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Classes highlighted in orange are family friendly: kids age 13 and under can attend for free with their adult!
Saturday, June 1st Class Descriptions
9:00 am - 10:30am Classes:
Soothing Heart and Mind with Su Cousineau
Join in circle to learn how working with herbs in a variety of ways can help us regulate and restore in challenging times. This class will be both presentation and experiential. We’ll touch on the topics of cultivating presence with medicinal plants, tea infusions for calming, grounding and uplifting, spiritual bathing with herbs and some key supportive tinctures. We’ll focus mostly on local, native and easily accessible herbs. If possible, please bring a cup for sipping a cooled tea.
How to Build an Herbal Blend for Your Cycle with Denise Rodriguez
Choosing herbs for our cycle can be overwhelming. How do we know which ones or how much? What if we're struggling with a hormone imbalance? In this class, I'll go through each phase and talk about the anatomy responsible for our cycle and what herbs could be most supportive. By the end, you'll have a deeper understanding of what herbs you could reach for and most importantly, how to care for your cycle as a whole.
Native Plants: A Quickstart Guide with Jenn Pipp
This beginner-friendly course cuts through the confusion of terminology and equips you with the tools to confidently learn the native plants in your area. Throughout the course, we will categorize common wild herbal plant species into naturalized, native, rare, and invasive groups. We will cover the basic ecological principles that make native plant communities essential to healthy ecosystems. By the end of this class, you'll be empowered to explore the fascinating world of native plants with a newfound confidence.
Opening Ceremony with Alanna Birch and Darlene Flores
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Gather in circle with the Herbstalk community to honor the land we hold our events upon. More details coming soon...
Join in circle to learn how working with herbs in a variety of ways can help us regulate and restore in challenging times. This class will be both presentation and experiential. We’ll touch on the topics of cultivating presence with medicinal plants, tea infusions for calming, grounding and uplifting, spiritual bathing with herbs and some key supportive tinctures. We’ll focus mostly on local, native and easily accessible herbs. If possible, please bring a cup for sipping a cooled tea.
How to Build an Herbal Blend for Your Cycle with Denise Rodriguez
Choosing herbs for our cycle can be overwhelming. How do we know which ones or how much? What if we're struggling with a hormone imbalance? In this class, I'll go through each phase and talk about the anatomy responsible for our cycle and what herbs could be most supportive. By the end, you'll have a deeper understanding of what herbs you could reach for and most importantly, how to care for your cycle as a whole.
Native Plants: A Quickstart Guide with Jenn Pipp
This beginner-friendly course cuts through the confusion of terminology and equips you with the tools to confidently learn the native plants in your area. Throughout the course, we will categorize common wild herbal plant species into naturalized, native, rare, and invasive groups. We will cover the basic ecological principles that make native plant communities essential to healthy ecosystems. By the end of this class, you'll be empowered to explore the fascinating world of native plants with a newfound confidence.
Opening Ceremony with Alanna Birch and Darlene Flores
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Gather in circle with the Herbstalk community to honor the land we hold our events upon. More details coming soon...
11:00am - 12:30pm Classes:
Art That Breathes with Tonya Lemos
Herbalists have long discussed lifestyle as part of the herbal health protocol (nutrition, exercise and even home environment) but for too long creativity has been missing from this discussion. During this class we will explore all the ways in which a creative arts practice promotes wellbeing on a physical, mental and spiritual health level. Working with plants in an art practice is another way in which one can deepen their understanding of and partnership with plants and the natural world which leads to a feeling of a more rooted sense of place and a deep inner understanding of interconnectedness.
Embodied Voice & Yoga with Shea Rose
Whether you are new to exploring your voice or an experienced vocalist, this session is for you! We'll energize and align your mind, body, and voice through breathing techniques, seated postures, and standing poses. We'll also explore your voice's natural vibrations and sounds through playful vocal practices. Please bring a mat!
Kitchen Spice Medicine with Gayle Nogas
Herbalism is an ancient art that has thrived in all cultures of the world. For literally thousands of years healing was done from the home. Many of today’s medicines are derived from healing plants and foods. This workshop will explore the spices you have in your cabinet, the foods in your pantry and refrigerator to use as medicine for home remedies. Participants will take home a sample.
