Gary Irwin-Kenyon
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Presentations & Events

Join Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, professor, storyteller, and author with a deep curiosity about how we live well, and Vicki Hogarth, award-winning journalist and community connector, as they explore the big questions, the quiet moments, and everything in between.
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EPISODE #1
Host Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon introduces viewers to the practice of stillness, and how it can transform the way we think of aging, death, and loss. Gary answers viewers' questions, and leads viewers through a tai chi exercise.
EPISODE #2
Host Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon and co-host Vicki Hogarth discuss the complexities of aging and the benefits of practicing stillness on an all-new Pathways to Stillness on CHCO-TV.
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EPISODE #3
​Chronological age doesn't fully define a person. Dr. Kenyon explains the difference between chronological, functional and subjective aging, noting that we experience aging differently. 
​EPISODE #4
​The theme of today's show is how the journey of aging and life transitions are about changes on all levels. 
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EPISODE #5​
Explore how the practice of stillness can transform the way we see aging, death and loss and how it can help us understand our lives as a story.
EPISODE #6
Learn how stillness practices like mindfulness and Tai Chi help reframe aging, loss, and life transitions, revealing new insights and healing through life’s story.
EPISODE #7​
​Stillness helps reframe aging and life transitions. While the show explores serious topics, it's ultimately about living fully. They revisit a viewer exercise about finding new passions, places, or people that bring meaning to life, and reflect on how life can be reshaped at any stage.
EPISODE #8​
​This conversation highlights the value of stillness and mindfulness—like meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, or prayer—for busy minds. Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon stresses that the practice doesn’t need to be perfect; short, flexible moments count. 
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EPISODE #9​
​The episode focuses on grief, discussing the well-known Kubler-Ross stages (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance), with a newer sixth stage: finding meaning. Gary emphasizes that these are not linear steps but themes that people may move in and out of. Grief, like stillness, is deeply personal and often intertwined with past and future thoughts, making it hard to stay present.
EPISODE #10​
In this milestone episode, Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon reflects on how viewing life as a journey or story can help us find meaning—especially in aging, loss, and uncertainty. Viewers share how this perspective has helped them reframe challenges, recognize personal growth, and embrace new chapters with purpose. The episode explores key aspects of the life journey: it's personal, shared, unpredictable, and ever-changing.
EPISODE #11
​The episode opens with viewer responses to an exercise asking for metaphors describing their life journey. Examples included: a patchwork quilt, a canoe trip, a garden in progress, a spiral staircase, and a lighthouse in the fog—each reflecting the ups and downs of personal growth, loss, and resilience.
The discussion then deepens into the origins and philosophy of Tai Chi, rooted in Daoism and the concept of yin and yang—the balance of opposing energies (e.g., strength vs. softness). 
EPISODE #12
In this episode of Pathways to Stillness, Dr. Gary Irwin Kenyon explores self-care, caregiving, and “narrative care” - the idea that every person has a story and caregiving means both telling and listening. He highlights the need for caregivers to balance others’ needs with their own, showing through examples how compassion, shared storytelling, and care partnering can bring meaning, balance, and resilience to both caregivers and those they support.
EPISODE #13
​In this episode of Pathways to Stillness, Dr. Gary Irwin Kenyon and Vicky Hoggarth explore caregiving as a shared story, where presence, creativity, and compassion deepen connections. They highlight the need for caregivers to find balance and stillness to avoid burnout, and close with a guided Tai Chi practice while introducing grief as the next theme.
EPISODE #14
​In this episode of Pathways to Stillness, Dr. Gary Irwin Kenyon and Vicky Hoggarth discuss grief in its many forms and how each experience is unique. They emphasize the importance of listening, community support, and stillness practices like Tai Chi in navigating loss, and close with a calming Tai Chi exercise while inviting viewers to share their own stories.
EPISODE #15
​In this episode of Pathways to Stillness, Dr. Gary Irwin Kenyon and Vicky Hoggarth share viewer stories of loss and resilience, noting that grief is personal, timeless, and takes many forms. They highlight the value of storytelling, support, and stillness in navigating grief, and close with a simple Tai Chi practice.
EPISODE #16
Exploring grief, including anticipatory grief, widowhood, and how faith, humor, and community support shape the journey. They emphasize that grief is deeply personal but also social, and that finding stillness, sharing stories, and connecting with others can bring hope and new meaning. 

