March 2017: Best Holistic and Entertaining Events in San Francisco Bay Area and Around



Tell Me – No Worlds, Please! Dance Workshop (W33)

Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 7:30 PM - 9 PM

Li's Wushu Academy
10268 Bandley Dr, Ste 107-B,
Cupertino, CA 95014

"The body never lies."  
--Martha Graham

"Nonverbal communication forms a social language that is in many ways richer and more fundamental than our words." 
--Leonard Mlodinow


Dance therapy is offering numerous benefits for physical, mental, and emotional health. Music itself can be a very powerful tool. It can affect our moods and our state of well-being by triggering memories and other emotional experiences. When dance or any movement is set to music, it can create a stress relieving, joyful and sometimes healing moment for those involved, as well as increasing/releasing endorphins in the brain.

Please join us for the dance movement therapy workshop in Cupertino, where we will explore different attributes of the emotional and physical well-being through set of the creative and fun exercises, mixed with the episodes, filled with free-form dancing.

Main benefits you may expect:

- Getting a good ability to express suppressed emotions
- Establishing a positive and rejuvenating connection with your body
- Improving general physical fitness and gross motor skills development
- Processing internal negative beliefs, improving confidence and self-esteem
- Encourages creativity and imagination
- Connecting others people on emotional level
- Creating a positive life outlook, addressing stressful life events and depressive episodes

Every workshop is different, and the facilitator will follow the flow, adjusting the list of the exercises and free-form dance activities to the created team spirit and atmosphere.

Important notes:

- No partner or previous dancing experience necessary.
- All ages and physical capabilities are welcome. You choose you own level of participation and involvement.
- Please try to be on time, as it is easier to “catch a wave” if you are present from the class beginning.
- Clothing: anything that would let you move freely.
- Shoes: dancing bare-feet is the best, but you can also use soft flat shoes. Please no outdoor shoes on the floor.
- There is plenty of parking near the studio. Follow the GPS guidance, however as soon as you turn to the parking lot from Bandley Drive, you need to drive around the building to find the Li's Wushu Academy Entrance at the back. There are no entrances from the front or sides of the building.

Workshop Facilitator: Tanya Pekker, LMFT

Cost: Recommended donation $15 (cash, at the door).


The Art of Intuitive Touch

Thursday, March 2, 2017 at 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM PST

San Francisco, CA

There is no manual for navigating intimate experiences and too often doubt or confusion prevents us from being fulfilled. Do you ever wish you could you could deepen your intuition when it comes to touching and expressing how you want to be touched? In this workshop, we explore intuitive touch through responsive, authentic verbal and non-verbal ‘dialogues’.

Learn to cultivate your own innate intuition by:

  • Establishing trust through communication and transparency
  • Heightening kinesthetic awareness by recognizing the versatility of touch
  • Enhancing active listening skills by exploring body language and non-verbal cues
  • Creating a feedback loop by sharing insights about how you want to be touched
  • Learning to feel pleasure from your partner’s pleasure, and have that guide the experience

Learning intuitive touch will not only make your sexual experiences more pleasurable, it allows your lovers to feel heard, safe, and connected - a recipe for deeper intimacy and exploration.

Facilitators: Dr. Alison Ash and Graham Hackett

Cost: $30/single; $50/couple


Foot massage exchange and cuddling

Friday, March 3, 2017 at 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM

Intrahealth
21020 Homestead Rd # B,
Cupertino, CA

The latest entry in the self-help revolution, the cuddle party is a way "for adults to get together and explore affectionate touch and communication without it becoming sexualized".

In this meeting we’ll do more exercises (exploring how to move energy to upper chakras, to leave longer…). We’ll switch more during our hug train exercise to observe energy shifts, and most importantly we’ll aim to have better gender balance, by moving people and couples in from the waiting list. Also, people love foot massage exchange, and it will be 1:1 for about 20 minutes each.

Most people want to be held, and be the big or little spoon, some people just want to hold hands, some people just want an arm around them, some people have strong emotions come up, and some people just want silence and they want to snooze. Everything is up to you and you have power to say YES or NO to anything, and 'maybe' we classify as NO!

