For the third year running, Kew Gardens are back hosting their wellbeing sessions to help you disconnect from everyday life and practice wellness. Whether you’re a seasoned wellness guru or a complete beginner wanting to incorporate more mindfulness in your life, Kew Gardens has got you covered.
This year the programme is comprised of four different types of sessions; vinyasa yoga in the Temperate House, guided forest bathing, tai chi exercises, and sound baths in nature. All tickets that are part of the wellbeing sessions include entry to the gardens and a 20% discount in Kew’s restaurants and Botanical Brasserie, so you can really make a day of it.
Yoga
Get a relaxing start to your day with an early morning yoga session in Kew’s Temperate House, or opt for sunset yoga to slow down and de-stress after a long day. The early morning sessions are early indeed, running from 7:45-9am and start before the grounds even open. So you’ll get to beat the rush of regular visitors and even staff as you get to experience the gardens in a completely different way. The evening session runs from 7-8pm so you’ll still get to experience a much quieter Kew Gardens, as 7pm is typically when the last guests wander in.
The yoga sessions will be led by Anil Jangi, Kew’s very own yoga instructor, and will be a one-hour vinyasa flow. Vinyasa is a style of yoga where breathwork leads your movements and guides smooth transitions between different fluid movements. For these sessions, Kew do require you to bring your own yoga mat and recommends that you bring a full water bottle.
The Temperate House in Kew Gardens is the world’s largest Victorian glasshouse housing 1,500 species of plants from Africa, Australia, the Americas, New Zealand, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. Not only is the staggering amount and variety of plants it houses incredibly impressive, but the glasshouse itself is visually stunning. It is one of the most recognisable and spectacular buildings on the grounds, and Kew Gardens have even hailed it ‘a glittering cathedral’ which we think is very apt. Imagine the golden hour illuminating the glasshouse during your sunset yoga session. What better place is there to find some calm in the city?
Dates for the morning sessions are May 4, June 18, July 18, July 25, August 9 and August 19. For the sunset yoga session there is only one date available on September 12 so be sure to snap those tickets up quickly. Find out more here.
Forest Bathing
Bear with us. You won’t actually be taking a bath in a forest – forest bathing is a Japanese practice called Shinrin-yoku where you immerse yourself in the woodlands. It is a form of ecotherapy where you talk a slow, sensory woodland walk to consciously connect with your surroundings. The forest bathing session at Kew is led by an expert guide to inform you more about the practice. This practice helps you disconnect from everyday life and particularly from technology as your focus towards being present in nature and with yourself.
Held in Kew’s Pinetum which spans 40 acres and is home to a diverse collection of conifer trees to immerse yourself in, this part of Kew is one of its most enchanting and secluded areas tucket away in the Arboretum making it perfect for a session of forest bathing.
The sessions begin at 10:30am and end at 1:30pm which allows for a long and deep relaxation in the woods. These sessions are adult-only (18+) and it is recommended that you bring along water and some extra layers. There are a number of selected dates between April and October, find out more here.
Tai Chi
In this wellbeing session, you’ll learn the ancient Chinese martial art, tai chi. It is a movement meditation that incorporates moderate exercise with a series of flowing movements. Your instructor will teach you standing meditation, joint loosening exercises, and two traditional tai chi movement routines all with the aim to strengthen your mind and body.
Tai chi is a low-impact form of exercise which means it’s great for all fitness types. The sessions at Kew can be done as standalone sessions or you can choose the beginner six-week course where classes are held every week, helping you build the strength of your musculoskeletal system over time.
These sessions are open to over 18’s only and are held at various locations throughout Kew Gardens, with classes having a maximum capacity of 12 people and running from 9-10am. Find out more here.
Soundbaths
Listen to the calming sounds of gongs, singing bowls, and gentle percussion as you soak up the soothing atmosphere of nature during Kew’s soundbath sessions. The sound therapy sessions are performed by Jez Smith, a historical musician with 35 years of experience under his belt and a qualified sound therapist.
Jez leads the sessions to allow you to find peaceful meditation and wellbeing through a therapeutic sonic experience to help you feel more grounded and connected to yourself. The sessions will be held in the Nash Conservatory which was originally on the grounds of Buckingham Palace but was moved brick-to-brick over to Kew Gardens. The glasshouse features floor-to-ceiling windows which will create the perfect atmosphere for the most relaxing soundbath session as it looks onto the gardens.
The sessions run from 4-5pm and are extremely popular as all the current dates have already sold out, with more dates to be released soon. You can find out more here on the Kew Gardens’ page.