We’re excited to once again be working with San Francisco-based Yogi Ken Breniman for our June Retreat, which runs from Thursday, June 14th (Flag Day – also known as the day AFTER Micheal’s birthday) and continues through Monday, June 18th. As you know if you’ve attended one of our retreats with Ken before, this one will be a fun-filled adventure with lots of yoga and wonderful fellowship! (Plus you can always extend into the next week and spend the Summer Solstice with us!)

And wait, because that’s only the beginning….

Our Sizzlin’ Summer Yoga Retreat begins on Thursday, August 9th and continues through Tuesday, August 14th. We are welcoming Portland-based Yogi Denny Richard, who is joining us for the first time. We are really excited to be working with Denny. He’s been on our “want to” list for sometime as lots of our Portland (and Phoenix) friends have been working diligently to get us all together. We can’s wait! (Also note that Denny will be joining us for our December Retreat this year.)

There’s more information about both retreats on our website. The links are:

June Retreat with Ken Breniman

August Retreat with Denny Richard

We hope to see everyone this year for one or both of our Summer Retreats! Book now, though. They fill up fast!

This year, Instructor Todd Gibbs will lead us through four days of naked yoga, pilates, stretching, and naked hiking. Originally from a small East Texas town, Todd has found his home in Austin, a liberal oasis in Texas.  Yoga is very popular in Austin and Todd began practicing yoga in 1998, and a decade later, he became a registered yoga teacher and co-manager of Austin Naked Yoga.

In addition to teaching weekly naked yoga classes, Todd organizes outdoor naked yoga retreats twice a year and holds naked yoga workshops ranging from partner yoga to chakra meditation.  Todd is also a certified Pilates instructor, so it’s not unusual for a little Pilates to sneak into his yoga classes. After years of practicing naked yoga, Todd says, “I can’t imagine it any other way…naked yoga is honest, natural, sacred and beautiful.”

To find out more, visit

http://www.triangle-inn.com/december_yoga.htm

Schedule:

Thursday, December 8th
Welcome and introductions
5pm – Yoga
7pm – Social Hour & Dinner (on your own)
& Palm Springs VillageFest
Midnight Swim and hot tubbing!

Friday, December 9th
8am – Yoga
9am – 10am – Breakfast (provided)
10:30 am – 5pm – Hike to Anza Borrega Calcite Mine
or Mecca Hills, Picnic Lunch (provided),
Yoga in the Desert
6pm – Yoga
7pm – Social Hour & Dinner (on your own)
Midnight Swim and hot tubbing!

Saturday, December 10th
8am – Yoga
9am – 11am – Breakfast (provided)
Noon – Pilates
1:30pm – Lunch (on your own) and Pool Time
5pm – Yoga
7pm – Dinner and a Movie (provided)
Midnight Swim and hot tubbing! :

Sunday, December 11th
8am – Yoga
9am – 11am – Breakfast (provided)
Noon – Yoga &/or Pilates
1:30pm – Lunch (on your own) and Pool Time
5pm – Yoga
7pm – Dinner (on your own)
Midnight Swim and hot tubbing!

Monday, December 12th
8am – Yoga
9am – 11am – Breakfast (provided)
Departures, and/or Hiking extension
(Pioneer Town, Joshua Tree and high desert)
5pm – Happy Hour
7pm – Dinner (on your own)
Midnight Swim and hot tubbing!

Tuesday, December 13th
Breakfast (provided), Departures

I went online, did a bunch of searches, and ended up a ton of images showing creative nearly naked (and naked) costume ideas.

Then I found this whole series of images done up like ancient Greek myths – gods and monsters.

I also found out that in Russia, the DJs at the really hip dance parties perform pretty much naked, sometimes with really skimpy costumes and sometimes with really raging hard-ons!!!

There were also lots of imaginative body painting images. OMG! Who knew this was all out there?!?

Well, needless to say, I decided some of them needed to be shared, so here they are.

I’ve decided they should be part of a series entitled “People and Costumes I’d like to encounter for Halloween.”

Let me know if you agree!

PS – If you get inspired, feel free to come as one of these characters (or, if you see them running around somewhere, invite them to the party!).

Michael

Everyone’s Invited to our annual

at the Triangle Inn Palm Springs.

Get creative and get undressed (or get creatively undressed) as we turn up the Halloween heat on Saturday, October 29th!

The party starts at 8pm, and continues right up until the last partygoer loses his costume (or decides to go for a midnight swim).

Bring yourself and your friends.
We’ve got snacks, beer, wine and limited mixed drinks.

Last year was lots of fun
with all sorts of creative campiness and crazy costumes.

This year promises to be even more fun!

We hope you’ll plan to join us for some Halloween mischief.

