Since 1992, the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts has produced and presented innovative arts experiences that foster curiosity and collaboration. Providing creative leadership and inspiring positive change in the Southern Colorado community and beyond.

Music and Movement Classes

Ignite the Dancer Within

with AuroTejas Hemsell and Shakti Dance School

Weds. 5 - 6 pm

Bellydance:

Embrace the Inner Goddess

Thurs. 1- 2 pm

The Joy of African Drumming

with Heidi Alina

Tues. & Weds.

Sacred Tea Ceremony

with Gigi Chiarello, Cha Dao Practitioner

Sun. 9am

Chakra Resonance: A Seven Month Sound Journey

Ignite the Dancer Within:

Stretching, Posture & Mudras, Zumba & Dances of India

with AuroTejas Hemsell and Shakti Dance School

Red Crags Arts
and Agriculture House
Wednesdays
5:00 - 6:00 pm
Immerse yourself in a cultural fitness adventure with a series of invigorating classes led by the globally acclaimed dance artist AuroTejas Hemsell — presented by the Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts.
AuroTejas Hemsell is an international dance artist, born in India who has dedicated her life to the study of Indian Classical Dance.

Bellydance:

Embrace the Inner Goddess

Red Crags Arts
and Agriculture House
Thursdays
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Discover the vibrant art of bellydance in this fun and inclusive class designed for all skill levels! Learn graceful movements, mesmerizing techniques, and expressive choreography while building strength, flexibility, and confidence.

Strengthen your core and awaken the deep intelligence of embodied movement through this time-honored art.

The Joy of African Drumming

with Heidi Alina

Red Crags Arts
and Agriculture House
Tuesdays and Wednesdays
African drumming is one of the most invigorating ways to feed your creativity and renew your spirit! Heidi’s classes are an upbeat, empowering, and FUN musical adventure into the power of African drumming. TWO intermediate sessions available weekly.
Develop rhythmic precision, increase stamina, and enjoy the energizing benefits of group drumming.

Sacred Tea Ceremony

with Gigi Chiarello, Cha Dao Practitioner

Red Crags Arts
and Agriculture House
Sundays
9:00 - 10:15 am
Immerse yourself in a deeply meditative, heart-opening experience that creates spaciousness, an opportunity to slow down and reconnect with your true Self. 
Rooted in the ancient tradition of Cha Dao, “The Way of Tea,” this ceremony honors Tea as a sacred guide. Each bowl invites a deepening of your inner journey, cultivating presence, curiosity, and awakened listening that reveals your inner wisdom.

Chakra Resonance:
A Seven Month Sound Journey

Seven gatherings. Seven chakras. One journey inward.

⏰ 7:00-8:30pm | Sliding scale of $20–40 per session | Seven Class Pack for $300​

Rockledge House, 328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

❤️ Root Chakra - Mon. October 20
🧡 Sacral Chakra - Mon. November 10
💛 Solar Plexus Chakra - Mon. December 8
💚 Heart Chakra - Mon. January 12
💙 Throat Chakra - Mon. February 9
💜 Third Eye Chakra - Mon. March 2
🤍 Crown Chakra - Mon. April 13

Chakra Resonance is a seven-part series of 90-minute monthly sound baths, each dedicated to one of the seven major chakras—beginning with the Root and progressing to the Crown.
Drawing on the Vedic practices of Mehtab Benton, Eileen McKusick, the Sound Healing Academy (UK), and methods developed over time, each session is intentionally designed to explore the energetic qualities of a single chakra. The series offers a gradual pathway to grounding, balance, and activation of the inner energy centers.

Smokebrush Calendar

Upcoming Events and Workshops

336 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Express Your Pet: Tea Ceremony, Yoga, & Pet Portraits

with Kat Tudor and Gigi Chiarello
illuminatingsource.org

📆 Sunday, December 7, 2025
⏰ 1:00 am – 3:30 pm
🎟️ $40 per guest, all art supplies provided
*Please bring photos of your pet for reference, and wear comfortable clothing for movement. For the comfort and safety of all guests, we ask that you do not bring pets to this gathering.
Celebrate your beloved furry, feathered, or scaled companion with an afternoon of mindfulness, movement, and creativity. Whether your pet is by your side in daily life or remembered with love, this gathering offers a gentle space to honor your bond and connect with the presence they continue to hold in your heart.
We begin with a grounding meditation led by Gigi Chiarello, founder of Illuminating Source and a dedicated Tea practitioner. As she welcomes the energy of your pet into the space, Gigi gently guides the group into a meditative Tea Ceremony, opening a doorway to presence, inner listening, and connection as we transition into the next part of the practice.

From this centered place, you will move into an embodied yoga experience with Kat Tudor, creative leader of the Smokebrush Foundation. Through movement, stretching, and creative interpretation, Kat gently guides you into a relaxed, expressive state that prepares you for a painting session where you will bring your pet’s essence to life on canvas. All levels are welcome, all supplies are provided, and no art experience is required.

To close, we gather for an optional sharing circle for those wishing to be witnessed in their experience. The ceremony concludes with a guided reflection to help you integrate any inner wisdom that arose as you carry the experience forward.
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Tea Ceremony, Yoga, & Painting for Peace

with Kat Tudor and Gigi Chiarello

️📆 Saturday, April 4th, 2026
⏰ 10:00 am — 1:00 pm
🎟️ $25 per guest
🎟️ $45 for both ‘Peace’ events
A portion of proceeds will go to the UN Refugee Agency and World Central Kitchen
10:00 – 11:00 am: Tea Ceremony with Gigi Chiarello
11:00 – 11:30 am: Yoga guided by Kat Tudor
11:30 – 12:30 pm: Poetry and Painting guided by Kat Tudor
12:30 – 1:00 pm: Light fare
Join us as we SOFTEN into a prayer for peace through a guided tea ceremony, gentle yoga, and haiku art.
Please bring comfortable clothing to move in.
Reach out to Becca at smokebrushevents@gmail.com with any questions or curiosities.

Learn more…

514 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Spring for Peace — A Community Gathering

with Smokebrush Foundation and Kat Tudor, with special guests Bob Tudor, Judith Piazza and Saul David Raye

️📆 Monday, April 6th, 2026
⏰ 7:00 pm — 9:30 pm
🎟️ $25 per guest
🎟️ $45 for both ‘Peace’ events
A portion of proceeds will go to the UN Refugee Agency and World Central Kitchen

7:00 pm: Opening Yoga and Chanting 
7:45 pm: Interactive Peace Dance with Live Music
8:15 – 9:30 pm: Soak in SunWater’s Cedar Tubs
Join us as we SPRING into a prayer for peace through yoga, interactive dance, chanting, and soaking.
Please bring comfortable clothing to dance in, as well as a bathing suit and towel for soaking afterwards.
Reach out to Becca at smokebrushevents@gmail.com with any questions or curiosities.

Learn more…

328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

SOUL SONGS & HEALING SOUND For Inner and Outer Peace

with Judith Piazza

📆 Sunday, April 12, 2026
⏰ 10:30 am – Noon
🎟️ $15-$30 sliding scale… Always less if you can’t.

Venmo Judith-Piazza-3, or exchange the day of our gathering.
RSVP appreciated. judypiazza@gmail.com / 720-982-8291

These days may be fraught with anxiety, confusion, paralysis, depression as prices rise, war is waged, and tension builds. We are all connected, and so we feel these tensions inside our body.
Through song, chant, mantra and healing sound, give your nervous system  a rest and restore your soul’s voice in community with others. Be inspired by sacred chants and cultures around the world. Sing from your natural voice in simple call and response style to still our minds, open our hearts, and let our spirits soar. No experience necessary. Sing, sit, meditate, hum, dance, rest.  Bring your favorite morning beverage. Mats, blankets, cushions and chairs are provided.
~Please come in good health … Stay tuned for any weather considerations~

Learn more…

328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Farm Yoga

with Kat Tudor

📆 Sunday, April 19th 2026
⏰ 10:00 — 11:30 am
🎟️ Suggested Donation $10—$20
Experience Smokebrush in a new way by expressing your inner farm animal! Wander the farm and learn how the turkey gobbles, the chickens cluck, the bees buzz, and the goats bleat!

Plus, join us in celebrating this spring's new baby goats arrival.
Only 12 spots available! Don’t miss your chance to experience Rockledge and Smokebrush Farm for a one-of-a-kind yoga and farm experience with Kat and Smokebrush Foundation for the Arts!

Learn more…

328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

From The Garden to the Medicine Chest

with The Thymekeeper
mugsyspad@aol.com, 719-439-7303

📆 Sunday, April 26th 2026
⏰ 10:00 — 12:00 pm
🎟️ $40/person or $70/couples of the same household
Your garden and backyard can contain a pharmacy that covers a broad range of ailments from upset stomach to ear infection and most of these plants are easy to grow or grow like weeds, because they are weeds!
Learn tips and tricks for growing, harvesting/processing and making your own healing products from the garden and backyard.

Learn more…

328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Mother's Day Plant Sale

📆 Sunday, May 10th 2026
⏰ 9:00 am — 3:00 pm

Reach out to smokebrushfarm@gmail.com for specific seedling requests!

Join us for a Mother's Day in Manitou with our favorite new seedlings all locally grown right here at Smokebrush Farm! Gear up for strawberries, fruit trees, veggies, flowers, medicinal and culinary herbs.
Enjoy a curated Mother’s Day Tea, and peruse our pickled goods, fresh produce, teas, and tinctures too.

Learn more…

328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Create Your Own Spring Tonic

with The Thymekeeper
mugsyspad@aol.com, 719-439-7303

📆 Sunday, May 17th 2026
⏰ 10:00 — 12:00 pm
🎟️ $40/person or $70/couples of the same household
Join local Colorado herbalist Mari Marques-Worden, The ThymeKeeper, as she teaches us how to harness the healing of Spring through this cycle’s power of rebirth, by understanding the return of upward energy in a leaf’s new growth.
We invite you to take a walk on the wild side and jump into folk medicine in action as we explore the health benefits of plants. From field to jar, participate in the process of making your very own foraged medicinal tonic.

Learn more…

ROCKLEDGE HOUSE • RED CRAGS ARTS and AGRICULTURE HOUSE • ONALEDGE HOUSE

Historic mountain estates thoughtfully transformed into an expansive retreat and urban farm destination — a haven for wellness, creativity, and connection.

Nestled in the majestic Rocky Mountain foothills near the natural healing mineral waters of Manitou Springs, this serene environment is designed to be a peaceful space for deepening your practice.

Rockledge House

Guest Check-in, Commercial Kitchen, and Retreat Rental Office
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Onaledge House

Retreats, Private Events and Whole House Rentals
336 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Smokebrush Farm Headquarters

Agricultural Center, Community Farm Stand and Gift Shop
328 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO

Red Crags Arts and
Agriculture House

Main Foundation Office, Studios and Artist Residences
302 El Paso Boulevard, Manitou Springs, CO