Tal Scriven, Saturday April 13th, 6PM

As a Canadian hockey ruffian and part-time rocker, Tal Scriven was not your prototypical philosopher.  But for much of the last four decades, he has challenged Cal Poly students, faculty, and administration to see the world in a different, usually unexpected, way.  His style of philosophy can be cynical and irreverent while at the same time embodying compassion and deep understanding.  Tal will share what a lifetime of philosophy has taught him.

Adam McHugh, Saturday, April  6th, 6pm

Adam McHugh was a hospital chaplain and grief counselor, when his life and faith began to fall a part.  His road to rediscovery of himself wound through the vineyards of France and the Central Coast, where he has worked as a wine tour guide, sommelier, Certified Specialist of Wine, and wine writer.  His memoir tells the tale of "how wine brought me back from the dead."

Amy Kurzweil, Saturday March 2nd 6pm

New Yorker cartoonist Amy Kurzweil is thinking about her family, especially her father (renowned inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil) and her grandfather Fredric, an accomplished conductor and pianist from Vienna who fled the Nazis in 1938, whom she never met.  Yet Fredric has come back into Amy's life through his writings and the use of artificial intelligence.  Amy's graphic novelArtificialtells the story of how technology allowed her to relate to--and hold--the family of her past and present.

Aikido is a non-competitive martial art that uses the energy of an opponent to redirect them. The word "Ai-ki-do" can be translated to the way of harmonious spirit as a way to defend oneself, while causing less harm to an attacker.

Brian Runstrom, will be leading the classes, is trained in both Hapkido and wrestling, as well as Aikido.

Every Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm (winter schedule) at the Lavra yoga room/dojo

For more information and information about special intensives, call Brian at 949-275-7971.

Suggested donations: $15/class

Lavra Lecture: Activist or Official? Outside In or Inside Out? 

Lessons Learned from a Life of Being a Gadfly and a Public Servant by SLO City Council Member and Former Mayor, Jan Howell Marx

• Saturday, February 24, 2024

• 6:00 PM  9:00 PM

• The Lavra (map)

Jan Marx, Saturday February 24th, 6PM

Jan Marx has had an extraordinary life:  a student activist at Stanford and then Columbia University, Jan and her husband Steve became pioneers in the back-to-the-land movement in her community in Lund, British Columbia.  Eventually, Jan found a place in academic administration at Stanford, Scripps, and San Luis Obispo College of Law,  before finding herself in public office both in the city council and mayor of San Luis Obispo.  Jan will share what more than 50 years of being active and public service has taught her.

Aikido is a non-competitive martial art that uses the energy of an opponent to redirect them. The word "Ai-ki-do" can be translated to the way of harmonious spirit as a way to defend oneself, while causing less harm to an attacker.

Brian Runstrom, will be leading the classes, is trained in both Hapkido and wrestling, as well as Aikido.

Every Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm (winter schedule) at the Lavra yoga room/dojo

For more information and information about special intensives, call Brian at 949-275-7971.

Suggested donations: $15/class

Join us again at The Lavra for the next GREEN CHEF sustainable cooking competition on Sunday, February 18th from 4 - 7 pm! There are limited spots available and chefs are encouraged to join. Please RSVP to Brandon after reading below.

How Green Chef Works:

“Chefs” will take 1 Secret Ingredient and compete to make the most Sustainable, Creative, and Tastiest dish.

The competition will involve up to ten "Chefs" (Cooks) each preparing a dish in advance with the secret ingredient for the event. ALL people are encouraged to apply as a chef; young and old, advanced and beginners. We will need 8-10 for the event to happen!

This year is special for the chefs as well: a wild-gathering experience will be the introduction to the secret ingredient so sign up with the link below quick:

APPLY as a Chef / Cook

The guests (aka Judges) in turn will play the role of a judge and cast their votes at the end of the night, based on the three categories: (1) sustainability, (2) creativity, and (3) taste. Chefs are encouraged to use wild-gathered, locally-sourced, and agroecological ingredients (or regenerative crops, tree crops, organic, etc.) to demonstrate how we can reduce our impact on our damaged Mother Earth (to dive deeper into the question of what really is "food sustainability", visit this article).

