Institute for Continuing Learning upcoming events

Hatha Happy Hour (June 22, 2026)

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Anastyne Gibson

Course Fee - $50.00

Hatha yoga is a yoga practice focused on balancing the mind and the breath through yoga postures or “asanas.” This is a beginner friendly class that offers many of yoga's foundational poses, which are held for short periods while practitioners explore alignment, strength, and flexibility. Expect a mixture of standing and seated postures.

Personal mats are recommended, though not required (i.e., we have mats students can borrow for each class).

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My name is Anastyne and I am a 200 hour registered yoga teacher specializing in gentle, beginner friendly Hatha yoga. My approach is rooted in slowing down, tuning in, and creating a space where you feel safe to explore your body and breath. My yoga journey began shortly after graduating high school. I found that yoga is what made me feel most at home in my body and clear in my mind, and was something I could practice both on and off the mat. It has changed the way I carry myself and the way I view the world. My practice is inspired by my love for nature, animals, and a free-spirited, earthy lifestyle. My classes are designed to help you reconnect, not only with your body but with the world around you. It is an honor to be able to share my love of yoga with you and to help guide others on their journey to peace and equanimity.

Appalachian Blacksmithing - Beginner Blacksmithing (June 23, 2026)

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Instructor - Ray Anderson

Course Fee $25.00

One Time Materials Fee $60.00

This two-day class will take you from an interest in blacksmithing to using your new skill to make useful objects from hot iron. You will learn techniques like drawing out, scrolling, trusting, tapers, and move to create trinkets to take home with you. The class is open to all students of all skill levels. Please note this class is co-ed. Materials fee is payable to the instructor the first day of class.

We will provide all necessary equipment and supplies.

Safety glass and hearing protection.

Water

You may bring your own tools if you have them.

You will need to bring and/or wear

Closed toe shoes (boots preferred)

Long pants

Non-alcohol drink and a snack

Note taking material for your own use

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Raymond Anderson is the owner of The Blacksmith Experience. Ray has been working in metal for a lifetime. He retired from the USN as a boiler maker. His co-instructor is Elmer Rouch, a world famous Blacksmith and National treasure. We hope you enjoy this Blacksmith Experience. Forging a lifetime of memories, and having a great time in the process.

The Stupendously Wonderful World of Collage (June 23, 2026)

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Billie Shelburn

Course Fee - $30.00

Materials Fee - $25.00 per class

This is a fun class that will expand your ability to express using various types of collage papers, while painting with either watercolor or acrylic paint. No matter what your choice of paint you may be someone who is interested in exploring with different media, modes and materials. Standard ways will be used to complete a work of art. All materials will be provided for a fee of $25 per week payable with cash or check.

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Billie Shelburn is a contemporary studio artist and fine art instructor in painting, drawing and mixed media. Billie’s works are comprised of representational, impressionistic and mixed media styles. Her paintings have won National, International and Regional awards. Billie was inducted into the National Organization for Women in Arts in Washington, D.C. and has served on the Executive Boards of Georgia Watercolor Society.

Beginner Quilt Class (June 24, 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Instructor - Cheryl Damon

Course Fee - $60.00

Course Materials Required - Sewing Machine in Good Working Order

We will learn the basics of quilting and complete a 3-block table-runner at the

end of 6 weeks. Participants MUST have basic sewing skills and have a

sewing machine in good working order that they are familiar with. I highly recommend a 1/4” quilting foot attachment for your machine as well. I will send a supply list a week before class.

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Cheryl and her husband live in Blairsville. She is a retired dental hygienist and has been sewing for 60 years with dress making and quilting experience.

Piloga - Yoga (June 24, 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 14:15:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Shauna Belt

Course Fee - $50.00

Piloga is the perfect fusion of Pilates precision and yoga flow. This class is designed to build core strength, improve flexibility, and enhance mind-body connection through a seamless blend of dynamic Pilates movements and grounding yoga postures.

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Shauna Belt 200 HR YTT Yoga Renew Certification, Pilates Instructor ISSA Certified, Group Fitness Instructor Issa Certified. Shauna is a true believer in the benefits of Yoga and Pilates. She is very passionate about teaching people how to be more flexible and balanced. Come join her on the mat!

What the Torah Saw (June 24, 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Rabbi Yonatan Hambourger

Course Fee - $35.00

A student study companion workbook is provided for each session.

No knowledge of Hebrew or Jewish tradition required.

Eight Stories from the Hebrew Bible Through the Lens of Jewish Tradition

These are stories you have carried for years.

The Garden of Eden. Abraham arguing with G-d. Joseph in Potiphar’s house. Balaam’s talking donkey. Moses at the breaking point in the wilderness.

This course is an invitation to read them again — this time through the interpretive tradition that has preserved and lived inside these texts for thousands of years. What emerges from that encounter will surprise you.

Over eight sessions we will move through narratives and teachings drawn from Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy — and reaching into the Prophets and the Writings — through the lens of Talmudic commentary, rabbinic interpretation, and Chassidic teaching spanning two thousand years. Each week we will open the text carefully, follow the rabbis into its layers, bring in the voices of Jewish mystics and legal authorities, and ask: what does this story say to a person trying to live faithfully right now?

What if the stories you thought you knew were only the surface? What if the tradition that preserved these texts has been reading them very differently all along?

No prior knowledge of Jewish tradition is required. No Hebrew is necessary. What is required is a love of the Hebrew Bible and a willingness to read it carefully. The questions these texts raise are often the questions you have been carrying for years without knowing where to take them.