Zero tolerance for harassment!!!

Facilitator: Sean Simic

Cost: $20 for men and $10 for ladies.


Intuitive Healing Workshop Series

March 3 – 5, 2017 (Friday – Sunday)

Evoke Wellness Center
1020 Serpentine Ln, Ste 115,
Pleasanton, California 94566

Full weekend event. March 4-6 Friday class time: 6-9, Saturday 10-6, Sunday 10-6 and please bring some food to share for lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Are you a healer seeking to deepen your work? Are you ready to stand in your power and reconnect with your Divine Power to heal yourself and your clients more effectively? Do you yearn to integrate a deeper level of teachings into your life and practice so that you can easily and regularly apply it to every life situation? If so, then come and join us for a spiritual adventure series where we will dive deeply into learning more about yourself, your purpose, developing your intuitive gifts and helping others heal.

- Practices taught include: Reiki Master level certification, Intuitive development, Scrying, Divination, Intuitive meditations to build connection with your Spirit Guides, Shamanic Techniques to connect you with your ancestors, and many other gifts.

- Fire Ceremony will help you to release all that is holding you back from stepping into your true power and abilities as an Intuitive Healer

Cost: $600 for three workshops


Love Yourself and the Rest Will Follow

March 3 – 5, 2017 (Friday – Sunday)

Esalen
55000 Highway One,
Big Sur, CA 93920

Self-love is one of those things that many of us know is important on our personal journey, yet can be challenging to embody and experience in an authentic way. This workshop explores why it can be hard for us to genuinely love ourselves—the familial, cultural, and personal influences; the thoughts and fears that lead us to believe that we are not good enough and that self-love is arrogant or narcissistic; and the difficulty we may have practicing true loving kindness towards ourselves. With fun and vulnerability, we delve deeply into some specific and powerful ways to experience love towards ourselves, which in turn impacts our relationships, work, personal growth practices, and lives in a profound way. The ideas and exercises laid out in this interactive program give you specific practices to:

•             Make peace with and forgive yourself
•             Accept and appreciate all of who you are
•             Care for and nurture yourself in an authentic way
•             Experience and express your authentic self
•             Deepen your capacity to love others

Facilitator: Mike Robbins

Cost: Starting with $405


Fifty Shades Ladies Night Male Revue

Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM PST

Pure Lounge & Nightclub
146 South Murphy Avenue
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Ladies night out never looked better! A burlesque show was never so elegant. A male revue never caught so much attention! Spend an evening with Alpha Male Promotions and they will excite all your senses when handsome male performers take the stage right before your eyes performing our exclusive Magic Mike XXL Ladies Night Out Fifty Shades of Men Show. With the seduction and temptation, these gorgeous hunks will lure you into their captivating trance of entertainment.

Designed exclusively just for women, we combine a perfect blend of music, hot dance moves and sensual theatrics providing a sensuous and fast-paced performance that meets every female fantasy.

Cost: $30


Open Floor: Intention

Saturday, March 4, 2017 at 2:30 PM - 5 PM

The Center SF
548 Fillmore St,
San Francisco, California 94117

"Your body is a window. Through it passes thoughts, feelings, and ideas, every moment of every day, in every movement and repose. Our bodies are ever acting out the dramas of our inner-worlds. Our intentions form the central conflict, waiting to break free of us, to move beyond the boundaries of our hearts and minds, to leap out into the physical world to do their work. To manifest our desires, we must help them to move from one state to the next.

How can we foster this metamorphosis, this change from feeling to reality?

Together, we will use our bodies in dance and movement to discover the shape our intentions need to take to do their work. We will map their architectures, circulate blood to their inner-organs. We will breathe life into our intentions so that they may evolve and thrive.

Open Floor is an inquiry and resource based movement and dance meditation practice for building muscular and emotional intelligence, mindfulness and soulfulness. No experience necessary.”

