Workshops & Courses to Support Your Expansion
FREE Info Session: Yoga Teacher Training Costa Rica Immersion & Santa Cruz, CA
w/ Kayla Copeland
February 9, 2025
Free Info Session on our upcoming The Embodied Breath: 200hr Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Training Costa Rica & Santa Cruz, CA Hybrid Training
Come meet your lead instructor, Kayla Copeland, learn about the training, guest teachers, what to expect, ask questions, and help us pull out any stops to get you there!
Cost: FREE!
Info Sessions Dates: Feb 9, March 2, April 6
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INSTRUCTOR: Kayla Copeland
DATES: Sundays on:
February 9th
March 2nd
April 6th
TIME: 12:00-1:00PM
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: FREE!
DESCRIPTION:
Free Info Session on our upcoming The Embodied Breath: 200hr Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Training Costa Rica & Santa Cruz, CA Hybrid Training
Come meet your lead instructor, Kayla Copeland, learn about the retreat, ask questions, and help us pull out any stops to get you there!
Join Emily Perry, Founder & Guest Teacher of The Embodied Breath Training for a Strong Bhakti Flow Practice beforehand from 10am – 11:30am (regular pricing).
The Embodied Breath
200Hr Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Training
Costa Rica & Santa Cruz, CA HybridTRAINING DATES:
Santa Cruz : May 16 - 18 (kickoff) and July 25 - 27 (graduation)
Costa Rica : June 21st - July 5th
Sobriety & The 8 Limbed Path of Yoga
w/ Shawna Rodgers
February 9, 2025
This once-a-week class will be led by Shawna Rodgers, who has been practicing sobriety and the 8 limbed path of yoga in conjunction since 2012. Each Sunday at 2:30pm in Pleasure Point Sanctuary's Dance & Movement Studio (3603 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz), we will meet to practice asana, meditation, and lecture around the 8 limbed path. There will be an opportunity to take notes and journal. You need not be practicing sobriety to attend, but you must be sober at the time of our class.
Cost: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
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INSTRUCTOR: Shawna Rodgers
NEXT CLASS: Sunday, February 9th
DATES / TOPICS:
Jan 5 -Yamas
Jan 12 - Niyamas
Jan 19 - Asana
Jan 26 - Pranayama
Feb 2 - Pratyāhāra
Feb 9 - Dharana
Feb 16 - Dhyāna
Feb 23 - Samādhi
TIME: 2:30pm - 3:45pm
LOCATION: 3603 Portola Drive – Dance Studio
COST: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
DESCRIPTION:
This once-a-week class will be led by Shawna Rodgers, who has been practicing sobriety and the 8 limbed path of yoga in conjunction since 2012. Each Sunday at 2:30pm in Pleasure Point Sanctuary's Dance & Movement Studio (3603 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz), we will meet to practice asana, meditation, and lecture around the 8 limbed path. There will be an opportunity to take notes and journal. You need not be practicing sobriety to attend, but you must be sober at the time of our class.
February 14, 2025
Alchemy of Sound & Silence
w/ Grammy nominated Manose
Manose, Grammy nominated multi instrumentalist vocalist & composer, has been touring for more than two decades. Spreading the power of healing music, he has won millions of hearts all over the world. His offering of 111 days of free daily meditations on his social media became a lifeline for many during the COVID pandemic.
Cost: $35
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INSTRUCTOR: Manose
DATES: Friday, February 14th
TIME: 7:30pm - 8:30pm
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $35
DESCRIPTION:
Manose, Grammy nominated multi instrumentalist vocalist & composer, has been touring for more than two decades. Spreading the power of healing music, he has won millions of hearts all over the world. His offering of 111 days of free daily meditations on his social media became a lifeline for many during the COVID pandemic.
The Temple of Touch: Tantra Thai Massage Valentine’s Edition
w/ Sidney Nicol
February 15, 2025
Desire thrives through creativity and trying new things! Make this Valentine's Day a special opportunity to equally bask in the pleasure of giving and receiving sacred touch. You will discover together, techniques of Tantra and Thai Massage. Connect more deeply with mindfulness, clear communication and an open heart. With this inspiration we learn to paint outside the lines of conventional relationships. This is the gift to bring home to share again and again.
