August 8th-21st

Herbal Allyship; Herbs for Everyday 

Instructors: Alyson Amrita, Penny Livingston, Blair Phillips, and special guests to be announced

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Morning Bird Pricing before June 21 $1500, Regular Pricing  $1550

Designed for those who want to walk with reverence, in harmony with nature, with a basic understanding of: plant identification, medicine making, critical thinking, pattern recognition, comparative methodologies, and intuitive/energetic relationships.

This course weaves philosophy, methodology, folklore, practical application, intuitive and energetic practice, time in nature, wild-harvesting, some planting/gardening, and medicine making, as a way

 to bring students into a deeper connection with intuition and skill sets as herbalists. There will be an option to explore these concepts further with ‘dieta,’ the process of refining the diet and introducing one particular herb to develop a relationship with the plant, starting from experiencing subtle, energetic qualities and then expanding that understanding out to the more physical properties.

Every day, there will be two nourishing meals provided, with many ingredients grown locally on the farm. And there will be at least one, all-levels yoga class daily, as well. Some evenings we will have a fire or a fun event, other evenings will be free for you to spend relaxing, socializing, and/or studying. Early mornings will be spent in silence, with tea and coffee provided before we start yoga, so that you can enjoy the sounds of nature, and spend time just with you before we start the day.

Day One

Arrive (between 1 and 2pm), settle in, ground, and get to know each other and the land.

Day Two

Brief history of herbalism and talks on sense of place and ethics.

Day Three

Foundations of Herbalism, intuition, wild-harvest.

Day Four

Focus on: the Elements in Herbalism, and an in-depth look at “air,” the nervous system pt1, the breath, and an afternoon pranayama class.

Day Five

Focus on: the Water Element and the Lymphatic System. Local afternoon swim.

Day Six

Focus on: the Fire Element and the Digestive System. Local afternoon swim.

Day Seven

Focus on: the Earth Element, nervous system pt2, minerals and bones.

Day Eight

Free day to relax, ask questions, study, and explore the area.

Day Nine

Tea, infusions, baths/soaks, compresses and poultices.

Day Ten

Tinctures, tonics, oxymols, syrups, honeys.

Day Eleven

First Aid and Everyday Herbalism, Guided Journey/Meditation.

Day Twelve

Practice Consultations, business/ethics/legality as an Herbalist in the US.

Day Thirteen

Q&A, share circle, intuitive learning exercise.

Day Fourteen

Goodbye’s and head home.

Three meals a day will be prepared on site, largely from local organic ingredients. Camping is also available on site. Access to the land is somewhat challenging due to our steep unpaved road. Participants will park nearby and be shuttled to the site. Guided morning yoga asana practice will be offered 2-3 times a week, with space available for your own practice the remaining mornings. 

Located 20 minutes from Willits in the heart of Mendocino County, Abuela Gardens is a working demonstration site dedicated to helping the growth and healing of all beings through a continued dialogue with nature, water, food, and medicine. This approach is accomplished by incorporating community, music, healing arts, and silence within a multidimensional design strategy. Our action plan is to communally care for the Earth by growing as much of our own food and medicine as possible, regenerating the forest and aquifer we depend on, building with earth and regeneratively harvested materials as well as developing habitat for a diverse interface of wild and domestic creatures including bees and hummingbirds.