WORKSHOPS
Week long classes offered daily

WRITING CIRCLE
Ellen Schmidt

"How do I know what I think till I see what I say?" (EM Forster) Everyone is welcome, whether you consider yourself a writer or have never written. Enjoy the magic of writing  from the heart in a warm, supportive, and stimulating environment.  The Writing Circle is a great way to connect creatively with yourself and others in surprising ways. Each day there will be a new spark, a special stimulus, that is practically guaranteed to ignite your creative energies.  Come one, several, or every day.   The Writing Circle has proved to be a wonderful way to discover and appreciate each other as well as a time for individual reflection, invention, and pleasure.  Ellen Schmidt teaches writing  in Ithaca, NY. www.WritingRoomWorkshops.com

SOAP STONE CARVING
Candis Dixon

“The mutability of stone teaches that things aren’t what they seem. Winkling between viewpoints, we see one aspect and another and another, each resolving seamlessly into the next. I think there are parallels with how we see people: as we go beyond a superficial view they morph into multi-faceted beings that constantly surprise us.” (Arthur Eves, LOAS 2)
Candis Dixon makes and teaches art in Rhode Island. 
                         Arthur's Creation!

Yoga for All Abilities

     Take time to restore and rejuvenate your mind, spirit, and body with Hatha yoga. This gentle and mindful class teaches safe, calming, and rejuvenating postures that are manageable for beginners and beneficial for more able bodied students as well. This class is supportive for individuals who may have stiffness, aches or pains, or chronic illness. Chairs, blankets, and ties will be available as helpful props to assist you. Adaptations of postures will be suggested for modifying the experience for your own abilities.
     Classes include breathing exercises, warm ups, gentle postures, and conclude with a deep relaxation. You’ll increase body awareness as you deepen your breathing and improve alignment while learning foundational yoga postures. You’ll learn to reduce pain, improve joint mobility, enhance posture and more as you release tension and revitalize yourself.
     Wear comfortable loose clothing and open yourself for a compassionate, nurturing yoga experience.

This six-session vinyasa workshop will be geared toward those who have some experience with yoga.  However, modifications will be offered for beginners. The Yoga Sutras by Patanjali will be our philosophical focus for the week. Mantra and music included!

Laura Beth Brown has trained intensely at Shiva Shanti Yoga School for the past nine months as part of the 200-hour yoga teacher certification program studying directly under Felise Berman (Shivadasi). Shiva Shanti Yoga lineage includes Jivamukti and the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger, India. Laura Beth brings to her teaching twelve years of personal practice along with a decade of experience as a professional religious educator with a strong focus on world religions. She emphasizes the spiritual aspects of yoga along with the physical weaving yogic philosophy into her vinyasa-based classes. With a background as a professional singer and performer, she also enjoys incorporating mantra and music into her teachings.

Landscape Design Workshop
Patti Emmons

Do you have a garden in your yard that you are having difficulty with? Would you like to add a new garden? Or, would you like to create a garden design plan for your entire yard? 

If so, this workshop is for you. You are encouraged to bring picture(s), plot plan(s), or layout(s) of the areas of your property you would like to improve.  Throughout the week we will spend each day working on your project along with covering a range of fundamental landscape concepts including:

   1. Do’s and Don’ts – whether designing your own garden or hiring a landscaping company, learn the basic elements of design – line, form, color and texture - and how they interrelate to create a beautiful planting design with balance, repetition and cohesiveness.
   2. Choosing the correct plants, including spacing, planting, maintenance, pruning and more.
   3. How to design a green roof –what you need to build a green roof on your home, porch, garage, shed, dog house or birdhouse.
   4. Healthy habitat designs – how to provide shelter for beneficial creatures and support the local food web. Learn how and why it is important to create and improve habitats in our gardens for our birds, butterflies and insects.
   5. Designing with conifers – how to make the right choice when selecting conifers for home landscapes or integrating them into mixed borders.
   6. Creating a water garden in a 20 gallon container for your deck or patio.
NOTE: All of the supplies needed to draw the designs for the gardens will be supplied.

     Patti Emmons holds a Certificate of Merit in Landscape Design from Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA and is a certified wildlife habitat naturalist. 

Tai chi Light 
Albert Chu

Join Al Chu each morning at 7 am for Tai chi Light! Tai chi is beneficial to everyone, regardless of your age or physical ability. Consider the benefits for people with arthritis or diabetes: In a study from Tufts University School of Medicine, people over 65 with knee osteoarthritis who took tai chi exercise classes twice weekly for 12 weeks experienced less pain and had improve physical function, compared to a group that did stretching and got counseling. A second study, from the University of Florida School of Nursing, looked at people with type 2 diabetes who took tai chi classes twice a week, with three days of home practice a week, for six months. Those who adhered to the program significantly lowered their blood sugar and also managed the disease better than those who did not stick with it. Tai chi's effect n diabetes control is similar to that of aerobic exercise, the researchers concluded." --U.C. Berkeley Wellness Letter

Al Chu has been leading Tai chi Light at LOAS 2 for six years.

