Council Training 2: Deepening the Practice
Council Training 2: Deepening the Practice
Topa Institute, Ojai Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA, USA
May 15 - 17, 2026
About this Retreat
Irasha Talifero has lived in the Ojai Valley since 1976 and has cultivated a wealth of local connections. She moved to Ojai to have and raise her son, Snowshadow Talifero, who is now a local hero — a fireman who protected the ridge that Topa Institute now calls home during the Thomas Fire. The same year Irasha arrived in Ojai was the first time she went up to the ridge above what is now the Besant Hill School, then the home of Human Dimensions Institute West. She soon began volunteering and gardening on the site, planting some of what remains there today.
Irasha has had the privilege of experiencing many new ways of learning from teachers from all over the world. Here, in her own backyard, she was blessed to know and interact with the prominent spiritual and cultural figures of the Upper Ojai, including Jiddu Krishnamurti, Beatrice Woods, as well as Chumash elders Grandfather Vincent Tumamait and Grandfather Semu Huate. This was a new awakening for her. Over the decades, she continued her involvement with the Ojai Foundation and began facilitating programs for thousands of students, some of which were her most valuable teachers. In 2016, she became a Council Trainer. Four generations of her family have become a part of the ridge’s practices and communities: at present, her granddaughter Tara Talifero is a junior at Besant Hill School — a star student and representative at the campus. Irasha brings this long history on the ridge to Topa Institute, continuing to introduce this special place to new generations of people.
Anita (Ani) Samaha has been working with diverse populations for over 20 years, creating connections through nature, council, and team building activities. She co-founded the Santa Barbara Lesbian Meetup group, now with close to 1000 members. She holds a Masters in Chinese Medicine, where her love for helping people and providing healing work began. She helped create a semester abroad program for 16-19 year olds in New Zealand, where living in community fostered a deep sense of belonging and support for the youth. Ani’s had the joy of working with various organizations/institutions including Wilderness Outdoor Leadership Foundation, Santa Barbara Boys and Girls Club, Teamworks, Santa Barbara Middle School, Pacifica Graduate Institute, Celebrate Life, Circle Ways, and the Center for Council. Some of her most rewarding work has been through council facilitation and training with social justice organizations and incarcerated people. She believes that through both council and play, strengthening people’s ability to listen more deeply to themselves and one another, the world can be transformed in magical ways.
Details of this retreat
DESCRIPTION
Council Training 2 is a powerful opportunity to deepen one’s practice and explore the more complex contours of facilitating council circles. This training is geared toward folks who have been facilitating council and have had direct experience with challenging situations, conflicts, and confronting the more hidden or unconscious forces that may drive group dynamics. Facilitators may also be starting to look at some personal obstacles that have shown up in their development as a practitioner.
This workshop delves into the specific forms of council suited for a variety of situations and explores the joys and challenges of bringing council into different parts of our lives. It offers a chance to develop more skills with “reading the field” and “witnessing”. One of the primary intentions of Council Training 2 is to support facilitators who are starting to encounter the sometimes powerful energies released in council and to encourage them to move out of their comfort zones, learning how to navigate and best serve the circle, while maintaining the container. Facilitators may also be starting to look at some personal obstacles that have shown up in their development as a practitioner.
We recommend the prerequisite of Council Training I, along with practice facilitating and sitting in councils. The experience gained in circle will support your evolution as a facilitator, in addition to giving you the material needed for our time together in this training.
PRICE:
$500.00 Early Bird
$650.00 Regular Price
In this 2-day training you will:
Further develop facilitation and communication skills
Deepen connections to community
Apply Council to support Social Justice
Broaden understanding and practice of “reading the field”, noting what is unspoken and intuiting the shared energy and needs of the circle
Explore tools for mindfulness, self-inquiry, and self-regulation
Investigate ways to navigate moments of heightened emotion, both for participants and as a facilitator
Deepen our understanding and skills for “witnessing” and “mirroring”
Explore “turning into the skid”
Accommodations
Shared spaces in a yurt are available, sleeping pads provided (limited beds available upon request)
Participants may camp for up to two evenings (Friday and Saturday) on the land. Participants must provide all their own bedding and gear if camping. Topa Institute has drinking water, flush toilets, hot showers, refrigerator/stove, and level campsites available. For those wishing to camp on the evening of Friday April 10th, please plan to arrive between 3 and 6 pm. Personal camp stoves are not permitted.