Clinical Skills with Ryn Midura
Entering into clinical practice as an herbalist is not only a matter of knowing your materia medica, energetics, and formulation patterns. Plenty of good herbalists get frustrated or stuck when they go into practice, because they weren't expecting the realities of running a business, or didn't know about the legal considerations for unlicensed practitioners like herbalists. When seeing clients, your conversation skills and your ability to analyze the case, present a plan, and negotiate a protocol together with the client are at least as important as your capacity to choose the "right" herbs. On a community level, you'll also want to find ways to make your services accessible to those who need them most. In this session we'll address each of these aspects and share strategies we've found effective over decades of experience.
Plant Walk with Alex Klein
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Join local herbalist Alex Klein for a walk to get to know what medicinal and edible plants--both wild and planted--are growing around the neighborhood. We'll go over how to identify some common and interesting urban species of plants, discuss how they came to call this neighborhood home, and how to go about harvesting and using these plants ethically and sustainably.
Herbalists have long discussed lifestyle as part of the herbal health protocol (nutrition, exercise and even home environment) but for too long creativity has been missing from this discussion. During this class we will explore all the ways in which a creative arts practice promotes wellbeing on a physical, mental and spiritual health level. Working with plants in an art practice is another way in which one can deepen their understanding of and partnership with plants and the natural world which leads to a feeling of a more rooted sense of place and a deep inner understanding of interconnectedness.
Embodied Voice & Yoga with Shea Rose
Whether you are new to exploring your voice or an experienced vocalist, this session is for you! We'll energize and align your mind, body, and voice through breathing techniques, seated postures, and standing poses. We'll also explore your voice's natural vibrations and sounds through playful vocal practices. Please bring a mat!
Kitchen Spice Medicine with Gayle Nogas
Herbalism is an ancient art that has thrived in all cultures of the world. For literally thousands of years healing was done from the home. Many of today’s medicines are derived from healing plants and foods. This workshop will explore the spices you have in your cabinet, the foods in your pantry and refrigerator to use as medicine for home remedies. Participants will take home a sample.
Clinical Skills with Ryn Midura
Entering into clinical practice as an herbalist is not only a matter of knowing your materia medica, energetics, and formulation patterns. Plenty of good herbalists get frustrated or stuck when they go into practice, because they weren't expecting the realities of running a business, or didn't know about the legal considerations for unlicensed practitioners like herbalists. When seeing clients, your conversation skills and your ability to analyze the case, present a plan, and negotiate a protocol together with the client are at least as important as your capacity to choose the "right" herbs. On a community level, you'll also want to find ways to make your services accessible to those who need them most. In this session we'll address each of these aspects and share strategies we've found effective over decades of experience.
Plant Walk with Alex Klein
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Join local herbalist Alex Klein for a walk to get to know what medicinal and edible plants--both wild and planted--are growing around the neighborhood. We'll go over how to identify some common and interesting urban species of plants, discuss how they came to call this neighborhood home, and how to go about harvesting and using these plants ethically and sustainably.
12:45 - 1:45 Classes
How Psychedelics Empower Our Healing Potential with Carlos Tanner
For countless generations, our ancestors across the globe developed and utilized complex shamanic traditions centered around the use of psychedelic plant medicines. While many of our ancestral traditions were lost or forgotten, some of the healing artforms of plant medicine continued and are still practiced today. Carlos will speak about his personal journey for the past two decades working with Indigenous healers of the Amazon rainforest, and will share his perspectives on how psychedelics can be used to expand our consciousness. In expanded states of consciousness we raise our awareness of our true nature and are able to identify and pull the roots of our afflictions. Class participants will learn ideas and methods to improve their health and well-being as well as gain more insights into how psychedelics might provide a path of personal healing and the healing of our communities.
Vegetative Propagation to Music with Parama Chattopadhyay
FAMILY FRIENDLY: For Kids (with their adult)
Parama will lead kids in the basics of plant propogation. Each child will receive small gardening pots to place their seeds and propagated plants in. We will also decorate these pots with small gems, stickers, pen, paint, and markers. There will also be the opportunity to sing or play musical instruments to support the plants’ growth!
