If I were to ask you to think of nature, what would come to mind?
For me it’s trees, flowers, insects, rivers... At some point along the way we forgot to include ourselves within nature.
As we distanced ourselves from nature, medicinal practices followed suit. Indigenous and folk practices once encompassed the spiritual aspects of medicine and the world around us to obtain healing.
In this way, herbalism looks to reconnect us with nature, working to balance one’s internal constitution with the environment.
Herbalism isn’t meant to be an elitist thing where we are only meant to gather with other herbalists. Traditionally, it is known as the “people’s medicine”, as herbalists we should strive to empower others to explore natural medicines and educate ourselves of the world around us and how we can live in synergy with our plant & animal friends.
Over time, the plant kingdom has been marginalized, making it seem ‘inferior’ to humans. As we recognize our place in nature, and begin to connect in a holistic way, we become more conscious of life.
Massage and bodywork should be looked at in the same way. We should empower our clients to educate themselves on choices that can make them feel better.
Educate them on simple ways to make big changes.
Things as simple as cleansing, reminding people why SPF
is important, or stretching exercises that when performed consistently WILL help.
Yes, ‘we’ are the experts, but I think it's also important to encourage others to be the expert on themselves.
Do you notice that when you eat certain foods your joints ache, you have breakouts, irregular bowel movements?
Wondering why your shoulders ache? Are you at the computer all day?
How about your lifestyle?
How about your lower back? Are you binging Netflix (no judgment)?
What exercises, if any, are you engaging in and how often?
Remember, YOU are the only one that knows what really happens in your day to day life. Being honest and candid with yourself is the first step in feeling better.
We all have to start somewhere and I think it is safe to say, most people aren’t as aware of themselves as they’d like to think they are.
We can work in harmony with the individual to help ease them back to ‘happy’. Where your body was meant to be.
Once you gain a solid foundation of symptoms and possible causes through patterns of behavior, we can start to facilitate healing through bodywork & skincare. Plant medicine is a natural step in the progression towards a healthy you. Utilizing the energetics of the plant, diving into the root cause of the symptoms, we start repairing the whole person, with the whole plant.
Bottom line, we can not understand the whole by only focusing on the parts. Whether we are discussing referred pain in the shoulder and not focusing on the root cause, breakouts due to hormonal or dietary changes, and a myriad of other scenarios, the fact still remains.
You are a whole person, physical, emotional, spiritual. Western modalities tend to fraction off parts of things to deal with immediate relief of a symptom, without taking into account the whole picture.
We believe in healing the whole YOU. Call us today to book an appointment!
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