Current Happenings
All gatherings take place at Love University: 46 S Main St., 2nd floor, Waterbury VT 05676 (head in the side door by the parking lot).
One-Time Happenings
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One-Time Happenings *
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Date: Sunday, March 15th
Time: 10 - 11ish am
Location: OPEN Community Acupuncture, 46 S Main St, 3rd Floor, Waterbury VT 05676
Join Travis and me for a unique collaboration that blends our practices to foster openness and self-exploration.
This offering was inspired by my own experience with Travis's acupuncture, which left me feeling lighter, freer, and profoundly affected. I was surprised by its power to unearth deep feelings, similar to recent meditations where I believe a fearful part of myself was seeking to be seen and released. It was a truly cool and insightful experience!
We are now convinced: combining meditation with acupuncture just makes sense.
As Travis utilizes acupuncture points to open your natural flow, I will capitalize on this restful state to guide you toward deeper inner awareness.
Please join. We look forward to seeing you there! 🦋
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*You will have the choice to sit in a reclining chair or sit or lie on the floor. Feel free to bring your own mat, cushions, and blankets, or use ours. We’ll have plenty to share.
*Recommended donation range: $10-50. Please give what you can. We know this range is difficult for some at this time.
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Questions or RSVP:
April @ april.hayes@icloud.com or 802-383-8811
Travis @ OPENcommunityacupuncture@gmail.com or 802-552-8187
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The way is not difficult; only there must be no wanting or not wanting
- Caao Chou
Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving till the right action arises by itself?
- Tao Te Ching
Continual Happenings
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Continual Happenings *
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Monthly Mindfulness, Movement & Meditation Retreat Days:
10:30 - 5p
Feb. 28th, March 28th, April 25th, May 23rd, June 20th, July 25th, Aug. 22nd, Sept. 19th, Oct. 24th, Nov. 28th, Dec. TBA
A year to breathe deeper.
A year to feel alive.
A year to return to yourself.Join me for a day each month devoted to slowing down, coming home to your body, and remembering who you are beneath the noise of everyday life.
Each gathering aligns with the natural rhythm of the seasons, guiding you through cycles of rooting, blooming, celebrating, and restoring. Through mindful movement, nourishing practices, nature connection, reflective dialogue, and guided meditation, you’ll strengthen your nervous system, deepen inner clarity, and rediscover a grounded sense of center.
Come every month to create sustained transformation or drop in whenever you need a reset.
We’ll journey through the year together, culminating in a nourishing Weekend Retreat in late October, just as the world asks us to prepare for the darker, slower months ahead.———————-
The Philosophy of Return to Center
Return to Center exists because I need it myself. We live in a culture that rewards speed, productivity, and constant motion, quietly inviting us into what often feels like a never-ending busyness Olympics. Month after month, I find myself longing for a full day to slow down, reflect, breathe, and be in the company of others who are also seeking perspective, health, and well-being. These retreats are my attempt to create the kind of day I wish were more normalized in our culture, a day to tend to the body, steady the nervous system, listen inwardly, and remember who we are beneath the noise.
Return to Center is not about self-improvement or fixing what’s broken; it’s about pausing long enough to feel human again, together.
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February Return to Center: Tending the Heart
Compassion • Relationships • Self-Kindness
February’s Return to Center invites us to tend to the heart, gently, honestly, and without urgency. In a culture that often asks us to give more, do more, and move faster, this day-long retreat offers a chance to slow down and reconnect with compassion as a lived, embodied practice.
We’ll begin the day with mindful movement inspired by yoga, focusing on creating space around the heart through gentle chest openers, supported postures, and mild backbends. This practice is designed to be accessible and regulating, helping us arrive in our bodies before turning inward.
From there, we’ll move into a guided compassion meditation rooted compassion/Karuṇā, one of the four Brahmavihāras also known as the “heavenly abodes”, in Buddhist psychology. Karuṇā invites us to meet suffering, our own and others, with presence and care, without needing to fix, rush, or turn away. Following the meditation, we’ll enjoy tea and quiet journaling time to reflect and integrate before breaking for lunch.
In the afternoon, we’ll explore compassion within the context of our most influential relationships, including the often-overlooked relationship we have with ourselves. Through reflective dialogue and gentle inquiry, we’ll look at how compassion and self-kindness intersect with boundaries and how care sometimes asks for limits rather than more effort. We’ll close the day with a heart-centered Qigong practice to support nervous system regulation and offer a grounded, spacious transition back into daily life.
This retreat is open to all. No prior experience with yoga, meditation, or Qigong is required.
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Please text or email Maggie Mae at 802-595-5925 or maggiemaeloveu@gmail.com to RSVP or with questions.
Hope to see you there!
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First Thursday of the month, 6 - 8pm
Next gathering:
March 5th, 2026
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Join us for a lively and thought-provoking conversation about polyamory—what it is, what it isn’t, and the many misconceptions surrounding it. At its core, polyamory means "many loves," but what does this look like in practice, and what do healthy relationships look like in general? We believe one’s relationship preferences are a personal journey, and our goal is to leave you wondering about yourself and how you want to be in relationship.
This is a dialogue, not a class, but there is no pressure to share. Listening is key 🌸
There is a gathering every month; feel free to attend one or all of them. The group’s interests will guide the discussion. You can dive into any or pick up the thread of what someone else is sharing. Expect an insightful, fun, and lighthearted vibe.
Lastly, if you’re able to give, consider contributing between $3 and $50, or bringing a snack to share. We know the contribution range is wide. You can look for the blue duct tape box, hand us cash, venmo, or give on the website. Please give what feels right to you. No questions asked. To find out more about what we’re all about, head to our About Love University page. To give now, head to our Support Us page.
