All the groups Northbrae offers are open to the public at no charge. Some are on Zoom and some are in person. Please contact the group leader if you have questions.
Sunday Night Book Group
Our Northbrae Book Group meets on irregular Sunday evenings on Zoom at 7:00 pm. If the selection is a long book, we will meet every two months, if shorter, every month. The choice of books is decided by the group, we try to alternate fiction and nonfiction books. We explore a wide range of books. Examples of recent titles are: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson, Finding the Mother Tree, The Hidden Lives of Trees, Braiding Sweetgrass, Audubon, a biography by Shirley Streshinsky – a Northbrae member, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver, The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. We are a friendly and welcoming group. We enjoy all comments and learn from and laugh with each other. As Nora Ephron says, “I always read the last page of a book so that if I die before I finish I’ll know how it turned out.” Contact mcnennyd@aol.com for a link and find out what we a currently reading.
Monday Night Meditation
The Northbrae Meditation group meets every Monday at 5:00 pm. We meet for one hour in the Parlor in the winter or in the Sacred Hoop Garden in warm weather. The Meditation Team (Jay Miyazaki, Judi Cochran and Carol Anne Fusco) rotates leadership and content. The readings and chants are chosen from the diversity of spiritual paths and religions and teachers that light our way. Each meditation starts with a breath awareness exercise or guided visualization for approximately seven minutes followed by the chosen reading that leads into a 20–25-minute meditation to soft music. Participants are welcome to do walking meditation during this period. We end our time together with a chant, song or vocalization led by Carol Anne Fusco. On Sunday evening Jay Miyazaki sends out an email with the content. If you would like to be added to the email list drop Jay a line: jmPE0314@gmail.com
Tuesday Morning Study Group
The Tuesday Group meets via Zoom on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 10:00 AM. The Tuesday group is reading two books now – Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Loorz, and Sacred Nature; Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong. All are welcome. We read our books together, discuss them and share our lives as it relates to them. If you are interested in joining, contact Kathy Oldham at jkoldham@sbcglobal.net. You do not need to have the book to participate.
Northbrae Community Song Circle
Northbrae Community Song Circle is held every 4th Tuesday at 3:30 pm in the Parlor. No experience necessary but everyone needs to wear a mask and be vaccinated. We will sing songs of Spirit and community from many traditions. We will honor the seasons of Earth. We will sing silly songs, serious songs. Familiar as well as new to you songs. Contact: Carol Anne Fusco for more information or to get on the email list: earthdiamond4@icloud.com
Movie Night
Movie Night is open to everyone who likes to watch movies and discuss them. Currently we watch the film on our own then meet on Zoom, generally the third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm to discuss it. The common theme of all of them is personal growth. Very few of the films mention The Divine or religion. Some previous films discussed have been: Coco, The Shape of Water, Gentleman’s Agreement, Groundhog Day, The Danish Girl, Good Will Hunting, Lost Horizon, Inside Out, Lars and the Real Girl, Dogma and so many more. Please email Suzanne at movienightatnorthbrae@gmail.com to be put on the list. You will be sent a Zoom link approximately two days before the scheduled discussion. Please join us!
Crafts and Conversation Group
Crafts and Conversation is a group which meets the second and fourth Wednesday in each month from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. You can bring a project or join in a conversation or do both. No need to have a project. If you would like advice on your project, there is generally someone who would be willing to help. If you need any further information, please contact Norma Shah at norma_shah@yahoo.com.
Gentle Yoga
This class is gentle movement to improve flexibility, strength, and balance using a combination of standing and chair (sitting) yoga. Wear comfortable clothes that you can move in and grippy socks if you do not want to go barefoot. Bring a yoga mat if you have one. It will help to steady your chair and provide a base on which to stand. There will not be floor yoga.
Betsy Daley, your teacher, is a long-time yoga and palliates teacher.
The class is free, but donations will be accepted with all proceeds going to Northbrae.
Contact the Northbrae office, northbrae3@gmail.com, for more information.