The thing I missed most about moving away from Santa Rosa was my yoga teacher! When Joao started…read moreonline classes I was thrilled to be able to practice with him again. Silver linings of a pandemic? The BASA yoga method is so amazing for not just exercise and meditation, but learning how your body connects and moves with itself and with your breath. This is truly different from any other yoga class. AND Joao's ability to offer individual attention and correction during a virtual class is another specialty not found in most online classes. Try it!

Wow - I can't recommend João enough!…read more If you want a more personalized approach to your practice it simply doesn't get better than this. I hear João's group classes are great too, but if you really want to take advantage of him, I'd recommend booking a 1-on-1 session. When I got there we went through a basic questionnaire that he had asked me to complete prior, so he could tailor the practice more to my specific needs and schedule. He did exactly that. I explained to him that I typically only have 10-15 minutes every morning to dedicate to a practice with potentially some more time in the afternoon, and that I work from home. Not only did he come up with a perfect 10 minute routine for me to do every morning that included a bit of meditation, but he also came up with 1-2 minute exercises for me to do in order release some tension after sitting at my desk all day. It wasn't something that I had even thought about, but it was exactly what I needed, and I'm already enjoying these new parts of my daily routine. He's extremely knowledgeable not just about yoga and meditation, but also about the anatomy of the body and how that relates to your practice. He was careful to make sure not to aggravate existing injuries, and helped adjust my form when needed.

Kashi is a wonderfully skilled teacher who miraculously, seems to be genuinely interested in every…read moresession and every student. I keep asking myself, after decades of teaching thousands of classes and students, how can she be so enthusiastic, present and interested in every single class? It seems impossible, but here she is! She is especially skilled in leading senior bodies on their authentic and customized yoga journeys. Her guidance is essential in keeping older students mobile, flexible and relaxed. I have taken classes with Kashi for many years and they are essential to my well being. Thank you Kashi for your invaluable guidance.

I've been a student of Kashi's since Sept. 2021. I couldn't imagine my life without Kashi's…read moreTherapeutic Yoga and the Friday Basics. My husband died two years ago; in the past two years I've had many life changes. TriYoga has kept me grounded and healthy during this often stressful time. My back has stayed pain-free, and I'm working on my glitchy knee. TriYoga is part of my life, and I am grateful. Therese M.

I came to Deborah at Indigo Soul for professional energy healing via a distance session. My main…read moreconcern was being in a stuck and painful place with a transition of a close relationship. I needed a trusted support system and non-judgemental ear to listen and also reflect. Because I had many very private things to share, this was extremely important to me to experience trust during healing. What most impressed me was the silent portion of "hands on" distance healing. The experience was profound and moving. I could actually feel her hands on my body, a relaxing transformation followed and I knew instantly when she was finished. I truly felt held, guided, with much more clarity in the days that followed. Many thanks Deborah!

From the owner: Energy healing Meditations…read moreSound healing Aromatherapy Meditations By Appointment only, during business hours.

This place charges for meditation, which is antithetical to everything the Buddha taught. I don't…read moremean that they ask for donations. I mean they ask you for cash or credit card payment before you can sit down and meditate. This is not a Buddhist center. No place that requires payment to sit in meditation with the sangha is a Buddhist center.

There current location is in Penngrove, they moved there several years ago. They offer a modern…read moreapproach to traditional Kadampa Buddhist meditation. Each class normally includes short prayers at the beginning and end, a guided meditation and a teaching on a Buddhist topic. The prayers are translations of traditional Tibetan chants that present aspects of the Buddha's teachings. Introductory classes are currently available 3 days per week. Every couple of months they have a more in depth training session on Saturday's. My wife and I found the center about a year ago and have found the training on inner peace to be very helpful in our lives.

Unfriendly. People talk to those they know. Went many times. Volunteered. Nobody as in nobody…read moretalked to me. Older congregation. As in mostly 70 and up. Edward is a great speaker. Sadly, Russ is not.

As a kid, I was curious about the idea of church and this was a place my parents took me to to get…read morea similar experience that was more in line with our values. I went back recently after visiting many other types of religious organizations and wanted to offer my thoughts. Disclaimer: Metaphysical New Thought stuff doesn't personally appeal much to me, but that has no bearing on my review. The music was great and the sanctuary space is beautiful! The speaker gave a wonderful talk that I felt like would resonate with people of many backgrounds! It was a little bit sleepy, but maybe that's just because I went during the 9am service. The congregants may not have the same outward enthusiasm as some of the practitioners at many Christian churches, but that was okay, it was a service about peace after all. My main critique comes from the system of classes they have. It was frustrating to me, as someone coming from the UU church for the past year, the way that everyone is encouraged to take classes that can cost up to a few hundred dollars just to be a part of what is essentially a spiritual book club. That gave it almost a pyramid scheme feeling as congregants spend hundreds to become prayer practitioners (people who can pray for you or help you pray) and experts in new thought philosophy or in a combination of other religious ideas, especially from Eastern religions. Most churches have bible studies or other book groups, and fellowship opportunities open to any members, but it seems that here they're either one-on-one meetings with staff members or paid opportunities-- which may only be waived if you have the intention on becoming a staff member. Great little spot, but I'm not sure it would facilitate the same level of comradery and friendship among members as other spiritualist communities.