TAKING PLACE ON THE MEZZANINE
Pre-registration required!
For countless generations, our ancestors across the globe developed and utilized complex shamanic traditions centered around the use of psychedelic plant medicines. While many of our ancestral traditions were lost or forgotten, some of the healing artforms of plant medicine continued and are still practiced today. Carlos will speak about his personal journey for the past two decades working with Indigenous healers of the Amazon rainforest, and will share his perspectives on how psychedelics can be used to expand our consciousness. In expanded states of consciousness we raise our awareness of our true nature and are able to identify and pull the roots of our afflictions. Class participants will learn ideas and methods to improve their health and well-being as well as gain more insights into how psychedelics might provide a path of personal healing and the healing of our communities.
Vegetative Propagation to Music with Parama Chattopadhyay
FAMILY FRIENDLY: For Kids (with their adult)
Parama will lead kids in the basics of plant propogation. Each child will receive small gardening pots to place their seeds and propagated plants in. We will also decorate these pots with small gems, stickers, pen, paint, and markers. There will also be the opportunity to sing or play musical instruments to support the plants’ growth!
TAKING PLACE ON THE MEZZANINE
Pre-registration required!
2:00pm - 3:30pm Classes
HERBS+PASTA=MAGIC: The Art of Medicinal Comfort Food with Melissa Laurita Kohl
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Unlock the secret of balancing the flavor of medicinal herbs with flour to make pasta that is as delicious as it is medicinal. Food is the perfect medium for inviting the medicinal power of herbs and spices into your body. The inherent sweetness of flour can make even the most bitter herbs palatable, allowing you to sneak a lot of herbal medicine into your pasta dough. You don’t have to be Italian to have early and fond memories of pasta and tapping into your hard wired love of noodles is the best way to increase the diversity of plants in your diet. The concepts in this class are applicable to a wide variety of flour based and grain based meals such as pizza, pastries, rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.
Healing Peruvian Traditions with Alida Moncada
Alida was born into a long familial lineage of herbalists and spiritual healers in Peru. Her work combines modern knowledge and techniques with ancient wisdom and practices. In this class Alida will cover Peruvian medicinal plants and their uses for acute and chronic illnesses. She will also share about Andea healing traditions and spiritual rituals to connect with your inner self. The class will close with a meditation to the Pachamama.
Palmistry as a Tool of Diagnosis with Linda Patterson
In this lecture we will examine the many signs of health, challenge, and strength found within the palms. Using what we see we can then help others identify the things getting in the way of health. This information will help us determine which herbs will resolve the the health concerns found in the palms. We will cover the basic hand shapes and lines on the palm, where blockages are found and how to interpret them. We will discuss the minor lines, what they represent, and the common oddities found on every palm. Due to the palm's ability to change every 6 months, we will discuss the importance of printing palms, and comparing past to present.
Resourcing for Resilience: Plant Allies for Earth Activism with Alanna Birch
Our ancient plant ancestors stand behind us as we face the immense socio-environmental challenges of our time. When we turn towards the more than human world for resourcing, we develop the strength, resilience and steadfastness to meet our current circumstances with a courageous, open heart. Whether you are someone in a service role, an activist, or simply a lover of this earth seeking meaningful change, the plants are here to help us... all we need to do is ask. Informed by Joanna Macy's the Work That Reconnects, discover how herbal allies can support our passage through through the four stages of the spiral journey: Coming from Gratitude, Honoring our Pain for the World, Seeing with New/Ancient Eyes, and Going Forth.
Urban Foraging Ramble with Iris Weaver
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Did you know that even in the middle of the city you can find wonderful wild food and herbal medicine? The weeds in your parks, the sidewalk, even your garden and backyard are actually nutritious food and healthy medicine. We are surrounded by an amazing abundance of plants that are edible and/or medicinal, both wild or cultivated. Come take a walk around the Armory and nearby streets to see the abundance of useful plants. We’ll discuss plant identification, safety, and uses. Bring a camera and/or notebook to keep track of all you will learn.
