The Fire Season Sessions

Virtual Somatic Practice for Midlife Women

Have you ever been to a yoga class that wasn’t designed for you?

Already a member?

Slow down and listen to the innate wisdom of your body

Creatively weaving gentle yoga-based movement, mindfulness, meditation, guided visualization and rest, The Fire Season Sessions are a potent way to connect with yourself as you navigate the intense ups and downs of midlife.

These are not exercise classes, but we will move. We can practice showing up for ourselves with the same curiosity and attuned care we’re so good at offering others.

While this class is oriented towards women in midlife, it’s inclusive and expansive regarding gender and age. The words midlife woman are not for me to define :)

To foster a sense of group connection this is a cameras-on offering. I understand that you might need your camera off for a moment, or maybe even a whole class if it’s a rough day. Generally though, I ask for a commitment to join the class with your camera on.


Please reach out if you have questions about whether this class is a good fit for you.

Details

  • 60 minute live sessions happen on zoom Wednesdays at 12PM ET

  • We follow a 3 weeks on: 1 week off schedule. See calendar below.

  • Schedule and recordings are available on your password protected page here.

  • You will receive emails every Monday with a link for class OR a reminder that it’s a week without live class.

  • Access these classes via sliding scale membership by subscribing below $40/$60/$80 CAD each month

Schedule

Dates will be posted three months in advance.

Live classes are 3 weeks on/ 1 week off

  • Wednesday June 11th @ 12PM- First class!

  • Wednesday June 18th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday June 25th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday July 2nd- No Class

  • Wednesday July 9th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday July 16th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday July 23rd @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday July 30th- No Class

  • Wednesday August 6th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday August 13th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday August 20th @ 12PM- Class On

  • Wednesday August 27th- No Class

Annie Bray

(she/her)

I’m a Trauma-Informed Somatic Practitioner, Registered Massage Therapist and Teacher.

My approach to massage therapy, mentorship and teaching is informed by 20+ years of manual therapy and concurrent work and study in trauma recovery, community mental health, applied polyvagal theory, meditation, yoga and somatics.

I’ve been guiding classes, workshops and retreats, both online and in person, for over twenty years.

It takes resilience to be here. The wear and tear is real. The reasons to check out, reasonable and plenty. 

Exhaustion is normal. All of us are living in an unjust system that asks us to bypass our physical and emotional needs, disconnecting us from our bodies. 

Somatics can help us reclaim the experience of feeling reliably well-met, relatively safe and capable of engaging with life meaningfully.

FAQs

  • This is a one hour somatic practice class that will draw on gentle yoga postures as well as other forms of movement and meditation.

    If you practice yoga you will recognize some of the postures but you can expect to colour outside the lines a bit too!

    All the movements and practices we do can be modified or passed on if needed.

  • We follow a 3 weeks on/ 1 week off schedule that will always be posted on your member page.

    Class is on Wednesdays at 12-1 PM ET

    Each Monday you will receive an email with a reminder for class (or a reminder that it’s a week off).

  • It’s possible to come to class in whatever you’re wearing with very little equipment. However, here’s what I suggest bringing:

    • Comfy clothes for moving

    • Yoga mat

    • Pillow(s) or yoga bolster

    • Blanket or two

    Extras:

    • Yoga block or book

    • Any props you enjoy using

    • Tea/ water

    • Anything you like to have around for extra comfort!

  • Absolutely.

    We will not be doing any fast or complicated poses or sequences, nor will be be doing any meditation or other practices that require previous experience.

    It’s probably helpful if you are able to move from standing to sitting to lying down and back again without a ton of trouble, but if your mobility is lower than that feel free to reach out and we can chat about how to make it work.

  • Yes, this is a monthly subscription model. You can cancel anytime and will not be charged for any future payments.

    While you subscribe you have access to the live weekly classes as well as recordings from the previous 3 months.

  • No, there is no expectation for you to unmute and talk or participate.

    You are welcome to ask questions. Either during the class if urgent, or preferably at the end of class if not urgent!

    Everyone will be invited to unmute at the end to say goodbye if they like, and then I will always stay around to touch base or answer questions for a few minutes.

The Fire Season Story

In May 2023, I travelled to visit relatives in places where fire has caused tremendous harm. I stood on a property in Paradise, California and looked at the space where my cousin's house used to stand.

My heart broke.

When I came home to Ottawa, usually a reliably green and hydrated place in the spring, we descended into an apocalyptic landscape of smoke and haze. The wildfires across Canada were beyond anyone’s imagination that year.

Cue more heartbreak + fear.

The backdrop to this was that I and many of my friends, colleagues and clients were—and still are—navigating significant personal upheaval related to some combination of parenting, menopause, and more broadly, our sense of purpose and identity as we traverse the midlife passage. 

I became preoccupied with these converging issues:

  • Midlife

  • Motherhood

  • Menopause

  • Climate grief/rage/fear

  • Burnout

  • Caregiving ambivalence

I started talking and writing about these ideas and they struck a nerve.

Fire Season, a 6-week online program, was born. The class filled quickly and we had an amazing group during summer 2023.

The experience of facilitating Fire Season was really special, but I came away feeling like I'd opened Pandora's box. I played around with ways to hold the space in future iterations of the program, but ultimately realised I needed to step back and wait. 

I’m relieved that, as I revisit Fire Season two years later, my feelings about it are less urgent and more grounded. Maybe that midlife wisdom is finally kicking in?!

This time we will come together for regular, reliable somatic practice sessions that are designed entirely for women in midlife.

Pandora’s box is still there, inside each of us, but we need to find ways to explore the intensity with both curiosity and care, across adequate lengths of time, with access to spaces that feel truly supportive.

The work of showing up for ourselves can’t be rushed or ignored.

I hope you’ll join me (live or via recording) as we navigate the grittiness and the beauty of midlife with a contemplative movement practice as our vehicle.