Urban Gathering Workshop Program

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
• Location : Meet in the African Village at CERES | BUY TICKETS

The Perma Pixie will be taking a wild walk through the Urban surrounds, giving insight to the abundance of Wild Food and Medicine which grows through the cracks, by the banks, and in our backyards.

This will be a 2 hour discovery of the wonderful world of weeds and wild plants which can offer us nourishment and a deeper connection to the Earth. Learn to identify plants which have been at your feet, waiting for your attention, ready to offer their nutrition and remedies to those willing to delve a little deeper, look, listen, appreciate, wonder… and harvest.

Teacher Bio : Taj Scicluna – The Perma Pixie is a passionate and motivated little sprite who aims to inspire and educate people to live more nourishing and sustainable lifestyles using Permaculture, Awareness and Compassion!

Through Passionate Permaculture Education and Sustainable Services such as Permaculture Design and the creation of Delicious Ornamental Edible Gardens, The Perma Pixie aims to nurture diversity and protect ecology through harbouring healthy and resilient communities and ecosystems.
 web : thepermapixie.com

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• Location : The Community Kitchen at CERES | BUY TICKETS

What You Will Learn

• Basics of raw food
• Make guilt free treats
• Learn what super foods are
• Samples of all the food they make
• Recipes to take home

Description : Would you like to enhance your health and wellbeing? Are you gluten, wheat or lactose intolerant? Are you lacking energy and vitality in your day? Then this cooking demonstration is for you! Join Valentina in this Raw Food Demonstration and learn how to heal yourself from the inside out.

This demonstration will give you raw cooking skills, as well as learning the nutritional benefits of using these super-foods for your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, energetic health.

Each demonstration will showcase new recipes for all to enjoy, so if you have already attended a demonstration, you will get to experience new raw food delights to taste. With each raw food demonstration we use all organic in-season produce, so you get to have the freshest most nutritional meals to taste. You will also go home with a copy of all recipes used on the day.

Teacher Bio : Valentina Rise has been running raw food demonstrations at CERES for the past two years and started running Raw Food classes over four years ago. She educates people on the benefits of incorporating more Raw living whole food into their daily eating regime. Valentina is the founder of Clarity Healing & Bio Matrix Energy healing, a certified life coach, teacher and author. | web: clarityhealing.com.au

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• Location : The Multicultural Classroom at CERES | BUY TICKETS

In this workshop, Flower Fairy, a holistic health and wellness coach, personal trainer and workshop facilitator will be teaching mindfulness and embodied love aspects of Taoist beliefs.

You will be educated on how to create a morning ritual – Lots of wholesome, fun, quirky and easy ideas will be provided to make your own morning ritual, so you can start your day calm, empowered and with a spring in your step.

Basics of Taoist herbalism – The numerous benefits that Taoist tonic herbs can have within our modern day society will be explored as well as some wonderful recipes and a tonic elixir demo.

Mindset mastery – You will be armed with tips on how to have consistently high energy through choosing how you perceive the world and your circumstances. The workshop will also include a 30-minute Chi Kung class, a gentle happiness guided meditation.

Parts of the workshop will incorporate nutritional advice to holistically capture and communicate the fullest enjoyment and relationship of body and mind.

How to Create a Morning Ritual – Lots of wholesome, fun, quirky and easy ideas will be provided to make your own morning ritual, so you can start your day calm, empowered and with a spring in your step.

What You Will Learn

• Basics of Taoist herbalism – The numerous benefits that Taoist tonic herbs can have within our modern day society will be explored as well as some wonderful recipes and a tonic elixir demo.
• Mindset Mastery – You will be armed with tips on how to have consistently high energy through choosing how you perceive the world and your circumstances. You will be guided on how to discard behaviour and toxic thought patterns that don’t serve you anymore. For example, ‘How to get out of the victim mentality and create a new blueprint for your life.’
• Mindful Eating – You will be guided on how to make peace with your plate and how to have optimum digestion around meal times. You will also be taught how to use your own intuition and inner guidance to know which foods are best for your individual needs.
• Mindful Breathing – Flower Fairy will enlighten you on the benefits of breathing and how to incorporate a breathing practice into your daily routine. The quality of the air we breath, as well as how to breathe properly and fully for maximum energy will also be discussed.
• Happiness Comes From Within – You will be provided with exercises and a tool kit to enhance your happiness journey. This will include inspirational quotes, reverse bucket lists, gratitude practices and much more. We will also touch upon how to live up to your true authentic self.
• The workshop will also include a 30-minute Chi Kung class, a gentle happiness guided meditation and a tonic elixir demonstration with samples.

