Prime of Life Yoga | Larry Payne

Larry Payne, Ph.D is an internationally respected yoga teacher and back specialist who has been associated with Rancho La Puerta for over 20 years. He is the co-author of international bestsellers "Yoga for Dummies" and "Yoga Rx". He was selected as a yoga expert by Web MD, The World Economic Forum, Reader's Digest, and Yoga Journal, and named 'One of America's most respected Yoga teachers' by the Los Angeles Times. He is also co-founder of the yoga curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine, and director of the Yoga Therapy Rx certification program at Loyola Marymount University. Most recently, he is featured in six new DVDs on Yoga Therapy for Common Ailments (www.samata.com). Larry's daily class 'Prime of Life Yoga' is a safe, user friendly approach to Yoga dedicated to men and women in the second half of life who want to stay healthy, happy and active as long as possible. Special consideration is given to back, knee and hip problems. On the Web: www.samata.com

CoreGolf Fitness | JayDee Cutting

CoreGolf Fitness is a unique blend of the best fitness classes and mind/body disciplines at the Ranch to make your golf swing more fluid and powerful. You’ll learn a combination of Pilates, Yoga, Isometrics, Stretching, Tai Chi and meditation to take your game to the next level.

Long time Rancho La Puerta instructor JayDee Cutting III, MBA, has been golfing for 41 years (former top Minnesota amateur) and teaching fitness for 17. “I have combined these two passions and produced a system that will improve your golf game and the overall health of your body.”

Click here for details.

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Andrew Schloss

Andrew Schloss is known by his readers and students for his inventive recipes and an ability to explain technical aspects of cooking in entertaining, understandable terms. His popular articles have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Food and Wine Magazine, Cooking Light, Bon Appétit, and Family Circle.

He is currently President of Culinary Generations, Inc, a product development company, creating food products for major food manufacturers, and is the former president of The International Association of Culinary Professionals. Schloss is the former Director of the Culinary Curriculum for The Restaurant School in Philadelphia, and his critically acclaimed restaurant, In Season, was instrumental in the creation of Philadelphia's restaurant renaissance.

Mr. Schloss is the author of fifteen cookbooks including: “Mastering the Grill” (winner of a World Gourmand Award and a New York Times best-seller)and “The Science of Good Food”(winner of an IACP Cookbook Award, and a James Beard finalist), both co-authored with David Joachim; “Fifty Ways to Cook Most Everything” (a main selection for Book of the Month Home Style Club); “While the Pasta Cooks,”“Cooking with Three Ingredients; Almost From Scratch,” and “The Art of the Slow Cooker.”

A frequent guest on QVC, Mr. Schloss has also appeared on Good Morning America, Emeril Live!, The Home Show, Home Matters, and The Main Ingredient. He has made numerous appearances on local television and radio throughout the country, as an author and in his role as a spokesperson for the National Potato Board, Whirlpool ovens, and The Canned Food Alliance.

Mr. Schloss is a well-known culinary instructor and was nominated for “Cooking Teacher of the Year” by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2005.  He has taught cooking classes to professional and avocational cooks all over the United States, including Culinary Institute of America (St Helena, CA), Ramekins (Sonoma. CA), Copia Center for Food and Wine (Napa, CA), Jungle Jims (Cincinnati, OH), Central Markets (Texas), and in Viking and Sur La Table cooking schools nationwide.

Andrew offers three hands-on cooking classes (Wednesday at 11 am and 4 pm; Thursday at 4 pm) during which you will enjoy preparing your own meal along with fellow cooks. Classes take place at La Cocina Que Canta, our new culinary center. You also will have the opportunity to harvest produce you use from our organic garden, Tres Estrellas.

For more information and registration, please click here.

Learn to Tango | Elena and Victor Pankey

Elena and Victor Pankey teach a series of fun tango lessons, whether you come with a partner or not. Elena and Victor Pankey learned and polished their tango skills in Argentina with some of the best teachers in the world. Elena completed tango choreography and master classes and obtained a professional degree as a tango teacher. Elena has designed a special course for couples: "Tango as a Relationship Therapist." It teaches how to listen to each other, how to develop deep concentration during the dance, and how to be a strong leader and a creative person. Elena is the Tango Caminito Dance Company Producer. The couple founded Tango Caminito School in Fallbrook, California where they teach authentic traditional Tango Argentine (salon) style.