Southwest Magazine: "Pathways to Stillness" author Gary Irwin-Kenyon

Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, Tai Chi instructor and author of "Pathways to Stillness", sits down with CHCO's Vicki Hogarth to talk about the importance of finding calm and stillness, and how anyone can use the art of Tai Chi to practice mindfulness in an often busy and hectic life.

Southwest Magazine is an original CHCO Television production taped on location at the CHCO-TV studio in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada.

Seated Tai Chi: Awakening Stillness and Well-being 

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Register now to attend a unique continuing education course to train therapeutic activity professionals in long-term care to guide seated tai chi sessions for people in their care.
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​Course Summary
Tai Chi can bring us to a quiet center in our being. It is as though our ailments disappear during the Tai Chi session. While the movements you learn are significant in this process, creating a stillness environment is equally crucial.

During the course, you will learn how to guide seated Tai Chi sessions for people in your care. Prior knowledge of Tai Chi is not needed. Ideally, your main commitment is to practice the movements yourself every day from the point at which to start the course. With practice, both you and the people who participate in the seated Tai Chi sessions will experience less anxiety, increased relaxation, and feelings of well-being.

People facing cognitive decline may also experience enhanced memory ability and/or postponement of symptoms. Physical outcomes may occur such as less pain, lower blood pressure, and better sleep. These benefits may extend to reduced stress and more focus on life balance.  ​The course is suitable for therapeutic activity professionals, working in memory care settings, who would like to add a new dimension to their work. Nurses working in rehabilitation settings also benefit from the course.

The entire course is available via an online education platform. The live interactive sessions are delivered using Zoom. These sessions are recorded and made available to you. There is a course handbook and you are welcome to reach out to the course instructor with specific questions. This course is $549.00 + HST. In New Brunswick, 50% is reimbursed through workplace training grants. We can support your organization to apply for the grant.

Three-part Program 

January 9, 2024 - February 5, 2024 - Self-paced learning 
​​The first part of the course is comprised of on-demand videos which can be followed at your own pace. We recommend that you practice the movements shared in these on-demand videos each day for a minimum of two full weeks before the interactive part of the course begins. This means you start following the on-demand lessons by January 23, 2024.
February 6 - March 5 - Each Tuesday, 09:00-09:40 AST - Weekly live interactive Zoom sessions 
​​The second portion of the course involves five -40-minute interactive sessions, spread over five weeks. During these sessions, you receive feedback to help you feel more comfortable performing the tai chi movements, work out how to organize sessions for people in your care and begin to guide sessions on your own.
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April 2 - June 4 - First Tuesday of each month at 09:00-09:40 AST - Monthly Zoom check-ins  
​In the final part of the course, participants share and learn together based on the knowledge being acquired from running the seated Tai Chi programs at your homes.
Please click here to learn more about this great program and to register.

Exploring the Transformative Power of Stillness in Dementia Care 

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​Imagine if through the practice of stillness, we could unlock a deeper sense of calm and peace, not just for ourselves, but also for people living with dementia. Professor Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, our special guest for today, shares his incredible journey finding tranquility through martial arts and Tai Chi, and how these methods can bring profound benefits to those with dementia and their care partners. We take a deep dive into the fascinating world of stillness and its immense potential in dementia care.

Discover the importance of being fully present in each moment, a practice that is often overlooked in our fast-paced, do-it-all lifestyle. It's about striking a balance between doing and being, something Gary poignantly points out can be instrumental in turbulent times. We also discuss the refreshing concept of giving ourselves the green light to take a much-needed break, a vital component of self-care, especially for caregivers.

