Bloom Institute of Holistic Living & Learning

02/27/2026

I'll be adding herbal steams to the sauna experience this weekend.

Book your spot via the Blue Forest Shores website.

02/24/2026

Tired of winter yet?
Dreaming of summer?
I have something beautiful for you to look forward to…

HERBAL IMMERSION RETREAT
June 26–28 | Blue Forest Shores

Join me for a transformative weekend of hands-on medicine making, deep nature connection, and plant-spirit exploration.
Whether you’re just beginning your herbal journey or have been studying for years, this retreat will offer fresh insight and deepen your practice through the lens of Plant Spirit Medicine.

Step away from your daily routine (and your screens) and reconnect with yourself, community, and the plants in a peaceful, forested coastal herb sanctuary.
Relax into the warm hospitality of Savayda and the Blue Forest team.

Highlights include:
~ seaweed identification & preparations
~ floral bath & sauna
~ mugwort & rose dream ritual
~ making flower essences
~ expert herbal instruction
~ over 100 medicinal plants, lichens, seaweeds & trees

Visit the “Learn Herbs” page on my website for all the details.
Sign up now and give yourself something truly special to look forward to this summer 🌿

02/22/2026

Nature calling! 🌲

February herb classes got us out for winter medicine walks, and tree ID.
We got a mood boost thanks to the sushine. 😊

Mood, mental health, sleep and stress strategies was the theme. Everyone went home with a cusotmized Bach Flower remedy. 🌸

We turned up the heat by making fire cider to help us through the remaining weeks of winter. 🔥

Getting together with shared interests and mutual support is a real heart warmer. 💚

Join me for Holistic Herbal Wellness, year-long programs begin in September 2026 in Halifax and Blue Forest (Head of Jeddore)

02/20/2026

Making do!

I'm waiting for a tincture delivery to arrive and missing some of my favourite herbs.
I've been making substitutions in client formulas, and in so doing I have discovered that I have greater herbal capacity than I realize.

I have about 90 single tinctures in my apothecary, and I have favourites that I use repeatedly. I have an assortment of less-used herbs that rarely are opened, yet when I look closely, they provide an abundance of therapeutic options.

For instance -
Horehound - Marrubium vulgare, I usually reserve this for annoying, unproductive cough. I'm now calling on its aromatic bitter properties.

Yarrow - Achillea millefolium, a polypharmacy unto itself! I'm missing motherwort to pair with hawthorn for hypertension; yarrow makes a great sub in many cases.

Wood betony - Stachys betonica, I've been using this in place of skullcap as a bitter nervine for nerve tension and headaches.

I'm discovering new favourites that have been hiding on the back shelf of my tincture cabinet.

This removes the anxiety of running out of the usual front shelf options.

I'm thrown back 25 years ago when I started my tincture collection from scratch. I didn't have the budget for 90 tinctures back then, so I started with 30. They met all my needs at the time, and remain as my "front shelf" tinctures. Hawthorn, astragalus and burdock are among them.

What are your "front shelf" herbs?

Join me for my year-long herbal programs, Holistic Herbal Wellness, and discover your top 30 herbs for a home or clinic apothecary.
Programs start each year in September.

02/18/2026

There's a spot for you in the student-lead clinic this week -
Thursday 4:20
Friday 2:40
$25
In person or online.
Register via my website.

02/16/2026

This workshop combines the power of myth and herbal wisdom, as tools for navigating loss, grief and tragedy.

We'll learn from Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, how to keep balance between light/dark, joy/sorrow.
We'll explore the use of herbs as remedies and rituals during difficult times.

Like Persephone's cycle between the wintery underworld and the rebirth of spring, we can emerge from the dark seasons of the soul.

Live, online, 2 parts
February 23 & March 2 $45
Sessions will be recorded.
Register via the workshop page of my website.
Space is limited

02/16/2026

The in-person event is now full, there is still space in the online version. Space is limited and is filling up, so book ASAP if you wish to join.

Two-part series, Feb. 23 & March 2, 6:30-8:30 pm
$45, register on the Bloom website event page.
Live, online, the sessions will be recorded and shared.

Persephone shows us how to balance light & dark, joy & sorrow.
Herbs nurture this balance.

02/10/2026

🌿 Work / Herb Trade Opportunity 🌿

Are you interested in gaining hands-on experience in a herbal apothecary?
Are you seeking herbal mentorship and practical skills?

I am looking for someone to work with me at Bloom two Wednesdays per month, from 11 am – 3 pm, during public drop-in hours.

You would assist with:
- dispensing herbal remedies
- making herbal preparations
- filling herb jars & stocking shelves
- inventory & light admin
- greeting and supporting customers

In exchange, I offer herbal products (tinctures, dry herbs, oils — anything from the apothecary), and this trade can also include access to my workshops and year-long courses. I’m open to discovering what would best support your learning and needs.

This opportunity would be well suited to a herbal student or someone dedicated to the plant path who would benefit from hands-on experience and personalized mentorship.

Interested?
Please message me at: savayda@bloominstitute.ca

Past volunteers remain part of the Bloom family, some became employees - Thank you Andrea, Melinda, Taylor, Rae, Jacquie, Lisa, Tamara!

02/08/2026

The soup pot is an awesome way to practice herbal medicine.
Today's chicken soup is loaded with super foods such as shiitake mushrooms, parsley, kelp, and celeriac.

02/07/2026

Persephone’s Apothecary

Herbal wisdom for the darker seasons of the soul.

Join me for this two-part workshop, in person at Bloom Halifax or online.

We'll explore grief, loss, and inner winter through myth and herbal allyship, inspired by Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, reimagined as an herbalist.

Learn how herbs can be used as remedies, and in ceremony, to support emotional states and nervous system regulation.
We'll engage with Persephone’s story as a psychological map for navigating sadness, transition, and life's challenges.
Rather than treating difficult emotions as problems to eliminate, this workshop frames them as meaningful responses to life experience and seasonal rhythms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been engaged with the myth of Persephone for a long while and am very excited to share this offering. It will be held in small, intimate settings to allow space for dynamic process with plants.

I look forward to meeting you in the underworld.

Details and registration are on my website.

02/06/2026

Hot off the press!
Blog post by one of my most respected herbal practitioners, Donnie Yance. He has four decades of clinic and research experience under his belt.
If this article resonantes, consider booking a consultation with me to receive personalized herbal care and other strategies for both recovery and prevention.
I offer consultations in Halifax, at Blue Forest (Head of Jeddore) and online. You can book in via my website, posted in the comments.
Proactive, preventative, holistic health care is no longer just an option, it is essential. I am happy to offer sliding scale pricing to reduce financial barriers to herbal care.
Wishing you well, dear friends. 💚

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised important questions about the relationship between viral infections, immune system function, and cancer risk. My research

02/06/2026

Now we wait, two weeks then I'll strain the tincture and get some to my neighbour dealing with a back injury, and the rest on my apothecary shelf.

Learn how to make tinctures and other herbal preparations by joining me for Holistic Herbal Wellness, my year-long program that begins each year in September. In person, online or a mix of both.
Details are on the Bloom Institute website.