Calendar drafts
November 5 ~ Holding Space Training
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a transformative training drawing upon the teachings of Alan Wolfelt, PhD and the insights drawn from Amy’s years of work as a doula, hospital chaplain, mother, and teacher. Learn the skills central to the work of the Institute’s Holding Space Consultant and apply them to your personal story, work, family, friendship, and community life. Learn more and sign up today.
January 17~ Life Worth Living
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-month exploration of the New York Times Bestseller Life Worth Living. Participants meet once a month for 5 months ~ dividing the book into a 5-part discussion. online. All are welcome. This course is a 100% tuition based donation course. Learn more and sign up today.
January 11~ Crafting Parent & Teen Agreements
Join Taber Glenn and his mom Amy Wright Glenn for a 4 part exploration of what it means to craft parent and teen agreements that nourish wellbeing and harmony in family life. This course is open to all parents and their teens are welcome to participate, too! Learn more and sign up today.
November 22 ~ Fall Shadow Work Ritual
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a two-hour ritual focusing on integrating the shadows of fall/winter and the shadows of self with mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom. We gather to meditate, read, craft a ritual that is open to all (secular and faith based) and share. This is not recorded. Participants need to attend live. The Fall Shadow Work Ritual is open to all. Learn more and sign up today.
December 31 ~ New Year’s Eve Institute Retreat
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 2-hour, online, live, New Year’s Eve retreat wherein participants consider the themes of birth, breath, and death both in the past 2025 year and the upcoming 2026 year. Learn more and sign up today.
Birth, Breath, & Death
Join Institute teacher Sonja Ausen for a 3-hour workshop focusing upon ~ and deepening ~ the personal significance that each participant brings to birth, breath, and death. Learn more here.
November 1 ~ When Our Parents Die
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-week support circle open to all who are facing (or have faced) the death of their parents. Are both (or one) of your parents facing a terminal diagnosis? Are you their care provider? Are your parents dying? Have your parents died? Join us for stories, tears, song, support, and a safe space to grieve. Learn more and sign up today.
October 24-26 ~ Fall Institute Retreat
Join Institute members and friends for a weekend of nourishing reflection, learning, insight, healing, laughing, singing, silence, and connection. We gather for the third time at The Sanctuary ~ the home of the Center for Conscious Living & Dying just outside of Asheville, NC. Learn more and sign up today.
September 10~ Meditation for Anxious Times
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-week morning Meditation for Anxious Times practice. Free and open to all Institute members. (The Zoom link to join is sent via email). All levels of practice are welcome as we navigate these anxious times together.. Participants meet online. Classes are not recorded. If you are not an Institute member and would like to join, know you are welcome to sign up for Institute membership today.
October 21 ~ Ritual for Pet Loss
Are you grieving the loss of a beloved animal companion? Join Amy Wright Glenn for an hour or rituals and reflection as we honor the grief associated with pet loss. This is a heartfelt and tender topic. All are welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
October 1 ~ Holding Space for Infertility
Strengthen your skills to companion, nourish the support network, and draw upon the healing power of ritual when it comes to supporting individuals through infertility. Learn more and sign up today.
October 4 ~ Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss in Portland, ME
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-hour, in-person training at Birth Roots in Portland, Maine. This training is open to all ~ midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, nurses are particularly welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
September 8 ~ Yoga for Grief
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 4-part, gentle yoga practice specifically focused on holding compassionate space for the experience of grief in the breath, body, and heart. All levels of practice are welcome. Participants meet online. Classes are not recorded. Learn more and sign up today.
September 3 ~ Hungry Ghosts
Join Institute founder and director Amy Wright Glenn for a 10-hour in-depth exploration of what it means to encounter, examine, name, and integrate our “hungry ghosts” ~ especially in relationship with “toxic people.” Drawing upon the work of Shahida Arabi, participants will examine the role of trauma bonds and codependency and how these dynamics unfold both physiologically in terms of attachment systems in the body as well as emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Learn more and sign up today.
September 6 ~ Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss in Asheville, NC
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-hour, in-person training at the Asheville Wellness Collective in Asheville, North Carolina. This training is open to all ~ midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, nurses are particularly welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
August 2 ~ Shadow Work
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a powerful 4-week exploration of Shadow Work + IFS (Internal Family Systems) therapy. All are welcome to explore what it means to integrate, honor, and befriend all aspects of self in a way that highlights creativity, compassion, curiosity, and courage etc. Learn more and sign up today.
