Relax, rejoice, renew ... sing, dance, paddle, play ... meditate and CELEBRATE!
Join us as summer begins at the ... Kings River Flowfest
June 20-24, 2008 ( Friday thru Tuesday ... Come for all or part ... )
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Spend the summer solstice with our warm, fun-loving, creative, conscious community in a wilderness paradise, just 90 minutes east of Fresno, California, in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Singles, couples, families ... rafters & non-rafters all welcome. This "rafting-optional river trip" is an adventure in community and creative expression, self-renewal and transformation ... and FUN!
For 5 days and 4 nights, we'll live in harmonious community along the river's edge! Once you settle in, you'll never want to leave ... so plan on all 4 nights for the full effect! Spend quality time with friends old and new, as well as several exceptional Bay Area teachers, artists, musicians and healers (listed below). Immersed in the energy of the river — and through their beautiful offerings — we'll soar to new heights of both inner and outer flow!
Enjoy nourishing, organic, vegetarian delights (a combination of cooked and raw), lovingly prepared and served
by Lydia — of Lydia's Lovin' Foods — plus comfortable, secluded and spacious riverside camping beneath a crystal clear, star-filled sky (sleep in your tent or out on a tarp for stargazing), and warm summer nights around the fire with a creative, spirited community. And since our closest neighbors are WAY down river, we can play music and sing around the fire until
the whales come home!
Unlike the Bay Area, summer at the Kings feels like summer, with arid air temperatures ranging from the upper-80's to the
low-100's. Whether rafting or resting ... you'll feel refreshed, awake and alive as you dip in and out of the cool river throughout the day ...
An easy drive from either Northern or Southern California, this is a convenient location to meet up with friends and family you don't see often enough ... Leave home on Friday morning to have plenty of time to set up your campsite during daylight hours, take a swim, and relax before a scrumptious dinner.
Ready for whitewater fun and excitement?
Originating high in the mountains of central California near Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park, the Kings boasts the largest watershed of any river in the Sierra Nevada range. Un-dammed and un-spoiled, it truly is one of the most scenic rivers in the West, and provides for an excellent whitewater experience. A big-water, yet non-technical river, the rafting here is suitable for both the first timer and the advanced rafter. Based a few miles down the river, the Zephyr Whitewater Rafting Co. will provide our on-river experience. Take a 10-mile journey down the river with Zephyr ... on Saturday and/or Monday (at additional cost, below).
Prefer to remain on the shore?
Catch up on your reading, sleep, meditate, hike, hang out with friends, or just sit beneath the bodhi tree and watch the flow go by. Spend quality time with community in this extraordinary natural paradise, and you're sure to return home a very happy camper ...
Want to spend more time in this beautiful area of California?
For the last eight years, many folks from the nearby NCDC Summer Dance Camp have completed their camp experience with a splash at the Kings! While NCDC calls it a "dance camp" ... it's more like an expressive arts "fun camp" ... with a multitude of classes in various forms of dance, drumming, yoga, great food (prepared by former Esalen chefs) ... and so much more. Singles, couples and kids are welcome here too!
With dance camp spanning 9 days from June 13-22, you could go for 4 OR 7 days (thru Friday, 6/20, then to the river thru Sunday OR Tuesday) OR for 9 days (thru Sunday, 6/22), then come to the Kings River through Tuesday, 6/24. See pricing section below for special offers to those who attend both dance camp and this river trip!
Another option is a side-trip to Kings Canyon/ Sequoia National Park ... to commune with the largest trees on earth! The entrance to the park is under 2 hours from our place at the river, and just a few miles up the road from dance camp ...
(Send an email message to get on the list for future announcements from NCDC, the Northern California Dance Collective, whether or not you attend Summer Camp this time around. They offer lots of other great events throughout the year, including a weekend winter camp in northern California. Please be sure to tell 'em that "the River Guidess" sent you ;-) .....
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Bring your talents, poems, stories, instruments, drums, games and flow toys to the River ... PLUS that book you've been meaning to read ... Participate in group activities, or sleep the day away ... The evenings are a time to gather around the fire, or just sit quietly beside the river gazing at the stars.
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Were that not enough ... our lovely River Goddesses extend these sweet offerings ...
