The Bar Method | Marnie Alton

Marnie Alton grew up in snowy Northern Alberta, Canada and at the age of 17 she went to Vancouver to study dance, music and acting. After graduating from the Canadian College of the Performing Arts she migrated to Los Angeles, where she immediately began her acting and music career. She was introduced to the Bar Method, took one class and found herself training with Burr Leonard (the founder) the following week.  That was June 2005, and despite her busy acting and song-writing career, she has always made time to remain part of the Bar Method family. Despite being involved in fitness and dance for so many years, no other exercise has ever been able to hold her attention or provide the incredible results that Bar Method has. Over the last eight years, Marnie has become a master teacher, she has been involved in training and coaching other instructors, and you might recognize her from such things as The Bar Method Dancers Body Advanced Workout DVD. She considers her clients and her co-workers to be part of her family and she is thankful for every class she gets to teach or take.

Meditation and Healing Yoga | Michele Hebert

Michele Hebert is a wellness educator, raja yoga and meditation teacher, natural nutritionist and author. She implemented the first meditation-based stress management program at the renowned Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA teaching mind-body wellness techniques to enhance the immune system. As the media representative in the area of mind-body integration for the American Council on Exercise 1996-98, she was one of the first to promote the integration of mind, body and spirit within the mainstream fitness industry.

Currently, Michele teaches Introduction to Meditation at UC San Diego and is the co-founder of the Raja Yoga Institute providing transformational wellness trainings for businesses and individuals. With her husband, Dr. Mehrad Nazari, she leads retreats and yoga teacher trainings internationally.

Michele blends her background in wellness, yoga, meditation and nutrition to guide others in achieving higher levels of health and spiritual awareness and her work has been a transformative factor in the lives of thousands through her work with spas, corporations, hospitals and academia.

Her new book, The Tenth Door: An Adventure Through the Jungles of Enlightenment has won five national awards and the San Diego Book Award. In it, Michele challenges the reader to step through their own inner door to fearlessness and freedom.

Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Robin Asbell

Robin Asbell is the author of “Big Vegan: Over 350 Recipes, No Meat, No Dairy, All Delicious,” (Chronicle Books Fall 2011) her third book about cooking with whole, natural foods. Her first book, “The New Whole Grains Cookbook,” is filled with flavorful, beautiful food that just happens to be whole grain. Her second book, “The New Vegetarian Cookbook,” explores delicious meatless cuisine that even meat lovers will enjoy. She also writes for many national magazines, such as Clean Eating, Better Homes and Gardens, Taunton’s Fine Cooking, Vegetarian Times, VegNews, and Real Food. Asbell has many years of experience creating fabulous food in restaurants, delis and bakeries. She also creates customized healthful meals in the homes of private clients. From Vegan to Gluten-Free, Healthy to Decadent, Delicious, Real Food is her passion.

On the Web: robinasbell.com

Robin offers three hands-on culinary experiences, 3.5 hours each, on Tuesday at 11 am and 4 pm and 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.

For more information and registration, please click here.

Performances | Frederic Chiu

Frederic Chiu performs in major venues on five continents, such as Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, The Chatelet in Paris, or the Mozarteum in Buenos Aires, as well as touring extensively in smaller and unusual venues. He collaborates with Classical music friends Joshua Bell, Pierre Amoyal, Gary Hoffman and the St Lawrence String Quartet, as well as non-Classical friends like jazz pianist Bob James, writer/storyteller David Gonzalez, Shakespearean actor Brian Bedford, and the clown Buffo, trying to bring the vivid live concert experience to as many people as possible.

In addition to his usual recital programs, Frederic Chiu also presents "Classical Smackdown," a multi-year series where composers face off in head-to-head comparisons, with listeners voting for their favorite composer. The current Smackdown is between Debussy and Prokofiev, with results tracked at ClassicalSmackdown.com.

Frederic Chiu has released over 20 recordings, including the complete piano works of Prokofiev, and works of Chopin, Liszt, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Rossini and Grieg. His most recent recordings include the Beethoven/Liszt Symphony V and the solo piano version of Carnival of the Animals. His next project is "Hymns and Dervishes," music of Gurdjieff/de Hartmann. He is a regular on St. Paul Sunday and Performance Today.

Chiu's teaching program Deeper Piano Studies – a philosophic and holistic approach to piano playing – has been presented at the Juilliard School, Indiana University's Jacob School of Music, the Manhattan School of Music, the New England Conservatory and the Banff Centre, among others.

On the Web: www.fredericchiu.com

Seeing the Possibilities – Bring Your Camera | Pat Harrison

Pat Harrison, Master Photographer and Photographic Craftsman has been consistently inspiring Rancho La Puerta guests for over twenty years with her photography workshops. She will open your eyes to Seeing the Possibilities by noticing the world around you. You will enjoy a visual feast viewing the world through her lens. Pat will show you how to make your own delightful images by paying attention to very easy, non-technical guidelines. Learn how to share your best images from your travels. Her beautiful photographs from the Kremlin, the Yukon, Down Under and places in between serve as examples. Pat also shares her secrets behind creating people pictures with ease.

