Workshops in the pathways of Music, Movement, Voice and Seva will be posted as they are confirmed, which can extend all the way into late May or early June! To see the wide variety of workshops offered over the years, you can visit the “Past Festivals” page.
Classes confirmed for 2023 include the following – full description and more classes to come!
Rhythm as Seva (Aidan Linden)
How can we bring a sense of sacred service into our drumming and rhythms around the fire? What kind of listening, watching, and thoughtful contributions might be the most supportive to the sonic container that we co-create at the Sacred Fire? We will be playing hands-on in this workshop: learning rhythms, developing improvisational skills, and practicing ways to be both considerate and courageous with our musical offerings. We will discuss ways of staying aware and listening through our nights together; this way, our offering of rhythm can become an act of Seva. Beginners and experienced players alike will have something to offer, and to learn! Bring or borrow a drum and be ready to deepen your connections to other musicians and to the ritual process itself.
Embodying Animism (Eliza Dimitra)
In these dark & complex times we have found ourselves disconnected with each other & often our spiritual practices. How do we make sense of the madness in the mundane world and connect to the beauty of the natural world wherever we are? We will assess energetic blockages utilizing movement & breathwork with tools of movement, drum vibration & song through the contemporary trance practice of releasing Divine Madness & embodying Animism.
Middle Eastern Percussion/Rhythms (Amanda Turk)
This workshop is an exploration of the vibrant and exotic sounds of both the darbuka, a goblet-shaped hand drum that achieves its unique sonic qualities by both the way that it is played as well as how it is constructed, and frame drum, which is among the earliest drums you can find in image or text sources and has a drumhead width greater than its depth. These instruments are part of a rich history of Middle Eastern percussion, often characterized by intricate patterns, odd meters, and an amazing variety of tones. We will start out with basic hand technique and then move on to a few traditional Middle Eastern rhythms and how to seamlessly switch between them. If there is time and interest we can also cover some basic solo phrases to accompany the rhythms we’ll explore. All levels welcome. There will be extra drums for those that need one.
All Levels Vinyassa Yoga (Irene Glasse)
“Where the mind goes, the body follows. Where the body goes, the mind follows.” Explore ways to open, connect, release, and strengthen with Yoga Flow: a practice designed to support the muscles, ligaments, and joints that keep us drumming, dancing, chanting, and opening to our time together. These flow gatherings with E-RYT 200 Irene Glasse are most accessible to people who have some basic familiarity with yoga and are able to comfortably take low lunge (lunge with one foot forward and the back knee touching the mat), tabletop, warrior two and other foundational yoga poses. Modifications to increase or decrease challenge will be offered – everyBody welcome! You are welcome to use the offered practice as a guide, or simply roll out your mat and share asana space with us. Mats and blocks are available on a first come, first served basis.
The Crystal (Eileen Jager and Deborah Watrous)
The Crystal is an improvisational group structure integrating creative expression, intuitive healing, spiritual exploration and deep presence. We begin with a cleansing Tibetan breath meditation and a relaxing guided visualization journey. We then move into The Crystal Structure based on the four cardinal directions, inspired by and then offering our 1) voice/sound, 2) writing/reading, 3) reflective movement and 4) compassionate witnessing, in support of the mover(s) in the center. Each cycle is completed with a bow of gratitude, then a rotation to the next position. By the end, we have all experienced each role, and received the empowering focus of the whole circle. The Crystal is profoundly beautiful, heartfelt experience of deep presence.
Please bring your journal, yoga mat & blanket.
- African Dance for the Fire Circle (Alice Heller) –
Alice will provide an energetic, yet accessible West African dance class accompanied by our own amazing community of live drummers. Class provides a blend of fun steps and choreography with the opportunity to find your own groove to the rhythm. Session will include a review of connecting to the drummers, how to enter and exit the “gratitude zone” (a place for dancers to directly interact with the drummers) and self care tips on how to stay engaged and sustain the fire circle energy.