On the Web: http://www.youtube.com/TangoCaminito

How to Start Journaling and Why | Maralyn Hill and Brenda Hill

The first session includes:
· Overview
· Examples and samples (including blogs)
· A jump start to your writing
· Handouts.

The second session includes:
· Readings
· Discussions
· What’s in it for you
· Q&A about what you want to achieve.

Maralyn and Brenda offer a 10-minute personal session to participants who desire a private consultation between the two sessions.

Maralyn D. Hill and Brenda C. Hill co-authored the 2009 INDIE Finalist, “Success, Your Path to a Successful Book.” They also wrote “Our Love Affairs with Food & Travel,” featuring over 90 chefs worldwide. “Cooking Secrets” was written with French Master Chef Hervé Laurent. Maralyn and Brenda conduct seminars and workshops about journaling, memoir writing and successfully publishing your book. They have two monthly columns in The Big Blend Magazine—Culinary Secrets with the Hills and Success With Writing. Also known as the Tandem Tasters, the Hill team travels the globe to judge and cover food events--from the Oregon Chocolate Festival to Bocuse d’Or in Lyon, France.

Maralyn, who resides in Arizona, is President of the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) and a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. She currently co-hosts radio shows and was producer and host of Dishing with Carolina Chefs for Time-Warner Cable TV. Brenda, who resides in Florida, has written about food for a national magazine published by Random House. She is a member of IFWTWA and the Florida Writers Association.

Breaking the Communication Barrier| Abe Wagner

Abe is a master at captivating audiences through his unique blend of warmth, wit, and wisdom. While you are laughing and relaxed, you’ll also be learning vital communication and problem solving tools based on the common-sense psychologies of Transactional Analysis (TA) and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Abe entertains while he educates, giving participants clear, practical, and easy-to-understand tools for achieving healthy relationships in the workplace and at home. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn and you’ll take home practical lessons for living a productive life.

Abe Wagner will offer four sessions:

• Breaking The Communication Barrier
• Reaching Rapid Rapport / Conflict Resolution
• Tactful “Carefrontation”
• Say It Straight or You’ll Show It Crooked

Abe Wagner has been presenting at the Ranch for 20 years. He has a Masters Degree in Social Work and is a Teaching Member in Transactional Analysis, and a Master Practitioner in NLP. He has over 40 years of experience as a corporate trainer and convention speaker. He has worked with organizations in over 30 countries, ranging from start-ups and Fortune 500 companies to governments and non-profits. He is the author of “Say It Straight or You’ll Show It Crooked” and “The Transactional Manager” (Prentice Hall).

Sensuality and Sexuality | Beverly Whipple, Ph.D.

Join Beverly Whipple for the following programs:

SENSUALITY AND SEXUALITY: ENHANCING INTIMACY IN RELATIONSHIPS. Beverly Whipple, who has been researching and writing about sexuality for over forty years, presents a program that will help people to learn more about themselves as sensual and sexual beings. They will learn about the variety of ways men and women are capable of having sensual and sexual pleasure and response.

BEYOND THE G-SPOT: Research Concerning Female Sexual Response. Dr. Whipple’s research about female sexuality (the Gspot, imagery orgasm, etc.) male and female multiple orgasms and the enhancement of sexual pleasure will be detailed in this program, which is designed for both a male and female audience.

MALE AND FEMALE MIDLIFE SEXUAL CHANGES. The normal changes that occur in men and women during mid-life will be detailed, showing similarities and differences. Hormonal changes in women and the sexual signs and symptoms produced at mid-life in men, will be presented. Alternative and traditional approaches will be offered.

WOMEN'S HEALTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY. BEVERLY WHIPPLE will speak on the major women's health issues, the emphasis being on feeling good about being a woman and understanding women's health in the 21st century. Men who live with women will find this program helpful to them as well.

