Downward Dog, Meet Upright Goat

Goat yoga, the phenomenon of practicing poses amid wandering full-grown goats and kids that began barely two years ago in Oregon, has made its way down the coast to our little slice of Eden-By-The-Sea. Goat yoga actually showed up in Isla Vista last December, and apparently the latest trend is here to, pardon me, namaste, as it’s since become available elsewhere, including regular offerings at new and trendy Hotel Californian on lower State Street. 

The next class, at 11 am on Saturday, November 17, includes a 50 minute yoga class with Enzo & Henry from YoGoat L.A., and possibly the babies if the kids are in the mood for play. Guests will also be able to enjoy a 20-percent discount for their whole party at the hotel’s aptly named Goat Tree Café after class. Attendees are asked to bring their own mat as well as a happy joyful spirit – though the critters are likely to induce an uplifting feeling if you show up feeling a little down(ward dog). Admission is $35.

Coming next Saturday to the Hotel Californian’s Court of Califia: Silent Disco Yoga. Yoga Dance Magic! – a collective of yoga teachers who believe that yoga and dancing go together like sunshine and palm trees – welcomes all to the Level 1 Vinyasa yoga class mixed with free form, non-choreographed dancing to tunes sent wirelessly through headsets. All levels are welcome, and remember to bring your own yoga mat. Admission to the 11 am class is $35.

Hotel Californian is located at 36 State Street. Details at https://nightout.com/events/goat-yoga-thanksgiving or call (805) 882-0103. 

Soup on the Sand 

If you think the little bleaters are a bleepin’ pain in the you-know-what, and you can’t wait till next weekend to do your yoga dance, Yoga Dance Magic! founder Emma Davis is coming to town this Saturday, November 17, too. Yoga Soup sponsors the afternoon (3:30 to 5 pm) session that actually takes place on a soft surface, the sand at East Beach. Participants will warm up with a gentle yoga set and some breath work before Davis – who loves taking yoga outside and inventing new ways to bring yoga to everyone in a casual, no experience needed way – goes digital to lead the free-form dancing on the beach to music and voice instruction delivered through wireless headphones. Bring a beach towel and/or yoga mat, plus whatever you need to be protected from the sun and weather while you watch the sunset light up the sky following class while enjoying light refreshments from Bare Snacks. Meet at East Beach Cabrillo West in front of the East Beach Bath House Pavilion. Cost is $20 in advance, $25 day-of.

Back at the studio, Yoga Soup also continues their annual tradition of special Thanksgiving Day classes, with two concurrent sessions offered by donation on Thursday morning, November 22. Owner Eddie Ellner joins with Suzanne Marlow to lead a 90-minute session beginning at 8:30 am, while Nuria Reed teaches an all-levels flow class from 9 to 10:30 am. All proceeds benefit Transition House, while Ellner describes as “a wonderful local spot for people to regain footing in their lives — not much different than Yoga Soup.” Special warm beverages and Turkey Day connection follow.

Fowl Ball: Yoga Center’s Workshops

Santa Barbara Yoga Center has four special classes slated for Thursday morning, November 22, all of which might help, especially if you should choose to get stuffed with turkey or veggie alternatives later in the day. Thanksgiving Kundalini Yoga & Gong with Amardeep Kaur combines yoga movements and chanting with a soothing gong bath to get your day off right from 7 to 8:45 am…. Romi Cumes’s The Healing Power of Somatic Wisdom (9 to 11 am) offers a gratitude-inspired yoga workshop that integrates practice with somatic healing techniques…. Giving Slow Flow for Thanks with Natalie Sampila (9:30 to 11:30 am) comprises, as the title suggests, a slow-flow yoga class with gratitude at its center… Thankful Restoration (11 am to 1 pm) comes from Tania Isaac-Dutton, who is certified in Integral Yoga Hatha principles with a specialization in Accessible Yoga, Therapeutic Yoga, and Yin. SBYC is at 32 East Micheltorena Street. Call (805) 965-6045 or visit www.santabarbarayogacenter.com. 

