Upcoming Retreats, Workshops & Truth Salons
Women’s Boundary Coaching Circle
When: Friday morning, March 9, 10-11:45am
Where: Family Tree Wellness Center; 431 Monterey Ave, Suite 7, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Cost: $35
Space if limited. Please RSVP to sofialandon@comcast.net
Truth Cocktail Party Salon & Potluck
When: Tuesday, Dec 5th, 7:30-9:30pm with potluck afterwards
Where: Sunnyvale
RSVP by contacting Sofia at sofialandon@comcast.net or texting 408-439-4387
Often when people go to cocktail parties, they end up moving in ways that aren’t actually natural or true to themselves. Perhaps they stay in conversations long past the time the arc of the conversation is done, or perhaps the conversations stay on the surface level, despite a deeper craving for more presence and intimacy. Some people may have a preference to take time to stand apart to simply witness, observe, and be with themselves, but force themselves to engage because they think “that’s what I’m supposed to do at parties”. The list of ways people ignore their own inner signals and wisdom at social gatherings is endless. Is there another way to be?
During “The Truth Cocktail Party” Salon we will spend parts of the salon doing an exercise in which we essentially create a cocktail party environment (minus the alcohol – that can come in the after-salon community time!). In this environment, we’ll give ourselves total permission to pay attention and follow our wisdom and internal body signals in each moment. If you feel an arc of a conversation is done, you’ll move on. If something feels “off” for you or you are beginning to disconnect with another, you’ll name it. If you feel drawn to put your hand on another, you’ll offer it. If you feel a movement to stand alone, you’ll stand alone as long as that feels true. When you engage with another, the engagement stays focused on what is happening in the moment for each of you and between each other (verses everyday chit-chat or stories).
It is an environment in which the highest devotion is to listening to the wisdom of your own being and staying present with each other and yourselves. It is a place for you to have permission to play and explore moving from a place of truth in a social setting, knowing that there will likely be moments of discomfort as you leave behind control patterns that would typically distract you from your own experience. It is an invitation to listen so deeply to your own inner rhythms and truth….and then move and engage from there.
The 2 hour salon will be a mixture of this exercise and open salon structure.
Free Talk on Boundaries – “Holding Boundaries: Radical Self-Care”
When: Thursday, Nov 9th, 6:30-8pm
Just come! No RSVP needed
Women’s Boundary Coaching Circle
Friday morning, Oct 27, 9:45-11:30am
Number of participants: Min of 3, Max of 6
“I have been so deeply moved by doing boundary work with women. There is something so powerful about the safe space created by women, supporting each other in this work. The Friday, June 23rd session is part of an ongoing, drop-in Women’s Boundary Coaching Circle (more info further below). Feel free to attend sessions whenever the timing works for you. I also plan on scheduling some evening sessions as well.”
Ongoing Committed Truth Circle (now full )
Maximum 6 participants
Meets 2 Thursdays evening a month; 7:45-10pm
Contact Sofia if you would like to be put on the wait-list
Description of Women’s Boundary Circle
Holding boundaries can be a radical and healing act. Because so many of us experienced constant boundary violations as children, and were actually taught – either overtly or unconsciously – to override our own signals that were letting us know something didn’t feel okay – it can take time and courage to learn how to trust ourselves again.
It can be so helpful to have support in this process. The Women’s Boundary Coaching Circle is a safe place where you can:
– Practice energetically and verbally holding boundaries, using your current “real-life” relationships and experiences
– Get coaching on moving through the fears and beliefs that block you from listening to your internal signals and standing for yourself
– Learn more about essential boundary concepts such as dealing with people who operate in “power-over” mode, relinquishing taking emotional responsibility for and doing free emotional labor for others
– Learn language to support you in holding boundaries with grace and strength
– Witness and learn from others moving through their fears and practicing boundary work
– Feel the support and encouragement of other women as you embark on this healing journey
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Guiding Principles for Truth Group Work
* Honor and welcome all emotions. Emotions are one of the ways we connect to our inner knowing, our power, our intuition, they are gateways for important information and healing, they are part of the way Home, sometimes they aren’t even ours (i.e. we are holding other’s emotions)
* Hold ourselves and each other as whole. We – and our experiences – are not problems to be fixed.
* Welcome whatever arises. Nothing needs to be pushed away, when it is welcomed it can find its own way to unwind and move to the next natural place
* Do our best to stay in the present moment (verses going into story, our head, analysis or theory)
* Nurture a deep trust in the unfolding of each moment. Life is bringing what we need in each moment to return everything to Wholeness.
* No need to take emotional responsibility for anyone. Each person is whole. Each person is free to have their own experience. It is not up to us to know what their experience should be. Respect and trust their own wisdom, unfolding & trajectory.
With this trust in their own being and in Life, we don’t need to take emotional responsibility for anyone. Allowing people to be emotional responsible for themselves is a movement of Love. (This doesn’t mean that you don’t reach out with support, love & touch when you feel moved to, but it comes from a clean place within you.)
* Welcome being in Silence – welcome being in silence, taking time, letting the silence inform us.
* Allow for discomfort. We need to be able to hang out in discomfort in order to give things a chance to move and unfold without managing and controlling everything.
* Own our stuff; take responsibility for “our stuff”, do your best to speak from your heart and truth and stay on your side of the net.
