ALIGNMENT METHOD "HOUSE WORKSHOP" WITH JOHN STRINGER

If you’ve received a specific email explaining what areas we’re currently looking to book dates for, please reference that email and let us know whether your location is in the area(s) we mention. Otherwise,  simply let us know where you would like to host the workshop and we’ll see what dates may work to come to your home.

Much like house concerts, we can stage an Alignment Method house workshop in living rooms, backyards, and on back patios; in small houses, big houses, condos, and apartments; at a yoga studio, in a photography studio, and at a local theater. The point is that the “house” can be any space you have access to where a nice group of your friends/family can gather, sit, and enjoy an experiential event.

To create the best possible scenario for a successful event, we ask that you have a minimum of 10-20 adults in attendance. There are two reasons : 1) Fewer than 10 doesn’t create the level of amplification we’re seeking to collectively experience; and 2) In our donation-based workshop model, 10 or more adults contributing to donations and purchasing merchandise is what begins making it a financially viable night. Making sure there is a minimum of 10 people there usually means that the host will need to invite a good deal more than 20. Please note that the typical scenario seems to be that about half of those invited tend to actually come to the event.

*If you aren’t sure you’ll be able to get 10 adults to come on your own, you might “co-host” the event with a friend who also has a group of people to invite, and increase your overall attendance.

** If your space can hold more people and you want to have more, then great, the more the merrier. If you have an idea for something bigger, we can most likely do it and we’re eager to hear what you have in mind.

Yes. Because the workshop has a lot of quiet parts to meditate and focus, and because it’s essential that we are able to create and maintain an uninterrupted focus on the content for the whole workshop, we ask that there be no kids in attendance during the event. That said, if it’s that rare kid who can sit silently and listen to instruction for an uninterrupted hour, like a little grown-up, that’s okay. Every child is different, but we’ve found that age 10 generally seems to be a rough line dividing those able to display good workshop etiquette from those who may end up causing a distraction. If you’re in doubt, it’s best to err on the side of caution. Having someone create a disturbance mid-event can significantly affect everyone’s experience, which can in turn significantly affect the overall experience. We love kids and have our own. We just want to ensure the best experience for everyone involved. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation with this detail!

* If you have kids or you have friends who want to come but must bring their kids in order to attend, you could certainly have someone watch them. This could be a babysitter or a parent willing to volunteer for the duty, and they should take the kids to another room in the house – a place that is sonically isolated from the workshop space – and keep them there for the entirety of the workshop portion of the event. This works great, and of course the kids are more than welcome to hang out with everyone before and after the workshop!

** Also, if you think you’ll have some sitting-quietly-and-listening kids in attendance, we’ve still found that a minimum number of 10 adults is what makes for a viable event, so make sure to count the kiddos as “extras” when putting together your guest list.

“This will be a donation based workshop. Please come prepared to make a donation to the facilitator at the end of the event.”

We do not specify a suggested donation amount for the house workshops. The reasons for this are twofold: from what we’ve seen, we do better financially at events like this where people can donate what they are moved to in the moment, without any previous expectations. Perhaps more importantly, if you have a friend who is cash-conscious-poor but is ready to shift, it’s important to us that they be able to experience the evening without feeling any pressure or limitations. While it is true that this is how we support the work we do, connecting with people and helping them experience their shifts are the most important things.

*Occasionally we have hosts who prefer not to ask their guests for donations and prefer instead to pay an up-front guarantee for the workshop. Either way is fine, and we’ve done both ways. If this approach interests you, please let us know, and we’ll discuss the fee structure for scheduling a non-donation event.

You may want to let your guests know you’ll have drinks and snacks for them if that will be the case, or perhaps you’d like to ask everyone to bring a little something to share potluck style. This is entirely up to you, and is not a requirement for hosting a workshop. We’ve also discovered that when guests are asked to RSVP, there is a much better turnout rate as opposed to a “come by if you can” approach. We suggest a service like e-vite that requires RSVPs (even if you use something like Facebook events… simply add the e-vite link to the Facebook event for official RSVPs).