Rooted & Reaching: Art Therapy at The Garden

Step into the garden and take a pause with Rooted & Reaching, a weekly open art therapy group for adults offered in collaboration with the Toronto Botanical Garden. You’re invited to slow down, ground yourself, and explore your inner world through gentle meditation, open-ended art-making, and optional sharing. Guided by nature-inspired prompts, we’ll use the garden as a space and metaphor for growth, connection, and belonging.

The group is facilitated by Mahja Kabir, an artist and art therapy trainee who creates gentle, creative spaces that support care, growth, and connection. Art therapy supports emotional expression and relational attunement through the creative process, with no focus on artistic skill or final outcomes.

Sessions feature standalone themes, allowing participants to attend any number of weeks across the six-week series.

No art experience is required, only presence and curiosity. The focus is on the creative process rather than the final artwork, offering a supportive space to reflect, connect, and simply be.

Please note, all participants will be asked to sign a consent form upon arrival to agree to participate in the clinical placement provided by art therapy interns of the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute. If you would like to view the consent form beforehand, please reach out to [email protected].

Tuesdays, February 24 through March 31 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Registration: Public $15, TBG Members $10 per session (plus applicable taxes and fees)

If the ticket price is a barrier, please email [email protected] to request a supported ticket.

Join the Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) as a member to get a discount on this program, upcoming events and classes, and free parking. A TBG membership helps you deepen your knowledge and connection to the natural world, become a part of a dynamic community of plant people, and be inspired! Become a member!

• For more information on accessibility at the garden please review our Accessibility Features webpage. If you have any accessibility requirements during your program please email [email protected].
• To learn more about the Toronto Botanical Garden and our programs, please review our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Info: Theme: Presence, arriving, grounding. An invitation to slow down and arrive in the space, the body, and the group. This session focuses on grounding, safety, and finding a sense of support through connection with the natural environment.

Info: Theme: Listening to the body and environment. A gentle exploration of sensory awareness, inviting participants to notice texture, sound, colour, and movement in both the garden and themselves. Emphasis is placed on embodied presence rather than analysis.

Info: Theme: How we relate to nature, others, ourselves. This session explores how we connect, separate, and relate—within ourselves, with others, and with the living world. Nature is used as a mirror to reflect patterns of closeness, boundaries, and interdependence.

Info: Theme: Growth, loss, transformation. Drawing inspiration from natural cycles, this session invites reflection on change and transition. Participants may explore personal seasons of growth, rest, grief, or renewal through symbolic art-making.

Info: Theme: Self-reflection through nature symbolism. A space to reflect on the experience of the group and what participants wish to take with them. This session focuses on integration, personal meaning, and ongoing connection to creativity and nature beyond the program.

Info: Theme: Meaning making and continuity. A reflective closing session focused on integration and what participants wish to carry forward beyond the group.

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Host or Publisher Toronto Botanical Garden