Cost: $25


Women's Self Discovery Weekend

March 9 - 12, 2017

Asilomar State Beach and Conference Grounds
800 Asilomar Blvd,
Pacific Grove, California 93950

In this 3 day retreat you will learn simple and fun techniques to help you find inner peace and clarity to propel you forward on your life’s journey. Research has proven that meditation and mindfulness practices have a positive effect on mood, stress management and have even been shown to strengthen your DNA! By learning to quiet our minds and connect with our inner guidance we can begin to operate from a place of innate wisdom. We will work in both large and small groups, giving each participant direct contact with each of our excellent teachers and practitioners. Several different methods will be used including art, meditation, yoga, mindfulness, ThetaHealing, and breath work to help you relax and connect inward.

Come relax by the sea, meditate, get a massage, spend time with girlfriends and learn easy and fun techniques to promote inner peace in our chaotic world.

Cost: TBD


Getting the Love You Want: A Workshop for Couples

March 10 – 12, 2017 (Friday – Sunday)

Esalen
55000 Highway One,
Big Sur, CA 93920

This workshop is designed to help couples understand at a deeper level why they were attracted to each other, why they get stuck in endless power struggles, and how to safely begin to work through those stuck places toward a safer and more satisfying relationship. Couples share only with their partner and are able to maintain privacy. Couples are shown:
• New communication skills to break destructive cycles of relating
• How to channel the energy from arguments to create passion and stability
• How the unconscious forces that attract partners to each other are also the source of conflict
• New tools for re-romanticizing their relationship to reestablish the passion of their early time together
• How to use their relationship for emotional healing and spiritual evolution

Activities include lectures, written exercises, guided imagery, and live demonstrations of communication skills and processes. Rick Brown has been offering this workshop for more than twenty years, and has appeared on Oprah. The methodology is based on Harville Hendrix's best-selling Getting the Love You Want. For more information, visit www.rickbrown.org.

Please note: This workshop is for couples only.

Cost: starting with $405/person

Facilitator: Rick Brown


Language of Light: Torkom Ji & Lynda Arnold

Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM PST

The Center SF
548 Fillmore Street
San Francisco, CA 94117

TORKOM JI is a master sound healer and sonic architect from Los Angeles. He has been facilitating group sound healing experiences since the summer of 2012, and has provided deep meditation and rejuvination for thousands of people using his unique and powerful modality. His sounds have been experienced and at various therapeutic sound spaces at many festivals including Lightning in a Bottle, Lucidity, Shakti/Bhakti Fest, Indigo Vortex, and more. Birthed from his studies of music, vibration, energy and the practice of meditation and martial arts; Torkom has mastered and perfected a system that is known to put people in very deep states of consciousness, with little to no effort. Using a synthesizer in 432hz tuning, Torkom weaves soundwaves and harmonics live, and in real time. Through the natural movement of these sounds, deep rest is achieved and the bodies own intelligence facilitates an elevated level of healing.

Quantum Harmonix is a one of a kind, sound based healing technology. It uses live synthesis, 432Hz pitch, sacred mathematics, and is performed live, through a meditative state. All produced sounds are in accordance with natural law, natural movement, and structure, and have profound effects on the mind, body, consciousness of an individual.

Cost: $25 presale, or $30 doors


8th Annual World Naked Bike Ride - San Francisco 2017 - So. Hemi Edition

Saturday, March 11, 2017 at 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM

San Francisco Ferry Building
1 Ferry Building,
San Francisco, CA

It's that time to tune up those bikes and toss those riding duds in the wash, you won't need them for the 8th Annual World Naked Bike Ride - San Francisco 2017 - So. Hemi Edition. It's the second of five WNBRs for the 2017 bike naking season and usually one of the two largest WNBRs of the year.

Each year, our turnout is getting larger and larger riding bare through the streets of the city. So on Saturday, March 11, bring your bikes to Ferry Building near Market Street & the Embarcadero Blvd.

We meet northwest of the Ferry building, between the Ferry Building Farmer's Market and the Starbucks west of the Ferry Building. We begin gathering at 11:00 AM in the open area along the pier. Please gather as close to the railing and avoid blocking pedestrian traffic on the Embarcadero and also those exiting the Ferry Building. We will have time to do body/face paint and reacquaint ourselves. Bring body paints, watercolors and markers to apply slogans and designs to each other and adorn your bikes with signs; meet with old and new friends.

