Arts & Flow Hangout
Do you have an art of craft project you’re working on? Or do you just want to come and do arts together? We’ll have many supplies to share: paint, blockprint, collages, garlands, beads, etc. Come get in the flow with us and take some time to create something that makes you happy!
Details:
Date: Sunday October 4th
When: from 4 to 7pm
Where: Sunset patio
What to bring: art project, craft project, art supplies
Cost: Free
Clothing Swap & Community Potluck
Come with your old clothes, and you may find many new ones!
Fall cleaning is here, declutter your home and come meet new people.
We will have a potluck dinner: please bring some food or drinks to share.
Details:
Date: Tuesday September 22nd
Where: Yoga room and Sunset patio
Time: from 6:30 to 9 pm
What to bring: any clothes you want to get rid off + food or drinks to share
Cost: Free
Women’s Wellness Circle with Sadie
Painful breasts? Dense breasts? Cysts? Never had a breast massage? Curious about breast care and reducing cancer fear? Never got to learn the anatomy of your breasts? Have breasts? This circle is for you!
Come learn alongside other women about your breasts and ways to support breast health through lymphatic self care and self breast massage.
Small laid back circle. -Tea for sipping, lovely herbal body oils/butters, other body work tools to explore, good talks and learning together!
This event welcomes you in any stage of life, any state of being, and any attire! Since we will be working with boobs and oils, tops are optional during our hands on time. If you aren’t comfortable topless- no problem! You can still effectively learn lymphatic self care- wearing light clothing you can dry massage through, loose clothing you can work under and get oily, or a bikini top/bra you don’t mind getting some stains on are all good options. The goal is for everyone to be safe and welcome as we explore this vulnerable topic together.
Details:
Date: Friday September 11th
Where: Yoga room
Time: from 5 to 7 pm
What to bring: bikini top and loose clothes, any favorite massage/herbal oils or butters, gua shas or other bodywork tools
Cost: Free - Donations are welcome to help cover the cost of supplies provided
Summer Solstice
Join us to celebrate the changing of seasons and to welcome the summer. We’ll have a potluck, make flower wreaths, read poems around the fire, dance and enjoy.
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Details:
Date: Sunday June 21st
Where: Plaza
Time: 8 - 10 PM
What to bring: warm clothes, flowers, food to share for potluck
Cost: Free, donations are welcome
Cooking Kenyan food - Fundraiser event for AMWE Movement
Last week-end, the entire Lavra team joined the women bike ride to Big Sur as part of the AMWE Movement: a cross-cultural non-profit supporting and empowering women in Tharaka, Kenya. AMWE means "together" or "shoulder to shoulder" in the native Kii Tharaka language.
Join us for a hands-on cultural cooking event where participants will learn to prepare traditional African dishes. We will make chapati and lentil soup while exploring the ingredients, techniques, and traditions behind these foods. This is a fun opportunity to build cooking skills, experience African cuisine, and connect with others through food.
Robert, who founded AMWE with Kenz, will be there to share his stories and recipes!
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Details:
Date: Saturday June 20th
Where: Sunset Patio
Time: 6 to 8 pm
Cost: Free! Donation based to support the AMWE non-profit
"No Man's Land" - Original Theater Play
Greek mythology is rife with tales of women in danger, women crying out for help, women being “saved” … by being transformed into a spring, or a tree, or a bear. But what if that is just a ruse? What if these women are actually being secreted away?
NO MAN’S LAND follows the goddesses Athena and Artemis as they forge a refuge for women who find themselves at the mercy of violent gods and men. A play full of humor and female friendships, it asks questions about what it means to live as a woman in a patriarchy, and wonders if there is a better way.
A play written by: Alicia Klein - Produced by: Exit Pursued by a bear
Content warning- this production deals with mature themes, including spoken references to rape and abortion.
