Boulder Self-Care Serenade

There is something quietly radical about choosing rest. About claiming an hour for yourself — not to optimize or achieve, but simply to be. Boulder's Self-Care Serenade, led by local harpist and healing practitioner Alex Bernat, is built around exactly that invitation: a cozy, intimate gathering where live, improvised harp music holds space for whatever kind of care your body and heart actually need.

Alex Bernat (pronouns they/she) has spent nearly two decades bringing the harp into healing environments — hospitals, hospice settings, residential mental health programs, yoga classes, and wellness clinics. Their relationship with the instrument is rooted in lived experience: as a teenager, Alex spent over six months recovering in a children's hospital, and a borrowed harp became one of their most profound tools for healing. That origin story is woven into everything about this event. The music is not performed at you; it accompanies you, responding in real time to the energy of the room through improvisation shaped by years of training in harp therapy.

This is a wellness event in Boulder that resists the usual format. There is no instructor guiding you through poses, no facilitator running you through a script. The Self-Care Serenade simply makes space — soft lighting, live music, and a room full of people quietly committed to the same thing.

What to Expect

Doors open at The New Local Annex before the event begins, and the evening opens with a brief, voluntary moment of sharing — an opportunity to say as much or as little as you want about where you are in life. From there, the hour ahead is yours.

Around the room, attendees nap, journal, read, make art, do gentle yoga, or simply rest. Alex plays live, improvised harp music throughout — music that is responsive and meditative rather than scripted. The atmosphere is intentionally quiet and sensory-soft.

A community gifting table is part of every Self-Care Serenade: a spirit-of-sharing space where people are welcome to offer and receive clothing, art, food, and other items freely.

The event is free and open to those under 14 with a guardian present.

- Bring for coziness: yoga mat, blanket, pillow, comfortable clothing (the floor is wooden)
- Bring for the senses: water or tea, low-noise snacks, essential oils, an eye mask, a soothing face mask
- Bring for creativity: a journal, canvas and paints, origami paper, fiber-art supplies
- Bring for reflection: a book, oracle cards, grounding poetry, inspiring photographs
- Bring to share: anything you want to offer to the community gifting space

There is no single right way to spend this time. That is the whole point.

Venue & Logistics

The Self-Care Serenade takes place at The New Local Annex, located at 713 Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado. The space has wooden floors, so bringing your own mat, blanket, or other nesting supplies is encouraged. Tickets are free. Children under 14 are welcome with a guardian. The event runs for one hour and thirty minutes, conducted in English.