Teacher Bio : Flower Fairy is a self-taught holistic nutritionist with an emphasis on traditional Taoist tonic herbs and western herbal medicine.

She focuses on wholesome organic produce, preferably local and seasonal. She doesn’t like lifestyle labels like raw foodie and she continues to learn through her own journey what foods and herbs work for her!! She has a conscious approach when it comes to consuming animal products. She loves creating wholesome nutritious dishes and she also focuses on raw vegan food, labels aside! She is a great believer that you can heal yourself. This is where she shares with you her knowledge and discoveries on a natural and sustainable lifestyle. This space is designed as a source of spiritual information and inspiration to encourage you to be true to yourself and live a shiny, vibrant and wonderful life.

web : flowerfairyscreations.com 

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
• Location : The Training Room at CERES | BUY TICKETS

What You Will Learn

• The ancient craft of basketry
• How to harvest leaves, vines and grasses for weaving
• How to prepare the leaves, vines and grasses for weaving and what traditional techniques to use

Description : In this hands-on workshop you will learn the ancient craft of basketry. You will learn how to harvest leaves, vines and grasses for weaving, how to prepare them and what traditional techniques to use. Gathering natural fibres from the CERES park and make your own unique creation. At the end of the day you will take home your own hand woven beautiful and functional basket/work of art. Interwoven in this workshop are the principles and ethics of permaculture.

Teacher Bio : Adrienne Kneebone spent 12 years in the Northern Territory mastery the craft of weaving as well as working extensively with women from Western Arhnem land. She has a lot of skills, knowledge and story telling to share and finds enjoyment in the atmosphere of a weaving group. Her skills range from basket twining, to native grass cobbling through to bush toy making. She now resides by the Yarra River in East Warburton where she has adapted to weaving with the local plant material. Her classes are light hearted and enjoyable as she draws the creative spirit from people.

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
• Location : Namalata Willem at CERES | BUY TICKETS

Description : This workshop aims to give participants an invigorating and uplifting introduction to some of the key upbeat movements associated with the popular alternative bellydance style – tribal fusion.
Predominantly based on a combination of American Cabaret and Tribal Style Bellydance, tribal fusion has been pioneered by dancers such as Jill Parker, Rachel Brice and Zoe Jakes (Beats Antique) – This workshop will include an exploration of a variety of shimmies, hip bumps, drops and twists to shake off those winter blues and get tuned into your higher vibration before hitting the dance floor at Rainbow’s Urban Gathering.

Please bring a yoga mat for the warm up/cool down to safely prepare and nourish the body.

Teacher Bio : Entwined Bellydance has been performing since 2006, teaching weekly classes in Melbourne since 2012 and has previously taught and performed at RSF in 2010, 2011 and 2015, as well performing as a guest dancer with live band Ganga Giri in 2012. She recently supported international bellydance superstar Rachel Brice and is teaching weekly classes in Ivanhoe and Melbourne’s north.

web : entwinedbellydance.com

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM
• Location : The (former) Cafe at CERES | BUY TICKETS

Description : Shake your hips and get into the groove. Hula Hooping basics and fancy tricks delivered to you by one of Melbourne’s hottest hula hoopers, Jane Fondle of Hoops, Thighs & Buttocks. She’s got all the tricks of the trade, come learn them with her!

Teacher Bio : Jane Fondle – Choreographic Enthusiastic Officer of Hoops, Thighs & Buttocks, Jane Fondle is all about getting physical. Starting out as a star in her parent’s lounge room, she then took it to the streets at age 7, surprising her neighbours by busking at their doorstep, singing and dancing “We built this city on rock and roll”. The outer suburbs of Melbourne just weren’t ready for this singing/dancing entrepreneur. Distraught that her school was too pov to participate in the Rock Eisteddfod, as a teenager Fondle was forced to seek another outlet for dancing onstage in a fabulous costume and became a National Aerobics champion, competing for three years and teaching for five. She then moved on to become the world Twister champion (true story!).
Disaster struck when a bad g-tard incident in a fit of Flashdancing victory left her unable to walk for some time (story slightly embellished). Once rehabilitated, she discovered hula hooping as a great way to work out in her lounge room while fleeing from societal shame. After 12 years of hooping she’s feeling at peace with a movement medium based on thrusting the hips. Fondle has developed her own hooping style, combining 80’s dance, aerobics, comedy and hula hooping…. and not once in her 18 years of teaching has she turned her back on her g-tard.