As always, we’ll be partying in (and out)
of our underwear!

This August, we’re thrilled to welcome Chet Chou to our growing cadre of naked yoga instructors. Chet will be joining veteran instructor, Ken Breniman, for our Annual Summer Naked Yoga Retreat. Chet has been practicing yoga since 2006 and received his Yoga Alliance certification from Yoga Tree in 2010. He began his practice at the suggestion of a friend, and soon thereafter, discovered how yoga opened the door to an infinite world of spirituality, awareness and mindfulness.

As a practitioner, Chet believes that strength comes from within, and that energy manifests itself in both body and soul, resulting in a positive change on a person’s mindset and outlook on life. From a physical standpoint, he believes it benefits an individual’s quality of life in many ways, such as alleviating pain, maintaining a healthy immune system and building strength, flexibility and vitality. His main style of practice is Vinyasa with a focus on breath and alignment

Ken Breniman will also be returning for our Annual Summer Yoga Retreat this August. Ken has joined us for several Retreats and is one of our most requested instructors. He has practiced yoga for over 8 years and became certified with Yoga Alliance as a RYT-200 after graduating from Yoga Tree’s Yoga Teacher Training program in 2006. Ken provides eclectic Non-denominational Hatha yoga guidance, honoring a variety of traditions, such as Iyengar alignment principles, invigorating Kudalini Kriya, and playful Acroyoga-inspired partnerwork.

We hope that you will plan to join us for our Annual Summer Naked Yoga Retreat this year! The Retreat starts on Thursday, August 18th, and continues through Tuesday, August 23rd. Last year’s event was nothing short of amazing, and this year’s retreat promises to be just as much fun!

Now in its 17th year, ShortFest 2011 will showcase 64 World Premieres, 58 North American Premieres and 25 U.S. Premieres. The selection of films for screening and competition features star-studded casts and award-winning films from 50 countries around the world. The Event runs from June 21 through 27, at the Camelot Theatres in Palm Springs. We hope you can join us.

Anything for You
USA, 2010, 10 min. Over a lunch that begins like many they’ve had before, a discussion between two women unexpectedly turns away from the menu…. more
AWOL
USA, 2010, 13 min.
Days before she’s to be deployed to Afghanistan, Joey goes home to rural Pennsylvania for Christmas and surprises her lover, Rayna. Joey opens up and shares her secret holiday wish, but Rayna has other plans…. more Baldguy
Norway, 2011, 12 min.
A young guy comes home to his folks with a momentous announcement to make, setting the stage for a fabulous musical set in the streets of a small Norwegian town(!)… more
The Binding of Ishmael
Singapore, 2010, 8 min.
A son’s filial duty is stretched to the limit when his father asks him to return home for help with his younger brother. … more
Bob
Germany, 3 min.
A little hamster tries to follow his true love around the globe, dreaming of romance in the exotic locales as they go around, and around, and around…. … more

Cappuccino
Switzerland, 2010, 16 min.
A teen with his eyes on another boy at his school gets a rude awakening after an all-too-brief ‘date’ with the object of his desire in this delightful tale of youthful longing…. more

Carmen Rupe
Australia, 2010, 11 min.
This fascinating documentary introduces us to 74 year old Carmen, an Aussie drag queen and former showgirl who recounts the triumphs and tribulations of her life on stage and off…. more

Change
USA, 2010, 23 min.
On one momentous day in 2008, a young man awaits the results of two decisions that could change his life forever: the election of Barrack Obama and the success or failure of Prop. 8. If only all of life was as open to change…… more
Charlotte
Australia, 2011, 4 min.
After a disastrous blind date, Charlotte must take a hard look at the way the world sees her…. more
Civil Unions: A Love Story
USA, 2010, 4 min.
This short satire imagines a world where marriage doesn’t exist, and civil unions actually constitute a fair and equal happy ending for everybody…. more

The Confession of Father John Thomas
Australia, 2011, 5 min.
In this outrageously graphic animated short, a priest gives confession to a lesbian, which liberates him enough to make his own break from the closet…. more
Cubicle Two
United Kingdom, 2010, 10 min.
Seeking refuge from a group of bullying boys, a gay student finds himself unexpectedly sharing a cubicle with a sympathetic soul…. more
dik
Australia, 2010, 10 min.
When a young boy draws a picture of what appears to be him rubbing his best friend’s ‘dik’, his parents are thrown into paroxysms of guilt and self doubt, accusing each other of all manner of sexual peccadilloes…. more

Dont Brejk Maj Turbofolk Hart

Germany, 2011, 24 min.
In this provocative (and sexy) Serbian drama, mutual attraction and post-nationalist politics come head-to-head with the old ways of thinking, leading to potentially explosive consequences. … more