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Details:
Date: Thursday 11th, Friday 12th, and Saturday 13th of June
Where: Amphitheater
Time: 7-10 pm
What to bring: warm clothes, blankets
Cost: Free - wine will be sold to support the theater company
Lymph Lab Workshop with Sadie
This workshop will explore the amazing lymphatic system & ways you can support yours. During the event we will do a quick dive into an overview of the anatomy, physiology & holistic therapeutics of the lymphatic system followed by a group experience of self-lymphatic massage using salt scrubs, herbally infused oils/butters, and some tools! Join us to have fun in community while moving your lymph!
> What you will need to bring:
• Loose fitting clothes that can get oily and/or swimwear
• A towel for you to sit on/that you can use as needed that can get oily
• 2 small bowls/jars/cups to hold body oil/butter & salt scrub
• Optional: if you have any gua sha, dry brush, or favorite essential oils you are encouraged to bring them!
Details:
Date: Saturday May 30th
Where: The oak stage
Time: from 11am to 1pm
What to bring:
• Loose fitting clothes that can get oily and/or swimwear
• A towel for you to sit on/that you can use as needed that can get oily
• 2 small bowls/jars/cups to hold body oil/butter & salt scrub
Cost: Donation based
“Family recipes” Community Potluck
We’re hosting a community potluck on the theme of “family recipes”. If you want to recreate one of you childhood or family favorite meal, now is the time to do it.
Come share the story and the taste of your family recipes with others!
Details:
Date: Thursday May 14th
Where: Sunset patio or Main house
Time: from 7pm to 9pm
What to bring: an item (food or drink) to share for the potluck
Cost: Free
Craft night
Bring any creative project you are working on, or have been meaning to work on: sewing, beading, painting, crafting, stamping, anything.
Let’s get crafty together!
Details:
Date: Thursday April 30th
Where: Sunset patio or Main house
Time: from 8pm to 10pm
What to bring: any art and craft project you are working on
Cost: Free
Clothing swap & Indigo vat
Join us for a community event. Bring some clothes you want to dye and/or swap. Felise Gutierrez will provide an Indigo Vat where people can dip and dye their clothes with beautiful hues of blues.
Felise will share her knowledge, wisdom and passion for dying with natural plant fibers. Bring your own clothes to dye and swap (natural fabric recommended: linen, bamboo, 100% cotton or silk). Together we will have a community indigo vat to dip your clothing in, and uncover the powerful colors of indigo.
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Details:
Date: Saturday April 4th
Where: Sunset patio
Time: from 11 AM to 1 PM
What to bring: Clothes to swap and/or dye (linen, bamboo, 100% cotton or silk)
+comfortable working clothes that you are not afraid to stain
Cost: Donation based
WORKSHOP - “Embracing the Darkness of the Womb Through Herbs”
Join us for an interactive experience with Sadie Krier exploring herbs that can support us in welcoming back the darkness of the womb through their folklore, medicine, and tales alongside women.
Sadie is an herbalist in her hometown of Nipomo, where she is working on healing the relationship between humans and the land. With a deep passion for healing through nature, women’s health, natural cycles and art, she is excited to share her experiences and training with her community and is hopeful for the future of herbalism on the central coast. She holds a certificate in herbalism from the California School of Herbal Studies, a B.A. In Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz and she is currently working on a clinical Ayurvedic certification through Dhyana Essentials. She is a member of the Central Coast Herbalists Guild and an artist at Mystic Nature and Slocally Made.
Details:
Date: Saturday March 14th
Where: Garden
Time: from 11 AM to 1 PM
What to bring: comfortable outdoor clothes, notebooks
Cost: Free
Potluck, Bonfire & Poetry night
Come to read your favorite poem, or just to listen and discover new voices!
Join us for an evening of sharing the words we love. We’ll share food and sit around the bonfire. We will read poems and texts to each other. Those who want can wear our mushroom hat. Everybody is welcome to bring their own texts! We will also provide books.
