Singing for Community… and Social Change

Three of Santa Barbara’s song leaders come together again on Friday, March 20, for a special Spring Equinox community singing event in the Funk Zone. Amisha Sera Luna, who regularly leads community singing circles both indoors (every 1st and 3rd Sunday) and periodically at local parks, will be joined by Alison Zuber and Heather Stevenson, the latter of whom leads weekly song circles at Yoga Soup on Tuesdays, for the 6:30-8:15 pm event. 

The evening begins with gentle movement to leave the day behind and sink into one’s body and being, followed by sharing collective gratitude before diving into the community singing experience with a theme of welcoming spring. As always, the largely simple songs will be taught by call-and-echo, with no experience needed to participate. The event finishes with a small ritual – planting the seeds of what’s to come this season with the intention to align with your desires, nourish your spirits, and delight in community.

The circle will be held at Amisha’s regular song circle space at 209 Anacapa St. in Funk Zone. Upcoming Sunday circles, held 4-5:3 pm, are set for April 5 & 19 and May 3 & 17. Admission is free, with a suggested contribution of $10-$40 to sustain the event, although no one will be turned away for lack of funds. 

Amisha and Stevenson will also be among the leaders at the next Singing Resistance Song Training on March 25 at the Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, 1535 Santa Barbara St., where the focus is on learning and joining together in singing protest and rally songs, both traditional and by modern song leader composers, with universal themes of peace, unity and understanding. The training, which comes ahead of the No Kings Rally on March 28, also takes place 6:30-8 pm. No admission fee. All are welcome. 

Visit www.amishaseraluna.com/communitysinging

Light-en up for Healing 

Next up in the series of free workshops hosted by Santa Barbara practitioner Dr. James Kwako at his upper State Street office is an episode in his new The Light of Healing monthly series. “We Are All Made of Light,” led by Candace Wheeler, an International Spiritual Psychology Counselor based in Santa Barbara, will guide participants through an exploration of the science and spirituality of our inner light, and how reconnecting with it can help us trust our own presence, power and truth. The free gathering is designed to be reflective, grounding and expansive, particularly valuable to those feeling called to slow down, reset your energy or reconnect with a deeper sense of clarity and self-trust. 

Wheeler will share stories from her mystical encounters, explain how they became tools for healing and self-reclamation, and offer guidance on resetting your “energy frequency” from limitation to expansion. 

The gathering, slated for 10 am to12 pm, takes place at Kwako’s office at 3015 State Street, Suite B. Admission is free. To guarantee your seat, call 805-565-3959 or email [email protected].

Dawa Dishes on “A Life of Practice: Awakening as a Way of Life”

Registration has opened for the next Non-Residential Retreat at Santa Barbara Bodhi Path led by the center’s resident teacher Dawa Tarchin Phillips, who will lead the retreat in meditation, embodiment, and awakening slated for Thursday-Monday, April 16-20, and available both in-person and online. Phillips will focus on the question of “What does it mean to live a life of practice?” sharing how in the Buddhist tradition, awakening unfolds through the steady cultivation of awareness, compassion, and wisdom. A life of practice invites participants to bring meditation off the cushion and into our bodies, our relationships, our work, and the rhythms of everyday life. Through personal practice, guided meditation, Dharma teachings, contemplative dialogue, and gentle embodied practices, the gathering will cultivate insight and integrate it into daily life. The retreat will include periods of silent meditation, teachings from the Buddhist tradition, mindful movement and embodied awareness practices, and time for reflection in nature.

All are welcome, regardless of experience, whether you are new to meditation or have practiced for many years. 

Visit https://ezregister.com/events/43029 for more details, the full schedule and registration. Limited partial scholarships are available on a first come basis. Contact [email protected] with your interest, commitment and financial need before March 24.

Soup’s On 

One-off events at Yoga Soup over this fortnight include a pop-up featuring Stone Readings in the lobby 10 am – 1 pm on Sunday, March 22, when Lys Poet will work with visitors to discover which crystals align with your personal chakra energy field and soul’s journey. The Spring Equinox event invites emerging insights into ourselves in the 15-minute sessions, which are offered by donation with sign up in the morning. 

Ojai sound healing and voice pioneers Isaac and Thorald Koren and Eileen McKusick, together known as Sing the Body Electric, have created a powerful transformational vocal experience designed to move your emotions, get you in your body and help you discover a powerful voice you didn’t know that you had. The trio’s album Vital Awakenings: Rock Mantras features songs composed of 42 different sounds and tones that resonate in specific areas of the body. Participants in the Friday, March 27, facilitated workshop will employ breath, sound, rhythm, and guided toning to awaken vitality, release stored tension, and restore a felt sense of coherence in the body. 

Visit www.yogasoup.com/events

Online Opportunity Really Resonates

The 2026 Resonant Healing Summit is a free event over March 26-29 that serves as a journey for an international community of practitioners, facilitators, and newcomers to explore, learn and practice the Alchemy of Relationship, how love and connection literally reshapes our brains, our bodies, and our lives. Each morning begins with an opening session from Coloradan poet laureate Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, followed by a keynote speaker representing the fields of neuroscience, relational healing ,and poetry whose work has helped reshape how we understand the human nervous system, emotion, and transformation – including two keynotes by Resonant Healing founder Sarah Peyton. 

The bulk of the four-day summit consists of more than 35 experiential workshops spread across three tracks of Movement & Creative Expression, Resonant Language, and Constellations. This long weekend is intentionally designed as a deep experiential journey, where each day builds on the one preceding. Everything is offered free of charge so that the work can reach as many people as possible.

Visit https://sarahpeyton.com/2026-resonant-healing-summit for details, schedule and registration