Beverly Whipple’s new book, “The Orgasm Answer Guide” (2009) Johns Hopkins University Press, was just published in October. Beverly Whipple is a certified sex educator, sex counselor and sex researcher. She is the co-author of the international best seller, "The G Spot and Other Discoveries about Human Sexuality,” which has been translated into 19 languages and was re-published as a Classic 23 years later in 2005. Her other books are "Safe Encounters: How Women Can Say Yes to Pleasure and No to Unsafe Sex,” "Smart Women, Strong Bones,” "Outwitting Osteoporosis" and "The Science of Orgasm.” Beverly Whipple has appeared on more than 350 radio and TV programs and has been featured in many magazines. She has delivered over 600 talks and keynote speeches and published over 160 research articles and book chapters. She is a professor emerita at Rutgers University of NJ. Her degrees include a BS in Nursing from Wagner College, and from Rutgers: a Masters in Counseling, a Masters in Nursing, and a Ph.D. in Psychobiology, with a major in Neurophysiology. She served as president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (1998-2000), the vice-president of the World Association for Sexology (2001-2005), and president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality. Beverly was named by the New Scientist as one of the 50 most influential scientists of the world.

Male Sexual Health| William Aronson, M.D.

Dr. William Aronson offers two talks: Male Sexual Health and Nutritional Therapies in the Prevention of Prostate Problems.

Dr. Aronson is a Professor in the UCLA Department of Urology at UCLA and Chief of Urology at the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center. His research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1992, led to the discovery of Viagra. He is funded by the National Cancer Institute to research the role of low fat diets, fish oil, green tea and weight loss for prostate cancer prevention and treatment. He has published over 90 papers in the field of nutritional aspects of prostate disease and other prostate conditions. Dr. Aronson obtained his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and his medical degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Comedy Development for Television | Shelley Aronson

Comedy Development for Television: How Sitcoms are Created and Get on the Air

Shelly Aronson manages comedy writers for television including writers on hit sitcoms such as Cougar Town, The Big Bang Theory, Rules of Engagement and Samantha Who. She is a former Director of Comedy Development at Warner Bros, VP of 20th Century Fox TV and Director of Creative Affairs at HBO Independent Productions where she worked on the hit CBS sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.

In her 10 years as a studio executive at three different studios, she worked on hundreds of sitcom episodes and has a great understanding of how comedies are created and sold and remain on the air. She also teaches Comedy Development for Television at UCLA Extension, and is a graduate of UCLA with a B.A. in Theater Arts.

Concert | Ensemble Mira

Enjoy wonderful performances by Martha Aarons (flute), Lev Polyakin (violin), and Jason Vieaux (guitar).

After 25 years with the Cleveland Orchestra, Martha Aarons embarked on a freelance career that has taken her to several major orchestras around the country. Most notably, she is a regular guest with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and performs and teaches every summer at Aspen Music Festival. Other guest appearances have included the Metropolitan Opera, Minnesota Orchestra and Baltimore Symphony. Her CD, History of the Tango, is a collaboration with Frances Renzi and guitarist Jason Vieaux.

Lev Polyakin, who at 21 became co-concertmaster of the prestigious Moscow Chamber Orchestra, is currently assistant concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra. He has won prizes in international violin competitions, including Carl Flesch in London. As a jazz violinist, Lev has recorded three CD’s: Russian Blue, The Other Side of the Road, and Christmas Kaleidoscope. He is also prominently featured in a CD recorded by Decca entitled Café Music, chamber music by Paul Schoenfield, which was nominated for a Grammy.

Jason Vieaux is a regularly featured guest artist with orchestras across the US and abroad. He first gained international recognition in 1992 when he became the youngest first prize winner in the history of the prestigious Guitar Foundation of America International Competition. He will be joined by flautist Martha Aarons, who performed with the Cleveland Orchestra since 1981 for 25 years. She performs annually at the Aspen Music Festival as principal flute of its chamber orchestra and as a member of its teaching faculty. Lev Polyakin at age 21 was appointed co-concertmaster of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra. In that position he was regularly featured as soloist. Lev emigrated to the United States in 1980, joined the first violin section of the Cleveland Orchestra in 1982, and is presently assistant concertmaster. In addition, he serves as concertmaster of the American Academy of Conducting Orchestra at Aspen Music Festival. .