Cost: PER PERSON: $40 Early Bird / $45 Regular Rate OR PER COUPLE: $80 Early Bird / $90 Day of Event
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INSTRUCTOR: Sidney Nicol
DATES: Saturday, February 15th
TIME: 5:00pm - 7:30pm
LOCATION: 3603 Portola Drive – Dance Studio
COST:
PER PERSON: $40 Early Bird / $45 Regular Rate
PER COUPLE: $80 Early Rate / $90 Regular Rate
DESCRIPTION:
Desire thrives through creativity and trying new things! Make this Valentine's Day a special opportunity to equally bask in the pleasure of giving and receiving sacred touch. You will discover together, techniques of Tantra and Thai Massage. Connect more deeply with mindfulness, clear communication and an open heart. With this inspiration we learn to paint outside the lines of conventional relationships. This is the gift to bring home to share again and again.
Tantra practices that will be included:
Fine tune presence and connection
Tantric breathing exercises for co-regulation
Communication practices that are fun and effective
Thai Massage Practice:
Move your partner passively into delicious assisted stretches and range of motion
Explore creative positioning for giving and receiving massage
Use your body weight and rhythmic compression to apply pressure effortlessly
Everyone Welcome!
Useful skills will be learned for ALL levels of experience. ALL gender, sexuality, ethnic, LGBTQ+ identities are welcome.
FYI:
There is a moderate level of effort and flexibility needed to give Thai massage. Light lifting, kneeling and balancing are required to perform the movements. Modifications will be given to help accommodate your ability.
Attire:
Please dress in comfortable clothing allowing for ease of movement and flexibility.
Instructor BIO: Sidney Nicol
Sidney is the founder of The Temple of Touch, a body of playfully curated education for non-professionals to explore the healing traditions and modern practices of Yoga asana, Thai Massage, Qigong and interactive group and partner connection exercises. Teaching massage techniques while weaving in tools for communication and mindfulness is Sidney’s mission in sharing the gift of conscious touch. She has brought Thai Massage workshops to Stanford University, various yoga studios throughout the Bay Area, private events and 1on1. Certified as a Massage Therapist in 1999, Sidney’s focus broadened to Thai Massage since her first training in 2006 at the Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Further study and apprenticeship at Twin Lakes College of Healing Arts and Spirit Winds School of Thai Massage.
See more from Sidney:
TEMPLE BLISS with Dayākar Dās & Living Devotion
Kirtan is The Music of Bhakti Yoga
Relax - Chant - Meditate - Sing - Pray - Dance
Come dive into the depths of your own heart in this safe, supportive environment. No previous yoga, meditation or singing experience is necessary to participate.
Cost: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
$15-$30 sliding scale at the door - No one turned away for lack of funds
TEMPLE BLISS: The Music of Yoga
w/ Dayākar Dās & Living Devotion
February 15, 2025
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INSTRUCTOR: Dayākar Dās & Living Devotion
NEXT KIRTAN: February 15th
DATES: Saturdays on:
February 15th
May 17th
August 16th
November 15th
TIME: 7:30pm - 9:30pm (doors open at 7:15pm)
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply Presale
$15-$30 sliding scale at the door - No one turned away for lack of funds
DESCRIPTION:
TEMPLE BLISS with Dayākar Dās & Living Devotion
Kirtan is The Music of Bhakti Yoga
Relax - Chant - Meditate - Sing - Pray - DanceFEATURING:
Dayākar Dās – Harmonium & Vocals
Steve Robertson – Tabla
Anne Cleveland – Flute & Vocals
Robert Hansen – Sarod, Guitar & Vocals
Corinne LeBlanc – Harmonium & Vocals
ABOUT THE MUSIC OF YOGA:
Kirtan is a spiritual service with five parts that is found in the path of Bhakti Yoga. One of the parts is the chanting of Sanskrit healing and empowerment mantras and the singing of devotional songs called bhajans. Kirtan is a musically guided meditation practice. Practicing this yog calms the mind, relaxes the body and energizes the Spirit. Reciting mantra with a devotional attitude, especially the singing of bhajans, has a calming effect on the brain, quieting the mind so that we can experience the opening of our hearts, allowing us to taste the blissful reality that is our true nature.Come dive into the depths of your own heart in this safe, supportive environment. No previous yoga, meditation or singing experience is necessary to participate.
Practice is led by Dayākar Dās who is a Certified Ashtanga Yoga Teacher and practitioner of 32 years, who has been teaching meditation for over two decades.
The Hypno and Healing Circle
A monthly gathering to use the power of hypnosis to rewrite our inner narratives, rewire our brains, and remember our power.
Each month we’ll focus on a specific theme to weave into the subconscious mind in service of your growth, healing, and evolution. You can expect to leave each session feeling expanded, relaxed, and reminded of your power.