* No advice or analyzing – this is to support each of us in staying with our present experience. Watch if a desire arises in you to give advice or analyze. Do you have discomfort or fear with what you are witnessing in the other or experiencing in yourself?
Intimacy with Truth Residential Retreat:
Stay tuned for dates of the 2018 Retreat
Oct 22-23, 2016: Come share a weekend of deep intimacy, quiet time in nature, playing together, and yummy catered meals, all held in a beautiful home in Santa Cruz. Note: This retreat is now full.
“Welcoming All of You Home” Retreat Description
It begins when you finally see that the all the running away, all the distracting yourself, all the attempts at trying to improve yourself, to get rid of the bad parts and just focus on the good parts – none of it really brought you the love and peace you were most yearning for.
It begins when you decide, that instead of turning away from anything you deemed bad, unworthy, wrong – you, instead, stop and turn toward it, meeting it with the utmost love and tenderness, as you might a small child who is lost and hurting.
All these parts of ourselves are most longing to simply be welcomed Home, just as they are, without having to “get it together first”.
And in that welcoming Home – with no conditions – that is where the magic happens.
We invite all of you to be Here: the loving, compassionate, and wise parts as well as the parts you want to disown, “get over,” or “get past.”
Instead of turning away from anything you deem bad, unworthy, or wrong about yourself, we will turn toward them and meet them with curiosity and love.
We invite you to let go of thinking that you’re having the wrong experience and start seeing the gifts and wisdom that your current experience holds.
We commit to being practice partners for each other and supporting each other in this sacred journey.
We know that there are some parts of ourselves that may only come out when interacting with others and/or in a group environment. We welcome the opportunity to gently stay with these parts and to support each other in patiently moving through the discomfort and “conflict-in-the-moment” that might arise as we fully meet whatever needs to be seen.
We play together using experiential exercises, open salon structure*, and rituals. We also make space for solitude, silence, time in nature, and unstructured time together to allow emotions and insights to unwind.
This 1-night/2-day retreat will be held in a beautiful, spacious home in Santa Cruz—a few minutes’ drive from the ocean. Delicious, catered vegetarian meals will be provided.
Our time together is designed to help you:
• Deeply connect with yourself and others.
• Allow your shadow parts to be seen, loved and come home.
• Trust yourself and your wisdom—even when your outside life seems to be “falling apart”.
• Practice communication and boundary-setting skills to stay true to yourself while honoring others.
• Discern your own truth amongst the various “voices” in your head.
• Cut through confusion to see what is true—confusion may be a way to avoid seeing what you don’t want to see.
• Deepen your courage to take leaps and risks that align with your truth (i.e. difficult or scary conversations, career and relationship changes, life transitions, etc.).
We deeply welcome you to take this time to turn toward yourself and welcome all of you Home.
Retreat begins at 9:30am on Saturday, Oct 22nd and ends Sunday, October 23rd at 4pm (We’ll end structured time at 9:30pm on Saturday evening with community time afterwards and begin again at 10am on Sunday)
Number of participants: Minimum of 8, Maximum of 14
Event Cost (does not include room & meals): Sliding scale $200-$250
Some financial assistance available. Please contact Sofia if cost is a challenge for you.
Room & Meals (including 3 catered, vegetarian meals): $104 – $195 (depending on room choice); see price breakdown below
Room prices vary quite a bit, depending on whether you share a room, go solo in a room in the house, or stay in the private studio. When you rsvp, please indicate your room preferences by indicating 1st, 2nd & 3rd choice. We can’t guarantee you will have your 1st choice, but we will do our best.
Private studio (only available): $145; cost can be split if two people would like to room together
Saturday night dinner, Sunday breakfast & Sunday lunch are fully catered vegetarian meals. We ask that people pack a lunch to bring for Saturday lunch.
To register, please first click “Yes” on the Facebook Event or email Sofia at sofialandon@comcast.net. I will contact you directly to get your room preference order. We will need a $100 deposit to secure your spot. Full payment is not due until Oct 5. A check for the deposit can be sent to Sofia at:
1200 Ranchero Way, Apt. 73
– Before Sep 22nd: Cancellations will be given a full refund of the $100 deposit.
– From Sep 22 – Oct 4th: Cancellations will be given a full refund of the $100 deposit if we can fill the spot. If we cannot fill the spot, we will unfortunately, not be able to refund the $100 deposit.
– On or after Oct 5: Cancellations will not be refunded the $100 deposit. However, payments beyond the $100 deposit will be refunded.
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*Unstructured Salon Time
For those less familiar with the Truth Salons, here’s a little overview of what happens during the “unstructured” portion of salon. During this portion, we spontaneously share whatever is true or happening for us in the moment – doing out best to stay anchored in the present moment and taking accountability for our own experience. This includes sharing whatever feelings are arising, responses & reactions to what others have shared, what we are noticing about ourselves or others, stories that are coming up for us in the moment that we want to see through, etc. It is a dynamic, “live” practice of interacting with each other in an honest, clean, vulnerable, presence-centered way.
At times I might “pause” the salon if I feel that it would serve a participant to go deeper into their experience or if two people are triggered and I want to support them in moving through the conflict.
Experiential Workshops
Holding & Communicating Boundaries: An Experiential Workshop