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Unlock the secret of balancing the flavor of medicinal herbs with flour to make pasta that is as delicious as it is medicinal. Food is the perfect medium for inviting the medicinal power of herbs and spices into your body. The inherent sweetness of flour can make even the most bitter herbs palatable, allowing you to sneak a lot of herbal medicine into your pasta dough. You don’t have to be Italian to have early and fond memories of pasta and tapping into your hard wired love of noodles is the best way to increase the diversity of plants in your diet. The concepts in this class are applicable to a wide variety of flour based and grain based meals such as pizza, pastries, rice, oatmeal, quinoa, etc.
Healing Peruvian Traditions with Alida Moncada
Alida was born into a long familial lineage of herbalists and spiritual healers in Peru. Her work combines modern knowledge and techniques with ancient wisdom and practices. In this class Alida will cover Peruvian medicinal plants and their uses for acute and chronic illnesses. She will also share about Andea healing traditions and spiritual rituals to connect with your inner self. The class will close with a meditation to the Pachamama.
Palmistry as a Tool of Diagnosis with Linda Patterson
In this lecture we will examine the many signs of health, challenge, and strength found within the palms. Using what we see we can then help others identify the things getting in the way of health. This information will help us determine which herbs will resolve the the health concerns found in the palms. We will cover the basic hand shapes and lines on the palm, where blockages are found and how to interpret them. We will discuss the minor lines, what they represent, and the common oddities found on every palm. Due to the palm's ability to change every 6 months, we will discuss the importance of printing palms, and comparing past to present.
Resourcing for Resilience: Plant Allies for Earth Activism with Alanna Birch
Our ancient plant ancestors stand behind us as we face the immense socio-environmental challenges of our time. When we turn towards the more than human world for resourcing, we develop the strength, resilience and steadfastness to meet our current circumstances with a courageous, open heart. Whether you are someone in a service role, an activist, or simply a lover of this earth seeking meaningful change, the plants are here to help us... all we need to do is ask. Informed by Joanna Macy's the Work That Reconnects, discover how herbal allies can support our passage through through the four stages of the spiral journey: Coming from Gratitude, Honoring our Pain for the World, Seeing with New/Ancient Eyes, and Going Forth.
Urban Foraging Ramble with Iris Weaver
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Did you know that even in the middle of the city you can find wonderful wild food and herbal medicine? The weeds in your parks, the sidewalk, even your garden and backyard are actually nutritious food and healthy medicine. We are surrounded by an amazing abundance of plants that are edible and/or medicinal, both wild or cultivated. Come take a walk around the Armory and nearby streets to see the abundance of useful plants. We’ll discuss plant identification, safety, and uses. Bring a camera and/or notebook to keep track of all you will learn.
4:00pm - 5:30pm Classes
Plant Communication with Barbara Aspland-Wolf & Deb Fate-Mental
Communicating with plants is an important part of herbalism, flower essences, forest bathing, gardening, cooking, and growing. We will share how communication is important to your interactions with plants and how each person communicates a bit differently. This is a hands-on, experiential class where we practice techniques with plants.
Healing Movement & Plant Stories with Ma Prem Sudip Saunders
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Corn and it's silk have a history intertwined with American culture that reaches into the heart of our lives, holidays and originates with our rich Indigenous roots. Dance and creative movement bring people together in ways that everyday interactions and conversation can not. This movement class celebrates both. We will dance the story of "Queen Corn," and her search for her true mate in the garden. We will talk about the benefits of corn silk tea as well as complimentary healing movements that support and rebalance health. And we will generally have a good time moving together in imaginative and fun new ways. This class is for everyone: families, singles, children and the young at heart.
Herbal Smoking Blends 101 with Lian Bruno
Smoking herbs can be an incredibly meditative way to work with plants, an effective way to quit tobacco or vapes, and a fun, flavorful way to craft cannabis consumption. In this class, you’ll learn the fundamentals of selecting and combining herbs to create personalized smoking blends tailored for various intentions such as relaxation, creativity, and sleep. We’ll cover the basics of herbal smoking blend formulation, such as smoke texture, throat hit, and flavor enhancement. Attendees will also receive guidance on how to work with herbal smoking blends to ease the quitting process as well as how to integrate herbs with cannabis in a holistic and synergistic way. Popular smokable herbs and their effects will be outlined, as well as non-smokable herbal preparations to help support smokers at any stage of their journey.