So come one, come all, as we learn (and taste!) what it means to truly eat sustainably in tasteful ways. Come as a chef or get on the waitlist for the judge roles!

Event Details:

- Who: only 8-10 Chef spots open and up to 30 Judges may join to experience true sustainable cuisine

- What: A battle of the chefs in praise of living (1) ecologically, (2) creatively, and (3) harmoniously

- Where: The Lavra Non-Profit

- When: Sunday February 18, 2024, from 4 pm to 7 pm, Food presented at 4:30pm; awards at 6pm.

- Why: To better understand our connection to nature and food, and to have a great evening together!

*Donation to join as a Judge / Guest: $30 - 50 (sliding scale) to pay for wild-gathered/perennial plant/regenerative ingredients, a prize for each category, and a wild-gathering experience for the chefs...

Come love, stretch and celebrate with your partner on February 17th!  Special Post-Valentine's Day Yoga Class and Wine Tasting in the beautiful Lavra yoga room.  Our guide, Sigrid Long, has been teaching yoga for 30 years and this sequence is designed specifically for couples.  Share the spirit of yoga with the one you love!  And then we will taste four local wines, including two from the Lavra. If you want a gift-certificate to give to your partner on Valentine's Day, we can provide!
All mats and blankets provided. Only 4 couples can register! Suggested donation is $50 per couple, with all proceeds going to the Arroyo Grande Theater program. Questions? Call Sigrid at 805-234-6951 

Aikido is a non-competitive martial art that uses the energy of an opponent to redirect them. The word "Ai-ki-do" can be translated to the way of harmonious spirit as a way to defend oneself, while causing less harm to an attacker.

Brian Runstrom, will be leading the classes, is trained in both Hapkido and wrestling, as well as Aikido.

Every Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm (winter schedule) at the Lavra yoga room/dojo

For more information and information about special intensives, call Brian at 949-275-7971.

Suggested donations: $15/class

Yoga Nidra: The Yoga of "AWARE" Sleep
February 4th 10am - Noon

This workshop provides an immersion into the practice of Yoga Nidra through a progression of activities that promote supportive rest. Pre-practices will include Breathwork followed by a gentle Movement practice before setting into our rest nest and being guided through a Nidra visualization exercise.  A Post-practice of journaling or collage will be offered right after. After the workshop, you will be invited to continue to explore your Nidra practice through an offering of a 40 day Sadhana.

Sunday February 4th
From 10am to Noon
In the yoga room
Limited to 8 people, RSVP
Free

The instructor: Mania is a 200h yoga alliance certified vinyasa teacher. She is also a certified yoga Nidra teacher studying with Tracee Stanley and Chanti Taraconte-Perez. Mania also works as a licensed architect and a rancher in Cayucos.

Aikido is a non-competitive martial art that uses the energy of an opponent to redirect them. The word "Ai-ki-do" can be translated to the way of harmonious spirit as a way to defend oneself, while causing less harm to an attacker.

Brian Runstrom, will be leading the classes, is trained in both Hapkido and wrestling, as well as Aikido.

Every Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm (winter schedule) at the Lavra yoga room/dojo

For more information and information about special intensives, call Brian at 949-275-7971.

Suggested donations: $15/class

Stephen Robert Miller, Friday February 2nd 6PM

 Stephen Robert Miller  is a journalist who has written for a number of reputable publications and taught at University of Colorado.  His book Over the Seawall attempts to chart human's attempts to combat climate change, which have led to many unintended consequences. The title comes from Japan's attempt to thwart future climate-change tsunamis with a seawall that was identical to the one that was just destroyed.  In his journey to understand the human response, he discovered broader lessons about life, which he will share with us. 
Space is limited.  The event is free but as a symposium we encourage you to bring something to drink to share with new and old friends.  

Graybill Goodbye Soiree January 31

Our resident troubadour, Kevin Graybill is moving on from living at the Lavra.  Kevin and his partner Camille will be welcoming a new life into the world this spring and starting their life together in a new spot.  Kevin has not just brought music into our world but a calm and kind presence.  Come celebrate his past and toast his future with a Graybill soiree on Wednesday January 31st at 6:30pm in the main house!