Dreaming American
USA, 2011, 25 min.
A handsome young illegal immigrant finds work as a go go dancer in a gay bar while he pursues legal status and a career as an actor in New York City in this contemporary tale about the pursuit of happiness…. more

Everyone Who Hears This Story Gets Laid
USA, 2011, 14 min.
A man delivers a vastly entertaining monologue about his sexual exploits while he was in the army in this strangely compelling one-man show…. more

The First
USA, 2011, 13 min.
A handsome young man has first-time sex with both male and female partners, but is he more drawn to one than the other?… more Flyers
USA, 2011, 3 min.
For one young woman, coming out seems to be a very public affair. … more
Further Lane
USA, 2010, 13 min.
Ben, a handsome young handyman, looks after a house in the Hamptons for a wealthy New York businessman and his family, but there’s more to this story of a seemingly simple young guy than initially meets the eye…… more
Half-Share
USA, 2011, 29 min.
Fresh out of a long term relationship, Matt takes a time-share on Fire Island for the summer and must decide whether he can handle his eccentric new housemates on the mythical Isle of Misfit Boys. … more

Halloween is a Drag
USA, 2011, 10 min.
Palm Springs’ legendary Arenas Street Halloween party is the subject of this lively documentary capturing the night of costumed revelry in all its splendor…. more
Henry & Anthony
USA, 2010, 20 min.
When his young son demonstrates an ever more serious interest in things that little boys are not supposed to be interested in, Henry’s dad grapples with the conflict between his liberal beliefs and his societal instincts as a father. … more

I Now Pronounce You Husband & Husband
USA, 2010, 20 min.
A fascinating look at the effort of New Paltz, NY mayor Jason West’s effort to wed same sex couples and the subsequent political firestorm and arrest he faced as a result…. more

James Dean
United Kingdom, 2010, 7 min.
A family tries it’s best to get out of the driveway, but one of their daughters has decided it’s finally time to bring out the ‘real’ her…. more

Johnny & Lyman: A Life Together

USA, 2010, 18 min.
Having met on the beach in Santa Monica in 1945, Johnny and Lyman have been partners for more than 60 years. In 2008, they joined 18,000 other gay and lesbian couples in America in applying for a marriage license. This is their story…. more

The Kiss
Australia, 2010, 16 min.
Two girls riding their bikes through the woods on a sultry summer night come upon a fire reservoir tank and decide to take a swim, but learn once they are in the tank that getting out is not as easy as getting in. Winner: Best Short Fiction Film, Best Cinematography, Australian Film Industry Awards…. more

Liv
Finland, 2010, 14 min.
Feisty nine-year-old Liv dislikes her father’s new partner Tony and longs for her deceased mom. When it seems she’s losing the battle for her dad’s attention, she takes an unusual revenge…. more

Loop Planes
USA, 2010, 11 min.
A summer crush has Nick finding love at the carnival despite all appearances to the contrary. … more

The Maiden and The Princess

USA, 2010, 17 min.
Emmy is the subject of a fairy tale writer who has been reprimanded by the higher powers to start writing stories the ‘right way’ or else. But Emmy won’t be kept down, no matter what authority insists on it. … more

Marcela
Argentina, 2010, 9 min.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Marcela chooses to celebrate by listing the 10 most wonderful moments in her life; trouble is after 40 years, she can only come up with 9…. more

Moonless Night
Mexico, 2010, 13 min.
Two men are last seen together on an apartment balcony in macho Mexico, and one subsequently winds up dead on the ground below. Is it murder, or is there more to the story than may come to light?… more

Now Here
USA, 2010, 11 min.
Set in 1985 as AIDS ravaged the gay community in New York City, this moving story recounts the story of Franco, who flirts with reckless behavior on his birthday after the love of his life falls ill with the virus…. more

Public
USA, 2010, 14 min.
A beautiful inner-city teacher faces her own questions of identity when she tries to connect with her most difficult student. … more
Rubdown
USA, 2010, 12 min.
Andrew, a private detective, is hired by a spa owner to check up on a hot male masseur and make sure he’s following the company’s ‘modesty’ policy. What follows is anything but modest…… more
Shave
USA, 2010, 6 min.
A man checks into a hotel room and proceeds to pursue his fantasy until a phone call abruptly brings him back to reality…. more
The Shower
Chile, 10 min.
Sexy, smart and soulful, The Shower tracks the traumatic final stage of a relationship and the even more frightening question of what’s next. Winner of Best Short Film at this year’s Berlin Film Festival…. more

Snapshot
USA, 2010, 6 min.
In this lovely short story, a woman entertains her daughter’s suitor while her daughter gets ready for the girl’s first date…. more

