Sisters in Harmony Austin - Spring 2024

Sisters in Harmony is a growing movement of heart-centered humans who are freeing the voice of the feminine essence on the planet by singing together in sacred circle.

6 Tuesdays 7-8:30 PM

April 16, 23, 30 and May 7, 14, 21

SERIES COST $99 - $222; DROP-IN $22-44

To pay for the series, select April 16 and pay the full amount; to pay for a single class, select the date. Optionally you can Venmo me the suggested amount @siresarah with the description "SIH spring series" or "SIH class date".

"I believe blending and harmonizing our voices is pure magical elixir for the soul and for the world! Singing in community has profoundly deepened my experience of embodied spirituality and meaningful connection with others." - Sarah Bentley

Sisters in Harmony Austin is a community of women who come together to explore singing as a resource for living fully. We practice freeing our voices as we learn lyrics, harmonies, layers, and parts. As we deepen our relationships with the songs, so too do our heart connections deepen with one another. Together we become a communal support system where we explore joy, grief, gratitude, sisterhood, authentic expression, and more through vocal expression and song. We practice sacred witness with each other, in a safe and brave container of song and exploration.

What will you get out of the series:

• Learn how embodied singing can be a sanctuary in these uncertain times
• Develop a personal practice of singing as a spiritual practice and prayer
• Learn beautiful heart songs with layers, parts, and harmonies
• Deepen connections with other women on the path of freeing our voices

Classes will include:

• Vocal warm-ups
• Breathing Practices
• Vocal Meditation
• Mind/Body Practices
• Embodied Singing
• Singing as Prayer
• Journaling/reflection
• Partner & group sharing

This series will include:

• Six 1.5 hour in-person sessions
• A playlist of songs we will learn

Cost & accessibility: T o make Heart Body Song events accessible to people of varying income levels, cost is based on a sliding scale depending your income and generational wealth. Please contact Sarah directly if a payment plan would be helpful or if you are not able to pay any of these amounts, as no one will be turned away due to lack of ability to pay.

• BIPOC sponsorship - 10% off for people who identify as Black, indigenous, or person of color. If you identify as BIPOC, enter "BIPOC" promo code when prompted.
• Contact the organizer if you would like to donate to a scholarship fund to ensure that people of color and other marginalized people may attend.

Statement of Solidarity: Heart Body Song strives to create a safe space for all and in order to do this must acknowledge the harm that people of color have experienced and in some cases still endure. For community singing to be fully inclusive and safe for people of the global majority and others harmed by inhumane systems, Heart Body Song is committed to standing/singing in solidarity by taking an anti-racist stance in organizing and facilitating all of our events. Community singing is a form of collective healing and without intentional, proactive action towards dismantling systemic injustice, the white supremacist inertia of our society will continue to perpetuate harm to those who are most oppressed. Without this stance, the community singing movement's aspirations for a peaceful, loving, and sustainable world will only remain a reality for the people living in white skin. In order to not perpetuate harmful and oppressive systems, Heart Body Song is committed to cultivating a space that does no harm through setting a safe container for all bodies, collaborating with artists and healers of the global majority, leveraging my white privilege to transform harmful systems, and actively and regularly participating in (and sometimes co-leading) diversity and equity trainings.

About the facilitator

Sarah S. Bentley, founder of Heart Body Song, is a song catcher and song carrier, based in Austin, Texas. She gracefully weaves the art of embodied singing, mindful movement, ritual, and communal prayer into her circles. Sarah started singing as a child and has performed as a singer/songwriter. She draws on her studies in integrative medicine (qigong, yoga, meditation), health promotion, behavioral science, and community resilience to provide a rich and healing experience for her participants. Sarah is a certified Sisters in Harmony song leader and offers regular women's and inclusive singing experiences around Austin and online. Sarah is also a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation practitioner and is a devoted ally and activist of diversity and inclusion. Her experience leading intentionally diverse groups in circle processes has prepared her to recognize and facilitate discussions around race/microaggressions should they arise in the course of singing circles.

https://heartbodysong.com/

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Be Well Yoga House - upstairs, 1906 W. Koenig Lane, Austin, United States