Details:
Date: Thursday March 5th
Where: Firepit by the Amphitheater
Time: 6:30-9PM
What to bring: food for the potluck, warm clothes to be outside, books or texts
Cost: Free
TALK - “Reclaiming the Darkness of the Womb”
Join us for a presentation and discussion with Sadie Krier about the history of menstruation and explore ancient traditions surrounding this period of cyclical darkness that can aid us in reconnecting to the beauty of duality within our bodies.
Sadie is an herbalist in her hometown of Nipomo, where she is working on healing the relationship between humans and the land. With a deep passion for healing through nature, women’s health, natural cycles and art, she is excited to share her experiences and training with her community and is hopeful for the future of herbalism on the central coast. She holds a certificate in herbalism from the California School of Herbal Studies, a B.A. In Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz and she is currently working on a clinical Ayurvedic certification through Dhyana Essentials. She is a member of the Central Coast Herbalists Guild and an artist at Mystic Nature and Slocally Made.
Details:
Date: Thursday February 19th
Where: Yoga room
Time: from 6 PM to 8PM
What to bring: warm clothes, snacks and desserts to share
Cost: Free / wine will be sold to support the Lavra
Album release listening party
Julie Herndon is a composer, performer, and sound artist whose interdisciplinary work explores the relationship between body, sound, and technology.
At the Lavra, Julie will share her new album of Electronic Études, music for piano and synthesizer. These pieces are moments of reflection, each growing from the seed of an improvisation with a focus on a specific aspect of live electronics: turning reverberation into a sonorous wall, distorting field recordings into textures beyond recognition, looping melodic delays, and scattering granulation. Part listening party, part live performance, the evening will include a music video by Christina McPhee and time for Q&A. Join us for music and conversation.
Her work invites listeners into intimate, unpredictable sonic worlds—described by Kulturpunkt as “truly brilliant” and by San Francisco Classical Voice as “surprisingly expressive.” Herndon has shared her music internationally, from Germany’s Blaues Rauschen Festival to National Sawdust in New York and Música Estranha in Brazil. Recent collaborations with Decoder, JACK Quartet, and [Switch~ Ensemble] investigate the convergence of social and musical ecologies. A graduate of Stanford University and Mills College, she is currently Assistant Professor of Music Technology and Composition at Cal Poly.
https://julieherndon.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-tudes
Details:
Date: Sunday January 18th
Where: Yoga room
Time: from 5pm to 7pm
Cost: Free
2026 Vision Board
2025 is almost over! Let’s vision board together to enter into 2026 with a clear mind, beautiful dreams and collective hope. It will be very free-form, everybody is welcome to do whatever they feel: writing, collage, drawing, or anything else.
Bring some food to share for the brunch, your magazines, paintbrushes and all the things you like to create with. We’ll start at 10:26 AM.
Be there or be square :)
Details:
Date: Saturday January 10th
Where: Sunset Patio or Main House
Time: 10:26 AM to 1:26 PM
What to bring: food for brunch (potluck), magazines, pens, etc
Cost: Free, everyone is invited, bring your friends!
Winter Solstice Celebration
Come celebrate the changing of the seasons around a bonfire, with old and new friends! We will read poetry, light candles, compose a nature mandala and dance :)
Details:
Date: Sunday December 21st
Where: Lavra Plaza
Time: 4 PM to 8 PM
What to bring: warm clothes, drinks and desserts to share
Cost: Free, everyone is invited, bring your friends!
DIY Xmas presents making
Tis the season! Come craft some unique presents to spoil the people (and the animals!) you love this Christmas!
We will customize dogs/cats collards, print cards with blockprinting, knit beanies and sell Lavra 2026 calendars.
Come with your creativity and materials and let’s have fun!
Details:
Date: Sunday December 7th
Where: Main House
Time: 3 PM to 6 PM
What to bring: warm clothes, drinks and desserts to share
Cost: Free, everyone is invited, bring your friends!
VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK
JOIN US FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERS’ WEEK
📅 NOVEMBER 16th to NOVEMBER 23rd 2025
🏡 AT THE LAVRA, ARROYO GRANDE
We are looking for motivated people from all over the word to join our traditional Thanksgiving Volunteers’ week at the Lavra. We will host you and provide food in exchange for 5 hours of work in the morning. We’ll work on different projects around the farm and the gardens in the morning. In the afternoon, we organize workshops to teach you new skills (acorn flour making, bread making, blockprinting, etc) and hikes to show you the beautiful coastal region we live in. In the evenings we do dinners, games, music, bonfires, movies, etc. We’ll also celebrate an early Thanksgiving with a Friendsgiving potluck inviting all our neighbors and friends to join.
Email us if you’re interested!
thelavra@gmail.com
Concert: Graybill & his band
Ex-Lavra resident, Kevin Graybill brings his band for a performance on our oak stage. They will play songs from his first and his second album: “The Path less Travelled”.
“Graybill's music reminds us that thinking deeply and having fun are not mutually exclusive categories. In one song, Graybill can make us smile, tap our feet, and make us ponder the universe, sometimes in a single verse! As a modern troubadour, Graybill's songs take us on journeys where we meet curious characters, lost loves, and future bar mates so that we come away with a feeling that we are all part of one big wide family destined to be together one day." - Stephen Lloyd Moffett
Details:
Date: Saturday November 15th
Where : Oak stage
What to bring: warm clothes, chairs and blankets, BYO food, Lavra wine to purchase
Cost: Free, we encourage donations to the band and through buying Lavra wine.
Improv Workshop / Come play outside
Get out of your head and into your earthbody! This silly workshop is for anyone wanting to practice connection to their innate creatureliness and the little scientist within them. Come ~ground~ yourself in nature with accessible/adaptable games and exercises followed by juicy debriefs to process what we're learning about our nature as we play outside.
Details:
Date: Saturday November 8th
Where : Oak Stage (outdoor)
Time : from 4pm to 6pm
What to bring: warm clothes to be outside and feel comfortable
Cost: Free
Fall themed community potluck
Bring all your favorite fall season food and halloween treats leftovers to our community potluck. We’ll share scary and funny stories. Come meet new people and reconnect with old friends.
Details:
Date: Tuesday November 4th
Where : Sunset patio, main house
Time : from 6pm to 8pm
What to bring: food and drinks to share for the potluck
Cost: Free
Pumpkin carving & Costume party
Bring Your Own Pumpkin and let’s get crazy creative carving together!
We will lit all the ones we carved during the evening.
Costumes are not mandatory at all, but very appreciated :)
Kids friendly and welcome.
Details:
Date: Saturday October 25th
Where : Sunset patio, main house
Time : from 5pm to 9pm
What to bring: warm clothes, pumpkins, carving tools, costumes (optional)
Cost: Free
Poetry night & Bonfire
After the success of the first one, we’re hosting our second poetry night. We’ll sit on the cob benches around the bonfire and read different poems and texts. Everybody is welcome to bring their own texts and we will also provide books.
Come to read your favorite poems, or just to listen and discover new voices!
Details:
Date: Friday October 10th
Where : Benches in the lower garden
Time : from 6pm to 8pm
What to bring: warm clothes to be outside, texts, poems, anything you want to read
Cost: Free
Clothing swap & Potluck dinner
You have clothes you don’t wear anymore but still love?! Bring them to the table, let’s trade, share and find treasures into each others’ closets.
We will celebrate our resident Katie’s birthday with giant nachos and 40 different toppings challenge! Invite your friends and family. Come just for the clothing swap or the potluck, or both!
Details:
Date: Tuesday October 7th
Where: Sunset patio, Main house
Time: from 6PM to 9PM
What to bring: clothes to swap, food and drinks to share (potluck style)
Cost: Free, we encourage you to bring a dish or a nacho topping as part of the potluck
Improv Workshop
Get out of your head and into your earthbody! This workshop is for anyone wanting to practice connection to their innate creatureliness and the little scientist within them. Come ~ground~ yourself in nature with accessible/adaptable games and exercises followed by juicy debriefs to process what we’re learning about our nature as we play outside. Feel free to invite a friend, family member, partner, etc to join!