web : hoopsthighsbuttocks.com

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM
• Location : The Learning Centre at CERES | BUY TICKETS

Description : A fusion of yoga and decks, Hatha Groove in Australia is a project run by Michele to unite his two passions – balancing his love for yoga and electronic music.
From start to finish, Hatha Groove is an uplifting and balancing blend of yoga to the backdrop of a music mix matched to the energies of the sequence. Add in some free flowing movement and you have a wonderful weave of rhythm and dance.

The vision behind Hatha Groove is to blend the ancient yogic wisdom with a contemporary sensibility – using traditional yoga poses and sequences, but then inspiring creative movement through the postures.

You can expect the unexpected, as each session is a unique journey. There will be moments of intensity, with challenging postures and sequences, then moments of relaxation and visualisation and much more. And always guided by the music which is also very eclectic with a DJ laying down the beats live.

Yoga is about being present in the moment. Groove is what happens if you tune into the music and allow it to flow through you. You embody the vibrations of sound and allow it to make you… groove!

Teacher Bio : Michele Maselli is the founder of Sparkly Yoga. Michele has been practicing Yoga since 1995, and teaching professionally since 2007. Feeling the immediate measurable benefits of increased well being, his practice deepened over the years studying in India and Thailand (having spent 8 years living in Thailand) with various teachers.

In 2006 he embarked upon the Gita Teacher training program. Michele feels very blessed to have had the opportunity to study under several inspiring teachers including the Gita directors Di and Lucille, Donna Fahri and his most beloved teacher Clive Sheridan. Whilst having trained to teach in the Gita style, Michele has studied various other traditions of Yoga such as Iyengar, Astanga and Sivananda and embraces all forms, which he weaves into his eclectic style of teaching.

In 2008, Michele set up in partnership with another 4 fellow yogis, www.workplaceyoga.com.au, which focuses on bringing yoga into the corporate sector. Aside from teaching regular corporate classes, Michele also teaches in fitness centres, yoga studios, council initiated classes as well as more specialised classes such as for the elderly, children and classes at the Youth Justice Centre.

In recent years Michele has taken to running yoga retreats, having found the benefit that the deeper exploration to the practice when immersed in a retreat has bought him, he wishes to share this with his friends and students through introductory weekend retreats and longer week-long retreats in Thailand. Having lived in Thailand for many years, Michele is passionate, connected and experienced to enable for a truly joyful and exciting adventure in Thailand for those who join him. Through his love for music, having been a DJ for many years, Michele has recently embarked on a new exciting project – Shakti Groove running occasional Yoga workshops along with a live Dj and sometimes other guest musicians/facilitators creating a multi faceted Yoga experience, having a little fun with the practice being guided by blissful, funky and exotic music.

web : sparklyoga.com

• Class Schedule : This workshop will run from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
• Location : The Resource Hub at CERES | BUY TICKETS

Description : Master the art of terrarium making with one of Melbourne’s finest mini landscapers, Amy Wong from Petite Green. You will learn plant selection for open or closed terrariums, special soil composition for ferns, terrarium design and terrarium care.

All you need to bring is a clean 2 to 4 litre clear non-coloured glass container such as a fish bowl, Candy Jar, Apothecary Jar (Lid optional). Please make sure you can fit your hand into the opening of the glass container. All other materials will be supplied including a variety of unique Ferns, Angels Tears and other indoor plants, plastic figurines, soil, rocks and other items to create your terrarium.

What you will get 

• Pebbles
• Feature rocks
• Sphagnum moss
• Soil (Amy’s special blend)
• Peat Moss
• Perlite
• Activated Carbon
• Various terrarium plants
• Terrarium figurines

What to bring

• Glass Vessel (large enough to fit your hand in)

Teacher Bio : Amy Wong from Petite Green has been making terrarium and teachings people how to make terrariums for over four years in Melbourne. She has run workshops in both Sydney and Melbourne and lectured at The University of Melbourne. Not only does she create terrariums with meticulous detail, she also takes great pride in producing fun and educational workshops.

web : petitegreen.com.au