We delve into narrative care, a mindful approach of using stories to communicate with people living with dementia.  We part with a thought-provoking discourse by Gary on how stillness can be a haven from our chaotic world. Join us on this episode of Redefining Dementia as we explore the enchanting essence of stillness and its transformative power.


The Pathways Series - Lifelong Inspiration  
Training Effect Principle - Ancient Wisdom & Modern Science 

Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon shares a stillness story and guided relax-into-stillness movements based on Tai Chi. He will guide you through simple relax-into-stillness movements that you can practice and incorporate into your daily life— no matter how demanding your schedule.
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Dr. Irwin-Kenyon is a regular contributor to the free monthly online 30-minute Pathways sessions for caregivers and care professionals who welcome help, and would like to improve your ability to manage your energy, motivation, and perspective— for your own wellbeing—and in order to better provide the quality care that you desire to achieve.
Visit here to learn more. 

Tai Chi class - 20 minutes to relaxation and stillness practice

​Hosted by Samantha Hachey, New Brunswick Association of Nursing Homes.

​Please enjoy this 20 minute stillness practice with Dr. Kenyon.

​This short Tai Chi lesson can be done sitting or standing. It may help you to relieve stress and move forward with your day.

Tai Chi can help you to improve sleep quality, relieve fatigue, reduce depression, and increase quality of life.

Soul Sister Conversations
​Aug 7, 2022 

​​In this podcast Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon discusses his book which allows us to meander through topics of stillness, aging, loss and the meaning of life. Gary shares his wisdom, reflections and learnings. There are so many relatable themes and anecdotes that will make you reflect and perhaps laugh out loud. This is was such a warm and meaningful conversation.
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Dana Lloyd
Click below to watch the presentation 
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The Pathways Series - Stillness and One Page Profiles
​This event took place on May 2, 2022 

​These sessions bring long-term people together to find stillness and share our collective wisdom so that we can provide better person-centred care to our elders.

The presenting team includes Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, renowned pioneer and veteran in the field of narrative gerontology, Ashley King and Daphne Noonan, co-Founders of Person Centred Universe and, Rahzeb Choudhury, Founder of Lifelong Inspiration.

A One-Page Profile is a profile of a person, which is positively focused on their core qualities. They capture all the important information about a person on a single sheet of paper under three simple headings: what people appreciate about me, what’s important to me, and how best to support me.
Click below to watch the presentation 

THE BEST ELDERCARE - Should Tai Chi be Used as Standard in Dementia Care?
This event took place on April 28, 2022  

Sometimes the answers are found in what we already know. Gary and Rahzeb look at the case for embedding tai chi in daily dementia care.

Gary is a pioneer of narrative gerontology and using tai chi with special groups, including elders in long-term care. He is founding Chair and Professor of the Gerontology Department, St. Thomas University, Canada, and a Fellow of the Andrew Norman Institute for Advanced Studies in Gerontology and Geriatrics, University of Southern California.​

Click below to watch the presentation 
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Session four -  A double dose of stillness ​

The Pathways Series 
These monthly sessions bring long-term care professionals together to find stillness and share our collective wisdom so that we can provide better person-centred care to our elders.

The presenting team includes Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, renowned pioneer and veteran in the field of narrative gerontology, Ashley King and Daphne Noonan, co-Founders of Person Centred Universe and, Rahzeb Choudhury, Founder of Lifelong Inspiration.

​This session took place on Thursday, January 27, 2022.

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0:00 Opening
1:55 Why stillness is vital to our lives
08:50 Stillness exercises
22:55 Closing

Session three - Put love at the centre

The Pathways Series 
These sessions bring long-term people together to find stillness and share our collective wisdom so that we can provide better person-centred care to our elders.

