships, inner dialogue, and life moments from different perspectives.
Writing time is paired with optional sharing, offering space for insight, clarity, and personal connection.
Pieces of Me: Collage Through Cancer
We process. We paste. We piece it back together.
Join us for a monthly creative gathering where scissors, stories, and soul come to stick together.
Through writing prompts and collage, we’ll explore the highs, lows, and unexpected gifts of navigating cancer. Whether you’re in or post-treatment, bereaved, trying to make sense of it all, or supporting a loved one diagnosed with cancer, this is a safe, supportive space to express yourself through words and visuals.
Each lesson offers tools and inspiration you can bring home:
- Start a personal legacy collage book
- Capture dreams and insights, visually or in writing
- Turn hard days into healing pages
You don’t need to be “artsy” or a writer, just curious. Over time, these small creative acts may become a lifeline. A gentle ritual. A visual diary of your inner world. Something sacred and lasting.
New York Junior League Art Workshop
New York Junior League is dedicated to making the arts accessible to everyone by providing engaging creative workshops that foster self-expression, confidence, and community. Through a variety of hands-on art experiences, participants can explore new techniques, reduce stress, and connect with others in a meaningful way. Every workshop includes complimentary art supplies, so participants can focus on creating without worrying about materials.
Mining Your Memory: Writing Memoir & Personal Essays
This interactive workshop is for anyone who wants to write about their life. New and experienced writers are welcome! Using writing prompts, you’ll put memories on paper in your own unique voice. If you are searching for or exploring the through-line of your life, this workshop will help ignite your creativity.
Meditative Pattern Making with Zentangle®
Zentangle® is a fun and relaxing way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. There are many benefits to drawing with the Zentangle® method, such as improving focus, confidence, self-esteem, stress reduction, pain management, and so much more. No artistic talent is needed.
New! Uncover Your Inner Poet
Experience the many benefits of reading, writing, and sharing poetry as each week we learn a new poetic skill and practice using it in class. Did you know that the imagery, sounds, and rhythms of a poem, as well as its content, can:
- Improve your heart health and blood pressure, reduce pain, and improve your mood?
- Strengthen your memory, cognitive function, and ability to cope with stress?
- Bring increased joy, hope, and emotional well-being into your life?
Maybe you don’t know it, but everyone’s a poet. Whether you are experienced or new to poetry, join us and uncover your inner creativity!
Let’s Write
All types of writers welcome. We work on screenplays, short stories, poetry, nonfiction, fiction, and anything in between. Bring in whatever you’ve got! If you are drawn to creative writing, this class is for you. It’s designed like a writer’s room, as we encourage group participation. Our goal is to create a safe, welcoming, and inspired room.
Comic Making as Self-Expression
In this workshop, participants learn how to draw original cartoon characters and write original comic stories. We’ll go over camera shots, panel transitions, and creating stories together. We’ll analyze humorous comic structure as well as non-fiction comics based on real-life events. Workshop members will have the option of working in either genre as they share their unique life perspective.
Red Door Reads
Red Door Community holds a book club, Red Door Reads, every other month from 12:00–1:30 PM. Join us for lively discussions featuring popular and award-winning books chosen by our members.
Each session offers an opportunity to share reflections, connect with fellow members, and enjoy thoughtful conversation in a welcoming and relaxed setting. Participants also get to vote on the next book selection at the end of each meeting.
We hope you’ll join us for our next Red Door Reads discussion!
The Story You Tell Writing Workshop
This writing workshop explores ten core writing craft skills — voice, metaphor, detail, dialogue, structure, and more — through both fiction and nonfiction. Whether you’re telling true stories or imagined ones, each session offers tools to help shape, express, and reflect your lived experience.
MAD Art Workshop
Learn cartooning, caricature, and more from one of the top humor illustrators in the country! No previous experience is required. Please have paper and pencil nearby.
Stress Reduction
Meditation, Reiki, sound, and relaxation practices to calm the mind and restore balance.
Healing Sound Meditation and Sonic Attunement Workshop
We are all vibrational beings; the universe itself is vibrating and through the intentional use of sound we can attune ourselves to be in greater harmony. Join us to experience the subtle, yet profound, positive effects of intentional sound and harmonic overtones in the body. This will be a relaxing workshop to help align with wellness and self-healing.
Home Within: Reiki & Hypnosis for Body, Mind, and Spirit
When the conscious mind rests, the subconscious awakens with possibilities. In this session, you’ll experience a gentle blend of hypnosis and Reiki—a practice for your body, mind, and spirit—to reconnect with your inner knowing and find deep relaxation. You’ll release tension, ease discomfort, and anchor inner resources like calm, connection, and confidence. Step into a nurturing space to rest, restore, and support your emotional balance and resilience.
Members are encouraged to bring a yoga mat if they wish to lie down during the session. Participation can also take place while seated, based on individual comfort and preference.
Meditation for Radical Change
What does it mean to create radical change? …change in one’s body mind and spirit? Where to begin? What does it look like? How will this effect my life …with family and friends? Finding the stillness and awareness in meditation, opens the mind and heart to compassion for one self and others. Having a dialogue with others helps bring to light the peace that meditation brings to our lives. As we become more greatly aware of the shifts and opening of our hearts, we get to share with others our journey. Sometimes the journey can be as calm as mountain brook or as turbulent as the ocean ways. Either way, meditation practice will calm the mind and allow us to surf the waves and face our life’s journey with compassionate awareness.
New Year’s Gratitude
“Enough is a feast.” – Buddhist adage
End the year with the simple and powerful practice of opening your heart giving thanks for the gift of this life. The workshop consists of a brief talk, a guided period of lovingkindness meditation, and group dialogue. No previous experience is required.
Led by Joe Raiola, longtime Artistic Director of Theatre Within and meditation practitioner.
Reiki Live!
A delicious hour of relaxation and renewal to support your healing journey – live now at Red Door! Facilitated by Pamela Bloom, this one-hour group session combines guided meditation, Reiki, and restful music to help you find your inner balance on all levels. Used frequently in hospitals today to help patients reduce stress, Reiki is an energy transmitted through the hands; to honor Red Door’s policy for social distancing, however, no physical touch will be involved.
1-Minute Relief from Stress
Learn easy 1-minute self-help techniques to support you in letting go of your stressful thoughts, relaxing rapidly, and proactively preventing stress. Increase your positive attitude, your optimism, and your positive expectancy. Experience soothing guided relaxation & calming imagery in this relaxing workshop.
Activate Your Inner Healer
Whether you’re dealing with a cancer diagnosis or involved in caregiving, we all face physical and emotional stresses that call out for healing and renewal. In this workshop, we combine relaxation and stress-reducing techniques with Reiki, guided visualization, and music to cultivate inner balance and activate our natural ability to self-heal. Facilitated by Reiki Master Pamela Bloom, this ongoing weekly workshop is a continuation of her former class “Calm Through Crisis,” with an added emphasis on self-empowerment and group support. Described by one participant as “the most refreshing I’ve felt in 50 years”. This safe and restful haven requires no special meditation background and is essentially effortless. Participants can either remain seated or lie down during the session to best enjoy the healing vibes. Because we like the group to start together, please try your best to come on time.