Classes 2023-2024

Attuning to Plants; Activating the Wisdom of the Body; A Multi-dimensional Approach to Healing

Dates: Saturday -Sunday June 8 - 9, 2024
Time: Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sunday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Instructor: Caroline Gagnon, Co-director of FloraMedicina School of Herbal Studies in Montreal, Canada, a four-year school for Clinical Herbal Studies
Fee: $300 non-refundable
Location: 168 Lincoln Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773

Come join Caroline Gagnon as she leads us on a healing journey, blending body wisdom with the intelligence of the plants. The body intuits what we need to heal, and through deep listening, we connect with plant energies. We learn about plants through tapping into the internal movements of the body: respiration, beating of the heart etc., a process called interoception. Just as other animals know what they need to heal, our bodies have the same capacity. We can develop a “felt sense” of how the herbs activate our life force. The body moves toward health, even if our minds do not always have the language to describe what is happening.

 On Saturday, Caroline will walk participants through the process of  listening to our bodies and attuning to plant energies. We will learn how to identify which herbs resonate with us and watch as Caroline demonstrates this amazing process called interoception.  On Sunday, she will show us how to put into practice what we have been learning. Students will use their new-found tools to work with others in the class. They will learn how to be present for others and, in doing so, become better herbalists.

This approach allows us to observe what is happening in the body and have a conversation about which herbs will help on this journey.  Caroline will teach us how to reconnect with ourselves and our higher intelligence, how to be present for others who need to take this inward, healing journey, and to determine which herbs to work with to meet the body’s needs.

It is a multidimensional approach to healing that goes beyond words and, once again, provides the space and ability to listen to our bodies.

Caroline describes her work as somatic mindfulness. It is particularly useful in releasing stagnation and contraction, allowing a free flow of energy. Through this approach, Caroline has helped people to reclaim missing parts of themselves and to connect with their ancestral lineage. She has used this technique successfully to address:

• Autoimmune disorder

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

• Physical trauma

• Fibromyalgia

• Menstrual cramps and other female reproductive imbalances 

• Emotional and spiritual imbalances 

Caroline Gagnon’s work is informed by three decades of her clinical herbal practice, her deep understanding of plant energetics, human physiology and her vast teaching experience. She is the co-founder and director of FloraMedicina an international herbal online school based in Quebec and is currently the president of the Herbalist Guild of Quebec. Her broader mission is to help secure a place where herbalism is safely practiced throughout the world.

Over the years, Caroline has found that by identifying the places where inflammation has settled chronically in the body and by making recommendations to calm that inflammation, the state of health and wellbeing of her clients have improved enormously. She has chosen to make chronic inflammation the guiding thread for these two days of training and will share with you the many protocols that she has developed over the years.

Climate Change, Inflammation and Chinese Medicine: Personal and Ecological Healing

Dates: Saturday -Sunday Aug 3-4, 2024
Time: Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sunday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Instructor: Brendan Kelly, L. Ac., M. Ac.,
Fee: $300 non-refundable
Location: 168 Lincoln Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773

Using the lens of Chinese medicine, this weekend intensive will discuss the direct connection between the rapidly warming planet and the inflammation that is a root cause of many diseases. We’ll describe some of the major concepts and traditions in Chinese medicine and how they relate to treating inflammatory conditions. These include Yin/Yang, the Five Phases, the Neurology Tradition and the Schools of Cold and Heat. 

Brendan Kelly will also address how local, western herbs can be used within the traditions of Chinese herbal medicine and the vital importance of diet and lifestyle. Finally we’ll discuss how the insights of Chinese medicine can help us understand and effectively treat  modern epidemics, including Lyme disease, late-stage neurological Lyme, COVID and long COVID.

Brendan Kelly has a master’s in acupuncture and extensive experience with eastern and western herbs, including in-depth, hands-on experience growing, wildcrafting and medicine making. Since 2004 he has been combining the potency of local, bioregional medicinals with the older, pre-westernized traditions of Chinese medicine. He teaches about natural medicine and environmental issues around the US and Europe and has been a faculty member at Johnson State College/Northern Vermont University in VT, the Academy for Five Element Acupuncture in FL and Daoist Traditions in NC. Brendan is part of a multi-disciplinary team lead by Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center that in 2024 submitted a proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for him to train acupuncturists to treat long COVID. He is also long-time student of Dr. Jeffery Yuen, 88th generation Daoist priest and internationally recognized teacher of Chinese medicine.

Brendan is an experienced practitioner of Tai Ch’i Ch’uan having studied weekly for ten years with Wolfe Lowenthal, who was a senior student of Cheng Man Ch’ing, the creator of the Yang style short form. Brendan practices full time at Jade Mountain Wellness, the clinic he founded in Burlington, VT where a major focus of his work is treating complex conditions including Lyme, late-stage neurological Lyme, COVID, long COVID and cancer. His first book "The Yin and Yang of Climate Crisis", published by North Atlantic Books, uses the lens of Chinese medicine to look at the bigger and deeper issues of our warming planet

Energetic and Clinical Perspectives of Herbal Medicines

Dates: Saturday -Sunday September 7-8, 2024
Time: Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm; Sunday, 10:00 am - 4:30 pm
Instructors: Dr. Michaël Friedman, ND and Rocio Alacron, PhD
Fee: $300 non-refundable
Location: 168 Lincoln Rd, Lincoln, MA 01773

This course will be exploring the use of herbs through the various organ systems such as the Nervous , Endocrine, Cardiovascular , Urinary and Blood physiology. Review of basic lab testing and impact of herbs will be also discussed in conjunction with real case studies.

The class will combine traditional herbal ceremony along with organoleptic tasting and energetic experiences of herbs.

The herbs discussed will be a combination of herbs found throughout the world focusing primarily on North American and Amazonian herbs.

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