Classes & Workshops

Diabetes Survival Class

This four-week introductory class covers the basic skills for maintaining your diabetes.

Cholesterol Management

This class is intended for anyone with high cholesterol, high triglycerides or who may be at risk for heart disease. Open to the entire community; no referral needed. Pre-registration is required.

Pre-Diabetes Education

This class is intended for anyone with pre-diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, insulin resistance, PCOS, a strong family history of diabetes or at risk of developing diabetes. Open to the entire community; no referral needed. Pre-registration is required.

Smoking Cessation

This six-week smoking cessation course will give you the tools you need to make that important step to stop smoking and start on the path to a healthier you. Behavior modification and group support will help you reach your goal.

Taking Charge of Osteoporosis

This class offers education and support for those who have osteoporosis or a family history that puts them at risk. You will learn about the risk factors, current treatments available, weight-bearing exercises, nutritional needs, ways to deal with your feelings, positive lifestyle changes and how to develop a personal support system.

The Solution For Weight

In this eight-week course, you will acquire skills that allow you to soothe and comfort from within and bring you so much joy that the drive to overeat fades. These skills trigger chemical changes that rewire the brain for peace and pleasure so that you stop needing the extra food. This method called The Solution® was developed during the last 25 years at the University of California, San Francisco, and it is the only program to show continued weight loss after treatment ends. For more information, visit www.misalawson.com.

Wired for Joy

Build the skills to reduce stress, anxiety and cravings and access peace and comfort from within. You'll begin to rewire those neural circuits by using a set of tools, the Solution 5-Point System, to pop yourself from "below the line" to joy. Fill yourself with natural pleasures rather than addictive ones such as overeating, overspending, overworking, smoking and drinking.

Whole Birth Yoga and Support

Come stretch, relax and rejuvenate! Learn yoga postures for strength, tone, balance and agility. Enhance your comfort in pregnancy while preparing your body and mind for birth. Enjoy the company of other pregnant women, sharing the challenges and joys of this time. Perfect for all stages of pregnancy. No experience is necessary.

Six-Week Childbirth Preparation

This comprehensive series covers breathing techniques, relaxation methods, stages of labor and delivery, hospital procedures, postpartum recovery, and birthing options to prepare you and your partner for your upcoming birth experience. A tour of Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center is included.

Fast-Track to Childbirth Preparation

This weekend class is offered once a month to expectant parents whose schedules don’t allow for the traditional six-week class. This series covers breathing techniques, relaxation methods, stages of labor and delivery, hospital procedures, postpartum recovery, and birthing options to prepare you and your partner for your upcoming birth experience. Infant care and breastfeeding are not included in this class. A tour of Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center is not included.

Infant Care and Breastfeeding

The two 2 1/2-hour classes, or five-hour Saturday class, cover normal infant behavior, sleep/wake cycles, reading and responding to your baby’s cues, swaddling and comforting, and bathing and diapering. Breastfeeding and bottle-feeding basics; breastfeeding beyond the first week; the use of a breast pump; expressing and storing your milk; and selecting appropriate equipment will also be covered. Taught by Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center Lactation Department.

Infant Massage

A two-hour class where parents and caregivers will learn techniques for reducing colic, gas, congestion and teething discomfort. Promotes bonding, mindful communication and sounder sleep; improves digestion; and helps baby learn to relax. Parents will learn to understand the baby’s nonverbal cues. A combination of Swedish, Indian and reflexology techniques will be included.

Baby Sign Language Introductory Workshop

Baby sign language allows you to communicate with hearing babies long before they can verbalize their wants and needs. Research studies show that signing with babies accelerates language acquisition, reduces frustration, enhances a child’s self esteem and deepens the bond between parent and child.

Baby Sign Language Play Group

It’s time to take the next step in the world of baby sign language. Stop guessing what your baby is trying to tell you and start spending more time fulfilling your child’s specific desires and needs. Join Bill White for six interactive one-hour play groups. In a playful environment, you will build your sign language vocabulary through songs, games and activities.

New Mom and Yoga and Support

Welcome to the other side of birth with Robin Sale. The class will be a fun and relaxing time to celebrate and commiserate, move, stretch, dance and sing with your baby. There will be lots of support, story swapping and sharing the amazing creative genius that only new mothers have. We will learn the tricks of the trade – making them up as we go along, of course.