July 31 ~ Ritual for Regret & Forgiveness
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 60-minute online gathering focusing on a communal, nonsectarian ritual practice of forgiveness. The practice of forgiving self and/or others helps to integrate and reconcile the energies of regret. Learn more and sign up today.
Comparative Religion Study
Join Amy Wright Glenn fora 5-month study exploring comparative religions. This course is offered as a support of the work at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. All are welcome! Learn more and sign up today.
Death, Dreams, & Yoga ~ in person event in Swannanoa, NC
Join Wilka Roig, Aditi Sethi, and Amy Wright Glenn for a 3-hour, in person workshop at The Sanctuary in Western North Carolina. Practice is set at a gentle/moderate pace and open to all levels. Learn more and sign up today.
Fall Shadow Work Ritual
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a two-hour ritual focusing on integrating the shadows of fall/winter and the shadows of self with mindfulness, compassion, and wisdom. We gather to meditate, read, craft a ritual that is open to all (secular and faith based) and share. This is not recorded. Participants need to attend live. The Fall Shadow Work Ritual is open to all. Learn more and sign up today.
Holding Space for our Mothers
In honor of Mother’s Day, Institute founder and director Amy Wright Glenn launches an 8-hour course presented live via Zoom. Whether you regard your mother as your closest friend, never knew your birth mother, are estranged, grieve the loss of your mother, or are working to show up (or support your partner in showing up) as a present, mindful, and compassionate mother ~ you are welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss in Atlanta, GA
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-hour, in-person training at the Atlanta Birth Center on Saturday, March 2. This training is open to all ~ midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, nurses are particularly welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss Teacher Training
Train to be an Institute teacher! Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 25-hour teacher training preparing participants to lead 5-hour Holding Space for Pregnancy Loss trainings either in person or online. Become part of a movement to transform how our culture holds space for grief ~ particularly the grief of pregnancy loss. Learn more and sign up today.
Holding Space Training
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 5-module training (offered every other week) drawing upon the teachings of Alan Wolfelt, PhD and the insights drawn from Amy’s years of work as a doula, hospital chaplain, mother, and teacher. Learn the skills central to the work of the Institute’s Holding Space Consultant and apply them to your personal story, work, family, friendship, and community life. Learn more and sign up today.
Holiday Raffle
Support the Institute and sign up to win one of three amazing prizes this holiday season. Winning names are drawn via Zoom on New Years Eve (time TBA). You don’t need to be present to win. Learn more and buy your raffle ticket/s today!
Hungry Ghosts
Join Institute founder and director Amy Wright Glenn for a 10-hour in-depth exploration of what it means to encounter, examine, name, and integrate our “hungry ghosts” ~ especially in relationship with “toxic people.” Drawing upon the work of Shahida Arabi, participants will examine the role of trauma bonds and codependency and how these dynamics unfold both physiologically in terms of attachment systems in the body as well as emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Learn more and sign up today.
Loving, Dying, and Letting Go
Join Institute teacher Jessica Kilbourn, for a 5-hour, live, online Loving, Dying, and Letting Go workshop. Participants are asked to engage in deep personal reflection on three key themes/ areas of inquiry. These themes are: What does it means to love? What does it mean to die, and What does it mean to let go? This course will be split into two sections. Learn more and sign up today.
Loving, Dying, & Letting Go Teacher Training begins
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 21-hour Teacher Training. Participants will gain the skills and receive support to teach 3-hour Loving, Dying, & Letting Go workshops in their communities in person and/or online. Learn more and sign up today.
Music through the End of Life
Join palliative care/hospice physician Aditi Sethi, MD and board certified music therapist Jay Brown for this 6-hour course presented live and online. In “Music for the Dying,” Jay and Aditi will co-lead a dynamic, inspiring, and transformation course exploring the role music can play in the dying journey. Both Aditi and Jay are professional musicians and they draw upon their work in hospice as well as their creative work as a husband-wife musician duo. Music is included in this experience! Learn more and sign up today.