"This workshop will explore groove-based music, especially funk, soul, and Afrobeat, and the various elements and layers that make it irresistible.  It will include both a listening and a playing component, as well as discussions around each.  Non-musicians should not be scared off by the playing component - everyone will be encouraged to participate if they want to, no matter whether it's on an actual instrument or using found percussion, and no matter how simple the part.  In fact, often simple is better - an idea that will be explored in this music.  The workshop will have a substantial amount of flexibility for those participating to help shape the direction it takes.

Robin Schmidt looks forward to sharing some of his favorite music with you.  He is a musician in NYC.  His website is www.robinschmidt.com and his Afro-Funk band is at www.ikebeshakedown.com."

S T AR B U R S T S
Single, 45 Minute Mini-Workshops to fill in your days

1. What you need to know about Do Not Resituate orders (DNR), living wills, power of attorneys and health care directives.
2. Cremations versus burials.
3. Discussing your wishes with your family.
4. Why it is important to research funeral homes in your area and have a plan in place.
5. Know the details of your insurance policy if you plan on your family using that money for your burial or cremation.
6. What legal areas your family will need a certified copy of a death certificate for.
7. Who is considered your next of kin.
          

12  WEEK TRANSFORMATION
SAME BODY – SAME JEANS – 12 WEEKS APART!!!  
This Old Shoaler (in the over 50 age group) transformed herself by following the Body for Life 12 Week Challenge.  Learn how you too can burn fat and build muscle and get back into your “skinny” jeans.  Other benefits include an increase in energy and endurance.  This proven program works for men and women of all ages.  In this Starburst Workshop, the presenter (whose identity will be revealed at the Conference) will describe the diet and exercise basics about this program – and the things about it that make it easier to follow than other diets the presenter has tried over the years.  

Chinese Dumpling Making
Albert Chu

Al will need four helpers to assist him in this hands-on Starburst which will culminate in a delicious treat to be served at social hour! Others interested in Chinese dumpling making can watch as Al walks us through the steps of creating the perfect Chinese dumpling. Al will provide recipes for all to take home.

 A conversation about the difficulties and rewards of partcipating in a NVC practice group - how to start one - where to find resources and why it is ultimately a spiritual practice with far reaching impact in one's life and community.

Learn to Play The Blues Harmonica
Don Schmitz

 Step into the world of making blues harp music during this fun filled Starburst.  For five dollars you will receive a diatonic harmonica in the key of C.  You will also receive a CD that contains a mix of blues harp songs by various artists.  All of these songs will employ a harp in the key of C for you to jam with when you get home.  I will also provide you with some written materials to help in your ongoing practice.  All participants will walk away with the ability to jam a simple but effective percussive, rhythm on a twelve-bar blues song.  A guitarist will be accompanying me to the lesson to help make this happen.  Be part of the music scene on the porch this year.  

I look forward to seeing you there.  Kids are welcome to attend as well.

Landscape Painting of the North Atlantic Coast
Elizabeth Hutchinson

We know the beauty of Star Island inspired poet Celia Thaxter and her friend, the painter Childe Hassam.  Come look at some other paintings made in this area in the nineteenth and early twentieth century by painters such as Frederic Church, Winslow Homer and Marsden Hartley.  We'll talk about ideas about science, spirituality and human history that inspired the painters during different moments in American art history.

Click for larger image

Yes, your kids are sexual beings. No, you cannot just stick your head in the sand and hope that the teacher will take care of talking to them about it. You, yes you, are the primary sexuality educator for your child, whether you talk to them about sex and sexuality or don't. So take a deep breath and join the conversation. Leave behind your image of that awkward "big talk" your parents may have tried to have with you, and learn to:
* identify teachable moments
* infuse your normal, daily, family interactions with age-appropriate information about sexuality
* become an approachable parent
This workshop is for parents of children of all ages.

Did you ever wonder how pilots seem to know what air traffic control is saying when it all sounds like complicated gibberish?  Did you ever wonder how pilots know how to fly without getting lost - okay, most of the time?  This Starburst will show you that it's really a well-orchestrated dance, and much safer than driving.

Dance Choir – Let It Be
Pam Cole

Join Pam Cole to learn the movements for a simple choreographed dance meditation done to the song "Let It Be" (as choreographed by Donna Renfro, the Director of Religious Education at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Northern Westchester). The dance and movements are easy and fun and open to people of all ages and all capabilities.   Come and learn to move together. Dance sets the spirit free!

The History of Ellis Island in Pictures
Joanna Henderson

Over sixty slides tell the  fascinating story of people who arrived at Ellis Island between 1897 and 1922.  Immigrants were photographed upon landing, moving through the inspection process of screening and examination, often treated and then either released to Manhattan or sent back to their native country.  Pictures include the staff of interpreters, inspectors, physicians and nurses doing the work on the island. Accompanied by commentary, this  presentation takes an hour.