Hearts Alive Women's Circle :
CURRENTLY FULL ADD TO WAITLIST HERE
Do you:
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crave connection to other women?
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at times feel lonely despite there being many people in your life?
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wish to have a deeper sense of belonging and community?
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long for authentic relating where you can show up as your true self?
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wish for opportunities to speak and be heard without interruption?
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wish for more spirituality and ritual in your life?
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enjoy hearing others' stories about family, work, pets, partners, dreams, hopes, sorrows, challenges and triumphs?
Perhaps the Hearts Alive monthly in-person women's circle is for you!
This circle started with six gatherings from January - July 2024 and has been serving as a safe, comfortable and confidential space for women to build community and enjoy authentic connection. It's where every woman’s voice is heard and valued, and via circle-sharing, she gains deeper insights on herself while gaining wisdom and a sense of belonging, relatedness and connection. It's a place to build friendships and community. 😍
What to Expect?
Prior to each meeting, the space is set with elements of ritual and we gather around an altar in the center of the room (or outside on the deck, weather permitting). Sometimes we have predetermined discussion topics and sometimes we'll simply see what arises in the group.
For two or three of the six-circle series we will have guests who share their talents, whether that's sound healing, breath work or insights on seasonality, runes, tarot and the like. Likewise, circle participants are invited to propose offerings in advance, if they wish to share their talents and bring an activity to the circle.
When we share, we exercise circle-sharing principles (e.g., one person speaks at a time, we use a talking piece, we don't give advice or respond after another person shares, we speak and listen from our hearts, we maintain confidentiality, etc).
Next Circle Dates:
8/15 (Th)
09/19 (Th)
10/17 (Th)
11/15 (Fri)
12/19 (Th)
1/16 (Th)
Location: Quinan Street Project, Pinole, California
Participation + Closed or Open Circle?
One element that helps preserve a sense of sacredness in circle is when we commit fully to showing up so we can all deepen together. That said, it's okay when "life happens" and you are unable to participate as much as originally intended. Space permitting, we'll keep the circle open for new women to sign-up through the October circle. After October, if someone in the circle directly refers a friend to the circle (who would be a good fit, and there's room) this may be possible.
Group Size:
12 maximum. Six minimum.
Rough Timeline of a Circle:
5:45 - 6 pm: arrive, get situated, enjoy tea/snack
Participants sit in a circle on a chair, cushion, yoga mat or block around an altar/centerpiece. We might burn herbs to "clear the space" or each other upon arrival.
6:15 pm - 8 pm-ish
Guided breathwork, acu-yoga, meditation and/or movement (e.g., gentle stretching, dance, light yoga)
Circle Check-In
Circle Discussions + activity or guest presenter
Restroom + Snack break
Circle Discussion/Shares
Circle Check-out
Cost:
Sliding scale $150 - $400 for six sessions (which can be broken into two payments). If cost is a barrier, please reach out. Payment can be made via Venmo, Zelle or PayPal.
If the above has you saying "YES THIS SOUNDS TOTALLY AWESOME!" and you'd like to be part of it, please complete the form linked below to sign up and payment information will be sent.
A note from Suzanna:
How Sitting in Circle Has Changed My Life
Being in circle with council-style circle principles at play was something I first experienced in 2018 at a weekend yoga retreat. I have since sat in circle several more times at subsequent retreats, a Berkeley women's circle, at retreats I have hosted and most recently via the Hearts Alive Women's Circle initiated in 2023.
Here is a (no doubt, growing) list of reflections on what circle has done for me:
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Provides me with a sense of connection different than what I experience with my spouse, friends, relatives and coworkers.
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Gives me a sense of authentic community via in-person connection / support close to home while living afar from my family of origin.
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Offers a platform where I can vulnerably voice my dreams, hopes, challenges, setbacks and wins without interruption, advice or consoled.
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Gives me the opportunity to support others via witnessing them show up vulnerably, resulting in the realization that I am not alone in life; that others in circle share the same wishes and struggles. This reference point helps me to realize I am not alone in my journey and we have so much more in common than we do not.
Women's Circle Guest Presenters
Anna Smith (she/her)
Founder, Strega Grassa Yoga
October Guest Presenter: Tarot/Astrology
Anna Smith is the founder of Strega Grassa Yoga. A yoga practitioner since she was a child, Anna rediscovered her love of yoga during the COVID-19 stay-at-home order in 2020 and deeply reconnected to the power of moving the body while deepening the breath. In 2021 Anna pursued her 200 hour yoga teacher certification with The Tree Yoga Cooperative; a BIPOC-owned yoga school and wellness hub in Los Angeles.
During training Anna grappled vigorously with the ethics of yet another white woman teaching a movement practice indigenous to India. Ultimately her teachers and cohort-mates encouraged her to become a role model for fat-identifying and large-bodied/plus size yoga practitioners and that was the impetus for Strega Grassa.
In addition to teaching yoga, Anna is also a witch from Italian, Irish, and English ancestry. Her gifts are in divination (specifically tarot, tea leaves, and pendulum) and astrology.
Anna identifies as fat and feels that it is important to de-stigmatize the word as it is merely a descriptor; the concepts of fatness being “good” or “bad” have been imposed by society.
STREGA is the Italian word for “witch” and GRASSA for “fat.” So if you saw Anna walking around town you might say “Ho visto una strega grassa l'altro giorno” or “I saw a fat witch the other day.”
Anna Marie Beauchemin (she/her)
Founder, East Bay Herbals
November Guest Presenter: An informative, fun and tasty intro to herbalism.
Anna Marie Beauchemin, RH(AHG) is a trained clinical herbalist, holistic nutritionist, writer, and biologist who weaves her professional background with her passion for gardening and cooking to bridge the worlds of herbalism, cooking, and garden-centric ecology through her work as an herbalist. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Conservation and Resource Studies from the University of California Berkeley, is a registered Clinical Herbalist through the American Herbalist Guild, is certified in holistic nutrition, and has studied clinic-based herbalism with a variety of respected teachers and institutions. She has a strong foundation in the art of Tongue and Pulse diagnostics and has completed various herbal medicine-making apprenticeships with honored teachers and elders. She values the exploration and study of the natural world and thrives in the space where the art and science of herbal medicine meet. Interested in collaborating? East Bay Herbals is an all-inclusive business and strives to connect with other members of the community who share the dream of collaborating to make change.