While it is a "naked" bike ride, all are welcome; it's ride as bare as you dare. That is, body paint, rubber latex, bikinis, topless, lingerie, bubble pack, whatever costume you are comfortable riding with. And we have already had 12 WNBRs while under cloud of the oppressive Weiner anti-nudity ordinance, with NO citations or complaints. If you are still uncertain, than its best to have a sarong, a beach wrap or shorts ready for quick coverup.

Our ride is part of a global protest taking place today in many cities throughout the US, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and other cities in the Southern Hemisphere. Tens of thousands of naked bike riders are protesting the global dependency of our society and economies at the hands of the oil cartels. We want to emphasize the harm this dependency causes to our environment, businesses and social lives. Nobody is unaffected. We want to endorse more bike riding and our nudity expresses our vulnerability to these matters. It also draws attention to our cause.

Our route will take us through many popular spots in the city such as Fisherman's Wharf, the Marina, Lombard, North Beach, along Embarcadero, the Civic Center, the Haight, and the Castro. If the weather permits, we might even go out to Ocean Beach. You say you can't make it to the start on time? Don't worry, it's a "Do It Yourself" ride; join us anytime you find us along the route and feel free to leave when you must. It's great fun and an event you shouldn't miss. Tell all your bike and environmentally concerned friends to join us, as bare as you dare for the 8th Annual World Naked Bike Ride - San Francisco 2017 - So. Hemi Edition.

Cost: Free


Akoma Arts Drum Circle

Sunday, March 12, 2017 at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Process Therapy Institute
595 Millich Drive, Suite#102,
Campbell, CA

Join PTI and Akoma Arts for a drum circle focusing on hand drumming.

- 10-12 djembes provided
- No experience necessary.

About the Facilitator:

Keith Hames, Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of Akoma Arts, an acclaimed drummer, has been playing some form of a drum for over 40 years and has worked as a professional musician and vocalist for over 35 years.

Cost: optional $10 donation


Streetcar Routine 10 Plus: Dance Workshop (W35)

Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 7:30 PM - 9 PM

Li's Wushu Academy
10268 Bandley Dr, Ste 107-B,
Cupertino, CA 95014

There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.
- Vicki Baum

Dance therapy is offering numerous benefits for physical, mental, and emotional health. Music itself can be a very powerful tool. It can affect our moods and our state of well-being by triggering memories and other emotional experiences. When dance or any movement is set to music, it can create a stress relieving, joyful and sometimes healing moment for those involved, as well as increasing/releasing endorphins in the brain.

Please join us for the dance movement therapy workshop in Cupertino, where we will explore different attributes of the emotional and physical well-being through set of the creative and fun exercises, mixed with the episodes, filled with free-form dancing.

Main benefits you may expect:

- Getting a good ability to express suppressed emotions
- Establishing a positive and rejuvenating connection with your body
- Improving general physical fitness and gross motor skills development
- Processing internal negative beliefs, improving confidence and self-esteem
- Encourages creativity and imagination
- Connecting others people on emotional level
- Creating a positive life outlook, addressing stressful life events and depressive episodes

Every workshop is different, and the facilitator will follow the flow, adjusting the list of the exercises and free-form dance activities to the created team spirit and atmosphere.

Important notes:

- No partner or previous dancing experience necessary.
- All ages and physical capabilities are welcome. You choose you own level of participation and involvement.
- Please try to be on time, as it is easier to “catch a wave” if you are present from the class beginning.
- Clothing: anything that would let you move freely.
- Shoes: dancing bare-feet is the best, but you can also use soft flat shoes. Please no outdoor shoes on the floor.
- There is plenty of parking near the studio. Follow the GPS guidance, however as soon as you turn to the parking lot from Bandley Drive, you need to drive around the building to find the Li's Wushu Academy Entrance at the back. There are no entrances from the front or sides of the building.

