Enrichment & Wellness

BGSU In the Round: Community Reads Gatherings

Join us for a Community Reads gathering as part of In the Round, a BGSU speaker and engagement series centered on Indigenous voices, creativity, and relationships with the natural world.

This discussion will focus on the essay “The Sacred and the Superfund” from Braiding Sweetgrass by Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, and will be led by Lucinda Hunter, Teaching Professor in the Department of English at Bowling Green State University.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Gathering will take place in Virginia’s House. 

Please note: Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer will not be attending this event.

To explore the full lineup of In the Round events, including information about Dr. Kimmerer’s visit, visit the BGSU In the Round webpage.

Planning a Medicinal Garden

Saturday, March 7 ~ 11am to 1pm

Spring is just around the corner, and it’s time to make a plan for your garden’s growing season. Participants in this class will learn how to incorporate herbs into the mix to help support their health and maybe even keep annoying pests away.

Other topics we’ll cover include bed versus container gardening and companion planting. Everyone will take home a personalized garden plan that includes what they should grow and where to grow it.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning

Make Your Own Incense

Saturday, March 7 ~ 2pm to 4pm

Discover the long history of burning botanicals and learn how to make your own incense. Burning herbs, resins, barks, and spices is an age-old practice across the globe, and class participants will make two types: a loose incense to burn on charcoal and a cake style from Egypt. Recipes and charcoal are included to continue the fun at home.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning

Morning Yoga for Your Health

Join us for a four-week session of gentle Hatha Yoga and Meditation classes focused on mindful movement, breath, and personal well-being. Each session offers adaptable poses to meet your individual needs, with support from yoga mats, chairs, and walls to enhance your practice. 

Class Note: Please bring your own yoga mat and enjoy a supportive, mindful practice together.

Community Instructor: Pam Bortz

Yoga & Mindfulness

Tuesdays, March 17, 24, & 31 ~ 6pm to 7pm

Wednesdays, April 22, 29 ~ 6pm to 7pm

Spend an hour each week with us and learn to bring balance back to your body, mind, and spirit through yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness. Practice traditional yoga poses, breathing techniques, guided relaxation, and mindful meditation.

We will also explore ways to be mindful (aware without judgement) and how to bring your yoga and mindfulness practices into other parts of your life. All levels are welcome, with modifications being suggested, as needed.

Community Instructor: Jenn McCullough

Sound Bath & Meditation: Equinox Celebration

Friday, March 20 ~ 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Relax into your weekend by joining us to experience the benefits of vibrational sound and meditation in 577’s Geodesic Biodome. Receive gentle guidance to unwind through focused breathing and meditation exercises as you relax and immerse yourself in the tropical environment.

Participants will experience the calming effects of listening to highly resonant sounds from various instruments, including crystal bowls. These sound vibrations, or “sound bathing,” promote a meditative state, allowing thoughts to quiet and the body to settle.

Class Note: Participants can choose to sit or lie down on their yoga mat (please bring your own), or can sit in one of 577’s chairs (please reserve a chair at registration). The Geodesic Biodome will be heated for the evening, but we suggest that you dress warmly in layers since bodies tend to cool as they relax.

Community Instructor: Pam Bortz

Botanical Blends: Make Your Own Scented Sachets

Explore the art of botanical blending in this hands-on workshop where you’ll create your own scented sachets using dried flowers and essential oils. Choose from a wide variety of scents, including Jasmine, Lavender, Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Rose, and Chamomile, to create two (2) to three (3) personalized sachets. Along the way, you’ll learn how to choose scents to promote different outcomes, such as calmness, clarity, nervous-system regulation, and more. Completed muslin bag sachets are approximately 4 x 6 inches.

Community Instructor: Mariah Maddox

Food as Medicine: Cooking with Medicinal Herbs

Let food be your medicine and learn to incorporate healthy herbs and mushrooms into your cooking! Learn tips to conveniently use herbal broths, syrups, vinegar, oil, and honey infusions in everyday cooking. Everyone will sample our creations and take home recipes.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning

All About Essential Oils

Learn all you need to know to get started with essential oils safely and affordably. This class focuses on education, not sales, offering clear, practical guidance rooted in safety, science, and real-world application.

We’ll cover the most therapeutic ways to use essential oils, how to store, use, and dispose of them safely, how they work in the body, what a great starter set looks like, and how to work thoughtfully with vulnerable populations. You’ll leave with a stronger understanding of how to choose quality oils, avoid common pitfalls, and confidently incorporate essential oils into your daily life.

Community Instructor: Lily Kunning

DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning Supplies

In honor of Earth Day, learn how to make your own non-toxic cleaning supplies to freshen up your home. Handmade cleaning supplies are easier to make than you think, cost-effective, and help reduce toxins in your home.

Each participant will make and take a quart-sized jar of dry, non-toxic laundry detergent, and a glass bottle of non-toxic disinfectant spray, along with several non-toxic cleaner recipes they can make and try at home.

Community Instructor: Isabel Carter

Cooking for Your Health: Sauté, Stir-Fry, & More

Join local family physician and certified culinary medicine specialist, Dr. Humaira Lateef, for a hands-on class rooted in Culinary Medicine—where health and healing meet the art and science of food. This vibrant field recognizes the profound impact of what we eat on our overall well-being.

In this session, we will explore several healthy cooking techniques as we learn how to sauté, stir-fry, simmer, and braise, with a focus on a whole food, plant-predominant diet. Together, we’ll cook and sample a vegetable stir fry with teriyaki sauce. Once these techniques are mastered, you will be able to put together quick meals made from any combination of vegetables, seasonings, protein-rich foods, and whole grains.

Class Notes: To help us honor 577’s commitment to sustainability, please bring a 4- to 6-oz. food container for your leftovers. We recommend bringing an apron and a hairnet or head covering. Some recipes may contain soybeans.

Community Instructor: Humaira Lateef, MD, FAAFP, CCMS, DipABLM

Celebrate Earth Day: Evening Sound Bath in Dome

Friday, April 24 ~ 6:30pm to 7:30pm

Join us for a soothing sound bath experience as we celebrate Earth Day at 577.

Relax into your weekend with vibrational sound and meditation. Receive gentle guidance to unwind through focused breathing and meditation exercises. We’ll then relax onto yoga mats or chairs to experience the calming effects of listening to highly resonant, immersive sounds from various instruments, including crystal bowls. These sound vibrations, or sound “bathing,” promote a meditative state, allowing thoughts to quiet and the body to relax.

Class Note: Participants can choose to sit or lie down on their yoga mat (please bring your own), or can sit in one of 577’s chairs (please reserve a chair at registration). The Geodesic Biodome is temperature-controlled and set for comfort that evening, but we suggest everyone dress warmly in layers since bodies tend to cool as they relax.

Community Instructor: Pam Bortz