Choose Freedom: A Wellness & Music Experience
Join us for this very special SoulJour Experience filled with nature, yoga, movement, live music, organic vegetarian food, introspective journaling, a fire ceremony, marketplace and more!
This SoulJour Experience is all about remembering who we are, our purpose, and manifesting the life we were born to live. It's about transformation, inspiration and connection with the SoulJour Squad. As always, SoulJour events are for all levels, all ages, colors, and genders. Come with a curious mind, a big smile and a sense of adventure!
Friday, June 3: Freedom Rocks!
Kick-Off Happy Hour Concert
with Sandra Small & Paul Brainard
Grab your friends, kick off your shoes, enjoy some delicious apps & drinks and boogie on down for Happy Hour at the Chef Shack at Flying Fish Co. on E. Burnside in Portland. Joining us from NYC, Sandra Small is a special, rippin' guitar player, badass, high vibe, conscious songwriter who is bringing her New York City grit and grace. Portland legend and Oregon Music Hall of Fame Inductee, Paul Brainard, joins her on pedal steel and trumpet. This will be a special combo together of Americana, rock and soul for a truly unique, never heard before sound!
This is a FREE SoulJour Sponsored event as a kickoff for our outdoor weekend wellness & music experience Choose Freedom.
Donations to Sandra appreciated. Apps / Drinks at the Chef Shack are not included.
5:30-7:30pm
The Chef Shack @ Flying Fish Co.
3004 E. Burnside • Portland
This SoulJour sponsored event is FREE & open to the public. Donations to the musicians are appreciated.
June 4 & 5
SoulJour Sanctuary
Lake Oswego, OR
SoulJour Sanctuary is coming in HOT with a full weekend of transformative awesomeness! We've gathered some of our favorite teachers and musicians to guide our way on an incredible outdoor, nature Experience at SoulJour Sanctuary. Each day begins with chai and a guided nature walk. We'll then transition into yoga & movement sessions before lunch. After lunch enjoy more self-reflection soul journey before we kick things back into high gear with some incredible music!
The mission of the weekend is to catalyze holistic living through a courageous new lens. We'll dive into the idea of Freedom and what it means to connect to it both as individuals and as a collective. May we be inspired reveal our innate vibration filled with love, abundance and freedom!
Location will be disclosed upon ticket purchase.
Saturday, June 4 • 9am-9pm
Sunday, June 5 • 9am-5:30pm
Join us under a canopy of trees, in the company of like-hearted SoulJours to start summer off right!
Featuring
Wah Khalsa
Saffire Bouchelion
Sandra Small
Nathan Mills
Diana Hulet
The Colin Trio
Christopher Villanella
Ashley Melin
Paul Brainard
SoulJour Sanctuary Weekend Schedule
Saturday, June 4
9-9:30am: Registration. Chai/Coffee and baked goods available from Awake Coffeeshop
9:30am: Guided Silent Nature Hike to SoulJour Sanctuary (15 mins)
10-11:15am: Nature Flow | Diana Hulet & Saffire Bouchelion.
Diana kicks off the weekend with an intentional yoga flow themed with inspired philosophy woven in. Saffire will accompany her on hand pan drum.
11:30-12:45: Move into Freedom | Saffire Bouchelion
Nia-inspired movement with a Saffire twist. Loosen up with some easy dance moves and funky groove time. Saffire's classes are both transformative and fun!
12:45-1:45pm: Organic Vegetarian Lunch
Catered by Paige Common
1:45-3:30pm: Interactive Group Exploration | Ashley Melin & Sandra Small
What is Freedom? This is such a huge subject with so many facets! When we unravel a subject from many perspectives, it sheds light on how it relates to our own lives. After we've heart-stormed, Sandra will lead the group in her latest affirmation song "I am Free."
3:45-5:30pm: Breath & Mind | Nathan Mills
Get down to the heart of the matter with a deep introspective session filled with breath, writing, meditation.
5:30-6:30pm: Happy Hour Hangout & Appetizers
Meet your fellow SoulJours & enjoy a delicious snack & tea.
6:30-8pm: Freedom Rocks!
Get your dancin' shoes on! It's hangout and rockout time with delicious appetizers and drinks as Sandra performs her high vibe, conscious music.
8-8:30: Fire Ritual Closing
We conclude the evening walking to the fire pit to throw all that we discovered into the fire.
Walk back to cars
OR...Hang out and camp under the stars!
Sunday, June 5
9-9:30am: Registration
Meet, check-in and grab a Chai/Coffee from Awake Coffeeshop
9:30am: Guided Nature Hike to SoulJour Sanctuary (15 mins)
10am-12pm: Sunday Service: Love is Freedom
Wah is back! Enjoy a beautiful kundalini yoga practice with Sandra accompanying throughout.