Nourishing Resiliency: Holding Space for Difficult Emotions Support Group
Join Holding Space Consultants Anne Crook and Melinda Hitchcock for a 6-week support group. Are you currently navigating a significant change in your life? Are you experiencing painful emotions related to these changes? For example: a recent divorce/breakup, job change, relocation, new diagnosis, or shifts in identity. Major life changes bring grief, which often goes unacknowledged by our broader culture and we are left to grapple with difficult emotions largely on our own. If you’re seeking support as you nourish your resiliency, know you are most welcome to join this community of care. Learn more and sign up today.
Parent Study Circle
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 3-part study of Jonathan Haidt’s new New York Times Bestseller The Anxious Generation ~ How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Learn more and sign up today.
Rituals for Menopause
Join Amy Wright Glenn for an 6-hour workshop focusing on the study, significance, and need for contemporary rituals of meaning to mark menopause. Participants will engage in discussion and study drawing upon the yogic and Christian traditions in particular and conclude the course by crafting their own ritual of meaning. Learn more and sign up today.
Ritual for Pet Loss
Are you grieving the loss of a beloved animal companion? Join Amy Wright Glenn for an hour or rituals and reflection as we honor the grief associated with pet loss. This is a heartfelt and tender topic. All are welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
Self Care Support Circle
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a year long study/practice of self care! This is a wonderful opportunity to commit oneself to the practice of inquiry and the setting of monthly intentions/explorations around deepening one’s self care. Learn more and sign up today.
Winter Writing Circle
This winter, join Amy Wright Glenn for a 10-hours of writing support, practice, tips, and editing support. Participants meet five times over the winter. If you write professionally, for yourself, and/or want to start writing, this is a great support circle for summer time writing! Learn more and sign up today.
Summer Writing Circle
This summer, join Amy Wright Glenn for a 10-hours of writing support, practice, tips, and editing support. Participants meet five times over the summer. If you write professionally, for yourself, and/or want to start writing, this is a great support circle for summer time writing! Learn more and sign up today.
Tending the dead
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 4-week study focusing on “Corpse Care” which connects to an upcoming interview with co-author Rev. Cody J. Sanders, PhD. How has death care evolved from antiquity to modern times? What factors played a role in the industrialization of the care of corpses? How can we bring our best practices of compassion to the work of tending the dead? Learn more and sign up today.
Thresholds: Navigating Life Changes Support Group
Join Holding Space Consultants Anne Crook and Melinda Hitchcock for a 6-week support group. Are you currently navigating a significant change in your life? Are you experiencing painful emotions related to these changes? For example: a recent divorce/breakup, job change, relocation, new diagnosis, or shifts in identity. Major life changes bring grief, which often goes unacknowledged by our broader culture and we are left to grapple with difficult emotions largely on our own. If you’re struggling to make sense of changes in your life know you are most welcome to join this community of care. Learn more and sign up today.
Understanding Suicide
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a thoughtful and important exploration of suicide. This course includes learning more about: companioning as an approach to supporting survivors of suicide loss, confronting shame and silence around the topic of suicide, understanding the biological, psychological, and cultural factors that help explain suicide, and strengthening the network of support around those who are facing suicidality Learn more and sign up today.
Understanding Trauma for Birth & Death Doulas
Join Amy Wright Glenn, Melissa Ming Foynes, PhD, and Jonathan Labman, former Director of The Trauma Treatment Program at the Penn Foundation for a 10-hour exploration of understanding trauma ~ in a way that is evidenced-based and drawing upon best practices. Such an approach is key to deepening the work doulas are called to do in this world. While this course is geared to support birth and death doulas in their work, all are welcome. Learn more and sign up today.
When Our Parents Die
Join Amy Wright Glenn for an 6-week support circle open to all who are facing (or have faced) the death of their parents. Are both (or one) of your parents facing a terminal diagnosis? Are you their care provider? Are your parents dying? Have your parents died? Join us for stories, tears, song, support, and a safe space to grieve. Learn more and sign up today.
Yoga for Grief
Join Amy Wright Glenn for a 4-part, gentle yoga practice specifically focused on holding compassionate space for the experience of grief in the breath, body, and heart. All levels of practice are welcome. Participants meet online. Classes are not recorded. Learn more and sign up today.
You Are Here: A roadmap for the end of life
Join Trish Rux, RN and Jan Booth, RN for an important exploration of planning your end of life wishes and care. What matters most to you? How do you want to be cared for? What are you willing to take responsibility for, and what are you leaving behind for others to take care of? All are welcome. Learn more and sign up today.