Tree Walk with Alex Klein
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Join local herbalist Alex Klein for a walk to get to know what trees are growing around the neighborhood. We'll go over how to identify some common and interesting urban tree species, discuss how they came to call this neighborhood home, and how to go about harvesting and using these plants ethically and sustainably.
Communicating with plants is an important part of herbalism, flower essences, forest bathing, gardening, cooking, and growing. We will share how communication is important to your interactions with plants and how each person communicates a bit differently. This is a hands-on, experiential class where we practice techniques with plants.
Healing Movement & Plant Stories with Ma Prem Sudip Saunders
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Corn and it's silk have a history intertwined with American culture that reaches into the heart of our lives, holidays and originates with our rich Indigenous roots. Dance and creative movement bring people together in ways that everyday interactions and conversation can not. This movement class celebrates both. We will dance the story of "Queen Corn," and her search for her true mate in the garden. We will talk about the benefits of corn silk tea as well as complimentary healing movements that support and rebalance health. And we will generally have a good time moving together in imaginative and fun new ways. This class is for everyone: families, singles, children and the young at heart.
Herbal Smoking Blends 101 with Lian Bruno
Smoking herbs can be an incredibly meditative way to work with plants, an effective way to quit tobacco or vapes, and a fun, flavorful way to craft cannabis consumption. In this class, you’ll learn the fundamentals of selecting and combining herbs to create personalized smoking blends tailored for various intentions such as relaxation, creativity, and sleep. We’ll cover the basics of herbal smoking blend formulation, such as smoke texture, throat hit, and flavor enhancement. Attendees will also receive guidance on how to work with herbal smoking blends to ease the quitting process as well as how to integrate herbs with cannabis in a holistic and synergistic way. Popular smokable herbs and their effects will be outlined, as well as non-smokable herbal preparations to help support smokers at any stage of their journey.
Tree Walk with Alex Klein
FAMILY FRIENDLY: Kids (with adult) Welcome!
Join local herbalist Alex Klein for a walk to get to know what trees are growing around the neighborhood. We'll go over how to identify some common and interesting urban tree species, discuss how they came to call this neighborhood home, and how to go about harvesting and using these plants ethically and sustainably.
Saturday Intensive Classes
*seperate ticket required*
*seperate ticket required*
10:00am - 12:30pm
Psychedelics and Safety with Benoit Azagoh-Kouadio
Over the past decade interest and development in healing with psychedelic medicine has taken off in a way not seen in western society for at least 70 years. Long utilized by continuous Indigenous and also pre-modern pre-historic cultures, these visionary plants and substances carry a now scientifically proven potential to profoundly effect psycho-spiritual (and perhaps physical) healing ...They also carry risks. As they gain a rapid place in public consciousness, how can we use these medicines with safety and integrity?
This class will be an in depth harm-reduction based exploration of psychedelic safety through understanding how psychedelics (generally) work and interrelated factors in the three major domains of "Substance, Set and Setting", which impact the quality and risk of experience. The objective is to provide clear information that empowers sound decision making, ethical choices, and appropriate boundaries on a personal, familial, clinical and public level. Included topics also covered will be considerations for contraindication, the importance of post-experience wellness/integration, assessing offered services and practical analysis of case studies.
2:00pm - 4:30pm
Softening Into Color: Natural Dyeing as Ritual with Maggie Haaland & Sara Reigler
Join us for an intensive intro to seasonal natural dye, learning to work with local plants to coax color onto cloth! We will learn the basics of natural dye -- how to make a dye bath, harvesting responsibly, the mordanting process, and a mini lesson in eco-printing. We will also talk about using natural dye as a ritual practice, a way to set intention, and work with the spirit of plants to being more healing and connection into our everyday lives. Each participant will be provided with an organic cotton bandana and a mini skein of yarn that they will dye and bring home. This is a workshop to gather, create, and make magic in community!