On a February evening when the suburban week can feel as crowded as the tollway, a different kind of gathering is set to unfold at the Arboretum of South Barrington—one built around quiet movement, energy awareness and the simple relief of being in a room where the pace intentionally slows.
“An Evening of Qigong, Personal Energy Training & Healing Circle” will be held February 9, 2026, from 7:00–9:00 PM in the Corner Room directly across from Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant – Building L1 at the Arboretum of South Barrington, 100 W Higgins Road, South Barrington, IL 60010, according to Project Hope House. The session is free and serves as Week 1 of the organizer’s three-part Series of Healing & Wellness, also hosted at the Arboretum, Project Hope House reports.
A wellness series designed for real-life stress
Project Hope House frames the Feb. 9 program as both “inspiring and restorative,” and the evening’s structure reflects a practical arc: movement to settle the body, guided inner work to focus attention, then a circle format meant to support reflection and connection, according to Project Hope House.
The setting matters. South Barrington is a small village—5,077 residents as of the 2020 census—where family life shapes much of the community’s rhythm, as reported by Wikipedia. Wikipedia also describes a community marked by high household incomes and a substantial share of married households with children, context that helps explain why evening programming aimed at managing stress, cultivating balance and building social support can find an audience here.
What to expect: gentle qigong, then personal energy training
The night opens with Emmett Sylvester, described by Project Hope House as a Qigong Quantum Healing Instructor who will lead “gentle qigong exercises” intended to help participants activate “the healer and co-creator within,” according to Project Hope House. Qigong’s accessibility is part of the point: the movements are slow and can be done standing or seated, making the practice workable for attendees across ages and experience levels, Project Hope House says.
To understand why practitioners put so much emphasis on small, steady movements, some of qigong’s broader tradition is captured in a line often cited in the literature. “Body practice is the root of spiritual practice. When we calm the body, the mind can expand without limit.” Kenneth S. Cohen said, according to Goodreads. It’s a concise description of an idea that underpins many movement-based wellness practices: start with the body, and the rest may follow.
After the movement segment, Lisa Hagenbuch—described by Project Hope House as a professional astrologer and energy practitioner—will guide a Personal Energy Training exercise focused on creating “positive shifts” and rebalancing “a specific life issue or personal relationship,” according to Project Hope House. The goal, as presented by the organizer, is not performance or mastery, but a structured experience of attention and intention: identifying a point of strain and working with it in a guided way.
The healing circle: reflection as a community practice
The evening’s final segment is a healing circle, which Project Hope House describes as a supportive space for reflection, intention and connection, according to Project Hope House.
The logic behind that closing circle—ending not with a lecture but with shared presence—resonates with a line from Yupik elder and healer Rita Blumenstein: “Unless we unburden our hearts, we cannot think clearly.” Blumenstein said, according to Ways of Council. In a region where many residents commute, parent and volunteer, the appeal of a format that makes room for emotional unclenching can be straightforward.
Two practitioners, two paths into the same room
Project Hope House offers distinct portraits of the night’s two guides.
Sylvester brings “85 years of life experience,” along with “wisdom, humor, and deep compassion,” according to Project Hope House. The organizer says he practiced Spring Forest Qigong for over 20 years under Master Lin and became a Certified Level One Instructor. Project Hope House also notes that through Qigong Quantum Healing, Sylvester overcame significant personal challenges and dedicated his life to helping others align body, mind and spirit.
Hagenbuch, meanwhile, has worked as a professional astrologer since 1998, seeing individuals and families from her home office in Palatine and at metaphysical stores across the Chicago area, according to Project Hope House. Project Hope House says she has extensive training in Conscious Parenting and holds certifications in six programs taught by Dr. Shefali, and that she is also a Family Constellation facilitator integrating ancestral and systemic healing into her work. She co-facilitates sessions including Channeled Astrology, Human Design Astrology, and Restoration Constellations, and serves on the board of the National Council for Geocosmic Research, Northern Illinois Chapter, according to Project Hope House.
Mark the next two Mondays
The Feb. 9 program is the opening installment of a three-week sequence. Week 2, “Managing Traumatic Stress,” is set for February 16, 7:00–9:00 PM, and Week 3, “Breathwork & Yoga Nidra,” follows on February 23, 7:00–9:00 PM, according to Project Hope House.
For those mapping out logistics now, Project Hope House lists the site phone number as (847) 426-6200 and notes that inquiries about the series can be directed to Ray Piagentini at 773-332-5822, according to Project Hope House.
In a village often defined by motion—school runs, workdays that stretch past sunset, calendars packed weeks ahead—the promise of the series is smaller and, for many, more elusive: two hours that ask nothing of participants except to show up, breathe, move gently, and leave a little lighter. And with two more Monday sessions to come, the Arc from qigong to stress management to deep rest offers a simple winter rhythm: start by settling the body, then learn to meet pressure more skillfully, and finish by practicing recovery.
