Listen to the sound of waves within you.
— Rumi
The theme for the December newsletter is sound because I have been checking out a lot of sound meditations lately. I feature a sampling of sound events for you to try the experience for yourself. Much like meditating, attending a sound bath can lead to reduced stress and deep relaxation. This issue also features a free online yoga class, guided meditations, and winter retreats events offered by some of my favorite yoga teachers. Refer back to this post which I will update because I often hear about more wellness events and tips to share.
Are you ready? Sound the gong!
Bay Area Events
FREE Sound Meditation – West Berkeley Library
Tuesday, December 11th 6:30-7:30 pm
West Berkeley Library
1125 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
Come on by and enjoy this free library hosted community sound bath! No prior yoga or meditation experience needed, ages 12 and up are all welcome. This is a seated meditation, but bring layers as the room is chilly. More details:
https://www.berkeleypubliclibrary.org/events/sound-healing-therapy-west
FREE Yoga Fusion Class: Core & Flow with Dara
Thursday, December 13, 7:40-8:10 pm
Montclair CRUfit: 6125 Medau Place, Oakland, CA 94611
Core & Flow is designed to highlight core strength with a fusion of Yoga and relaxing full body flexibility work. This class is a great supplement to any cardio class or regular strength program. Scalable to all sports and all levels from beginners to elite athletes. Taught by Dara Richman, D.P.T.
December 13th: The debut of Core & Flow will be a FREE CLASS for everyone. Space is limited. Register
Winter Retreat – Finding the Light in the Darkness
December 14-16, 2018
West Sonoma County, CA
Two of my favorite yoga teachers from the Namaste studios, Baxter Bell and Melina Meza, are holding a retreat at their favorite Northern California retreat center. This retreat will be a wonderful way to pause and immerse yourself in the practice of yoga and mindfulness during the busy holiday season. Melina will share winter Seasonal Vinyasa Yoga classes, introduce Ayurvedic practices for self-care, and teach Yin Yoga to prepare your body and mind for meditation. Baxter will be offering tools to help you turn inward and replenish your energy during this slow, quiet time of the year.
Melina and Baxter recently led a yoga retreat in Portugal and walked for a day on the coastal Camino Portugues! The retreat will sell out fast, so register soon.
Just a few spots left! More info and registration here
Sound Oasis – Sound Healing Meditation with Loriel Starr
Saturday, December 15th, 7 – 8:30 PM
The Assembly: 449 14th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
SOUND OASIS is a meditative “sound bath” experience that is deeply restorative and rejuvenating. Allow your stress and tension to melt away as you lie down comfortably and bathe in the luscious soundscapes and healing frequencies of an extraordinary ensemble of sound meditation instruments.
Your evening will include the sounds of over 30 Crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, 4 Planetary Healing Gongs and an assortment of ancestral sound healing instruments. All of these instruments will play a part in our meditation experience as they bring their own unique textures and tonal qualities to your sonic journey.
If you’re new to meditation or find it difficult to meditate, sound baths are a great way to access deeply meditative states with ease. Experience effortless relaxation, connect with well-being and feel greater self-attunement as you bathe in sound vibrations that bring clearing, balancing and harmonization to your body, mind and spirit.
$35 Purchase tickets
Winter Solstice Circle
Sunday, December 16, 2018 at 2 – 4 PM
Addison Yoga Loft, 2051 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, CA
The Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year and sees us transition from Autumn to Winter. On the year’s darkest day, we call on the divine light from within and honor the pause before we are called to expand again.
The moon at the time will be waxing in Aries building energy to the Full Moon in Cancer on the 22nd, the day after Solstice. We’ll harness the energy of seasons and the moon to fully align with ourselves and what we need to build and move forward in the Gregorian New Year on Jan 1 and Capricorn Season! Welcome 2019 more in tune and in vibrant health.
We will open with a grounding meditation followed by a talk about the significance of these major astrological events and how to make the most of the energy. We’ll replenish body, heart and brain with an alchemized yoga flow and purposeful pranayama (breathing techniques), leaving you feeling clear and inspired. We’ll conclude with a guided Yoga Nidra, or enlightened sleep, a transformative practice designed to heal and restore you on all levels.
Donation based – reservations required. Register online.
Hosted by The Luminous Awakening
Location/Directions
Winter Sound Solstice – UC Berkeley Botanical Garden
Friday, December 21st, 12 – 1 pm
JULIA MORGAN HALL, UC BOTANICAL GARDEN
200 Centennial Dr, Berkeley, CA 94720
Ancient cultures have long marked the Winter Solstice as a sacred turning point in the year, a special day, in which the darkest days come to a close and the sunlight returns. Attune with the slow, inward energy of the Winter Solstice during this special outdoor concert of quartz crystal singing bowls and finely tuned gongs amidst a grove of redwoods.
Close your eyes and experience the natural meditative quality of the forest and bird song layered with serene sounds of quartz crystal singing bowls. Breathe in the fresh air and feel the power of nature and sound therapy combine. No yoga will be practiced, simply wear comfortable clothes and bring layers, blankets, and anything that can make sitting more ease filled.
About the Presenter
Melissa Felsenstein is a certified 750 hr yoga therapist and sound healer. A self-proclaimed “reformed” relaxer, Melissa focuses her work on restoring the nervous system through the use of live sound with quartz crystal singing bowls and specifically tuned gongs. Melissa used these unique instruments as therapeutic tools to rid herself of severe anxiety and depression.
Her mission is to offer others a soft, receiving, space for inward journeying, truthful listening, and sustaining change. Learn more about her at http://www.innersoundsyoga.com
Tickets:$30, $25 Garden members
Register: https://41780.blackbaudhosting.com/41780/Winter-Solstice-Sound-Bath-21Dec2018
Online Freebies
Free Guided Meditations
10 Guided Meditations for Peace During the Holidays
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
Free Yoga Class
Erin Motz, AKA Bad Yogi, is my go-to resource for free yoga on YouTube. Her workouts are usually short (≤ 20 minutes) but sweet, yet very effective. Her YouTube channel has a great variety of classes and free challenge series. Here’s her latest free class for those moments when you have no idea what you want to do. I just did this on a quick yoga break and I feel noticeably less tension in my hips and shoulders. Click here to try it out.
Subscribe to Bad Yogi newsletter at: www.badyogi.comand videos at: www.youtube.com/badyogitv
December Happiness Calendar
Let these science-backed tips and tools be your guide this month. You’ll want to bookmark this calendar and refer to it often because there are links to articles and resources embedded in the PDF. Download happiness calendar for December.
Courtesy of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center.
SAVE THE DATE (and get an early bird discount):
Joe Lurie on Globalization and Its Cultural Disconnects
January 16, 2019, 6 pm
Commonwealth Club in SF
Based on his recently released, expanded edition of the award-winning Perception and Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures, Joe Lurie will present a spirited and insightful exploration of cross-cultural miscommunications in an increasingly globalized, polarizing world.
Wed, Jan 16 / 6:00 pm
The Commonwealth Club: 110 The Embarcadero
Toni Rembe Rock Auditorium
San Francisco, 94105
Use discount code “perception” for $10 off nonmember tickets.
https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2019-01-16/globalization-and-its-cultural-disconnects
That’s a wrap for December. I wish you all a warm and wonderful holiday season, wherever you are. If you’re into hiking, check out my Camino and Hiking events roundup.
Enjoy the holidays, my friends.
Laurie
Laurie Ferris Yoga & Wellness 