HAI: Into Me See

HAI Mini Workshops provide a no-cost, no-commitment opportunity to learn more about the work and philosophies of The Human Awareness Institute before potentially signing up for a full journey. HAI’s deeply personal workshops, developed over nearly half a century, focus on a wide variety of self- and relationship-growth topics, including Love, Intimacy and Sexuality; Relationships; Communication; Improving body image; Making good relationship choices; Finding Love; and Being authentic and creating emotional intimacy. These are in keeping with HAI’s vision of a world where people live in dignity, respect, understanding, trust, kindness, compassion, reverence, honesty and love. The experiential workshops are an exploration of creating a life of your choosing – a life enriched by self-acceptance, love, and a deep sense of belonging.

HAI’s mini events serve as a brief glimpse into experiencing emotional openness and heartfelt connections – even among total strangers. A Human Awareness Institute presenter leads participants through a series of exercises designed to open your heart and allow you to be more connected with others and yourself. In just a couple of hours you’ll discover how to begin to create emotional intimacy in a safe space with new communication tools. Everything is offered via consent, and passing or sitting out an exercise is always OK. At the end of the event you will be invited to register at a discount for your first HAI weekend workshop, with no pressure applied.

HAI’s free local mini workshop with the theme of “Loving Yourself” takes place 6-9 pm Sunday, July 7, at a private home in Santa Barbara. The next Level 1 workshop, Connecting in Love, takes place August 2-4 at Joshua Tree Retreat Center. To register or to find out more, contact Niki Schmid at (408) 805-5440 or email Niki.Schmid@hai.org, or visit the Meetup page www.meetup.com/Love-and-Intimacy-Community-Santa-Barbara-Region/events/262024874. On Sunday, contact the presenter Suzette at (805) 452-2677. For more information about The Human Awareness Institute visit www.hai.org.

Mala Making and Meditation

Hana Pepin, who has been hosting mala making workshops in San Diego and running her business Enchanted Strands for five years, is coming to Yoga Soup to bring her personalized approach to crafting the 108 beaded necklaces for prayer and meditation. Pepin’s interactive, hands-on Mala Making Workshop, which takes place 2-5 pm on Saturday, July 6, covers the origin, history and application of a 108 mala necklace; how to hand tie knots between each bead; the art of Mantra (chanting) and the power of vibration for personal healing; how to choose from the various types of crystals; and how to integrate Mala meditation into your daily practice. 

The workshop includes time for questions to be answered, and everyone will leave with a mala necklace and a wealth of knowledge. The event costs $50 if you bring your own 108 8mm beads, or $80 with all supplies provided (beads, string, tassels, guru beads, scissors, glue, etc.).

“Each bead is a seed of love to the flower of infinite wisdom and oneness that lies within us. The string is the universal self, existing in everything,” Pepin writes. “The beads are you and I, the unique expressions of the whole. Together we grow in the garden of eternal bliss.”

Song: The Oldest Language

Also at Yoga Soup this week: A new four-week series of singing, human connection and expressive exploration with Benjamin Gould & Britta Gudmunson, the founders of The inCourage Chorus. It’s a rare chance to take a short course, or even drop in for a single session over the summer with the non-audition, non-denominational, all-ages community choir that communes in songs from around the world spanning culture, tradition, and language. Participants will learn songs taught in the oral tradition, create soundscapes, play group improvisation games, share stories, broaden perspectives and bask in both sound and silence as they “lean into the one instrument we all share in this human experience.” The workshops take place 7-8:30 pm on Mondays, July 8-29, and cost $18 per week or $60 for the full four-week pass. No prior experience necessary. 

Herbs for Salves

Emily Sanders, the self-described “plant geek & anatomy freak” who professionally connects people with their own personal plant allies and their healer within, leads a number of nature herb/plant medicine hikes and conducts frequent workshops. But most of them carry a fee. This Sunday, July 7, at 11 am, the founder of the local Artemisia Academy of Herbal Arts & Healing who has been studying holistic health for more than a decade, is offering a donation-based DIY Herbal Salve Making workshop at Isla Vista Food Coop, the first of a planned series of such events. Sanders currently teaches Nutrition, Anatomy & Pathology at the Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute and Medicinal Plant Walks at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens and also runs her own private practice Active Alchemy, so free is a pretty good deal for such expertise, although suggested donations of $5 will keep the events accessible to all. Details online at www.meetup.com/Santa-Barbara-Herbal-Medicine-Meetup.