I’ve been to other herbal schools and what I found unique about the Blue Otter School is that Karyn and Sarah not only share their wisdom about how plants heal you on both physical and spiritual levels, but they offer very deep and meaningful training on how to be a healer. That is, how to walk in your power and hold yourself, your clients and your community so that we can all realize the potential to be our brightest selves. It’s a rare gift to find an herbal program that takes you beyond studies about the plants and holds you through a deeply transformational experience. This is training for life, not just for being an herbalist.—
Beginning Energetic Herbalism
Explore the nature of plants; their energy and emotional, spiritual and physical uses. This course will also include; medicine making, plant meditations, and how to incorporate the plants into your life. We have not offered this course for several years and are excited to announce that we will be offering it again in 2014! Application may be downloaded below.
Schedule: Saturday and Sunday 10-4 (with one hour lunch break) one weekend per month for five months, dates for 2014 are: March 15-16, April 26-27, May 17-18, June 14-15, July 12-13
Tuition: $600 . Students are responsible for their own food and lodging.
Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes
Location: Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine
The following four classes will be taught by Sarah Holmes in Oakland, CA.
Spring into Spring
Learn about the energy of the season and how to bring yourself into harmony with nature. We’ll cover food, lifestyle choices and herbs that can support us to make this transition and be in vibrant health throughout the season.
Schedule: April 3; 6:30 – 8pm
Instructor: Sarah Holmes
Location: Homestead Apothecary in Oakland, CA; contact Homestead for registration
Plant Meditation
This is your invitation to spend an evening with the energy of the plants. Hear about the concept of herbal energetics and spend time in meditation. We will be ingesting plants and sharing experiences.
Schedule: April 4; 7-8:80
Instructor: Sarah Holmes
Location: Five Flavors Herbs in Oakland, CA; contact Five Flavors for registration
Menopause
Learn about natural ways to work with the challenges and celebrations of menopause. We’ll explore common experiences of menopause and how they can be approached physically, emotionally and spiritually through the use of herbs.
Schedule: April 6; 10 -1
Instructor: Sarah Holmes
Location: Five Flavors Herbs in Oakland, CA; contact Five Flavors for registration
Sexual Health
For a truly healthy reproductive system we need to look at the broader picture of sexual health and what that means. This class will explore the societal context of sexuality and gender as well as look at strategies for working with reproductive health imbalances from an energetic perspective; which includes physical, emotional and spiritual.
Schedule: April 6; 2-5
Instructor: Sarah Holmes
Location: Five Flavors Herbs in Oakland, CA; contact Five Flavors for registration
The following three classes will be taught by Karyn Sanders at Sacred Plant Traditions: A Center for Herbal Studies in Charlottesville, VA.
Healing and Releasing Trauma, Pain and Victimness
Schedule: June 27, 2014; 10 – 5
Instructor: Karyn Sanders
Location: Sacred Plant Traditions in Charlottesville, VA; contact Sacred Plant Traditions for registration and details
Energetic Healing from an Indigenous Perspective
Schedule: June 28, 2014; 9 – 5
Instructor: Karyn Sanders
Location: Sacred Plant Traditions in Charlottesville, VA; contact Sacred Plant Traditions for registration and details
Working with Animal Medicines
Schedule: June 29, 2014; 9-3
Instructor: Karyn Sanders
Location: Sacred Plant Traditions in Charlottesville, VA; contact Sacred Plant Traditions for registration and details
Herbal Backpacking Trips
Spend a weekend backpacking in the mountains and learning about herbs. In addition tobackpacking in a beautiful setting we will be identifying plants, learning about medicinal uses of plants, discussing a minimal impact on our environment and doing plant meditations.
A registration form must be submitted with your deposit and may be downloaded backpack.registration or requested below. Each trip is limited to 6 people.
Schedule: July 25-27, 2014 Friday morning through Sunday afternoon.
Tuition: $275 per trip (includes group dinner on Friday and Saturday)
Instructor: Sarah Holmes
Location: Marble Mountain Wilderness, California
Plant Meditation Weekend
Spend a weekend immersed in nature and the healing energy of plants. We will spend time sitting in meditation with plants, observing our own energy and feeling the energy of different plants moving through us. We will spend much time outdoors as well, as weather permits. No prior herbal or meditation experience is required.
Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes
Schedule: fall 2014 dates TBA; Saturday and Sunday 10 – 4
Tuition: $180; You may download the registration form here: registration.meditation
Energetic Herbalism Intensive
Come learn about Native American energetic herbalism during this week long intensive. Here is a chance to immerse yourself in another perspective toward herbal healing. This class is for herbal practitioners. The week will include plant meditations, indigenous perspectives on health and healing, relating to the plants and nature, working with people and working their cases from an energetic perspective. Class time will include:
- plant meditations and sitting with the plants
- practicing energy techniques
- finding the root of an imbalance
- how to be/work with clients energetically
- putting a formula together
- case studies; bring your cases to work energetically
Instructor: Karyn Sanders, primary instructor assisted by Sarah Holmes
Schedule: November 3 – 8 , 2014 9 – 4 daily (This class is for herbal practitioners only.)
We may go longer some days if we are in a flow and we will have a one hour lunch break.
Tuition: $800. Price includes lunch and dinner each day. Meals will be vegetarian and students will assist with meal clean-up. A list of local lodging options will be provided upon registration.
Contact us for registration details. You may download a registration form here: registration.intensive.2012
Advanced Energetic Herbalism
Our part-time advanced program is by teacher approval only, and is only open to students who have successfully completed our four month, full-time program. This course is offered to allow our graduates an opportunity to advance and deepen their skills; and serves as a mentor-ship as our students begin their practices as herbalists.
We will be focusing on working with energy, chronic and serious illness, advanced formulation, interview skills, plant cultivation/gardening, deepening work with self and practitioner skills.
Instructors: Karyn Sanders and Sarah Holmes
Schedule: this class meets for four days, four times per year
Gourmet Herbal Vegetarian Cooking
This class will focus on basic gourmet cooking techniques such as: cutting skills, reductions, flashing, how to create recipes, cooking and creating herbal foods. Come learn how to incorporate your medicine into amazing looking and tasting meals!
A registration form must be submitted with your deposit and may be downloaded here or requested below.
Schedule: 10-4 with one hour lunch break. Bring your own lunch. Students will get to taste all food made, but full meals are not provided. This course is not scheduled at this time.
Tuition: tba
Instructor: Karyn Sanders