Wow, the facility is really coming back beautifully after the fires. We stayed the weekend in the…read moreCreekside Caravans and it was a treat! Amber, the weekend manager, was amazing at getting us settled - the first caravan we were in had a minor issue with water pressure, but Amber got us moved to fully functioning unit in no time (and even offered to help schlep our stuff!). We slept like logs listening to the creek gently babbling all night, and the STARS at night! Amazing! The variety of water temps is fantastic, the steam room and dry sauna are ideal, and the locker rooms are new and roomy. We'll be back!

This is a review from before the fires, around 2002, so I realized much has changed... but the area…read moredeserves gratitude, as it will always provide the harmony. Exceptional place, peaceful surroundings, great pools, one of the best massages ever, tasty healthy food, and a nice selection of holistic classes/yoga/dance, etc. I was going to go this week, but the weather wasn't conducive for 50% of my stay. Prices has definitely gone up, and despite the 20 years plus, I find the massage Prices has been inflated to much (I am a massage therapist, and owned a Spa in Half Moon Bay). Recouping for the loss of the fire makes sense, and paying more for accommodations I'm good with... But, charging Ritz Carlton Prices for massages.... !!! Not so much. To the owners: Please allow this place to remain special..., meaning, let us (retired people, non-tech high income people) all be able receive the gift of touch I would personally get 3 massages in 5 days, but now... ouch... $160/215... + tip.... Just a thought, a Harbin friendly discount for several treatments... So glad you survived, and restoring this magnificent place.

Recently completed a week long silent meditation retreat. The experience was wonderful, the…read moreteachers were supportive and informative. The grounds are very beautiful with views in every direction. While I didn't complete a long hike, I did take multiple shorter walks into the trials and enjoyed the exercise and beautiful nature. The food provided is healthy and delicious. I highly recommend attending a retreat if you're interested. Pro tip: bring a pair of slip on shoes, the Meditation and residence halls require you to remove your shoes. You'll do this often each day.

So... would you like an update? It's worse. I am not knocking all the amazing teachers that come…read morethrough there, or Kornfield etc... just the elitism in the way its run. I mean, they say in their mission statement they're grounded in Buddha's teachings. I'm sorry, I still don't see it in action. I suppose I have to admit that this exclusiveness approach is serving some people in the community, and so I up my stars to two, but my heart knows this is anything but Buddha like. I don't wish to be negative, but I do feel, especially in times like these, that it's important to be honest and authentic. Small "elitisms" (if you will), are part of a larger dynamic. Its time we started looking at little closer at the reasons behind our choices. Thanks for reading. May all beings know peace.

Unreal slice of Heaven nestled in the valley of marin headlands. We hiked from Tennessee Valley to…read moreMuir Beach and decided to hike through the valley on our way back instead of an out and back. What an incredible stumble upon in the midst of our hike. Pictures don't do this beautiful spot justice. It felt unreal when we walked up to the garden then through the zen center. We merely wandered through the grounds, we didn't take advantage of any services so I can't attest to what is available on the grounds besides the incredible gardens. Our round trip hike was almost 10 miles and worth every step taken. Beach, redwoods, valley rolling hills, gardens filled to capacity with beautiful blooms, veggies, and lovingly sculpted grounds. Truly an incredible experience and what a treat to allow it to be open to the public.

I just returned from a weekend yoga retreat at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. It was my second…read moreretreat here and henceforth second time going here. I was on a digital sabbatical so no photos from my smartphone and no laptop. In retrospect from being there would say it was a lovely experience. It was great to unplug and get out of the city aka San Francisco for a weekend. The farm itself is about 30 acres. Green Gulch Farm Zen Center is affiliated with the San Francisco Zen Center in the City and Tassajara. All three is in the lineage of Suzuki Roshi from the Zen lineage from Japan. Suzuki Roshi wrote Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind and other works. I was primarily with my group here doing our own retreat yet did sit on one talk by a senior Zen teacher which I enjoyed. The talk was followed by an insightful question and answer Satsang aka philosophical discussion and tea. The hiking here is wonderful. They have been an organic farm since 1972 supplying the famous Greens Restaurant in San Francisco. The food here was quite alright. Many vegan options. One improvement would be to simply label the food items vegan or not instead they have symbols donating if the item has dairy or eggs yet majority of the food was vegan anyways. It was tasty and fresh as much of the ingredients are grown on site. The accommodation was comfortable. It was about a mile hike to the ocean to Muir Beach and explored the Tennessee Valley trail for a more challenging hike with amazing vista views of the ocean. I also saw two deer while here. If you get a chance to go to the Green Gulch Farm Zen Center. Go! Recommended!

I've been doing various styles of yoga for about 20 years, recently moved to Sebastopol, and was…read moredelighted to see that they have Iyengar instructors here. There are a lot of kinds of yoga in the west, some hybrid and some styles that take inspiration from yoga - which is ok - but if you are searching for authentic lineage-type yoga that has been developed and refined over millennia then this is one of the rare places you can find it. Tessa and Erik are talented instructors, down-to-earth and approachable. If you are new they run weekly introduction classes. The studio is well laid out and clean. Highly recommended.

I love this place. As evident by my 5 star rating…read more The place is super clean, has a great look, is well laid out. The owners and staff are all very professional, caring and thoughtful. This style of practice isn't for everyone, and at first I didn't know if it was really for me, but after a few sessions I really loved it. I now go about 3 times per week.