Imagine stepping from a steaming sauna into the crisp embrace of a Central Oregon winter, your body alive with sensation and your mind as clear as the Deschutes River beside you. This harmony of movement, mediation and nature is at the heart of FLOW/FLOW — a wellness event series blending yoga flow, thermal therapy and guided meditation in a serene outdoor setting.
Surrounded by the high desert landscape and Bend’s natural beauty, Halina Kowalski-Thompson — trauma therapist and founder/CEO of Gather Sauna House — saw an opportunity to create a transformative wellness experience. Gather Sauna House brings the time-honored benefits of hot and cold exposure therapy to the community through a traditional wood-fired sauna and a chance to cold plunge in the river. “The hot-to-cold and back-to-forth acts like a pump for the lymphatic system, flushing out toxins and boosting immunity,” Kowalski explains.
This winter, Gather Sauna House has collaborated with Wildland Guiding Company to create FLOW/FLOW, an event series along the Deschutes River. “We had planned to really start developing our events and ongoing sauna-based integrative classes this season by utilizing collaborations with other wellness professionals in the community, and we were thrilled to find such a great fit in Wildland Guiding Company,” Kowalski says.
Sharing a common mission to reconnect people with nature for healing, the series combines a 30-minute yoga flow, 70 minutes of hot/cold/rest thermic cycles and a guided meditation. “We believe FLOW/FLOW is the perfect way to shed the stress of the prior week, reset the nervous system and embrace the present moment,” Kowalski says.
Participants are encouraged to bring a yoga mat (or use one provided), a warm outfit with layers for the yoga session and a bathing suit for the sauna experience. Classes will initially run once a month on Sundays, with plans to expand frequency based on demand. Kowalski envisions a future permanent location, offering year-round wellness experiences while maintaining a deep connection to nature.
The next FLOW/FLOW class is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 26 at 2:45pm. The price of the class is $48 and those who are interested can sign up on the Gather Sauna House website.
This article appears in The Source Weekly January 9, 2025.
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