Workshop Facilitator: Tanya Pekker, LMFT

Cost: Recommended donation $15 (cash, at the door).


9th Annual San Francisco Salsa Festival

March 17 – 19, 2017 (Friday – Sunday)

San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront
1800 Old Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010

A weekend of world-class performances, dancing, competition and workshops with top salsa instructors.

Over the past 19 years we have traveled the globe, everywhere from Mexico to China, Korea, Japan, Canada, England, and Italy. We've had the opportunity to live abroad, teach workshops and shows, and experience an incredible life in the world salsa community.

Along the way, we have been to the most amazing salsa congresses and festivals. We've made many friends and met the most amazing dancers in the world. The social dancing, workshops, and shows have brought so much fun and joy to people. Nothing could have been possible without this beautiful dance we call salsa. Its presence attracts people and ties them firmly together.

"Life, my friends, is the art of getting together." Therefore, it is our honor and pleasure to organize another great salsa event here in the San Francisco Bay Area.

We want to thank all of our coordinators and volunteers for their hard work, and all of you for supporting our event. Let's enjoy this weekend as much as we can and continue to support our amazing salsa community here in the Bay Area.

Organizers: John Narvaez & Elizabeth Rojas

Cost: Varies


Radically Alive Sexuality: A Radical Aliveness Workshop

March 17 – 19, 2017 (Friday – Sunday)

Esalen
55000 Highway One,
Big Sur, CA 93920

“Sexual energy and life force energy are the same,” Ann Bradney says. “When we can experience ourselves as fully developed sexual beings, alive with vibrant energy coursing through our bodies, we feel more connected, creative, and excited about bringing our gifts to the world. In this deeply interactive workshop, you will be shown techniques to free up this energy and access more pleasure and fulfillment. Radical Aliveness group process is unique; it demands courage, committed engagement with others, and a strong desire to discover and develop your potential within an accelerated, intense time frame and setting. We work with body/mind/ and spirit to move past old blocks and to open to all that you are and want to be.”

Facilitator: Ann Bradney

Cost: starting with $405


Relationship Tune Up for Couples

Saturday, March 18, 2017 at 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM

The Enlightened Mind
1925 Winchester Blvd, Suite 106,
Campbell, CA

Is it time to tune up your relationship? It is very easy to allow emotional distance or negativity to begin creeping into our relationships. The cultivation of closeness and harmony in our relationships requires continual maintenance and communication. In this workshop you will gain tools and practices designed to put you back on track to love and appreciation again. Please join us for an exciting journey of self-discovery and loving connection with your partner again.

Host: Steve Smith, LMFT

Cost: $80 / couple


Ganja Goddess Getaway: March 2017

March 18 - 19, 2017 (Saturday – Sunday)

Venture Retreat Center
201 Eden West Road
Pescadero, CA 94060

The Ganja Goddess Getaway is an all-inclusive overnight retreat for women focusing on ways to use cannabis as a creative tool and spiritual medicine.

Our event is set in serene Pescadero, just moments from the beach in a lush, forested retreat center.
This is a time for YOU to focus on YOU.

Renew your energy through activities that promote sisterhood, growth, and RADICAL SELF LOVE.
Activities Include: yoga, nature, swimming, dab bar, qi gong, belly dancing, singing, toking, laughter, tea bar, expert panels, good food, hot tub soaks, edibles, painting, entertainment, desserts, hiking, vision boarding, tarot, and more!!

*All overnight ticket purchases come with a swag bag with more than $250 worth of cannabis and cannabis products for medical cannabis patients with valid doctor's rec and CA state ID.
**Those who require a bed for health reasons can pre-arrange with the organizer to reserve a bed before the event.
***On site cannabis consumption will be available and encouraged.
****All meals and snacks will be mostly organic, whole foods and include vegan and gluten free options.

Cost: $200 / All-inclusive 2-days; $100 /day


Reiki Energy Healing Level ONE

March 18 - 19, 2017 (Saturday – Sunday)

Reiki Angel Intuitive Arts
259 Meridian Avenue
San Jose, CA 95126

In this 2-day self-healing retreat you will be attuned to Reiki Energy Healing level one. You will be taught how to connect to your higher self and ground your energy. You will learn a basic self-healing meditation protocol to be performed as part of your daily practice. You will learn about your chakra system and how to use energy healing as part of your self-care ritual.