Aikido is a non-competitive martial art that uses the energy of an opponent to redirect them. The word "Ai-ki-do" can be translated to the way of harmonious spirit as a way to defend oneself, while causing less harm to an attacker.

Brian Runstrom, will be leading the classes, is trained in both Hapkido and wrestling, as well as Aikido.

Every Tuesday, 5:30-7:30pm (winter schedule) at the Lavra yoga room/dojo

For more information and information about special intensives, call Brian at 949-275-7971.

Suggested donations: $15/class

If you missed our mushroom cooking event last year, or if you liked it so well you want to come back, join author of Mason Goes Mushrooming and TEDTalk speaker Melany Kahn as she explores our growing fascination with fungi, the mycelium web and the environmental benefits.  She'll show how to I.D. mushrooms and which trees correspond to help you while mushroom hunting. Learning just 1-2 beginner wild edible mushrooms with no poisonous look alike will offer multiple generations in a family the opportunity to forage together, share nature, and create gourmet feasts.  An interactive cooking demonstration and tasting will follow. Melany will be bringing a sample of MyBacon, mycelium grown bacon, from the East Coast, it is not yet available in CA but it is coming soon. It's crazy delicious, but it won't raise your cholesterol ☺ and makes the best BLT’s ever. Family friendly, for all age event.
 

Come gather with new and old friends for our traditional celebration of the winter solstice!

(+ enclosed IMAGE)

Yoga Nidra practice with Mania 

The yoga of "aware" sleep

Sunday December 10th

From 9:30 to 11:30 am 

In the yoga room

Limited to 8 people, RSVP

Come join volunteers from throughout the world who come work on the farm, engage in educational activities each day, and make lifelong friends.

Many of you attended a Lavra Lecture last spring in which we were fortunate to hear from Emmanual & Laura Gaisie about their endeavors to bring the stories within our incarcerated and formerly incarcerated population to life.  Many of you asked how we can best support such inspirational work so we have created a fundraising dinner to support their nonprofit, Authors Inside.

For those who missed the presentation, Authors Inside is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization empowering incarcerated and formerly incarcerated authors to make sustainable change through narrative writing, with the purpose of reducing and preventing juvenile crime, promoting and maintaining safe communities, and improving the welfare of youth and families.  They have published a dozen books written by incarcerated formerly-incarcerated authors who have stories to share with the world and they have many more “on the books” that just await funding.    

Here are the details:

When: Saturday September 30th from 5-9pm, including appetizers and drinks, dinner, music, and a presentation.

Where: Lavra Sunset Patio and Plaza

Who: Anyone wanting to support this nonprofit, limited to 50 attendees.

Donation: $50 per person, with all proceeds going to Authors Inside

RSVP by September 23 at thelavra@gmail.com

Join us for an enchanting afternoon of live music under the oaks at The Lavra Amphitheater with one of the best bands on the central coast, Carbon City Lights.  You may have seen CCL across the coast this summer, but this special Sunday afternoon show will include the stories behind the songs as well as a few songs that are rarely performed publicly.  

If you don’t yet know Carbon City lights, their sound is a fusion of folk, pop, and rock, with thoughtful lyrics and a beat that begets dancing.  Here is a video of one of their songs from their set last year at Concerts in the Plaza.  

Lead singer Michael Venia learned guitar while growing up in Saudi Arabia, honed his sound as a part of the Toronto music scene, and eventually was a contestant on NBC’s The Voice before settling on the Central Coast. Carbon City Light’s new single “Wake Up” drops just before their first time they light up the Lavra stage.

Event Details:

Time: 4-6PM, with seating beginning at 3:30

Where: The Lavra Amphitheater
What to bring: We will have some chairs and hillside amphitheater seating, but we encourage you to bring a camp chair or blanket!
Cost: Donation-based, so bring some cash to support local artists or buy merchandise!
Food/Drink: Feel free to bring drinks and snacks for you, or extras if you wish to share!  Wine from the property will be available for donation.

Come celebrate the turning of the Sun with friends at the Lavra on Wednesday June 21 beginning at 6:30pm.  We will have the traditional wreath making, tying your dreams to the May Pole, and short ritual acknowlegement of the changing of the days.  All are welcome!

This play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect-and sensitivity-whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea.