The presenting team includes Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, renowned pioneer and veteran in the field of narrative gerontology, Ashley King and Daphne Noonan, co-Founders of Person Centred Universe and, Rahzeb Choudhury, Founder of Lifelong Inspiration.

This session took place on Thursday, December 16, 2021 

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0:00 Opening 
01:07 The value of Stillness 
05:00 Stillness exercises 
14:26 The heart of person-centred care 
21:42 Person-centred goal setting 
28:10 Next session and closing

Session two - Stillness as core care and reconnecting with core values

The Pathways Series 
These sessions bring people together to find stillness and share our collective wisdom so that we can provide better person-centred care to our elders. 
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​The presenting team includes Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon, renowned pioneer and veteran in the field of narrative gerontology, Ashley King and Daphne Noonan, co-Founders of Person Centred Universe and, Rahzeb Choudhury, Founder of Lifelong Inspiration.

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 0:00 Opening 
02:00 The practice of Stillness 
09:28 Stillness exercises 
18:55 Imagining the feeling of home 
21:32 Person-centred planning for our own self-care
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29:42 Next session and closing

Session One - Stillness as core care and reconnecting with core values

The Pathways Series  
Each month Gary shares some words on Stillness and guides us through simple daily exercises to help better cope with the stresses of our work and lives. Ashley and Daphne guide and lead sessions on person-centred (dementia) care.

​The sessions are hosted by Rahzeb Choudhury of Lifelong Inspiration.

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00:00 Opening     
02:25 Stillness as core care     
05:55 Stillness exercises
13:24 Imagining the feeling of home    
​19:52 Reconnecting with core values
22:57 Next session and closing

9th International Conference on Ageing and Spirituality 
Dr. Kenyon  is a plenary speaker and  will be presenting a podcast titled: Narrative Care and Finding Pathways To Stillness in the Face of Covid.
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Conference sessions will occur on seven occasions between June 8th and June 23, 2021. You are invited to join Gary for conversation via  Zoom on Wednesday June 9th at 12 noon EDT or 7pm EDT.

MORE INFORMATION HERE 
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REGISTER HERE 



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Aa a prelude to the conference, here is a discussion between conference coordinator Jane Kuepfer and Gary Irwin-Kenyon  Enjoy!,

Wednesday, May 27th 4 pm
Upcoming Webinar - Pathways to Stillness: stress, energy levels, perspective, and our spirit in the face of Covid-19
​Time: 1:00pm EST
Can't make it? No problem, register anyway and we will send you the recorded video. 

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Click here to see full agenda & to register

Saturday January 25, 2020 from 1-4 pm
Pathways to Stillness - Book Signing & Conversation

Indigo Books, Place Montreal Trust, St. Catherine St.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada 

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March 10 - 12, 2020, Saint John's on the Lake, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon will be leading a Seminar titled:  
Pathways to Stillness: Relax, Reflect, Renew For more information about how you can schedule a seminar with Dr. Kenyon - click here 
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November 9th, 2019 - Saturday from  2:00 to 4:00 PM 
Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon will be at the Fredericton, New Brunswick (Canada) Chapters (Regent Mall)
Please join Dr. Irwin-Kenyon to learn more about his book Pathways to Stillness and the impact it is having on the lives of others and how you may also find your Pathway to Stillness. 
 

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October 2019, University of Barcelona, Spain 
Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon will be leading a Seminar titled:  
Narrative Gerontology, Narrative Care and Finding The Stillness in Your Story. 
Please check back for more details as they become available.
In the meantime, you can view this video "Pathways to Stillness & Wellness" 



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Wednesday, March 13th, 2019 - 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Author Talk with Dr. Gary Irwin-Kenyon
Fredericton Public Library The Hub (2nd floor)

“This book offers a way to approach your life journey which you then create and discover on your own.  You are invited to find a pathway to stillness that fits your life.”
We hope to see you there! 