During the week, Pat invites you to view Rancho La Puerta from close up to wide angle. Sunday's evening program appeals to people with all levels of experience. It is entertaining, fun and informative. If you want more details - attend the Monday afternoon class. You can choose to participate in an assignment. Digital and film cameras will be discussed. There will be a presentation of the guests' images during Thursday's class. It will be important to attend Sunday's program to participate in the following sessions.

Learn how to “make a photograph” rather than “take a photograph.”

Award - winning professional photographer, Pat Harrison is an artist of great sensitivity and experience. She has been published in many magazines and her photographs are in the Loan Collection of the Professional Photographers of America. She has been invited to lecture to audiences of professional and amateur photographers in the United States and Mexico.

On the Web : www.patharrison.com

Handwriting Analysis | Lena Rivkin

Learn how your physical, intellectual, and emotional states produce your personal handwriting. Join professor and practicing graphologist Lena Rivkin, MFA to find out about this revealing science.

The Secret in Your Script – You will be amazed at what your handwriting can reveal! Professional handwriting analyst, Lena Rivkin, shares fun insights gleaned from your handwriting.

Other programs this week:

From Brushstrokes to Penstrokes – Handwriting analysis of influential and famous artists.

The Hand Behind the Word – What handwriting analysis reveals about poets and novelists.

Lena Rivkin, MFA, is an internationally recognized graphologist with a particular interest in the interpretation of human dynamics. She provides graphology analyses for Fortune 500 companies and international corporations to screen applicants and employees. Lena also regularly consults on handwriting analyses and forensics for private investigators, universities, and government agencies. Graphology explores the subconscious psychology revealed through our handwriting. In her talks, Lena analyzes the handwritings of some of our most well-known personalities, from artists, athletes, entertainers and politicians to historical figures. In addition to her work as a graphologist, Lena is a nationally exhibited visual artist and college art professor. She is on the art faculty at Mount St. Mary's College and University of Phoenix, and teaches art to children at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Lena has been interviewed on radio and television, and her graphology and artwork have been featured in numerous publications, including Fortune Magazine, Mademoiselle, Art in America, Redbook, the Los Angeles Times, Houston Chronicle, W Magazine, and the Miami Herald.

Embracing the Wild | Terry Laszlo-Gopadze and Mary Reynolds Thompson

In their presentation, Terry Laszlo-Gopadze, author of "The Spirit of a Women: Stories to Empower and Inspire," and Mary Reynolds Thompson, author of "Embrace Your Inner Wild: 52 Reflections for an Eco-Centric World," will explore our relationship with "wildness" as it lives inside and outside of us. Each author will offer their stories and reflections about how our own wild nature empowers and heals our selves and our planet. In the workshop series, Mary and Terry will offer up techniques and inspiration to help you explore and create your own wild stories. Join other participants and discover the gifts that wildness brings to you.

Terry Laszlo-Gopadze, a compelling storyteller and award-winning author, brings humor, courage and compassion to her listeners, as she inspires them to create their own stories and to live their most meaningful dreams. She is a public speaker, therapist and personal development workshop leader. Offering workshops on storytelling, creating your destiny, finding the gift in the challenge, forgiveness, and healing are her passion and joy. In her work as a licensed psychotherapist, Terry has spent over thirty-five years listening to the stories of others going through difficult passages and helping them to positively transform their lives. This led her to celebrate the heartfelt stories of women, who live inspiring spiritual lives in challenging circumstances, and to gather them into the book "The Spirit of a Woman: Stories to Empower and Inspire." You can join her story-telling network and visit Terry and the authors online at http://www.womens-spirit.com

Terry is currently a faculty member and coach for Leap to Success, a leadership and empowerment program for women. The participants are rebuilding their lives from homelessness and domestic violence.

Mary Reynolds Thompson, author of "Embrace Your Inner Wild," is a life coach and facilitator of poetry and journal therapy. She serves on the core faculty of the Therapeutic Writing Institute and the council for the National Association of Journal Writing, and conducts writing and eco-spirituality workshops throughout the U.S. Her love of wildness has lead her to trek all over the planet, from the Himalaya to the Andes, but it is the golden hills of Marin County, California, she now calls home. She walks daily, learning to slow down and pay attention to what the wild has to teach her – teach all of us seeking to understand our own wild nature. She is at work on her second book: "Reclaiming the Wild Soul: A New Soul Journal for the Ecological Age." You can reach her at: www.writethedamnbook.com and www.reclaimingthewildsoul.com