Hits on Gratitude 

Speaking of Thanksgiving, The Greater Santa Barbara Area Clergy Association sponsors its annual Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 20, at the historic First United Methodist Church. All are invited to gather together in gratitude for the resilience and compassion expressed throughout our larger community this past year, amid new challenges to our neighbors north and south from wildfires and gunfire. The association, which includes clergy and religious leaders from more than 100 local faith communities, is dedicated to fostering mutual understanding, tolerance, and appreciation among all faith communities. Participants at Tuesday’s service features representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Quaker, Unitarian, Roman Catholic, and Protestant traditions, as well as an Interfaith Choir.

This year’s guest speaker is the reverend Marvel Hitson, a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and currently the director of Congregational Health and Trauma Chaplain with the Institute for Collective Trauma and Growth. In the aftermath of the Thomas Fire and debris flows, Reverend Hitson was based out of the Montecito Center alongside the HOPE 805 Team and other community partners supporting Santa Barbara County. She is currently working toward long-term recovery through Riviera Care Center in collaboration with the Community Wellness Team. A free-will offering will benefit the Unity Shoppe and the Institute for Collective Trauma and Growth. 

Light refreshments will be served following the service in the Social Hall, where there will be information tables of many local helping agencies and nonprofits. First United Methodist Church is located at the corner of Anapamu and Garden streets. For more information, call (805) 963-3579 or visit twww.fumcsb.org.

Healing Hub’s Holiday Happening 

The center founded by Montecito couple Ragan and Alex Thomson to host seminars from transformational coach and conscious business expert Dale Halaway is coming together for a community gathering. Even better, rather than taking place at the La Cumbre Plaza location, it’s taking place back at the Thomsons’ Montecito sanctuary, where activities include conscious conversations, prayer, mingling, potluck, and shopping for products or service from the local conscious community, much as took place at the now-on-hiatus monthly Consciousness Networking events at Unity. The 4:30 to 7:30 pm event Saturday, November 17, is all about connecting and expanding the community. Contact Charlyn at (818) 456-7767 or email Charlyn@raganthomson.com to RSVP.

MeetUp Memos 

The new Living Coherently by increasing Heart Rate Coherence MeetUp just held its first meeting last Tuesday, but fear not. Organizer John Mudie, Ph.D., plans to hold similar sessions every week going forward to learn and practice Heart Rate Coherence to reduce the experience of stress. Mudie, a Certified HeartMath coach, will offer a short presentation on what Heart Rate Coherence is, what increasing Heart Rate Coherence can do, how to measure it, and a possible link to spirituality. Equipment for measuring Heart Rate Coherence will be on display. The group will develop techniques similar to the ones that HeartMath suggests, or other methods such as deep slow breathing, that can help people move toward increasing parasympathetic nervous system activity. The weekly meetings take place in the boardroom of Friendship Manor, 6647 El Colegio Road, Goleta. Visit www.meetup.com/Goleta-Meditation-Meetup, or http://group.livingcoherently.com for details on the meeting format, or call (805) 308-1411 to talk with Dr. Mudie.

After being dormant for several months, Tiny Playful Group of Meditators is morphing into Santa Barbara Spiritual Introverts. Founder Zubin relied on feedback from others and his own preferences to come up with the guidelines for the new group, will have less of a rigid format, and be open to any spiritual person interested in meeting others with similar energies. “This is a group for spiritual people, happy in their introverted or quieter nature, and looking to spend time with similarly energied friends,” he writes on the new MeetUp page. 

Meetups will always be limited to smaller groups, with talking and participation optional, and members will come together not just to meditate but also for a variety of outings, including cafe gatherings, silent walks, movies, random conversations, random bouts of happily connected silence, potlucks, or “anything else we’re interested in.” A first gathering has been tentatively set for Sunday, December 2, but may change depending on the whims of those who join. Details at www.meetup.com/Santa-Barbara-Spiritual-Introverts/.

Meanwhile, Zubin’s Santa Barbara Silent Hiking and Activities Meetup has a talking-optional trek up Rattlesnake Canyon Trail slated for 9:30 to 11:30 am on Sunday, November 18. Contact Zubin at (805) 836-1185 for details, or visit www.meetup.com/Santa-Barbara-Silent-Hiking-and-Activities/.