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Jan 23, 2019 - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
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​“What do I want to give myself to”.
Wilmot Church - 473 King St, Fredericton, NB E3B 1E5  
Renew the conversation on the invitations and challenges for men in late life.
Gary Irwin- Kenyon, teacher of Gerontology at STU and author of Pathways to Stillness will speak briefly about the three central challenges for men in “the third age” (50 and up), and lead us in some T’ai Chi practices designed to facilitate that essential quiet at the center of ourselves which is at the root of all wise action.

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November 4, 2018 1pm-4pm.
Pathways to Stillness - Book Signing 

Indigo Books, Place Montreal Trust, St. Catherine St.
Montreal, Quebec, Canada 

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October 30, 2018 - 2pm
Pathways to Stillness: How to Move With Change
Shannex Parkland
35 Patience Lane
​Fredericton, NB, Canada 

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September 30, 2018
The Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick's Memory Cafe
Presentation: 
Explore Your Personal Pathways to Stillness
Visit here to learn more about Memory Cafe 

St. John Anglican Church - 75 Main Street, Fredericton, NB, Canada 
Email [email protected]

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September 19, 2018
Alzheimer Society of New Brunswick's Alzheimer Journey Education Series
Presentation: 
Understanding Grief
York Care Centre - Register: 506-459-4280 | 1-800-664-8411 - [email protected]

View/download event brochure

​​July 2, 2018  ​
Narrative Matters - Enschede, The Netherlands
Workshop: 
Awakening Ordinary Wisdom & Finding Stillness in Your Story
​Visit Conference website here 

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​February 15, 2018
​CBC Radio Interview Information Morning - Dealing With Loneliness

Hear full interview
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February 12, 2018
CBC Radio Interview - Maritime Noon—A Discussion on Loneliness
Monday - Noon-1:00 PM Atlantic, Canada ​​

Hear full interview
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November 19, 2017
Symposium Workshop: Varieties of Meditative Practice
St. Thomas University Fredericton, NB, Canada

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November 16, 2017
Book Reading: Public Library, Fredericton, NB, Canada 
Thursday 7pm-8pm​

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​October 24, 2017
University of New Brunswick Retired​ Employees Association, Fredericton, NB Canada 
"Discover and Explore Your Personal Pathways to Stillness"

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October 14, 2017
Book Reading and Signing: Indigo Place Montreal Trust - ​Montreal, Quebec, Canada


June 3, 2017
Pathways to Stillness book reading and signing: ​Chapters Moncton, NB, Canada

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March 18, 2017
Pathways to Stillness book reading and signing: 
Indigo Books, Saint John, NB, Canada

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​January 18, 2018 
Men's Christian Spirituality Group, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada - Busyness, Men, Tai Chi and Stillness 


February 3, 2018 
Mindfulness and Contemplative Practices in Education Workshop. ​University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada ​

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Stillness Environment: Aging and Tai Chi university undergraduate credit course

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February 14, 2018
University of New Brunswick Retired​ Employees Association, Fredericton, NB, Canada 

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February 25, 2018 
Book Signing-Westminster Books-Saturday 1pm-3pm-Fredericton, NB, Canada

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Pathways to Stillness Book Launch,  November 2017 

Saint Tomas University, Gerontology Department and the Office of Research Services Invite You to Celebrate the Publication of...
​Pathways to Stillness: Reflect, Release, Renew 
by Gary Irwin-Kenyon 
THE ROTUNDA (ROOM 318) BRIAN MULRONEY HALL
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​October 6, 2016

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Book Signing, Sunbury Shores Art and Nature Centre, Thursday, 5:00pm-7:00pm, Water Street St. Andrews NB, Canada 
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October 2016
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Twente University, Enschede, The Netherlands, Centre for eHealth and Wellbeing Research and Lifestory Lab.
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October 2016
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Workshop, Centre for Inter-American Studies, University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
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April 2016
​Storying Later Life: Narrative Gerontology theory and Practice - Dr. Gary Kenyon
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