Greater Scranton YMCA and Ski Shack Present Healing Summer Vibes Event

As part of the Greater Scranton YMCA’s Wellbeing Initiative, the Y will host a Healing Summer Vibes wellness event in partnership with Ski Shack. The event will take place from 1:00-4:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 5th at Aylesworth Park in Jermyn.

At the event, attendees can participate in a variety of sessions including:

• Forest Bathing Hike led by Melissa Roberts, owner of Ski Shack. Attendees will take a peaceful walk around the lake and will use all senses to experience what nature is around them.
• Yoga led by Kailin Bouse. Experience a relaxing yoga class focused on inner balance and harmony. Practice breath aligned movements, calm your mind, and raise your vibration while surrounded by nature!
• Floating Sound Healing Meditation led by Kailin Bouse. Attendees will float peacefully on the water during this unique guided meditation experience outdoors. During this meditative floating sound experience, attendees will be immersed in the healing sound waves of crystal singing bowls, gongs, chimes, rainsticks and more!
• Jeannine Luby of Laugh to Live! leads laughter yoga, which does not use a yoga mat, nor require fitness clothes or the ability to touch your toes. She leads intentional laughter activities that include breathing, clapping, laughing and simple movements to enjoy multiple benefits that come from laughter, like improved mood, blood flow and lowered stress.

Please note, registration is required for the Floating Sound Healing portion of the event only. To register, click here.

“Prior to joining the Wellbeing Initiative, I worked in inpatient drug and alcohol/mental health for five years,” said Katie Moran, B.S., CAAP, Coordinator of Wellbeing Initiatives, Greater Scranton YMCA. “Every day, I saw people who had lost everything and hit rock bottom in their lives. It is gratifying to have the ability to carry out preventative work with all demographics and teach a social emotional learning curriculum with pre-school. This program has the power to bring people out of their houses, remove economic barriers, and provide the community with positive coping skills.”

In 2022, the Greater Scranton YMCA was awarded an approximate $1.836 million dollar grant through SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration), made possible through Community Project Funding from Congressman Cartwright’s office, to support the YMCA’s Mental Health Substance and Use Disorder Treatment Services Programming, which includes wraparound services. The project is a collaborative effort between the Greater Scranton YMCA, Greater Wyoming Valley Area YMCA (which includes the Wilkes-Barre Family YMCA and Greater Pittston YMCA), Greater Carbondale YMCA and Wayne County YMCA.

Our Northeastern Pennsylvania YMCAs understand mental health and the risk for substance abuse are directly affected by limited resources, increased social isolation and extreme economic circumstances. The effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency are long-lasting and our collaborating YMCAs in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne Counties are working to make a profound impact on the mental health and substance abuse emergency we are facing.

Through the YMCA’s Wellbeing Initiative, YMCAs serve as safe, welcoming spaces for community members of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds – both YMCA members and non-members – to convene to grow stronger in mind, body and spirit.

For more information about the Healing Summer Vibes event or the Y’s Wellbeing Initiative, contact Katie at kmoran@gsymca.org or (570) 795-8955. More information can also be found online.