Cost: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
The Hypno and Healing Circle
w/ Kelsey Lettko
February 16, 2025
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INSTRUCTOR: Kelsey Lettko
NEXT CLASS: February 16th
DATES:
February 16th
March 9th
April 13th
TIME: 2:30pm - 3:45pm
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
DESCRIPTION:
The Hypno and Healing Circle
A monthly gathering to use the power of hypnosis to rewrite our inner narratives, rewire our brains, and remember our power.
The subconscious mind is the most powerful tool when it comes to making meaningful change in our lives. This is where our deepest beliefs, wisdom, intuition, creativity, and patterns live, and it makes up 95-98% of the mind! When we make change at the subconscious level, it ripples out into the rest of our lives and we get to witness our reality transform around us.
Using imagery, metaphor, guided relaxation, and visualization, we can communicate directly to the subconscious mind to move beyond limiting beliefs, heal old narratives, and rewire your brain in service of helping you embody the person you truly are, and the life you want to live. Hypnosis offers a pathway to rapid yet gentle change, and helps us remember that we are in the driver’s seat of our lives.
What to expect:
Each month we’ll focus on a specific theme to weave into the subconscious mind in service of your growth, healing, and evolution. You can expect to leave each session feeling expanded, relaxed, and reminded of your power.
Gatherings include:
Journaling and self-reflection on the topic
Group hypnosis journey co-created with the group
Discussion and reflection
Turning it into action and leaning into the shift
Hypnosis FAQs
What is it?
Hypnosis is a natural, focused state of awareness when the critical mind is not in the driver’s seat, and we have easier access to the power of your unconscious mind. The unconscious makes up 95-98% of the mind. This is where your beliefs, wisdom, intuition, earliest programming, and creativity live. Through hypnosis, we can tap into the beautiful depths of your unconscious mind to move through blocks, rewrite narratives, and rewire your brain to help you live in alignment with your authenticity.
How does it work?
The brain doesn’t really know what’s real and what’s imagined. It’s why when you watch a scary movie, you’re scared even though you know it’s not real. Through hypnosis, we can show the subconscious mind a new movie, story, or scenario that’s in alignment with what you want. We can speak the language of the subconscious — emotions, imagery, and experience — and heal whatever is holding you back. Along the way, we are also rewiring your brain by connecting new neural pathways that, through repetition, will get stronger until they become your new default.
Is it safe?
YES. A state of hypnosis is completely natural, and you can't get stuck. It's like the moment right before you wake up and fall asleep — awake but a little dreamy. You are in control the entire time and can never do anything that you don't want to. Think of it as guided relaxation and visualization.Can anyone be hypnotized?
Anyone can be hypnotized as long as you want to. While some people have an easier time dropping in than others, everyone is able to experience the benefits. Your conscious mind might still produce thought, and that’s ok! Everyone’s experience is different, but I suggest giving yourself permission to relax and let your imagination take over.What are Kelsey’s qualifications?
Kelsey is a certified Theta Hypnosis Healer
Join us for an evening of healing music, mantra, community!
Prema Love is an internationally touring multi-instrumentalist and voice alchemist based in Maui, Hawaii. She has performed at major festivals and for spiritual teachers Ram Dass, Amma the hugging Saint, and 3 Divine Mother Saints of India. She is currently releasing her 5th album with highly acclaimed Grammy nominated Producer Ben Leinbach www.premalovemusic.com
Cost: $30
Prema Love: Mantra Bliss Concert
w/ Prema Love
February 28, 2025
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INSTRUCTOR: Prema Love
DATES: Friday, February 28th
TIME: 7:30pm - 9:00pm
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $30
DESCRIPTION:
Join us for an evening of healing music, mantra, community!
Prema Love is an internationally touring multi-instrumentalist and voice alchemist based in Maui, Hawaii. She has performed at major festivals and for spiritual teachers Ram Dass, Amma the hugging Saint, and 3 Divine Mother Saints of India. She is currently releasing her 5th album with highly acclaimed Grammy nominated Producer Ben Leinbach
The Yoga Lab - Handstand Fundamentals: Building Strength, Balance, & Confidence
Join Marissa Victoria for a dynamic and empowering workshop focused on learning the art of the handstand! Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your technique, this workshop is designed to help you build the strength, balance, and confidence needed to flip upside down with ease.
Cost: $40 Early Rate / $45 Day of Event
The Yoga Lab: Handstands
w/ Marissa Victoria
March 1, 2025
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INSTRUCTOR: Marissa Victoria
DATES: Saturday, March 1st
TIME: 2:00pm - 5:00pm
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $40 Early Rate / $45 Day of Event
DESCRIPTION:
The Yoga Lab - Handstand Fundamentals: Building Strength, Balance, & Confidence
Join Marissa Victoria for a dynamic and empowering workshop focused on learning the art of the handstand! Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your technique, this workshop is designed to help you build the strength, balance, and confidence needed to flip upside down with ease.
