Herbal education and self-care
05/06/2017
I have had the opportunity to put my varied background as veterinarian, herbalist, martial artist, Waldorf playgroup facilitator, Girl Scout leader, teacher, nature geek, and quiet introvert to use!
My good friend, Dr. Laurie Dohmen, past president of the VBMA (Veterinary Botanical Medicine Association) asked me to join her in teaching an herbal medicine course for veterinarians in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. We just finished the first introductory class last weekend and it was so much fun! She has a full 5 module course planned for hands-on herbal learning and self-care: Veterinary Herbal Apprenticeship and Retreat
Along with herbal and palliative care lectures, Laurie gave me free range to add in a nature gratitude meditation on our herb walk, a nature table in the lecture room to explore the plants and other treasures we found (luckily the horseshoe crab didn't smell too horribly by the end of the weekend!), and some Qi Gong and movement in-between lectures.
Veterinarians are notoriously bad at taking care of themselves (as are any of us with caregiving tendencies…), and putting this aspect of the course together is a great reminder for me to take time to enjoy the little things in every day. This is something I try to remind my animal-loving families of as well.
In order to sustainably take care of our family and our pets we really need to take care of ourselves. This includes the usual advice to rest, exercise, eat well and drink plenty of water, but also to see the beauty in life. Even on the very worst day, I can be grateful knowing that the sun is still shining, the birds are still singing and life is continuing on all around me in its tenacious way.
Gratitude to all!