Some Things Are Worse Than Being Gay
USA, 2011, 7 min.
Leah has a confession to make to her overbearing Jewish parents, but the subject of her confession is not what concerns them…… more

Time After Time
USA, 2010, 4 min.
Two young girls and a boy join in impromptu sing-along but what transpires over the musical notes is more than just a song. … more

Tsuyako
Japan, 2011, 21 min.
In Japan, 1952, Tsuyako tries to live the life that has been set out for her—husband, children, work at the factory and care for her family. Yet when her friend arrives from Tokyo, Tsuyako finds herself entranced by the dream of a different life. … more Twinset
Scotland, 2010, 12 min.
This truly exceptional documentary introduces us to a man living his life as a woman in a small, quaint British town where the elderly ladies of the town accept him as one of their own…. more Uniformed
Spain, 2010, 18 min.
Lonely Margaret is assaulted daily by numerous ‘uniform’ messages that try to educate her to fulfill a concrete social role. But Margaret has a little secret that, once shared, will elevate her past the uniform. … more

Vapor
Canada, 2010, 11 min.
Having carefully composed his plans, a Mexican man spends his day living it as he has always wanted to – as a homosexual who accepts himself and his needs. Genie (Canadian Oscars®) nominee for Best Live Action Canadian Short and Jutra nominee for Best Quebec Short…. more

Verona
Canada, 2010, 24 min.
Laurie Lynd (The Fairy Who Didn’t Want To Be a Fairy Anymore) directed this elaborate take off on Romeo and Juliet, with two boys from opposing fraternities falling in love – much to the consternation of their frat brothers…. more
Wild Imaginings
Australia, 2011, 9 min.
A young man deals with his infatuation with his best friend through his fantasy world…. more ]]> http://triangle-inn.com/triangleblog/?feed=rss2&p=374 0 http://triangle-inn.com/triangleblog/?p=363 http://triangle-inn.com/triangleblog/?p=363#comments Sat, 04 Jun 2011 22:36:20 +0000 Triangle Inn Palm Springs http://triangle-inn.com/triangleblog/?p=363 Continue reading →]]> This Summer we’re hosting two naked yoga retreats! The first one is a great Weekend Get-away in June (June 17-19). Paul Tucci (who teaches in San Diego) will be teaching. We’ll also have a naked pilates class, a hike in Joshua Tree National Park, and a group Dinner on Saturday night.

Our second Summer Retreat is our Annual Summer event, which starts on August 18 and runs through August 23. Ken Breniman returns to lead this retreat, joined by a surprise guest instructor! Great fun!

The Mecca Hills sit directly above the San Andreas fault, at the very edge of the North American plate. As a result, the earth, rocks, and mineral deposits in the area have been squeezed, compressed, contorted, and pushed up to the surface many times over the past Millennia. This almost continuous upheaval, has created a profusion of shapes and colors in the stone and earth that make up the hills -  red abuts tan, dark gray abuts pale lilac, orange abuts dark purple. Add to all that activity, the action of rain and water over hundreds of thousands of years, and the result is a beautiful, if somewhat otherworldly desert landscape with a plethora of deep vertical canyons, sharp cliffs, soft-edged caves, and spectacular rock formations.

Access to the area is relatively easy, and as long as you don’t mind dirt roads, you can get pretty close in to the camping and hiking areas. Our trek took us into the Painted Canyon, where we parked the car, then continued on foot. I saw one snake (nonpoisonous) less than five minutes after we got out of the car. It was seeking the same shade that I was! I let the snake have it.

We continued on into the Canyon, which had several large groupings of shrubs, grasses and small trees (mostly Palo Verdes), and saw quite a number of Hummingbirds, as well as several Western Tanagers (that were clearly dressed in their Spring mating colors). The males were beautiful – bright red heads, yellow bodies, black tails, and wings that were yellow with black stripes. Females were less colorful – mostly soft yellow and gray. Tanagers are song birds, and these were singing joyfully. The hummingbirds were raucous as well; chattering after us to keep moving and leave their small hidden nests alone.

Following the stone arrows on the ground, we entered the ladder Canyon – a deep vertical canyon carved out of the solid rock by water. The way is steep in places; so steep in fact, that you have to climb a series of ladders to access the trail. Portions of the trail are just wide enough for one person to pass, and the walls on either side rise up hundreds of feet above you. Pretty amazing!

After some rigorous walking (they said this was an easy/moderate hike, but I’d hesitate to take just anybody on it), we came back out into the open at the top of the hills above the Painted Canyon. The view was spectacular. You could see the Salton Sea to the West and South, as well as the surrounding Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains. We then descended a loop trail that eventually brought us back to the ladder Canyon, where we crawled back down the ladders and back into the Painted Canyon. I highly recommend this hike, and am looking forward to exploring the area further.