In this workshop, we'll break down the key components of a successful handstand:
- Building Core and Shoulder Strength.
- Learn targeted exercises that activate and strengthen your core, shoulders, and wrists—vital areas for handstand preparation.
- Improve Balance and Alignment: Explore how proper alignment and mindful engagement help you stay steady in the air.
- Mindset and Fear Management. Overcome the mental hurdles of going upside down with strategies for building confidence and cultivating a positive, playful mindset.
- Progressive Drills and Techniques: Step-by-step drills will help you develop the skills to kick up into a handstand and find your balance, whether you're just starting out or ready to refine your float.
- Partner and Wall Work: Use props and partner support for safety and progression, and learn how to utilize the wall as an effective tool for improving your form and strength.No matter where you're starting from, this workshop will provide you with practical tools to enhance your handstand practice and elevate your yoga journey!
The Temple of Touch: Liquid Serenity: Thai Massage & Aerial Yoga Workshop
w/ Sidney Nicol & Vega Bluem
March 15, 2025
Under guided instruction, we will explore giving and receiving assisted stretching and weightless floating massage in aerial hammocks. This unique experience of anti-gravity massage, rocking compression and swaying movements will lull away tension and offer a flowing sense of body awareness. Practices for greater mindfulness and communication will be playfully included.
Cost: $60 Early Rate / $65 Day of Event
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INSTRUCTOR: Sidney Nicol & Vega Bluem
DATES: Saturday, March 15th
TIME: 5:00pm - 8:00pm
LOCATION: 3603 Portola Drive – Dance Studio
COST: $60 Early Rate / $65 Day of Event
The Temple of Touch: Liquid Serenity: Thai Massage & Aerial Yoga Workshop with Sidney Nicol & Vega Bluem
DESCRIPTION:
Under guided instruction, we will explore giving and receiving assisted stretching and weightless floating massage in aerial hammocks. This unique experience of anti-gravity massage, rocking compression and swaying movements will lull away tension and offer a flowing sense of body awareness. Practices for greater mindfulness and communication will be playfully included.
INSTRUCTORS - SIDNEY NICOL & VEGA BLUEM
Sidney Nicol
Founder of The Temple of Touch and Certified Massage Therapist for over 20 years, Sidney is deeply inspired in sharing therapeutic touch and sacred presence with non-professionals. Everyone benefits from knowing how to massage their loved ones with playfulness and ease! She has taught Thai Massage workshops at Stanford University, privately, public events and at many yoga studios throughout the Bay Area. She is also a long time instructor of Hatha Yoga, Brazilian Dance and practitioner of Qigong. Her studies of Thai Massage began in 2006 at the Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Further study and apprenticeship at Twin Lakes College of Healing Arts and Spirit Winds School of Thai Massage. Be in TOUCH...
https://www.facebook.com/thetempleoftouchhttps://www.instagram.com/thetempleoftouch/
Vega Bluem
Vega Bluem provides physiotherapy, personal training, and life coaching services at her Volo Volo studio in Santa Cruz. Vega holds a B.S. in Biology from Tufts University, a Masters in Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware, and an MBA from China Europe International Business School/Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy/Harvard Business School. Vega is a certified mat and aerial yoga instructor with Trauma Informed and Ayurvedic training. She was a Division I scholarship track + cross-country runner, and a Varsity soccer player in college. When she is not in the studio, you can find her acro-jamming, running and hiking trails, surfing waves, flipping in her aerial yoga hammock, lifting heavy things, cooking with plants & fungi, practicing world languages, and hanging out with her two amazing adult daughters.
Spring Equinox Kirtan: A Mantra + Chanting Gathering
w/ Joss Jaffe & Emily Perry
March 22, 2025
Join Joss Jaffe and Emily Perry for a night of heart centered music and chanting. Kirtan is call and response chanting from the Bhakti Yoga tradition, a joyful practice of devotion. Kirtan is a spiritual practice of Bhakti (devotional) Yoga, a musically guided call-and-response chanting of Sanskrit mantras of healing and empowerment. It's a musically guided meditation practice that calms the mind, relaxes the body, and energizes the spirit. Some say, it's like singing to your highest self or to your angels or to The Universe or to God (whatever resonates most to your heart as this is a very personal and sacred practice).
