MAY 12 -14 2006, PROGRAM HARBIN HOT SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

   Registration Desk Opens   BP

Newcomer’s Circle: Orienting to Polyamory- Dave Doleshal  CC
Dave and oldtimers gather by the lower pool. Oldtimers and newcomers question each other and share experiences.  This orientation is especially designed for those new to polyamory and/or for those attending their first polyamory conference, - but all are welcome. It's a good place to begin getting your burning questions answered, get your feet wet and begin to get to know your fellow participants at the conference. LP

Welcome, Logistics, Schedule - Janet Kira Lessin,  Dave Doleshal  CC
Etiquette of contact, nudity, quiet areas in Harbin, areas where noise and sexuality's ok, no smoking or fires, keep your cups, etc. outlined.

The Poly Chant: Conference Theme Song - Jaiia Earthschild CC
Composed this week by Jaiia, a member of Janet and Sasha's community in Maui, her poly chant may become an anthem, a theme for the relationship choice movement, and we'll the first public gathering to sing it. 

Icebreakers & Pods for Intimate Community, Part 1 - Sasha Lessin, Janet Kira Lessin  CC
It's 4:45 in the afternoon. The carpeted-room at Harbin's Conference Center's huge, curtained and air conditioned. The rug's covered with people in small clusters and pairs--all adults, adults of every size, age and race. Some are snuggling. Most wear clothes, though several are half-naked. A few completely nude. All've been welcomed by World Polyamory Association Board Member Dave Doleshal.  Janet introduces Dr. Sasha Lessin who'll lead icebreakers and get us into intimate support groups (pods) before dinner. Likely we'll eat with at least some of your podmates.

We mill around the room, shake each others' hands and gaze in one another's eyes, noticing attractions that arise. Then, based on attractions we feel, we sit with six to twelve other folks.

The group we choose is our POD. It's the group we tell who we are and what we want. Our pod's the sacred circle of souls who encourage us to get what we want at the conference and in life. We talk now, and will talk tomorrow morning and Sunday, just before the conference ends. We'll talk with our pod mates about what we're learning about ourselves as we explore poly loving.  Pods, then, are small face-to-face primary groups for conference integration. Our pod's a safe space to nourish community consciousness, create intimate, relationships us and our podners––the people in our pod––-can open-up, share what we deeply value and, most importantly, experience loving support for who we are and what we do.

Icebreakers & Pods for Intimate Community, Part 1 - Sasha Lessin, Janet Kira Lessin  CC
It's 4:45 in the afternoon. The carpeted-room at Harbin's Conference Center's huge, curtained and air conditioned. The rug's covered with people in small clusters and pairs--all adults, adults of every size, age and race. Some are snuggling. Most wear clothes, though several are half-naked. A few completely nude. All've been welcomed by World Polyamory Association Board Member Dave Doleshal.  Janet introduces Dr. Sasha Lessin who'll lead icebreakers and get us into intimate support groups (pods) before dinner. Likely we'll eat with at least some of your podmates.

We mill around the room, shake each others' hands and gaze in one another's eyes, noticing attractions that arise. Then, based on attractions we feel, we sit with six to twelve other folks.

The group we choose is our POD. It's the group we tell who we are and what we want. Our pod's the sacred circle of souls who encourage us to get what we want at the conference and in life. We talk now, and will talk tomorrow morning and Sunday, just before the conference ends. We'll talk with our pod mates about what we're learning about ourselves as we explore poly loving.  Pods, then, are small face-to-face primary groups for conference integration. Our pod's a safe space to nourish community consciousness, create intimate, relationships us and our podners––the people in our pod––-can open-up, share what we deeply value and, most importantly, experience loving support for who we are and what we do.

Dinner CC

Poly Songs - Jaiia Earthschild CC

How We Do Poly - Janet Kira Lessin, Panel, Participants CC
This is a very popular format and often the favorite part of the conference for many. The panel is led by Janet Kira Lessin and includes polys of several varieties and everyone else who wishes to share how they make polyamory work for them. The audience gets to ask questions, so everyone's included. Newbies get valuable answers to begin their poly lives.
 

Poly Playshop: Exercises in Authentic Loving - Kamala Devi and Michael McClure CC

Breakfast  CC

Pods: Intimate Community, Part 2 - Sasha Lessin, Janet Kira Lessin  CC
Sasha leads the entire community though a warm-up exercise, where each person shares her or his name and a motion that the whole group imitates, to get a feeling of what it's like to be that person this morning.  Then we rejoin our pods (or shift pods if we desire) and review what we wanted to get out of this conference, what's happened so far, how we're doing getting what we said we wanted, what we want now and what steps we can take today to get what we want.
 

Morning Presenters' Previews (CC)  Anastas Harris, Steven Vogue and Scott Longwell preview the workshops they give this morning.
 

Then, in twos, fours and small groups, we move into compersion, Tantra and Poly in a dance that may be playful or soulful, mental or sensual, and that stretch boundaries or provide the opportunity to stretch into already extended boundaries with a variety of individuals or couples. We place you in situations in which you have the opportunity to experience or develop your compersionate nature in an enriching and supportive atmosphere.  

