The mind-body connection

Better living through sex education, self-defense, and other ways of working up a sweat.

By Rachel Swan

HERE'S A RIDDLE : How can you achieve a sustained moment of pleasure and not regret it in the morning? Well, it helps if your head and your body are both in the right place. There's nothing like physical well-being to bring you mental equilibrium. And the Bay Area is a good place to find them both – whether you seek peace of mind through a good low-cost self-defense class or higher learning under the tutelage of a tantric guru. Whatever way you want to get your jollies, be it submission-style wrestling, rope tricks, or just kickin' it with some B-girls, we've got a spot for you.

Chicks who kick ass

For anyone who associates women's wrestling with locker room catfights or gratuitous T&A, Virago Wrestling is a hard belt in the solar plexus. Aptly named for a woman who is "not feminine by conventional standards," according to founder Helen Von Mott, Virago provides training for women as well as sessions in which men (and occasionally women) pay for the pleasure of getting their asses kicked by women trained in the ancient art of jujitsu. Virago promotes the idea that stalwart, rope-muscled women are sexy as hell and not everyone fantasizes about the half-starved models on the cover of Vogue. Granted, not everyone gets off from a beat-down either, so Virago caters to a variety of combat-oriented or amazon fantasies, offering competitive and semicompetitive matches, role playing, verbal domination, boxing, and even foot worship. Von Mott and her team book private parties ($300 an hour, $200 a half hour) and make recommendations if requested. Private parties for all-women groups are half price, and group lessons in wrestling are $20 a class (women only). (415) 748-1789, www.viragowrestling.com.

You could try training with amazon wrestler pro-doms, but maybe you feel more inclined to realize your own ass-kicking potential from a self-defense perspective. From dealing with an attacker to setting boundaries with your significant other, it's important to have physical and mental strategies for defending yourself. And feeling safe and in control is guaranteed to improve your self-confidence and your outlook on life. The Bay Area is home to several nonprofit organizations that teach affordable self-defense classes for women. Founded in 1994 through the collectively run, nonprofit marital arts school Suigetsukan, Girl Army provides peer-taught physical and psychological self-defense classes for women and transfolk. Girl Army's next six-session class is Feb. 23 through March 30, Sundays (time and location TBA; free-$100 sliding scale). Although preregistration is not required, it's strongly suggested that you call beforehand. The Women's Safety Project offers an eight-week Level One Self Defense class at the Jon Sims Center for the Arts (Jan. 22-March 12, Wednesdays, 7-10 p.m., 1519 Mission, S.F. $150-$500; no one turned away for lack of funds), in which trained instructors provide women with new physical and mental arsenals to combat anyone from a pushy coworker to a potential rapist. Girl Army: (415) 835-4728. Women's Safety Project: (415) 398-3894.

Get your groove on

As anyone who's spent a night on the dance floor can attest to, a few good hours of dancing can bring you to a state of bliss. And as long as you steer clear of the Balanchine mentality, the same can be said of a structured dance class. The Bay Area is full of schools, but a good place to start might be the neighborhood-based Rhythm and Motion Dance Center, which provides classes for all ages, levels, and body types. This year former Culture Shock dancer Christiane Crawford will teach 10-week Hip Hop Jazz Performance workshops (beginning/intermediate, March 23-June 1, Sundays, 6-7:30 p.m., $120; intermediate/advanced, Sundays, 7:30-9 p.m., $120). But maybe you want something more offbeat than hip-hop, like Harlem-style "hoofing," an old-school form of tap, or Afro-Portuguese bomba. Dance Mission Theatre provides weekly classes for all ages in a variety of genres, including Afro-Haitian, Wushu, and Latin Cabaret. The center takes a low-key, recreational approach to dance; workshops cost $11, and anyone is free to drop in. And while you're hoofing it through San Francisco's Mission District, you'll want to check out the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, a nonprofit organization established in 1977 by artists and community organizers with a vision to cultivate and promote Latino traditions. MCCLA offers a variety of free and cheap ($7-$10) classes for youth and adults, among them Andean Dance, Capoeira, and Danza Azteca. Rhythm and Motion Dance Center, 1133 Mission, S.F. (415) 621-0643. Dance Mission Theatre, 3316 24th St., S.F. (415) 826-3331. Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, 2868 Mission, S.F. (415) 821-1155.