Please text us or email us to RSVP or with any questions. We hope to share with you soon!
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canceled Wednesday Feb 25th
Weekly:
Tuesdays 11 - 12p
Wednesdays 10 - 11a
Thursday 3 - 4p
Fridays 1 - 2p
Email April to let her know you're coming.
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*If a class is canceled, we will inform you above.
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Conversations Not Often Had at the Dinner Table
Last Friday of every month 5:30 - 7 pm
Next Talk: March 27th, 2026
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These are candid group conversations held in a supportive, encouraging, and nonjudgmental space where we’ll share perspectives, lived experiences, and gently explore topics we often avoid around the dinner table — even though they shape our lives and deserve airtime.
Topics may include nostalgia and loneliness, the gender binary, choosing (or not choosing) children, sustainability, spirituality, consumerism, masculinity, kindness, intimacy, and more.
Come once or come every month. Listen in or share openly. We’re just happy to share with you!
Questions or RSVP:Email Love University at ag@loveuniversityvt.com or Bridgeside Books @ info@bridgesidebooks.com
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Quarterly happening.
Next gathering:
Friday, March 13th, 6 - 8 pm
At Death Café, we create a welcoming space for open, honest conversations about death, dying, and what it means to truly live.
Let’s talk about death—over tea and cake.
Death is one of the few certainties in life, yet it’s often the hardest thing to talk about. There’s no agenda, no objectives, and no pressure—just a relaxed discussion where people can share thoughts, listen, and reflect in a respectful and confidential setting.
This is not a grief support group or counseling session. It’s a chance to explore one of life’s biggest topics in a way that encourages awareness, connection, and curiosity. And yes, there will be cake.
Come as you are, bring an open mind, and let’s talk.
Lastly, monetary contributions are not necessary, but helpful if you have the means. We ask for a range from $0-20. You can look for the blue duct tape box, hand me cash, venmo, or give on the website. Thank you!
Please emailmaggiemaeloveu@gmail.com with questions or to RSVP.
Hope to share with you soon!
Past Happenings
Beyond Men’s Circle
This is a “beyond” men’s group because this is a group about waking up beyond the confines of identity into who one is. The circle is an opportunity to come together and question our Western mythos of what it means to be a man in this culture. The circle will also provide a safe space to feel heard, seen, and understood, make lifelong connections, heal, and move beyond the conditions placed upon us.
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Creative Sharing Night
An evening of relaxed and thoughtful sharing of whatever your creative expression might be. Bring a poem or two, an instrument, a story, artwork, anything you’re inspired to share, or just yourself. Whether you want to join in or just listen in, we think you’ll leave feeling connected and inspired. We have tea, some snacks, writing materials, and fidgets. We have chairs or floor seating. Please let us know any accommodations you may need, and please invite anyone you think would be interested. We’re excited to share with you in this way!
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Dance YOU
Dance YOU is inspired by Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms, aka The Wave. It is a free form, fun dance in a safe and inviting space. These are some guidelines to help us all be on the same page:
Honor people’s flow by not talking or using your cell phone.
Be consensual. Listen for a yes, respect a no.
Be free. Dance how you want. No judgment.
Check out our scintillating playlist from our last Dance You.
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Break Free from the Cultural Matrix Classes
The cultural matrix is the belief system that our culture teaches into us. It is a dysfunctional dream state with the root belief that we’re separate in the world. Are we separate from the issues we see pervading our culture or are we all collectively creating them because of the way we have been conditioned to think?
This class series will be similar to our past cultural matrix dialogue classes: laid-back, welcoming, and inclusive. However, these new classes will involve more teaching than dialogue. We want you to conceptualize the topic first, then encourage you to stay past 8:15 p.m. for further dialogical exploration, if desired. No prerequisite is required except an open mind!
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Seasonal Affective Disorder:
Working with the Darker Days
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a common experience in Vermont. We empathize with those of you who find this time of year extra challenging. In this two-hour workshop, we will move beyond tools, tips, and techniques (everyone already knows to take vitamin D and get a happy light) and explore how our perspectives shape our relationship with the darker, colder months.
Through dialogue, journaling, and storytelling, we’ll explore our beliefs and experiences of winter, inviting in the possibility of a perspective shift. Together, we’ll explore new ways of seeing and being, from childhood memories of snow play to honoring the slower pace of winter as nature’s invitation to pause, as well as discussing the hardships frequently experienced during the winter season.
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Blind Spots
Blind spots are conditioned ways we interact that become so normalized that we don’t see them. For example, I may have lived with anxiety for most of my life. Because the anxiety became a part of my day-to-day existence, I didn’t see it anymore. Without knowing it, I would project my anxiety onto my relationships and blame others for making me feel unsafe. By building awareness of this blind spot I can begin to take ownership of it, stop reacting to it, and begin to understand what the anxiety is and potentially let it go.
In this class, we will dive into…
How and why blind spots develop.
Normalization, conditioning, and adaptation to dysfunctional family and educational systems.
How blind spots can create unintentional harm to oneself and others.
How power and hierarchy impact relational dynamics and how this relates to blind spots.
The power of awareness in seeing and letting go of blind spots.
How communication and dialogue can help bring light to blind spots in a non-threatening way.
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Day of Rest
Okay ya’ll, this is going to be chill. And when I say ‘chill’, that’s what we’re aiming for; hang out in the library with some tea and a book you’ve been meaning to open; make an espresso and chat in the kitchen; use the Flow Room for some quiet sitting, a catnap or movement. The vibe is slow, free-feeling, and relaxed. It’s an opportunity for you to separate yourself from your day to day happenings: Who are you underneath all the obligations and rushing? What will you discover?!