Mother's Have Needs Too

Do you work 24/7, earn zero income and handle daily complaints fronm very small clients? Then this workshop is for you! Rewrite your job description; revitalize your daily workload so it meets your needs too. Connect with other mothers; strengthen your pride in this work; slow down, accept and enjoy this brief, fleeting stage of life.

How to Live With and Without Pain

Physical and emotional pain consumes much of our energy and attention. This often drains us and becomes a vicious cycle of pain and suffering. If we can develop a different relationship with our pain, then it changes. Everyone can find a greater peace and healing in his or her body and mind. This class builds upon the work of Dr. John Sarno, author of The Divided Mind, and other books, as well as the work of Darlene Cohen. This is a two-session class.

Living Step by Step® - Adults

This class is for all of you who are looking for a way to manage health changes in your life. Every class will be focused on you rather than your diagnosis. This “Living Step By Step®” class is specially designed to help you feel more safe and ready to add what you need for the health that you want. You’ll feel a real difference in your life.

Living Step by Step® - Teens

When you complete this class, you will know how to get more of what you really want in your life. Every evening, you will find easy ways to make decisions, be more comfortable talking to people, have less stress in school, manage your anger, feel more confident and have faith in yourself so that you don’t give up on what you have always wanted. Whatever you want in your life, this class will show you how to use The Five Essential Tools to get it.

Mindful Communication: The Language of Life

This eight-week, book-study course covers Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D.
Discover a powerful, simple process that gives a foundation for clear, compassionate communication and tools to support ongoing learning and integration with life.

Mindful Eating Workshop

This five-hour workshop is designed to assist in learning strategies to overcome compulsive eating and weight issues, gain an awareness of your personal eating style and enhance mindful eating.

Mindful Yoga

This eight-week, mindfulness-based yoga program is designed to bring compassionate awareness to the body. Poses are taught in a very gentle manner coupled with the focus on mindfulness, which pays close attention to what an individual is feeling physically and emotionally. CEUs available.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

This program is designed to teach mind and body awareness techniques to help live with physical or psychological symptoms due to stress, pain or illness. Based on the methods of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stress Reduction Program. CEU hours are available.

Somatic Education, Level 1, Level 2 and Seniors

Somatic "mind-body" education is a natural, safe and noninvasive way to relieve stress, reduce chronic pain and increase freedom fo movement. This training will give you the tools to change old postural habits that can ultimately cause stiffiness and pain. Stiffness and pain do not equate with aging! Class open to all ages and levels of activity.

Restorative Sleep

You will learn ways to improve sleep, energy and well-being without medication. Understand the natural cycles of the body and mind and what disrupts our normal sleep and wakefulness cycles. Learn strategies for improving sleep, energy and our innate healing, which comes from sufficient sleep and rest.

T’ai Chi Chih® Joy Thru Movement

“T’ai Chi Chih® Joy Thru Movement” is one of a number of disciplines collectively known as Chi Gong, which strives to balance the energy flow of the body. This form differs from the traditional “t’ai chi chuan” in that it is easier to learn, and it is an internal, meditative art, rather than a martial art.

Writing Our Way to Wellness

Writing gives us to opportunity to integrate our physical and emotional well-being. Current research reveals that the simple act of writing down thoughts and feelings can help those experiencing stress, loss, relationship issues, chronic illness and pain. This eight-week class offers the use of guided exercises, information on the healing benefits of writing, selected poetry and opportunities to deepen our capacity to live with greater meaning.

Relief for Achy Hands

No referral is needed for the following class, but advance registration is required. Relief for Achy Hands Don’t let achy hands get you down. Spend one evening learning simple ways to protect and strengthen your hands.

Weekly Back Care Classes

This one-hour class teaches proper posture and body mechanics for functional activities such as sitting, lifting, bending and work-related activities.

Diabetes Support Group

Are you looking for a place to meet people like yourself, coming to terms with changes in your life? We are offering a Support Group led by a Certified Diabetes Educator, where you can ask questions, get information and help support one another. You may pre-register for this class on-line or call 831-479-6628.

Insulin Pump Support Group

We are offering a Support Group led by a Cerified Diabetes Educator where you can ask questions, ge information and help support one another. We will also have occasional speakers on various topics.

New Parents Support Group

The SMSC Lactation Center offes drop-in support groups for all new parents and their new babies. The group will discuss topics such as normal infant /child development, feeding and postpartum adjustments for parents. Resource materials are available at each group. Come join us; babies are always welcome!