My brother and I have always been really close. There was a time when I was younger (e.g. in my teens) that if I wanted to go somewhere, such as to a concert in another city, I wasn’t allowed to go unless my brother drove me. Now the roles are reversed and I’m his chauffeur (he is no longer able to drive). Last Friday, I drove us in to the town of Sebastopol, which is about a 30 minute drive east of Bodega Bay.

One of my brother’s friends, DeAnna Batdorff, is the owner of the dhyana Center. In fact, he has been friends with her for over 20 years, having helped her before she actually opened up her business in downtown Sebastopol. We’re both happy to see her business thriving because she has placed her heart and soul into the Center, which has created a space for those wanting to learn about Ayurveda and it also provides a self-care sanctuary for people who desire a ‘time-out’ day for themselves.

The dhyana Center is a Ayurvedic school, a self-care studio and community center. It offers the following services: Yoga classes; a treatment center where you can receive a deep tissue massage or a pulse consultation from one of the Center’s knowledgeable practitioners; and you can treat yourself to a non-alcoholic drink in the Apothecary Bar. There is also a retail store located in the Center, which carries an array of items, like nourishing teas, essential oils and salt scrubs.

The Apothecary Bar at the dhyana Center. They have a variety of cooling and hot drinks to choose from.

Within about five minutes after arriving at the Dhyana Center, my brother asked if I wanted a drink. I replied, “Yes.” He ordered a Margarita drink for himself, which looked a little too familiar. 🍸😆

The cooling, Margarita drink.

The Margarita consisted of cucumber, coriander, umeboshi, lemon juice and zest, honey harlequin, house-made celery tincture, sumac and salt rim. I took a sip of it and found it rather tasty and refreshing.

My brother, enjoying his drink.

As I quickly glossed over the drink menu, I chose the Mayan Elixir. This drink consisted of local, organic rose water, coconut milk, cocoa powder, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, pink salt and brown rice.  ☕

The hot drink I chose, the Mayan Elixir.

My brother looked at me with some skepticism because I had ordered a hot drink on a warm, sunny day. I stated I wasn’t going to change my mind. After taking a few sips of the Mayan Elixir, I’m glad I chose it because it certainly reminded me of drinking hot chocolate–a favorite of mine.

After being at the dhyana Center for about an hour, we planned to have lunch at a restaurant I had been wanting to try for quite some time. The restaurant is called Slice of Life. My brother told me it had been quite a few years since he last ate there, so he was looking forward to it.

Slice of Life is a vegetarian restaurant located in downtown Sebastopol.

Sweet Potato Fries, which our waitress brought to us by mistake.

There are so many menu choices! Deciding what to order proved to be difficult. Do I order a hamburger, taco or pizza? My brother also contemplated the same thing…until he finally chose the Sampler Plate, which consists of organic brown rice and steamed vegetables with their sauce of the day, organic beans, guacamole and salsa on a bed of crispy corn tortilla chips, with two choices from tempeh, tofu and seitan.

My brother chose Slice of Life’s Sampler Plate.

I enjoy tacos, so I opted for a healthier choice–sans a few things it normally comes with. 😉

I ordered the Street Tacos, which consists of a corn tortilla, guacamole, cilantro, onions, a drizzle of chipotle queso and your choice of raja peppers, beans & rice, roasted cauliflower or marinated tempeh–when available. I asked the waitress if they provide one or two tacos with the order; she stated just one. Because I forgot to ask what size tortillas they use, I ordered two, along with rice, pinto beans and cilantro. The tacos were good, but I wish I would have given the roasted cauliflower or marinated tempeh a try. Okay, maybe next time. 🌮

Nevertheless, we had a great time in Sebastopol and we will be returning soon! 😃

The dhyana Center is located at 186 North Main St., Ste. 250, Sebastopol, California. The Center is open daily, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, call 707-823-8818 or go to: https://www.dhyanacenter.com/

Slice of Life is located at 6970 McKinley Ave., Sebastopol, California. For more information about the restaurant or its hours, call 707-829-6627 or go to: https://www.thesliceoflife.com/