12-1pm: Delicious Catered Vegetarian Lunch
1-2pm: Why Freedom? | Ashley
Dive into Freedom and what it means to our lives and our communities. Bring a journal. We'll write about it.
2-3:30pm: Wim Hoff-Inspired Transformational Breathwork | Christopher Villanella
New to the SoulJour Squad we introduce Christopher who will be sharing his expertise in all things breath! Learn Wim Hoff techniques fused in with Christopher's other teachings to explore the depths of our psyche and discover where Freedom really lives.
3:45-5pm: Live Music Weekend Closer | The Colin Trio
Our favorite Portland band closes out our weekend with their soulful, blues rock songs to solidify freedom in our bodies, mind and spirits.
5pm: Walk back to the cars
Tickets
1-Day Saturday: $111 |
1-Day Sunday: $84 |
Full Weekend: $179 |
Admiral Weekend: $222 |
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Includes all sessions, guided nature walk, catered lunch & drinks, SoulJour swag |
Includes all sessions, guided nature walk, catered lunch & drinks, SoulJour swag | Discounted deal for the whole weekend! Includes all sessions, guided nature walk, catered lunch & drinks, SoulJour swag | Includes full weekend pass and swag bag including full SoulJour kit, Tee & Journal (made from apples) + surprise goodies |
Saturday Morning (9am-lunch): $47 |
Saturday Lunch: $20 |
Saturday & Sunday Night Concert: $20 for both |
Saturday Night Camping: $25 |
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Includes 2 Yoga/Movement sessions and live music, guided nature walk, SoulJour swag |
Includes catered vegan lunch and drinks | Includes live music performances on both Saturday & Sunday and happy hour appetizers. BYO drinks. | Includes camping on our turf lawn and a light breakfast served Sunday morning. If it's nice, a tent isn't required. Limit 6. |
Kids are welcome! 12 and under are FREE. 12 and over $33.
Hosted by
Ashley Melin, Founder SoulJour
Ashley Melin is the founder of SoulJour, a holistic yoga lifestyle brand dedicated to the seeker, sage and warrior in us all. She is also the principal of Point3 Design, a full-service graphic design studio for over 20 years. Attending her first yoga class in 1992 at the recommendation of her parents, she never looked back and has since studied extensively with many of the most renowned teachers all over the world. After a life changing 3-month solo journey through India in 2004, she has since guided hundreds of people out of their comfort zone and into the magical chaos of India. As an avid mountain biker, skier, 10 time marathon runner, and big mountain climber (climbing over 25 peaks above 14,000 feet ), she has an intimate understanding of pushing limits – physical, emotional, mental – in order to create change. This concept became the most real when Ashley divorced her partner of nearly 20 years and was given the opportunity to dive deeply into her own healing. It was during this time that the idea for SoulJour was born. She currently resides in Lake Oswego, OR with her 12 year old son Carter and their 2 dogs – Shasta the Chanting Dog & 17+ year old Summit girl.
About the Presenters
Wah Khalsa
My full name is Wahe Guru Kaur Khalsa, but you can call me Wah. I was born into the lineage of Kundalini Yoga and the Sikh faith, hence my Indian name. I have been teaching Kundalini Yoga since I was 18 when I graduated high school as a certified Yoga teacher. I live a yogic lifestyle more than a religious one, and I'm a big believer in all paths and practices that lead us to our personal truth. I am so blessed to get to share these teachings and feel like I have the best job in the world!
My mama is Gurmukh Khalsa and she is a world-renowned Kundalini Yoga teacher, so I have had the honor of learning from one of the best. My goal in life is to empower people, to give them tools to become the masters of their own lives. Hopefully our paths will cross, but for now thank you for visiting me online!
Sandra Small
Sandra Small is a singer-songwriter & NYC native. Ever since her debut EP release “World Gone Crazy,” in 2006 & her 1st full album release in 2009 “Illusions,”Sandra Small has been writing about the troubles of the world and how to push through to realize one's dreams. In 2013 Sandra recorded her last record with The Smallworld Band. Shortly after that, the lead guitarist in her band passed away, along with 3 other people close to her. It was hard to finish anything at that time.
Moving forward, It seems that now Sandra has lots to share from that time period. Sandra’s music continues to keeps her on the path of discovery. With each new cycle of life, Sandra opens new doors, discovering the new territories that lie in the depths of her own mind and creativity. Sandra is currently on a solo mission, producing her own recordings and performing live shows with rhythms, and a blanket of sound enhanced with rhythmic melodies, lines, riffs with her loop pedal and heartfelt vocals.