Note to B-girls, graffiti artists, and other mistresses of funk: even a shoegazer couldn't help catching the adrenaline rush Monday nights at CELLspace, as the Bay Area's own Sisterz of the Underground windmill and boogie down to percussive hip-hop mixes during their break-dancing workshops. The workshops are a cool after-work reprieve, even if you're timid and just want to chill on the couch and watch. And Sisterz always have other projects to keep them busy: the latest is their '2 year anniversary party,' featuring Tenashus, Goapele, Mystic, and other artists. Break-dancing classes Mondays, 6-8 p.m., CELLspace, 2050 Bryant, S.F. $1. (415) 648-7562. Party Sun/19, 9 p.m.-2 a.m., DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., S.F. $15-$18. (415) 626-1409, www.ticketweb.com.

Sometimes dancing can be a more private affair. During her eight-year stint as an exotic dancer, Susan Bremer realized that many people harbor a secret desire to strip down – for their lovers and for themselves – Bremer decided to start teaching the art of sensual dance. To alleviate students' inhibitions, Bremer opens her classes with a discussion of cultural taboos that surround the body, followed by exercises – no nudity involved – on stripping and connecting to the body in nonsexual ways. On Feb. 11, Bremer will hold a three-hour introductory class in Sacramento ($49) in which students will learn a short routine to take home with them. Her two-session advanced class, held Jan. 25 and Feb. 8 ($130), will cover multiple exercises on body appreciation and the art of exotic dance; between classes, students will create a costume and practice a routine. Currently, Bremer's classes are open only to women, but she plans to expand her repertoire to include classes for men and couples. She also hosts bachelorette parties and has produced a video, The Art of Sensual Dance for Every Body, in which 10 former students demonstrate moves. (510) 848-7809, www.artofsensualdance.com, susan@selfappeal.com.

Sex-life makeovers and happy vulvas

It was just a matter of time before we got around to the joy of sex. And if there's one thing San Francisco doesn't suffer from, it's a dearth of sexpertise and sex-positivity. Former prostitute-porn star turned sexologist-entrepreneur Annie Sprinkle is giving a lot of "sex-life makeovers" this year, offering private sessions for people interested in ecstasy breathing, sex-life tarot readings, and other erotic arts ($125 for a 90-minute session). Sprinkle has demystified the body erotic for abuse survivors, aspiring sex workers, and ordinary folks looking to boost their sex lives. Right now she's consolidating material for an April miniconference called "Sex and Drugs" at the Harvey Milk Institute (April 26, noon-6 p.m., call for price), featuring experts on medical marijuana, psychedelics, and sociobiology. That month Sprinkle will also teach a class on "supersex technologies," in which she will dispel secrets on how to build, move, and use sexual energies. And any young performance artist or fledgling sex educator who wants to spend a weekend or a full week with Sprinkle can contact her and apply for an internship. www.anniesprinkle.org, drsprinkle@aol.com. San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market, Room 400, S.F. (415) 865-5633, www.harveymilk.org.

"Sex through the eyes of women" is the linchpin of House o' Chicks' online Vulva University, whose founder, Dorrie Lane, began promoting down-to-earth approaches to sex ed and women's health in 1966, when, in her words, "I was put in solitary detention in the convent of St. Mary Magdalen for talking about menstruation." Now a breast and gynecological teaching associate at Stanford School of Medicine and several other universities, Lane has managed to recruit more than 9,000 vulvalutionaries thus far, ranging in age from 18 to 50. While the majority of the Vulva student body is female, House o' Chicks welcomes people of any gender and all sexual preferences. V.U. has no advertisements and won't push any products, and most classes are free. Some of the most popular ones are G Spot and Female Ejaculation ($9.95), Alternative Sex Play (free), Tantra (free), and Erotic Massage (free). www.houseochicks.com, dorrie@houseochicks.com.

