A Volf with Sheep’s Grace at All Saints and More Spirituality Matters

Miroslav Volf, Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture, comes west for a special Sunday event at All Saints-by-the-Sea on March 14. The event, part of All Saints’ “A Living Room for the Community” series, consists of three lectures based on Dr. Volf’s book Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in an Age Stripped of Grace. The 2006 book posits that we are at our human best when we give and forgive, but we live in an increasingly graceless world in which it makes little sense to do either one. As the context is, “it’s all about the questions,” all are invited to bring their own queries to the 9 am to 1 pm gathering at the historic All Saints that has stood adjacent to the Miramar and just up from the ocean since 1900. Suggested donation is $25. 

Visit https://allsaintsbythesea.org

Music and Mindfulness in Montecito

The very first season of The Music Academy of the West’s Music & Meditation series is upon us, and the season’s second event brings two Jessicas to Weinman Hall on Friday afternoon, March 6. Following a 15-minute guided meditation led by series co-founder Jessica Kolbe to quiet the mind, Jessica Guideri – Concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony (and newish music faculty member at UCSB) – joins co-founder and pianist Antonio Artese in the heart of an immersive one-hour experience that blends live performance, guided meditation, and intentional silence. It’s a rare chance to hear Guideri, acclaimed for her expressive depth, technical brilliance, and dynamic artistry, in such an intimate and immersive environment. A maximum of 70 seated attendees will encircle the musicians, as Guideri collaborates with pianist Artese in selections by Bach, Brahms, Massenet, and Kreisler. The event, which sold out last month, closes with another brief meditation and time for sharing. 

It’s a rare chance to hear
Guideri, acclaimed for her expressive depth, technical brilliance, and dynamic
artistry, in such an intimate
and immersive environment.

Still to come: Harpist Laurie Rasmussen on April10, and renowned UCSB flutist Jill Felber on May 12. 

Visit www.musicandmeditationsb.com. 

A Creative Path Through Grief

Art4Grief founder Daniel Kanow, a Certified Grief Educator trained in the methodology of world-renowned grief expert David Kessler, leads a two-session Art 4 Grief support group over successive Monday evenings, March 9 & 16, at Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop. Kanow, who splits his time between Santa Barbara and Telluride, Colo., facilitates the two-hour group sessions that employ guided expressive art techniques to create a compassionate space where grief can be safely felt, visually expressed, and gently transformed. Through simple guided creative processes, the participants honor the rocky terrain of grief and give it form, color and voice; a process which may bring unexpected relief, insight and a sense of companionship. 

The Art4Grief process is geared toward those navigating loss of a loved one, those in the midst of illness or serving as a caregiver, major life transitions, identity change, emotional overwhelm or burnout, and otherwise unprocessed or ambiguous grief. All art materials provided and, most importantly, you do not need to be an artist or even have any experience. Art is used as a tool for reflection, grounding and emotional release, not performance or critique. But do be willing to arrive exactly as you are. 

The workshop fee of $75 covers both sessions. 

Visit www.sbcaw.org/upcoming or https://art4grief.com

Meditation in Midtown by Donation

Santa Barbara Yoga Center is offering two new donation-based medication classes on a weekly basis; Guided Meditation & Energy Alignment with Justina Vail Evans. A certified coach, hypnotherapist, NLP Master Practitioner, energy therapist, spiritual guide, and award-winning author, Evans has been teaching meditation since 2000. She leads a practice wherein new tools empower one to feel more grounded, centered and aligned, to be calmer and more confident, to more easily shift to positive states, raise vibrational frequency, and make manifest the life experience we desire. The 45-minute sessions are offered Wednesdays at 11:30 am and Friday at 12 noon. 

Mindy Thomas’ Happy Lotus Lunchtime Meditation, held Thursdays at 12 noon, are geared toward recharging participants via 30 minutes of guided meditation to foster deep relaxation and mindfulness covering a blend of ancient teachings, practical techniques and restorative silence. The session concludes with 15 minutes dedicated to questions and discussion, including how to carry the practice off the cushion and into the “real” world. The goal is to develop unwavering concentration, open the heart to compassion, and master the mind amid the chaos of daily life. Thomas has been a dedicated practitioner of yoga and meditation since 1989 and holds certifications in meditation and Qigong. 

Visit www.sbyc.com/class-schedule

Darren Dives Back into Soup

Devotional Kirtan artist/Reiki teacher and sacred cacao practitioner Darren Marc Levene is back in town after a several month sojourn back East with family, and he’s got a double dose of events planned for the weekend of March 14-15 at Yoga Soup. Saturday’s 7 pm Heart Songs: Kirtan with Cacao is a gathering that weaves together sacred call-and-response singing of devotional music (aka bhakti), which invokes the transformational power of sound vibration to still the mind and awaken the heart center. The Kirtan practice will include a cacao ceremony and spiritual teaching to create a magical, uplifting experience. Montecito-raised percussionist Joss Jaffe and voice-sound-Crystal bowls healer Michelle Anise support Marc’s leadership. 

On Sunday at 3 pm, Darren offers a deeper dive into the path of devotion in a workshop that explores what bhakti truly is, namely not offered as performance or perfection, but as a living, breathing relationship with the Divine. Through teaching, reflection and song, including devotional poetry writing and sharing, japa meditation, and even group devotional songwriting, the aim is to open into a more personal and embodied experience of devotion. No experience of any kind is required for the workshop, which will also have Jaffe supporting. 

Visit www.yogasoup.com/events

Yoga in the Redwoods

Breathe deeply, move gently, and reconnect with nature amid Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s towering coast redwoods on Friday morning, March 20. Participants will be ensconced under the canopy of the majestic trees and held as well in a sensory bath comprised of the soothing scents of native flora and the gentle sound of Mission Creek. The special all-levels class blends mindful movement, breath work, and meditation. The aim is to help everyone reset the nervous system and start the day grounded and refreshed with support from facilitator Shelby Donald, an SBBG volunteer who has 22 years of yoga experience. 

Visit https://sbbotanicgarden.org/classes-events/yoga-in-the-redwoods.