Diana Hulet
Diana Hulet is a Pacific Northwest based yoga teacher and activist. She has been steeped in the yoga tradition for over three decades and has taught yoga and yoga philosophy since 2004. Her teaching style is an ongoing synthesis of hatha and vinyasa yoga, pranayama, and meditation. Diana’s instruction will often include teachings from yoga philosophy and other contemplative traditions. While she has been influenced by many luminaries across the tradition of yoga, Diana has always seen the unpredictable and beautiful circumstances of life as her greatest teacher.
Whether through the doorways of loss or illness, joy or celebration, her teaching and writing invite us into the conversation between our interior and exterior experiences. Most recently, Diana returned to college and completed her B.Sc. in Liberal Studies, with a focus on environmental ethics, religion, and philosophy. After graduating, she began an internship with the Kerulos Center for Nonviolence based in Southern Oregon. Her current teaching practice synthesizes a deep care and concern for the natural world with concepts from both yoga and Buddhism. Diana’s work as an activist and writer centers on animal rights and furthering the dialogue between the ethical, environmental and human health concerns within industrial animal agriculture.
Saffire Bouchelion
Saffire Bouchelion is a Master Black Belt Nia instructor who has been passionately practicing Nia for 18 years. He is also a professional performer and musician who has been featured on over 40 albums, and has opened for several international acts, including Cheryl Crow, Crash Test Dummies, and Barenaked Ladies. His embodiment and transmission of music and rhythm stir profound transformation in his students. Saffire co-founded two experimental dance companies in 1986 and 1989, and has performed with Danelle Hellander Dance Company and Mergence Dance Theater. For seven years he was co-director of the Ecstatic Choir, five at Naropa University where he was also a musical accompanist for dance and movement classes, and taught drumming classes for the continuing education program. He has taught Drumming and Dance into Being workshops throughout the US, Europe, Mexico and Bali for the past 15 years. His greatest joy is helping to Embody the world, one Community at a time!
Nathan Mills
Born to devout yogi parents, Nathan Mills began practicing yoga and martial arts at the age of 12. At the age of 23, Nathan moved to Los Angeles to study film where he also continued to deepen his yogic and martial studies. During these years he helped build Budokon® Universities school of “Yogic, Martial, and Living Arts” and became one of the first teachers ever certified to teach public Budokon classes. Nathan stayed in Los Angeles for 6 years working as a yoga/Budokon teacher, nutritional counselor and life coach. During that time, he taught in some of the most prestigious studios in the LA including Golden Bridge, Santa Monica Power Yoga, Yoga Works, Exhale Spa, and Equinox while working with people in the entertainment industry. He then began traveling to teach workshops and during that time was introduced to his wife Heather.
Nathan moved to Portland, OR in 2001 where he worked in numerous studios and offices offering yoga and body work, working privately with clients as a nutritional counselor and yoga therapist, and also lecturing publicly at studios, universities, and corporations.
Nathan continues to explore, evolve, and deepen his personal practice while teaching. He and his wife recently moved to Welches on Mt. Hood where he is steps from the river and enjoys a daily cold plunge on top of a much quieter lifestyle.
The Colin Trio
Less of a trio and more of a triple-headed hydra roving through an alluring array of genre-blending styles, The Colin Trio is anything but typical. Named after lead singer, guitarist, pianist, Colin Hogan, listeners would be hard-pressed to name any specific member of the trio as lead. Whether it’s Colin’s knack for slipping in and out of musical eras, or bassist Brian Link’s adeptness with any groove, or drummer Cheo Larcombe’s ability to start at the flick of a match, watching The Colin Trio perform live is akin to three improvisational masters besting one another at every turn between a cavalcade of rock, soul, jazz, funk and the blues.
Their modest 2016 debut LP, Tightening The Wire, was followed up with a pair of Live Rye Room Session performances, welcoming trumpet player John Dover and showcasing their more delicate and meticulous side. Their 2020 release, Live from Under the Brim, captured two sizzling nights of music performed for a captivated audience.
Paul Brainard
Multi-instrumentalist Paul Brainard is a veteran of the Alt-Country and Americana scene, playing and recording with many top names over the last decade and beyond. He specializes in all forms of Steel Guitar—pedal, non-pedal, Dobro—as well as guitar and trumpet.
Paul is currently a fixture of the local music scene in Portland, OR, where he is a much-in-demand sideman and session player. An Oregon Music Hall of Fame Inductee, Paul also leads several ensembles of his own including a jazz organ trio, the Hawaiian-influenced Pu Pu Platters, and his Fun Machine Orchestra. His self-released album, Caught Steelin', was produced in 2007.
Some highlights of Paul's career include work on-stage and in the studio with the following artists:
Richmond Fontaine • Alejendro Escovedo • The Sadies • M.Ward • She & Him • Bobby Bare, Jr. • Caleb Klauder • Eels • Ian Moore • The Decemberists • The Lost Brothers • James Low • Kim Ritchey • Little Sue • Fernando • Jake Ray