Cost: $375


Curiosity: A Study of Relationship thru Dance

March 23-26, 2017 (Thursday – Sunday)

Mountain View Masonic Lodge
890 Church Street
94025 Mountain View, CA

Others inspire all sorts of feelings in us: positive ones, negative ones – every possible texture, tone, and frequency. Sometimes we act out or amplify these feelings, sometimes we try not to notice them – and sometimes, in an effort to stay with our own experience, we avoid others altogether.

What would our lives – and our relationships - be like if, instead of investing and re-investing in our likes, dislikes, and pre-judgments, we remained openly curious about the feelings we inspire in one another?

In this workshop, we will use the physical and energetic language of the Open Floor Movement Practice to explore and express our natural responses toward one another. Instead of fixating on or ignoring these responses, we will practice including them, with awareness, in our dance. As we allow the many textures of relationship to move through our bodies, we can experience a new sense of fluidity and authenticity in our needs, preferences, and attachments. Using mindful movement practice, we will investigate and develop our innate curiosity, including it in our range of habitual responses so that we may move from prejudice and separation toward a sense of openness, connection, and peace in the company of others.

This workshop is an excellent (even necessary!) foundation for Andrea’s Libido workshops.

Facilitator: Andrea Juhan

Cost:  $345


Spring Equinox ~ Singing Bowl Meditation

Saturday, March 25, 2017 at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT

Sophia Center For Wellness
2100 S. Bascom Ave.
Suite 3
Campbell, California 95008

Join Spirit Medium Marie Katherine as she hosts a Crystal Singing Bowl Meditation at The Sophia Center for Wellness in Campbell on the 25th of March at 5 pm.

Celebrating Spring Equinox 2017 as we focus on opening our hearts to a new season.

Cost: $11


Drum Circle at New Guinea Sculpture Garden

Sunday, March 26, 2017 at 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM

The New Guinea Sculpture Gardens
Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA

We've been at this location many times before, and everyone seems to like it. It's in an obscure area of the Stanford Campus and is not really a garden at all, but more like a small rectangular forested area, bounded on four sides by campus streets. The sculptures, done by artists from New Guinea, are scattered around and are somewhat interesting. Two of the sculptures, made of wood, are hollow and are a type of log drum that we can actually use.

There is plenty of street parking that is unregulated on weekends. Bring a chair or something to sit on. Restrooms are a short walk away. Please remember that this area is private property. Dogs not allowed.

You can see the exact location by looking at the map link to the address, or you can set your GPS to the intersection of Lomita Drive and Santa Teresa Street on the Stanford Campus.

Cost: Free (donations accepted)


Tara Dhatu Retreat at Mount Madonna

March 28 – April 2, 2017 (Tuesday – Sunday)

Mount Madonna Rd,
Watsonville, CA 95076, United States

With joy we announce this retreat in California, providing a precious opportunity to immerse in Mother Tara’s Pure land of precious practices while living in community. Led by Prema Dasara and her senior teachers, participants will have access to a cornucopia of offerings. We will dance in the Mandala of Tara, work with the elements as they correspond to our emotions and wisdom nature, move energy in the heart and body, engage in sacred ritual, delve into the sacred art of mask dancing, share nourishing meals, connect with fellow travelers on the path, generate healing sacred space, AND send our love and light into the world. We gather to fill ourselves with light and pour it into the world to bring blessing and empowerment for the benefit of all beings.

The dances of Tara are a profound method of empowerment, protection, and awakening.
When the forces of darkness threaten, we must unite and cultivate the inner light to bring healing to our world.

Dive into the heart of these powerful practices with Prema, Myri, and Parvati. At this retreat there will also be a very special opportunity to work with Mekare. She brings the recently completed 22 masks of our Beloved Dancing Taras and will initiate interested dancers into the mystery of dancing with a mask.

Cost: $460 - $1400