Bloom Institute of Holistic Living & Learning

Bloom Institute of Holistic Living & Learning Herbal clinic, apothecary and school focused on holistic, plant-centered wellness.

Student-lead clinic openings next weekThursday and FridayIn person or online$25Holistic herbal health support and custom...
03/13/2026

Student-lead clinic openings next week
Thursday and Friday
In person or online
$25

Holistic herbal health support and customized herbal remedies.

Sign up via the website, in the comments.

Dreaming of Spring with 2 ft of snow covering my garden! šŸŒøI'm always overly ambitious planning my spring / summer teachi...
03/05/2026

Dreaming of Spring with 2 ft of snow covering my garden! šŸŒø

I'm always overly ambitious planning my spring / summer teaching schedule in late winter. I blame it on the plants. šŸ˜‰

Here it is: šŸŒ±

Urban Herb Walk Series - Wednesdays, May-Sept. Halifax

Wild Salad Foraging Event - May 14, Blue Forest

Herbal First Aid - May 27, Halifax

Herbal Immersion Weekend - June 26-28, Blue Forest

Summer Syrups, Cordials & Oxymels - July 14, Blue Forest

Spa Meets Nature - July 23, Blue Forest

Herb Infused Oil & Vinegar Making - August 11, Blue Forest

Seaweed Sunday - August 16, Blue Forest

Things to look forward to... I'd love to host you for plant centered celebration of the fairer seasons ahead.

Details are on my website.

Feeling fulfilled after student clinic week at Bloom! Clients receive 1.5-hour sessions of compassionate care and custom...
03/03/2026

Feeling fulfilled after student clinic week at Bloom!

Clients receive 1.5-hour sessions of compassionate care and customized herbal remediesā€”for just $25.

Students gain hands-on experience, putting theory into practice with real clients.

New students welcome, in person:

10 hours/month

Week-long intensive: June 21ā€“26

Details are on the ā€œLearn Herbsā€ page.
Clinic sessions open through June

02/27/2026

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

Book your spot via the Blue Forest Shores website.

Tired of winter yet?Dreaming of summer? I have something beautiful for you to look forward toā€¦HERBAL IMMERSION RETREATJu...
02/24/2026

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

HERBAL IMMERSION RETREAT
June 26ā€“28 | Blue Forest Shores

Join me for a transformative weekend of hands-on medicine making, deep nature connection, and plant-spirit exploration.
Whether youā€™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 ā€œLearn Herbsā€ page on my website for all the details.
Sign up now and give yourself something truly special to look forward to this summer šŸŒæ

Nature calling! šŸŒ²February herb classes got us out for winter medicine walks, and tree ID.We got a mood boost thanks to ...
02/22/2026

Nature calling! šŸŒ²

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

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

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

Getting together with shared interests and mutual support is a real heart warmer. šŸ’š

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

Making do!I'm waiting for a tincture delivery to arrive and missing some of my favourite herbs.I've been making substitu...
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.

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

The in-person event is now full, there is still space in the online version. Space is limited and is filling up, so book...
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.

šŸŒæ Work / Herb Trade Opportunity šŸŒæAre you interested in gaining hands-on experience in a herbal apothecary?Are you seekin...
02/10/2026

šŸŒæ Work / Herb Trade Opportunity šŸŒæ

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 ā€“ 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 ā€” anything from the apothecary), and this trade can also include access to my workshops and year-long courses. Iā€™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.

Address

989 Young Avenue
Halifax, NS
B3H2V9

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+19029571534

Website

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Category

Natureā€™s classroom

Join me in natureā€™s classroom...

I can remember my first herb walk as a young herbal student, we gathered under a hawthorn tree loaded with red fruit in a park at Jericho beach in Vancouver before heading off on a path of discovery that changed my life forever. My teacher, Don Ollsin, drew my attention to multiple common weeds such as dandelion, plantain and yarrow, that I had passed a thousand times before but didnā€™t recognize as medicine. I was filled with awe as I met each plant and learned itā€™s many virtues. I was enchanted and have been since.

My greatest delight as a herbalist comes from helping to create that moment of awakening to the plant world in others. I have been enjoying my role as a herbal educator here in the Maritimes for sixteen years. The common goal in each of the hundreds of classes and herb walks Iā€™ve lead has been to open the gateway of learning natureā€™s remedies to bring health and vitality to body, mind and spirit. This remains true now as I expand in new directions as a herbal educator.

The Bloom Institute for Herbal Studies grew out of my previous Mayflower Herbal Studies. The recently launched Bloom Institute for Holistic Living and Learning Inc. is the culmination of twenty five years on the herbal path as a student, clinical herbalist, educator and plant mentor. Bloom is an officially registered private career college operating the Bloom Herbal Practitioner Program. The Bloom vision is to help place a herbal practitioner in every sizable town in the Atlantic region. Our communities need access to traditional and herbal healing practices.