Alternatively, the following hotels @ 9-minute drive from Topa Institute:
Casa Ojai Inn, https://ojaiinn.com/
Hummingbird Inn, http://hummingbirdinnojai.com/
Capri Hotel, http://www.caprihotelojai.com/
Food
There will be light refreshments and snacks with the course (coffee, tea, simple snacks, etc.). Participants are expected to bring a bag lunch for Saturday and Sunday and provide their own food for all other meals. There is a refrigerator and stove available for use, and personal camp stoves are prohibited.
**Pricing
We have needs-based scholarship funds designated to support access to our courses for those facing financial barriers. With each course, we aim to support as many people as possible with the funds. To this end, we are not asking for any financial records, but simply asking all who are in need to respond to a few questions. If you have questions, please feel free to email alea@topainstitute.org.
Transportation
Participants are responsible for getting to and from the course. You can find driving directions using this Google Maps link. Parking is available onsite.
Council Training 2 is a powerful opportunity to deepen one’s practice and explore the more complex contours of facilitating council circles. This training is geared toward folks who have been facilitating council and have had direct experience with challenging situations, conflicts, and confronting the more hidden or unconscious forces that may drive group dynamics. Facilitators may also be starting to look at some personal obstacles that have shown up in their development as a practitioner.
This workshop delves into the specific forms of council suited for a variety of situations and explores the joys and challenges of bringing council into different parts of our lives. It offers a chance to develop more skills with “reading the field” and “witnessing”. One of the primary intentions of Council Training 2 is to support facilitators who are starting to encounter the sometimes powerful energies released in council and to encourage them to move out of their comfort zones, learning how to navigate and best serve the circle, while maintaining the container. Facilitators may also be starting to look at some personal obstacles that have shown up in their development as a practitioner.
We recommend the prerequisite of Council Training I, along with practice facilitating and sitting in councils. The experience gained in circle will support your evolution as a facilitator, in addition to giving you the material needed for our time together in this training.
PRICE:
$500.00 Early Bird
$650.00 Regular Price
In this 2-day training you will:
Further develop facilitation and communication skills
Deepen connections to community
Apply Council to support Social Justice
Broaden understanding and practice of “reading the field”, noting what is unspoken and intuiting the shared energy and needs of the circle
Explore tools for mindfulness, self-inquiry, and self-regulation
Investigate ways to navigate moments of heightened emotion, both for participants and as a facilitator
Deepen our understanding and skills for “witnessing” and “mirroring”
Explore “turning into the skid”
Accommodations
Shared spaces in a yurt are available, sleeping pads provided (limited beds available upon request)
Participants may camp for up to two evenings (Friday and Saturday) on the land. Participants must provide all their own bedding and gear if camping. Topa Institute has drinking water, flush toilets, hot showers, refrigerator/stove, and level campsites available. For those wishing to camp on the evening of Friday April 10th, please plan to arrive between 3 and 6 pm. Personal camp stoves are not permitted.
Alternatively, the following hotels @ 9-minute drive from Topa Institute:
Casa Ojai Inn, https://ojaiinn.com/
Hummingbird Inn, http://hummingbirdinnojai.com/
Capri Hotel, http://www.caprihotelojai.com/
Food
There will be light refreshments and snacks with the course (coffee, tea, simple snacks, etc.). Participants are expected to bring a bag lunch for Saturday and Sunday and provide their own food for all other meals. There is a refrigerator and stove available for use, and personal camp stoves are prohibited.
**Pricing
We have needs-based scholarship funds designated to support access to our courses for those facing financial barriers. With each course, we aim to support as many people as possible with the funds. To this end, we are not asking for any financial records, but simply asking all who are in need to respond to a few questions. If you have questions, please feel free to email alea@topainstitute.org.
Transportation
Participants are responsible for getting to and from the course. You can find driving directions using this Google Maps link. Parking is available onsite.
Getting Here
Topa Institute, Topa Institute, Ojai Santa Paula Road, Ojai, CA, USA
Accommodation
Early Bird Price through Mar. 20
Price includes 2 nights of shared yurt accommodations
Last Chance
