Wellness

Celebrate Samhain and the Day of the Dead with a transformative, grounding evening hosted by Celine Redfield of Two Wings Balanced Healing. Aligned with the deeply intuitive water energy of Scorpio season, this sacred gathering combines community connection with deep personal restoration.

• The Experience: The evening begins with an ancestral invocation and a warm botanical tea ceremony—guests are welcome to bring a memento, photo, or candle to place on a collective altar. You will then ease into a guided hypnotic meditation before relaxing into a restorative, one-hour water-element sound bath.
• The Instruments: Healing frequencies are created using a carefully curated selection of "watery" and crystalline instruments. You will experience crystal singing bowls for all seven chakras, a cosmic light chalice, ocean drums, rain sticks, aqua Koshi chimes, crystal pyramids, tongue drums, and pangi seed shakers.
• Who It’s For: This event is for anyone looking to honor their ancestors, connect deeply with their intuition, or find a peaceful space for internal reflection and fresh personal transformation.
• The Benefits: Attendees will experience deep, receptive relaxation, reduced stress, emotional release, and a renewed sense of internal safety and security.

The Umbrae Noctis Festival is elated to announce 3 different movement workshops with the illustrious headliners and feature performers. Take class with local sensation Asteria Atombomb, Burlesque Hall of Fame title holder Moscato Sky, and/or Dragula season 4 runner-up Throb Zombie.

November 14: Are you stuck doing the same repetitive movements onstage? Trying to tell a story but can't find the actions to fit the narrative? Then this workshop is for you! Asteria will use her decades of experience in dance, theater, and artistic direction to help you create a compelling act. Through a series of dance and improvisational exercises, attendees will explore various ways to incorporate movement into a compelling storyline. Walk away feeling confident in getting your point across on the stage and leaving audiences wowed. Bring a journal and writing utensils. Clothes that are easy to move in.

November 14: Take your chair work to the next level with the them fatale of burlesque, Moscato Sky. This class will begin with a warm-up to prepare students to learn innovative ways to use this classic prop, how to maneuver on and off the chair with ease and grace, and exciting tricks that will stun any audience. In this workshop-style class, students will be challenged to create new movement pathways, explore obscure approaches to chair work, and walk away with tools to generate chair choreography.

This class is designed for students with a movement background or previous chair and floor work experience and may not be appropriate for people with serious knee and back injuries. However, all levels are welcome as this class acts as a lab and encourages exploration. Wear yoga or dance clothes you can move freely in. Knee pads are encouraged but not required.

November 15: Hump and Grind: Masc Movement and Choreography with Throb Zombie. Hump and Grind is an energetic and sexy dance class for kings or anyone who is ready to move. Taught by one of the most prolific, current dancing drag kings in the industry and iconic himbo, Throb Zombie.

Class will entail:

• A stretch/warmup
• Introduction to posture/masculine body movement
• Transitions/specific moves that can work for all dance levels from beginner to advanced
• Commanding space with presence
• A short choreography sequence
• Don’t be scared! While this class dares to challenge you, all levels are welcome. Come gyrate, grow, and get ready to sweat with the boys.
• Students must bring clothes they are comfortable moving in and are strongly encouraged to bring a water bottle and knee pads.

Mantra, music, and storytelling to awaken the heart. Sacred Dharma is a Pacific Northwest kirtan-fusion jam band. At its core, they facilitate the devotional practice of chanting Sanskrit mantra. The music is colored by world influences ranging from Indian classical to jazz and psychedelic rock, enhancing the mood so that each repetition of the Name can awaken the heart.

Led by Sitaram Dass with Jeanette Kangas on tabla, Clark Stacer on bass, Lance Jordan on guitar, and a rotating selection of some of the PNW's finest musicians.

Sitaram Dass (he/him) spent several years serving his beloved teacher Ram Dass on Maui, where he was shown the path of Bhakti, the yoga of service and devotion to God. He is an author, teacher, kirtan singer, and spiritual counselor. As the director of the Sacred Community Project, he works to provide affordable, free, and donation-based offerings as a praxis of Sacred Community.

$25 Advance / $30 Door

(No one turned away for lack of funds)

Don't let the rainy season stop you from connecting with nature! Join Urban Forestry at the Belmont Library to explore for an evening of mindfulness and nature education. Trees are good for our health, especially if we take time to pay close attention to them. At this event we will use all five senses to study tree samples to practice feeling grounded in natural spaces! You'll also learn about the many ways that connecting with nature and trees can improve mental and physical health.

This event will be entirely indoors. Tea and snacks will be provided for participants.

Join us at the new Multnomah County Belmont Library!

1038 SE César E. Chávez Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214

Portland Japanese Garden’s Tea Ceremony Workshop offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the traditional practice of Chanoyu, or the Way of Tea. Experience the art of tranquility, mindfulness, and omotenashi, whole-hearted hospitality.

It is not an exaggeration to say that through tea, one can understand much of Japanese culture. Tea’s influence can be found in many of the nation’s most beloved artforms, including arranging flowers, calligraphy, incense, ceramics and lacquerware. Japanese gardens are also deeply intertwined with tea ceremony. The four principles of tea, wa (harmony), kei (respect), sei (purity), and jaku (tranquility), are explored by the gardeners of Portland Japanese Garden in their work every day.

Guided by skilled instructor Jan Waldmann, Sosui, the focus of this workshop is to learn to be a guest in the tea ceremony, an important aspect to this historic tradition. Participants will learn the proper etiquette for attending a tea ceremony, including how to receive and consume sweets and matcha, and most importantly, the reasons behind each of the steps. Additionally, you will gain insight into what it entails to be a host— understanding the occasion and seasonality, attention to aesthetics, careful preparation, and the thoughtful gestures made toward the guests.

Participants will first attend a presentation of tea ceremony in our Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner alongside visitors to the Garden before they are taken into their exclusive workshop in the Yanai Classroom.

Participants will first attend a presentation of tea ceremony in our Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner alongside visitors to the Garden (2:00-2:30pm) before they are taken into their exclusive workshop in the Yanai Family Classroom (2:45-4:15pm).

No previous experience is needed. Students will sit in a chair at a table, not kneeling on a tatami mat.

Urasenke Konnichian of Kyoto is one of the major establishments within Japan that has preserved the tradition of Chado or the Way of Tea.  From the first Urasenke generation, Sen no Rikyu (1522-91) to the current headmaster Zabosai Genmoku Soshitsu XVI (b.1956 -), the Sen family lineage has devoted great effort to fostering the philosophy of Tea through the simple words of Wa – Harmony, Kei -Repect, Sei – Purity & Jaku – Tranquility. Over the years Urasenke has established connections in over 21 cities worldwide.

Hot Goss: Rebecca Feldman, Jason Hays, and Jessica Zodrow have been improvising/performing together for years. Their love of pop culture has manifested in their original format — where they recreate a real movie they’ve never seen before. They take what they know (or don’t) about a movie suggested by the audience, fold in classic story tropes, joyous relationships, and filmmaking devices to bring their director’s cut to life. Each performance will feature an opening group from the reputable Portland improv scene.

All ages welcome, though assume PG13 content. $15 online / $20 at door.

Unscripted, family-friendly improv right here in Vancouver, Washington!

Tickets $10 + fees. Show two hours plus one 15-minute intermission.

Experience a restorative sound bath at Lighthouse Community Yoga PDX that blends therapeutic tones, soothing vibration, and gentle somatic awareness to calm the nervous system and ease physical, mental, and emotional tension. The session begins with Progressive Muscle Relaxation to help the body unwind, then moves into the resonant layers of crystal singing bowls, harp, and hypnotic percussion, paired with soft guidance that invites deep rest. This somatic approach can support the release of stuck survival responses like fight, flight, or freeze that may remain after overwhelming experiences. Whether you are seeking rest, clarity, nervous system care, or a moment to reconnect with yourself, the space welcomes all bodies and identities, from first-timers to returning participants. Offered on a sliding scale. Led by Charlie Sebastian Short, a Portland-based certified sound practitioner, musician, and caregiver whose work draws on the Quantum Sound Method, classical training, and years of caring for both humans and animals. Charlie centers nervous system support, using harmonious instruments to encourage calm and emotional ease, and fosters an inclusive environment as a mixed-race, LGBTQIA+, and neurodivergent practitioner.