• Kirtan,* Sound Healing, and Sweet Songs of Devotion ... with Nina Lakshmi Devi (lakshmidevi.com)
Lakshmi is an inspired musician/singer/songwriter who delves into life as a mystical exploration full of passionate expression. A well-loved presence at music festivals up and down the west coast, Lakshmi holds performing as a ritual and an opportunity for the mysterious power of music to be invited in and move all who are present. Beside the river, we'll breathe, sing and relax ... and become uplifted through our pure devotion and the song in our hearts. Lakshmi will offer Kirtan, a sound healing circle, private vocal journeys, and Quan Yin Massage. Hear some original songs from her CD — Raise a Holy Fire — at myspace.com/lakshmidevi.
(*Kirtan is a form of call and response chanting in the Indian devotional trandition — indusive of trance — bringing one to deep stillness, to blissful ecstatic states, and to a profound sense of onesness with All ...)
• Sacred Flutes, Chanting, and Breathwork ... with Dana Dharma Devi (formerly Dana DeLong)
Known for her warmth and compassion, Dana has been leading groups to sacred places around the planet since 1984, from Bali to India, to Maui. She is an international recording artist whose devotion to ancient chants is uplifting, and her flute playing opens the heart. Dana has also led groups in Clarity Breathwork for many years, a deep and powerful spiritual practice that clears old patterns and beliefs that no longer serve us. As our breath becomes attuned to the rhythms of the river, we will remember that we are already whole. To learn more, visit www.claritybreathwork.com ...
• Sculptural Movement ... with Lisa Alpine
Inspired by the tall trees, whispering winds and flowing river, Lisa will lead us into the artistic relationship of Sculptural Movement — an interactive artistic dance with nature as our muse. Having taught dance as a healing art form for over 16 years, Lisa loves to share with others the delight, high level of joy and recognition that we are all dancers in our core, in motion till we die. She encourages her students to see themselves as art — as the sculpture — not separate from it, by having them feel from the inside-out the shapes they are creating as they dance. This develops a refined aesthetic sense of beauty in the dancer's awareness, not only of their own artfullness but also the constantly changing shapes around them, particularly while in nature. Lisa currently teaches on-going group dance classes at Tam Valley Community Center in Marin on Thursday evenings. For more details visit danceinmarin.com. For info on her teaching philosophy and longer workshops visit danceweaver.com. Lisa has also been a professional whitewater kayak guide and kayaked rivers around the globe.
• Sacred Flow Yoga ... with Sarah Mangion
Join Sarah in this all-levels slow flow class designed to stretch, strengthen and reconnect your spirit back to its source. Sarah's training in traditional hatha and anusara-influenced flow is synthesized with awakening the mind to the sacred through each breath. Starting off slow with a meditation, chanting, or pranayama, and working up to yummy flow sequences, splashed with rose-petaled thoughts. The class then comes to the ground with inversions, bridge work and yummy restorative poses. Sarah incorporates a fun atmosphere in her Hatha/Vinyasa (flow) style class, modifying poses and designing classes for all levels of students. Treat yourself to the inherent divine healing of yoga's true magic. As we practice alongside the river, we'll align ourselves with the Sacred Flow ...
• Village Drum Circle ... with Renee Benmeleh
Renée is a registered Music Together teacher who came to the U.S. from Venezuela in 1980. She graduated from the Mills College Music Department in 2000, focusing on vocal performance, composition, and drumming in the African, Afro-Brazilian, Brazilian Bateria, and North African styles. She has more recently trained with Arthur Hull in Drum Circle Facilitation, a non-culturally specific model for creating rhythmic community inclusive of all levels of musicality. Get an “in the moment” experience of your own rhythmical spirit and power. Bring your favorite drum -- or use one of Renee’s -- and pick up some new rhythms by the river!
• Ambient Sunshade Cabana Lounge ... designed by Jane Heaven
Multi-media artist, radio producer/host (of KPFA's monthly "Sunday Night Live") as well as large-scale Burning Man shade artist, set designer and percussionist ... Jane brings it all to life!
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"The Kings River Flowfest was the icing on the cake after an incredible week at Dance Camp! I felt so fulfilled, with music, wild water, sweet friends ... sharing wonderful food, deep introspection, and blissful harmony ..."
— Marci J., Los Angeles, Kings Flowfest, 2006
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Lydia Kindheart
Nina Lakshmi Devi
Dana Dharma Devi
Lisa Alpine, DanceWeaver
Sarah Mangion
Renee Benmeleh
Jane Heaven
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