Cost: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply / No one turned away for lack of funds
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INSTRUCTOR: Joss Jaffe & Emily Perry
DATE: Saturday, March 22nd
TIME: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
LOCATION: 3707 Portola Drive – Yoga Studio
COST: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply / No one turned away for lack
DESCRIPTION:
Join Joss Jaffe and Emily Perry for a night of heart centered music and chanting.
Kirtan is call and response chanting from the Bhakti Yoga tradition, a joyful practice of devotion.
Kirtan is a spiritual practice of Bhakti (devotional) Yoga, a musically guided call-and-response chanting of Sanskrit mantras of healing and empowerment. It's a musically guided meditation practice that calms the mind, relaxes the body, and energizes the spirit. Some say, it's like singing to your highest self or to your angels or to The Universe or to God (whatever resonates most to your heart as this is a very personal and sacred practice).
Kirtan is not a performance, but a collective group prayer. Together we will use our voices to participate in this uplifting and cathartic experience of chanting mantras.
Come experience the uplifting and heart opening affects of Kirtan, in a safe and supportive evening of sacred mantras and glorious harmony of call-and-response chanting.
No previous yoga, meditation or singing experience is necessary to participate.
All Voices Welcome!
About Joss Jaffe:
Joss Jaffe performs as a Vocalist, Tabla player and Multi-Instrumentalist. As a composer and producer he has created innovative albums including Svara Mandala, Echosystem and Dub Mantra to critical acclaim. He has toured throughout multiple continents, bringing his music to an international audience. Joss’ work been critically acclaimed by LA Yoga Magazine, the UK’s Om Magazine, and other prominent publications. Joss Jaffe’s music is rooted in his desire to unite people through spirit, love, joy, community and consciousness. Joss creates innovative songs that bring international artists from different cultures and languages into a nexus where new music is discovered. His music invites the audience into a space of spontaneous joy.About Emily Perry: E-RYT500, MTOM
Emily Perry holds a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hamilton College and a Master of Traditional Oriental Medicine from Emperor’s College. With over thirty years of experience in yoga, mindfulness, and energetic healing systems, Emily has become a Master Teacher and teacher of teachers. Trained as an Acupuncturist and Herbalist in California, Emily’s deep immersion in Breathwork, Ayurveda, Buddhist meditation, and yogic science naturally led her to guide yoga teacher trainings. She is recognized for her expertise in blending energetic alignment, Bhakti (devotion), and soulful vinyasa flow practices. Her meditation journey began as a teenager in Los Angeles, exploring Zen and Tibetan traditions before discovering yoga through the transformative book Light on Yoga. Emily’s continued practice draws from non-dual spiritual and devotional lineages, and her work is deeply informed by teachers Janet Stone, Chandra Easton, and Scott Blossom. Emily has trained teachers worldwide, integrating energetic systems into her yoga teachings. As a sought-after speaker and retreat leader, she has shared her teachings at festivals, retreats, and trainings globally, as well as on platforms like YogaAnytime and Insight Timer.
Sobriety Sundays Monthly & The 8 Limbed Path of Yoga
w/ Shawna Rodgers
March 30, 2025
This once monthly class will be led by Shawna Rodgers, who has been practicing sobriety and the 8 limbed path of yoga in conjunction since 2012. On the last Sunday of every month at 2:15pm in Pleasure Point Sanctuary's Dance & Movement Studio (3603 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz), we will meet to practice asana, meditation, and lecture around yoga and sobriety. There will be an opportunity to take notes and journal. You need not be practicing sobriety to attend, but you must be sober at the time of our class.
Cost: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
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INSTRUCTOR: Shawna Rodgers
NEXT DATE: Sunday, March 30th
DATES: Last Sundays Monthly
March 30 - December 28
TIME: 2:15pm - 3:45pm
LOCATION: 3603 Portola Drive – Dance Studio
COST: $22 Drop In | Class Passes & Memberships Apply
DESCRIPTION:
This once monthly class will be led by Shawna Rodgers, who has been practicing sobriety and the 8 limbed path of yoga in conjunction since 2012. On the last Sunday of every month at 2:15pm in Pleasure Point Sanctuary's Dance & Movement Studio (3603 Portola Drive, Santa Cruz), we will meet to practice asana, meditation, and lecture around yoga and sobriety. There will be an opportunity to take notes and journal.
You need not be practicing sobriety to attend, but you must be sober at the time of our class.
Disclaimer: Always consult a medical professional or licensed doctor before changing your lifestyle. Shawna Marie Yoga LLC is not providing medical advice or consulting through Pleasure Point Sanctuary.