Date: Saturday September 6th
Time: 4 to 6 PM
Where : Oak stage (or Yoga room depending on weather)
Cost: Free (donations are welcome)
Dinner and Chef's Demonstration Fundraiser
Central Coast Friendship Bridge Circle: Dinner and Chef's Demonstration Fundraiser
To support our Friendship Bridge sisters in Guatemala, we are hosting a cooking demonstration, wine bar, and dinner with renowned local Chef Candice Custodio. The evening will include a hands-on cooking demonstration and sit-down dinner, a wine bar and wonderful local Artisan goods, local art and jewelry, as well as handmade items from our sisters in Guatemala for sale.
Menu: Latin American inspired dishes from local Chef Candice Custodio, a celebrated chef and entrepreneur based on the Central Coast. Candice is a James Beard Network Cohort graduate. She fuses her farm-to-table ethos with vibrant Latin influences. Wine will be available for a donation.
Attire: Casual attire. We suggest bringing a sweater for the evening and wearing comfortable, close-toed shoes (high heels are not recommended).
Space is limited to 40 guests. Please reserve your spot by June 29.
REGISTER HERE : https://secure.qgiv.com/for/circlesfriendshipcircleevents/event/ccwtdf/
$25 of each ticket purchase is tax deductible.
Blockprint workshop
Come learn how to carve images, patterns or texts on a soft rubber block with simple tools. Our resident artists Emily and Olympe will teach you how to create and print your own design to print on paper or on clothes. Bring some paper, pieces of fabric or clothes you want to personalize!
Family friendly - children are welcome above 6 years old
When : Saturday June 28th from 3 to 5pm
Where : Sunset patio
What to bring : paper, pieces of fabric or clothes you want to personalize
Cost : free (donations welcome)
Arts & Crafts show
The Lavra is very happy to host an Arts & Crafts indoor and outdoor show with local artists exhibiting: illustrations, paintings, ceramics, flower design, photography and sculptures. Join us for the opening evening on Friday June 27th at 6:30 pm. The show will be open to visitors on Friday evening, and on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm.
Come support and meet your local arts and crafts makers: Emily, Simo, Mollie, Adriana, Amé, Sequoia, Olympe and more!
Details:
Date: Opening evening on Friday June 27th at 6:30pm
Exhibition open to visitors on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 from 11am to 5pm
Where : Yoga room, Sunset patio and Oak stage
Cost: Free
Summer Solstice Celebration
Come celebrate the changing of the seasons and the Summer Solstice around a bonfire, food and drinks. We will make flower wreath, read poetry around a bonfire, light candles, tie some wishes to our maypole, and dance!
Details:
Date: Friday June 20th
Where: Lavra Plaza
Time: starts at 7pm
What to bring: fresh flowers, warm clothes, food and drinks to share (potluck style)
Cost: Free, we encourage you to bring a dish or drinks to share as part of a potluck
Open air theatre
A New Play by: Weston Scottby for local theatre company: Exit Pursued by a Bear
Everyone hated Philoctetes, which is why they abandoned him on a deserted island. Except now, Odysseus has received a prophecy that he needs the Bow of Hercules if ever wants to get home- the same Bow of Hercules that Philoctetes was holding when they abandoned him on that deserted island. Sounds like a road trip to me! Throw in the literal god Chaos, a thespian Cyclops, and an audience member who has some notes for the play as a whole, and you have “Where Nobody Knows Your Name”- the end of Weston Scott’s Odysseus Trilogy.
Details:
Date: Friday, Saturday and Sunday MAY 9, 10 and 11
Where : on the Oak Stage
Time: 7pm
What to bring: comfortable and warm clothes
Cost: Free (donations welcome)