Chloe Redmond, a Chopra certified instructor and Kovena ‘Kay’ Avila, founder of Yo Soy Retreats, will host event
By Pamela Dozois
Contributing Writer
Chloe Redmond, a Chopra certified instructor, and owner of Vino Vaquera Consulting, has partnered with Kovena “Kay” Avila, founder of Yo Soy Retreats LLC, to create an immersive one-day workshop, “Enlightenment — Santa Ynez Valley.”
The workshop will focus on mental health awareness and self-love in honor of Mental Health Awareness month. The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, at a private estate in Santa Ynez. The workshop will feature healers from Santa Barbara County who will focus on providing a variety of tools to implement on your own personal journey to enlightenment.
“In 2019 a colleague of mine had recommended my marketing consulting services to Chopra Global,” said Redmond. “I was hired in February 2020 and worked as the social community manager and marketing coordinator until April 2022. With the birth of my third child, I felt I needed to slow down and focus on my consulting business. I wanted to integrate one of the practices I had learned, Primordial Sound Meditation, into my work with my marketing clients.”
Redmond explained that the Primordial Sound Meditation technique comes from the ancient Vedic tradition of India and has been used for thousands of years. The mantra (which attendees will receive) is the vibration the universe was creating at the very time and place of your birth, and is calculated following Vedic mathematic formulas. When you silently repeat your mantra in meditation, it creates a vibration that helps you slip into the space between your thoughts, into the complete silence that is sometimes referred to as “the gap.” It is in this silence where creativity and pure potentiality thrive.
In December 2022, Redmond and Avila began putting together this full-day workshop which will feature a number of healers from Santa Barbara County. Their goal together is to create wellness workshops and retreats on the Central Coast.
“There is an individual healing process that takes place while on the road to reaching a state of enlightenment,” said Redmond. “Every roadmap is unique, and often times we reach out to our community of professional healers for additional guidance on our path.”
The enlightenment event will include yoga, reiki, meditation, breathwork, and dance with instructors such as Redmond, a Chopra Certified Meditation instructor and Ayurvedic practitioner; Avila will guide attendees to navigate healing and enlightenment through trauma-informed yoga, reiki, and sound healing; Darci Brown, creator of Soul Boost Meditation, will provide techniques and tips on how to receive messages from the universe while strengthening personal intuition; Kiki E, the keynote speaker, is a mindset and beauty curator, influencer, blogger and author; and Christi Belle, the founder of Art Spot on Wheels, will teach others to continue to grow and creatively thrive through art.
A farm-to-table lunch and local wine will be provided, along with mindful vendors, swag bags, and a fire ceremony by Yo Soy. DJ Peetey will demonstrate how to heal with dance.
“I want people to leave with a new set of tools, that they didn’t know existed, to incorporate into their journey of getting to know their authentic self,” concluded Redmond.
A portion of the workshop proceeds will be directly donated to the Move with Kindness Foundation in honor of the late Stephen “tWitch” Boss, the dancer, choreographer, actor, and television producer and personality who passed away in December 2022.
If you are you not able to attend but would like to participate, every individual who donates to the Move with Kindness Foundation during the months of April and May will receive a Enlightenment E-book, providing personalized tools, tips, and messaging from healing professionals.
“There is no amount too small as every dollar is incredibly impactful to help strengthen the platforms for mental health awareness,” said Redmond.
To donate, visit https://www.every.org/move-with-kindness/f/enlightenment-santa-ynez
General admission for the workshop is $250 per person. Tickets are limited as their intent is to keep this a “truly intimate” experience for attendees. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com/e/enlightenment-santa-ynez-valley-tickets-572049765247.
For more information, email thevinovaquera@yahoo.com