Beyond Boundaries - Scott Longwell (Lower Dining Room)
In healthy intimate poly relationships, you express your interests--what lies underneath your boundaries.  When you say your interest in maintaining a boundary, you invite your lovers to collaborate in your success.  You and they share the motivation for the boundary. If you share what you’re trying to protect with that boundary, you invite them to be partners in your self-care. In this workshop, we share the motives for our boundaries and learn to go beyond this; we develop the ability to play beyond boundaries.

Lunch  CC

Afternoon Presenters' Preview  Dave Doleshal, Harold Kornylak, Amber Seitz, Keith Brown, Terry and Paul Brussel-Gibbons and Laura Fiecher rap about the workshops and playshops they offer in the next three hours.

Polyamory 101: What You Did/'t Know You Did/'t Know - Keith Brown
Group discussion, "From The Trenches" on what we've found that works and doesn't work.  Resource sharing.  Participants explore their own ideas, feelings and desires to discover what works for themselves.

Three or More in Love- Harold Kornylak, Amber Seitz  CC
An enduring, fulfilling two person partnership is rare enough. Even most animals tend to pair-bond. It’s totally impractical to think of expanding beyond the dyad, perhaps to 3, or 4? In Three or More in Love, we explore the unique dynamics when more than two relate. We explore how to keep a triad from being a pair plus one. Gain insight into your relating style and how compatible it is for going beyond the dyad. (Discussion and experiential exercises).

Bisexual Polyamourous Couple Building a Group Marriage - Terry and Paul Brussel-Gibbons and Laura Fiecher LP
Terry and Paul Brussel-Gibbons are a bisexual married couple. They have been involved in the polyamourous lifestyle of multiply committed relationships since their teens. They will share how each of them discovered their bisexuality and how it has affected their experiences in relating to outside lovers together and separately...in bringing special people closer. On June 2, 2001 Terry and Paul were handfasted with Marcus Brussel-Jenkins, and then on November 27, 2005 Laura Brussel-Fiechter joined
the Triad in a four-way handfasting ceremony to create a Quad. Laura will present with them here. They will all be happy to answer questions about how triads/quads work and the effect bisexuality has in this relationship.

4 - 5:30PM

Rapid Techniques for Jealousy Management - Dave Doleshal  LP
There are many good ideas and effective techniques that can be used to manage jealousy. All of them work at least to some extent.  This workshop will include two others that are very powerful, easy to learn, but not yet widely known within the polyamory community.  These are the methods originally pioneered by psychologist Roger Callahan and methods invented by Dr. Edward Bach, a British Homeopathic physician.

Dinner  CC

Poly Sing-Along - Jaiia Earthschild and Everyone CC

Compassionate Communication, Conscious Cuddling - Kelly Bryson CC
We use original music and tantra-like puja connecting exercises to create a conscious space. Then Kelly leads an experiential conversation about how to not compromise any of your relationship needs. (because compromise is where you share).  Get into sweet connection with each other’'s needs, instead of polarized by each other's strategies.  Learn consensual morality & transparency to support everyone’s choice for how they need to be loved & to create their own designer relationship.  Practice simple tools to QTIP (Quit taking it personally)& to deliver difficult messages compassionately and without criticism. Recovering your lovejoy when buttons have been pushed.  Recognize and transform the core beliefs that disconnect us from our lovejoy.  Recover and sustain the lovejoy in all your relationships
 

Tantra Ecstacy for Polys - Evelena Rose CC
Learn ancient arts of connection and conscious sensuality that deepen connection with yourself, others, and all of life. Enhance your capacity for intimacy through safe, sacred, heart-centered interactions. Discover how breath practices, movement, imagery, and ritual deepen connections, enhance pleasure,
and help you move kundalini through the body. Open to your full sexual aliveness. An opportunity to experience the depths our breath can open within us. Brief lecture followed by breathing practice, dyad exercises, and a brief tantric ritual.

Presenters' Previews - Terry & Paul Brussel-Gibbons, Dave Doleshal, Kirsten Rose, Master Rex, Miss Jane preview presentations they present this morning. CC
 

Power Exchange for Polys & Useful Skills from the Kink World - Master Rex & Miss Jane  CC 
This workshop deals with the skills and etiquette required for BDSM power exchange and how they can be applied in the real world to make life a simple pleasure. The approaches to negotiation and conflict resolution essential to successfully navigate the world of fetish and kink have direct benefits if properly and discretely applied in the world of relationship and business. With his submissive sex slave Jane as a demo helper, Rex covers the basic tools we can use while he gives a gentle and appetizing introduction to the world of Slaves and Masters.  Fun and enjoyable.

The Myth of Having A Separate Relationship  - Kirsten Rose CC
Polyamory is often defined as several separate relationships going on simultaneously. However, an alternative perspective, inspired by shamanism, tantra and family systems theory, is to view polyamory all as one single relationship that encompasses multiple persons and multiple points of responsibility. Viewing relationships this way resolves a number of practical "problems" often confronting people wishing to create and sustain non-monogamous lifestyles.

Pod Retrospective & Parting Puja - Sasha Lessin, Janet Kira Lessin  CC
We gaze into the eyes of each person in our Harbin poly community, return to our pods to review to what degree we got what we sought here and what we learned.  Then the whole community participates in a ceremony of honoring and appreciation.  Jaiia Leads a final singing-along of the Poly Chant.
 

Lunch CC 

 Networking Time CC. 

Enjoy Harbin till 10PM