Tantra and erotic massage

Tantra can be a peony of inspiration in the sordid and ungainly tempest called human sexuality. Rooted in ancient Mayan, African, and East Indian traditions, this spiritual approach to sex provides pleasure seekers with a better interface for intimacy, whether they wish to achieve transcendence or merely iron out difficulties in a relationship. Tantrica Jwala divides her time between producing a tantrawear clothing line and helping people reclaim their "ecstatic selves." She realized her positive sexual potential 27 years ago, after receiving her first tantric massage from a stranger she met on the beach, and she's been teaching workshops ever since. In late spring 2003 (date and location TBA) she and Sprinkle will lead a "Sluts and Goddess Event" ($310, including food) to help women explore these different archetypes of their nature. Jwala will lead two Breathing into Orgasm workshops at Good Vibrations, including one at a soon-to-open branch in Polk Gulch (March 11, 1620 Polk, S.F.; May 7, 2504 San Pablo, Berk., $25). The one-hour breathing exercises are designed to help cleanse the body of negative sexual energy and heal old sexual wounds. Jwala also teaches private sessions for individuals and couples. (415) 479-6761, tantra.com/jwala, jwalaji@hotmail.com.

Local tantrica Lori Starr, who got involved in the erotic art 30 years ago, started the nonprofit organization Celebrations of Love in 1986 as a way of promoting sacred sexuality and Eastern philosophy. COL covers topics ranging from sacred erotic dance (Celebrating Spring Fertility, March 1, $25 singles, $35 couples) to introductory breath work, ritual, and movement (Ecstatic Living, Radiant Loving, March 8, $95 singles, $180 couples). At COL's "Art of Pleasure" feast (Feb. 15, $75 singles, $140 couples), in which guests engage all five senses while enjoying savory finger foods. (415) 924-5483, www.celebrationsoflove.com.

Waking up erotic energy means experiencing your whole body as an erotogenic zone. Offering erotic massage classes, retreats, and workshops that engage conscious practices of S-M (June 6-8, prices vary), Body Electric School provides a sensual antidote to a culture that tends to frame the erotic through visual stimulation and objectification. For people who want to explore full-body sensation in a gender-exclusive milieu, the school offers the introductory class Celebrating the Body Erotic (men's class Feb. 8-9, women's class April 4-6, $335). 6527A Telegraph, Oakl. (510) 653-1594, www.bodyelectric.org.

Fundamentals of kink

Back in 1983, Stormy Leather (1158 Howard, S.F. 415-626-1672) was a humble basement workshop packed with "leather elves"; today it's a spacious pansexual showroom, furnished with steel sculptures by local fetish artists and boasting a copious supply of floggers, leather corsets, and other BDSM paraphernalia. And Stormy Leather also provides after-hours workshops ($20) with trained professionals. Frequent guest lecturers include fetish diva Midori, who teaches The Art of Feminine Dominance; Two Naughty Boys, who demonstrate rope bondage tricks; and Cleo Dubois, who instructs students in Percussive Techniques on the Body.

Dubois is a longtime community player in the San Francisco BDSM scene and a video producer to boot – her acclaimed film The Pain Game is a ballet of needles in celluloid. Founded in 1995, Dubois's Academy of SM Arts teaches bondage and safe sadomasochistic play to couples, switches, and dominants. This year Dubois and Sybil Holiday (coauthor of Consensual Sadomasochism) will present several intensive Erotic Dominance Workshops for Women. These intimate, six-student classes take place in a private dungeon; tuition is $600, and a workbook will be provided. The first (Jan. 24-26) is for women interested in professional dominance, and the second (Feb. 21-23) is for private players. Dubois aims to tap into "the spirit/body energy exchange" using a variety of fantasy-oriented media, including inescapable leather, rope bondage, corsets, and captive scenes. www.cleodubois.com, intensives@cleodubois.com.

Of course, some of us aren't ready for a full-fledged Babylon of pain and would rather opt for a class on tantra for lesbians or the art of kissing or male erotic massage. Thankfully, we've got Good Vibrations, which, aside from the best selection of silicone toys money can buy, holds educational, sex-positive workshops and after-hours events at its stores, from reading circles to Mistress Morgana's "Fundamentals of Kink." Spearheaded by resident sexologist Dr. Carol Queen, the education program at Good Vibes is a juicy improvement on your standard sex ed. Some of the topics regularly included are oral sex, flirting, sex for abuse survivors, massage, and S-M. Good Vibrations, 1210 Valencia, S.F. (415) 974-8980; 2504 San Pablo, Berk. (510) 841-8987. www.goodvibes.com.