Lavra Reader’s Theater is a limited-staged reading of the play by local actors who make the story come alive on the amphitheater stage.  We welcome people to bring food and drink to share during the performances, or support the Lavra by purchasing some Lavra wine.

Brought to you by Alicia Klein & Rosh Wright.  

This play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect-and sensitivity-whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea.

Lavra Reader’s Theater is a limited-staged reading of the play by local actors who make the story come alive on the amphitheater stage.  We welcome people to bring food and drink to share during the performances, or support the Lavra by purchasing some Lavra wine.

Brought to you by Brought to you by Alicia Klein & Rosh Wright.

This play probes into the delicate relationship of three singular women: the grandmother, Dorothea, who has sought to assert her independence through strong-willed eccentricity; her brilliant daughter, Artie (Artemis), who has fled the stifling domination of her mother; and Artie's daughter, Echo, a child of exceptional intellect-and sensitivity-whom Artie has abandoned to an upbringing by Dorothea.

Lavra Reader’s Theater is a limited-staged reading of the play by local actors who make the story come alive on the amphitheater stage.  We welcome people to bring food and drink to share during the performances, or support the Lavra by purchasing some Lavra wine.

Brought to you by Brought to you by Alicia Klein & Rosh Wright.  

The New Map of Life

Marie Conley-Smith, Researcher at the Stanford Longevity Center.

Over the course of the 20th century, the average human life span in the US nearly doubled; it’s not unreasonable to expect that most babies born today will live to be 100. Yet, the cultural and institutional norms that govern how we live are largely still centered around much shorter life spans. How can we learn to take advantage of our extra years individually and as a society, and ensure that everyone has access to healthy, purposeful long lives? In this talk we will explore the Stanford Center on Longevity’s New Map of Life project, which envisions a world that better supports century-long lives.

The Lavra will host an unforgettable evening that will change how you think about music, art, and performance.  Houston-based sound artist Rebecca Novak together with SF-based artist Ivy Woods present a duet titled “Waveform Reversal” in which they translate light waves into sound waves and vice versa through the use of a 16mm projector and cornet.  We will gather at 7:30pm for drinks and the performance will start a little after 8. The event is free and open to all Lavra friends.  We encourage people to bring a drink to share and a dessert.

Here is more about the performance: Inspired by Yvonne Rainer’s Hand Movie and Homemade, Trisha Brown’s historic projected dance performance, Woods’ hand and objects become gestural surfaces that animate and redirect the light of a 16mm projector back into the projector’s sound head, reading its flickers like a sound-generating score while dispersing the remaining light in an iridescent shadow-dance. The duo’s material vocabulary transfigures simple binary parameters: on/off, light/dark, sound/silence are expanded through a gradient spectrum of fine-grained tonal shifts, articulated mechanical noise and subtle feedback of acoustic waveforms as Novak’s malleable utterances dovetail, collide and juxtapose with Woods’ projectors-as-instruments in a ceaseless coaxing of pattern and form.

Preparing for War! What Comes Next for White Christian Nationalists

Dr. Bradley Onishi, University of San Francisco, host of Straight White American Jesus podcast

After growing up in a non-religious home in Southern California, Brad Onishi converted to evangelicalism at a megachurch in his hometown at age fourteen. By twenty, he was married and in charge of a two-hundred-student youth group. After serving seven years in ministry, he decided to pursue a master’s in theology at Oxford. Soon after arriving in Oxford, he deconstructed his faith and began to study religion from a historical lens. Dr. Onishi subsequently received a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from UCSB. He teaches and researches Christian nationalism, the history of Evangelicalism, race and racism in American religion, gender, sex, masculinity, and secularism and secularity. He has taught at UCSB, the Graduate Theological Union at UC Berkeley, Rhodes College, Skidmore College, Central Michigan University, Cal Lutheran University, and the University of San Francisco.

Block Printing 2.0
Farm manager Olympe will provide an opportunity for people to explore their creative side with the ancient craft of block printing. This workshop will focus on printing your favorite designs on tea towels, with materials provided by the Lavra. Just bring your creativity, and a healthy dose of enthusiasm. This is a great way to add a personal touch to a household item you’ll use for years to come. Donations welcome.