2025 Be Well Community Wellness Day!
Brought to you by Student Health and Wellness, the Be Well Community Wellness Day is an opportunity for students, staff, faculty, and Swarthmore College community members to participate in a wide range of activities, including yoga, sound baths, massages, Afrodance, and more!
Activities will be taking place all throughout campus on April 11th between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Drop in to offerings that interest you, or try them all! See the full day’s schedule below for more information on session descriptions, timing, and locations.
Descriptions by Offering
Session Offering: Outdoor Community Gentle Stretch & Flow Yoga
Speaker/Practitioner: Mary Thompson - Park Avenue Community Center (PAC Center)
Time: 10-11 a.m.
Location: DCC Lawn (Rain Location - Upper Tarble)
Participant Capacity: Up to 100 (outdoors); Up to 40 (indoors)
Description: Start your morning with an outdoor mindful yoga practice, surrounded by nature's beauty. We will connect with our breath as we mindfully move through gentle stretches and yoga poses, and end with a relaxing savasana pose. Suitable for all bodies. Be sure to bring a water bottle, comfy clothes, and your mat (if possible you have one– but we’ll be able to provide some for those who do not have their own).
Bio: Mary Thompson, E-RYT 200, is the Director of Adult Programs and Health & Wellness at the Park Avenue Community Center. She is grateful for the opportunity to share her passion for yoga with the Swarthmore College community.
Session Offering: Blender Bike Smoothies
Speaker/Practitioner: Bike Powered Events
Time: 10am-1pm
Location: Kemp Family Commons
Participant Capacity: 150
Description: Pedal on a stationary bike to mix up a smoothie of your choice.
Session Offering: Intro to Zentangle Workshop
Speaker/Practitioner: Laura Kuchmay
Time: 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: Trotter 303
Participant Capacity: 20-25
Description: In this introductory class you will learn the relaxing and mindful art of Zentangle with instructor and CZT Laura Kuchmay. The Zentangle Method, created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas, is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns. These patterns are called tangles. As you learn and draw, you will explore the invitation to practice gratitude, be mindful, slow down, increase your focus and enjoy creating!
You will be introduced to the basic steps of the Zentangle method and exposed to the associated vocabulary and tools used. As a student, you will be immersed in creating a Zentangle Tile and will leave with a clear understanding that, “Anything is possible one stroke at a time.”
Bio: Laura Kuchmay is a Certified Zentangle Teacher, Teaching Artist, and full-time Adult Services Librarian at the Middletown Free Library near Media, PA. She has been Zentangling and doing embroidery for over ten years and truly believes in the relaxing properties of these two art forms.
Session Offering: Massages
Speaker/Practitioner: Philadelphia Massage School Massage Therapists (contact Donna Zadie)
Time: 11:00 am to 2:00pm
Location: Kemp Family Commons
Participant Capacity: 48
Description: Treat yourself to a chair massage. Fifteen minutes in a massage chair can help you rejuvenate, relax, and de-stress, so be sure to reserve your slot before they’re gone!
Session Offering: Drum Circle
Speaker/Practitioner: Max Young with Rhythmetrix
Time: 12 pm - 1pm
Location: DCC Lawn (Rain location - Upper Tarble)
Participant Capacity: up to 100
Description: Rhythmetrix combines music with mindfulness and movement to rewire the brain and regulate the nerves. The team of RhythmetriX Facilitators will lead up to 100 people in a communal experience of percussion and rhythmic drumming.
Bio: Founder and lead visionary, Max Young is a neurodivergent drummer with a keen understanding of human behavior and a dynamic, playful spirit. As a RENO-endorsed drummer, a distinction recognizing excellence in rhythmic expression and innovation, Max brings leadership experience across multiple industries and an insatiable curiosity for learning. His ultimate vision is to establish rhythmic expression as a widely recognized and accessible mental health tool across the country.
Session Offering: Guided Meditation
Speaker/Practitioner: Anna Schneyder
Time: 1-2 p.m.
Location: Fragrance Garden (rain location - Upper Tarble)
Participant Capacity: 20-25
Description: Join us for a guided meditation. Let’s reconnect, distress and recharge together in community.
Bio: Anna Shneyder is a certified meditation teacher and yoga instructor with 15 years of dedicated mindfulness and meditation practice. Anna received her Mindfulness & Meditation Teaching Certification from the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. She also holds a BA degree in Adult and Organizational development from Temple University.
Session Title: Afrovibes Dance Class (@afrvbz)
Speaker/Practitioner: Rasaq Lawal - Afrvbz
Time: 2-3 p.m.
Location: DCC Lawn (rain location - Upper Tarble)
Participant Capacity: Up to 100 (outdoors); Up to 40 (indoors)
Description: Immerse yourself in the heat and energy of the Afro-pop and afro-house phenomena sweeping the globe; Prepare to move to music from across the continent most notably the sounds and styles of Azonto (Ghana), Amapiano (S. Africa), and the ever-evolving Afrobeats genre from the giant of Africa, (Nigeria). Smooth & nuanced yet lively and stimulating, this class will have you sweaty and smiling while learning basic Afrobeats moves and grooves. The class will begin with a dynamic stretching flow and close with a brief centering meditation and cool down to complete the arc of your Afrobeats journey. All levels are welcome.
Bio: Rasaq Lawal aka Gr8Gr&Sun is a one-of-a-kind vocalist, drummer, dancer and mindfulness facilitator who has performed on leading platforms such as So You Think You Can Dance (Season Six) and also as an opening performer for Grammy Award Winning artist Wizkid. Rasaq blends a combination of comedy, motivational mantras, and unmatched energy to create an experience unlike anything ever seen in the dance wellness space. His palpable passion for spreading joy and positivity through culture and wellness has made him a rare force in the dance wellness arena.
Session Offering: Being Well with Sound – Sound Bath
Speaker/Practitioner: Shaun Collins - Neroli Soft
Time: 3-4 p.m.
Location: Kohlberg, Scheuer Room
Participant Capacity: 20-25
Description: During this soundscape you will be guided along a soothing sound healing journey. From African drumming to Tibetan singing bowls sound has been used to guide and heal the body for centuries! This is a deeply immersive full-body experience where vibrations are transmitted to your body from various sound healing instruments. Allowing you to comfortably bask in the waves of harmonic sound. All you have to do is simply rest, be present, and allow your body to drift along a beautiful soundscape journey.
Bio: Shaun C. is a Somatic Healing Arts Practitioner, with a passion for mental health, creative expression, and spirituality. Shaun’s work centers supporting individuals and communities by using various healing art modalities. She has worked with mental health organizations, non-profits, colleges, and more.
Offering: Dessert Food Truck
Vendor(s): Cream and Ice
Time: 3-4:45 p.m.
Location: Rose Garden Circle
Description: Come and enjoy one of 10 flavors (including vegan options) from this locally owned ice cream truck!
Offering: Dessert Food Truck
Vendor(s): Glazed and Confused Donuts
Time: 3-4:45 p.m.
Location: Rose Garden Circle
Description: Made to order mini-donuts? Yes please! Stop by the Glazed and Confused food truck for some warm, fresh, and delicious donuts with unique topping options!