Each session includes a thoughtfully designed study companion with key sources, story summaries, Hebrew vocabulary with pronunciation, and guided reflection questions — allowing you to continue engaging the material between sessions.

Week 1 · The Garden of Eden · Genesis 2–3

Where does moral knowing come from — and what did the serpent actually take from us?

Week 2 · The Creation of the Human Being · Genesis 1:26–27

What does it mean that every human being was created in the image of G-d — and what follows from that claim about how we are obligated to treat one another?

Week 3 · Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife · Genesis 39

What is Joseph actually protecting when he refuses — and what does the Torah’s understanding of intimacy say to the world we live in now?

Week 4 · Hidden Integrity · Genesis 29–31 · Genesis 31:19–35 · Exodus 16

Who are you when no one is watching — and does the Hebrew Bible believe the hidden moment is ever truly hidden? (Jacob and Laban · Rachel’s Theft of the Idols · The Manna in the Wilderness)

Week 5 · Abraham Argues with G-d for the City of Sodom · Genesis 18 · Exodus 22 · Deuteronomy 24

What gives a human being the right to argue with G-d about justice — and what does Abraham’s audacity demand of us?

Week 6 · The Mother Bird · The Muzzled Ox · The Laws of Animal Compassion ·

Deuteronomy 22:6–7 · Deuteronomy 25:4 · Leviticus 22:28

Why does the Torah legislate how we treat animals — and what does our treatment of the smallest creatures reveal about who we are becoming?

Week 7 · Balaam and Balak · The Spies of Moses and Joshua · Numbers 22–24 · Numbers 13–14 · Joshua 2

What is the difference between speaking truly and speaking with integrity — and what happens when the most powerful voice in the ancient world is permanently for sale?

Week 8 · Moses and the Seventy Elders · Eldad and Medad · Numbers 11

When G-d takes the spirit resting on Moses and places it on seventy others — does Moses lose anything? And what does the answer tell us about what we are supposed to do with whatever we have been given?

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Rabbi Yonatan Hambourger shares the wisdom of Torah with Jewish and non-Jewish audiences of all faiths and backgrounds. His work is especially focused on helping people encounter the Hebrew Bible through the depth of Jewish interpretation — in a way that illuminates rather than challenges whatever they already carry. Over the past four years he has taught at the Young Harris College Institute for Continued Learning, in Georgia prisons, and on military bases.

He is the author of Echoes From Sinai, a collection of Torah-rooted moral reflections available on Amazon, and A Pathway of Moral Clarity for Seekers of All Faiths, available as a free download at TasteofTorah.org/pathway. He writes a weekly Torah reflection and a weekly moral essay, distributed across Substack, email, and several weekly newspapers across Georgia.

Restorative Flow (June 24, 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Teri Wright

Course Fee - $50.00

Connect with your mind and body during this slow flow class. Restorative yoga offers yoga practitioners of all levels the opportunity to reconnect with their body and mind while focusing on mindfulness and personal wellbeing.

Personal mats are recommended, though not required (i.e., we have mats students can borrow for each class).

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Teri found yoga during a time in her life when she felt stuck, depressed, and disconnected. Through slow, mindful movement and breath, she began to reconnect with herself – rediscovering her worth, strength, and a sense of peace, all gently guiding her back to who she is at her core. This journey sparked a deep desire to help others find their way back to themselves as well. She is a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, with additional certifications in prenatal yoga and chair yoga. Teri focuses on gentle, slow flows that encourage students to tune in, move with intention, and feel supported in their practice. Born and raised in the North Georgia mountains, Teri feels deeply connected to nature and is grateful to be part of the Mountain Yoga community – where she can stay rooted in her beginnings, continue to grow, and support others in their own journey.

Blissful Balance (June 25, 2026)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Anastyne Gibson

Course Fee - $50.00

This 75 minute yoga class focuses on balancing postures in the Hatha Yoga Practice. Balancing poses help improve stability and proprioception, increase core strength, and focus while reducing injury risk. Balancing postures also improve mental health and longevity.

Personal mats are recommended, though not required (i.e., we have mats students can borrow for each class).

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Hatha Happy Hour (June 29, 2026)

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Anastyne Gibson

Course Fee - $50.00

Personal mats are recommended, though not required (i.e., we have mats students can borrow for each class).

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Appalachian Blacksmithing - Beginner Blacksmithing (June 30, 2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Instructor - Ray Anderson

Course Fee $25.00

One Time Materials Fee $60.00

We will provide all necessary equipment and supplies.

Safety glass and hearing protection.

Water

You may bring your own tools if you have them.

You will need to bring and/or wear

Closed toe shoes (boots preferred)

Long pants

Non-alcohol drink and a snack

Note taking material for your own use

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The Stupendously Wonderful World of Collage (June 30, 2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Billie Shelburn

Course Fee - $30.00

Materials Fee - $25.00 per class

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Beginner Quilt Class (July 01, 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:30:00 GMT

Instructor - Cheryl Damon

Course Fee - $60.00

Course Materials Required - Sewing Machine in Good Working Order

We will learn the basics of quilting and complete a 3-block table-runner at the

end of 6 weeks. Participants MUST have basic sewing skills and have a

sewing machine in good working order that they are familiar with. I highly recommend a 1/4” quilting foot attachment for your machine as well. I will send a supply list a week before class.

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Cheryl and her husband live in Blairsville. She is a retired dental hygienist and has been sewing for 60 years with dress making and quilting experience.

Piloga - Yoga (July 01, 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:15:00 GMT

Course Instructor - Shauna Belt

Course Fee - $50.00

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What the Torah Saw (July 01, 2026)

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT