Filipinx Food as Medicine: NYC September 2026
Workshops are open to people of all racial/cultural backgrounds, with priority to BIPOC participants.
18-36 Willoughby Ave, Ridgewood -- near Jefferson Street L
Join us for a workshop focused on preparing our bodies for Autumn and Winter. Guided by the mediums of Filipinx Hilot and herbal traditions, our afternoon will consist of a combination of hands on medicine making, participatory demonstrations of herbal applications, and short lectures connected to the hands-on lessons. Participants can expect the following:
1 - Ethical harvesting and plant identification practices
2- how to make an herbal infused massage oil
3- how to make an herbal infused liniment (alcohol based topical medicine)
4- begin practicing simple Hilot massage strokes on yourself/relatives for overall health / simple aches & pains, and
5- understand some medicinal qualities of common plant allies and the basic philosophies behind Hilot traditions.
Everyone will leave with a printed out resource sheet with offerings such as prayers, recipes, and deeper explanations of concepts shared during the workshop. Participants will also leave with a small sample of the infused herbal oil and liniment we make together.
Sliding Scale:
$ 35 - 100 per person
The true cost of this workshop, inclusive of materials, preparations, & facilitation, is $45.
We ask participants, especially those with privilege, to give what they can, in order to equitably compensate those organizing this space.
Filipinx Food as Medicine workshops are open to all, with priority given to BIPOC participants. White participants are invited to part-take with the understanding that the space will be centered around the learning needs and historical legacies of BIPOC participants.
As part of it’s commitment to Disability Justice, all Filipinx Food as Medicine workshops have a required masking policy. KN95 masks will be provided upon arrival.
Classes are limited to 15 participants.
These classes are for you if you want to:
Reclaim ancestral practices of traditional cooking and herbalism
Reorient to cycles of the earth through ritual, mindfulness, and awareness of the elements in our bodies (earth, air, water, and fire)
Take the fruits of your healing and share them with friends & family
Contextualize your own healing in larger processes of collective liberation
Cultural Protocol:
Each gathering will consist of intentional grounding where we will collectively contribute to a shared sacred space or altar. Suggestions for how to contribute to this will be sent to participants closer to the event date. We will open and close our circle by making offerings to nature spirits & ancestors as a gratitude for the gift of this medicine.
Instruction style combines formal and informal teaching. While there will be demonstrations of specific practices, the rest of our time encourages communal storytelling and reflections throughout the workshop
Sliding Scale:
$ 40 - 100 per person
The true cost of this workshop, inclusive of materials, preparations, & facilitation, is $50.
We ask participants, especially those with privilege, to give what they can, in order to equitably compensate those organizing this space.
18-36 Willoughby Ave, Ridgewood -- near Jefferson Street L
Join us for an experiential workshop focused on herbal based self-care practices within Hilot. Hilot is a Filipino healing art that uses massage, body manipulation, energy balancing, plant medicine, and spiritual rituals, to restore physical, mental, and spiritual harmony. This workshop will focus on Pagsasala (heating of leaves for warming the body), Suob (steam based herbal cleansing), and Pagpag (energetic field cleansing). Our practices will use a combination of ingredients sourced in the Philippines, our host garden, and local Asian stores.
At the end of our workshop, participants will feel more comfortable practicing simple, ancestrally relevant forms of spiritual hygiene & intention setting. The workshop will consist of experiential/hands on teaching followed by optional partnered practice where participants can fully experience the techniques demonstrated. Everyone will leave with a printed out resource sheet with offerings such as prayers, recipes, and deeper explanations of concepts shared during the workshop.