Amber Fox- The Embodied Herbalist

07/19/2021

The marshmallow leaf (Althaea officinalis) in my garden is perfect for harvesting right now ... right as we brace for increased wildfire smoke.
Over the next couple weeks, it may feel supportive to preventatively bolster your lung health with cool, moistening herbs: marshmallow leaf, mullein, coltsfoot, licorice, even linden and violet. If you tend to have a dry cough from smoke irritation, a bit of wild cherry bark might do the trick for you.
Think about releasing tension from your diaphragm and also your scalenes (the muscles along the sides of your neck that connect to your upper rib and also help you breathe). Give those a good stretch and enjoy the medicine of some relaxed full breaths.

We have simple accessible medicines all around us (including our own breath!), and often it can be as simple as making small supportive choices with what we have at hand.

When you're parsing through all the info on the internets about what herbs to use for wildfire season, remember basic herbal energetics: it's high summer right now, it's incredibly dry and hot, and smoke increases this. To balance hot and dry elements, you want to be thinking of applying cooling and moistening elements (think of the relief you feel when applying aloe gel to a sunburn). There are many, many wonderful herbs for lung health, but keep in mind that many of them are better suited for the deep of winter or 'wet' lung conditions - that is when we want to use herbs that are more warming and drying... but not right now!

As always, consider working with a qualified and knowledgable herbalist who can custom make formulas for your unique person and context! This is how medicine works the best :)

Breathe easy, dear ones!

12/21/2020

Happy Solstice, dear ones! Blessed Elder moon as well, the time to rest in story and be surrounded by our sources of love and connection. On solstice we call back the sun without banishing or denying the fruits of the dark times and our shadow selves. We call back the sun knowing we have fruitful time left to gestate the gifts of our reflection and deep learnings. This year, we have celestial power to channel toward calling in new visions and collective ways of being... what will you guide your intention toward calling in, for our collective good? What is your grandest vision for us, what new world is possible? We need all our deepest dreaming abilities, all our hearts, all our faith. I feel the stirring, I am hopeful... I hope you sense it too. I am grateful for the dark times, difficult though they may be, and this year am especially grateful for community and those I can howl at the moon with. When we feel alone we can lose hope... together with even just one like-hearted loved one, we can feel bolstered in our work toward a better world for us all. Tonight I’ll be celebrating by guiding a candlelit yin class (there’s a waitlist, though I wish you could all join!), and tomorrow with ceremonial fire and other practices from my Slavic and Celtic roots and in honour of these sacred lands. I wish for all of us a powerful and healing Solstice, in whatever small or grand ways you choose to mark this liminal time.

10/19/2020

Excited and honoured to be joining Dr. Tiffany Freeman for a Discussion on Decolonizing Herbal Practices as part of the inaugural Canadian Herb Conference, being held online November 5-8.

The Canadian Herb Conference (CHC) is a non-profit event in support of provincial and national herbal associations. Since 2016 I have been deeply involved with the work of our professional associations as the Vice-President and board director of the Canadian Herbalists Association of British Columbia. As our associations re-engage in meaningful work to address decolonizing herbal medicine and improve inclusivity, your support of events such as the CHC contribute to this vitally important justice work, in addition to supporting the profession of herbal medicine as a whole.

I hope you'll be able to join! Use code 'amber20' during CHC registration for a $20 discount.

A bit more info about what Tiffany and I will be discussing:
'A Discussion on Decolonizing Herbal Practices'
There are many examples of recent efforts to bring about more awareness to the way we are walking through this world; we are being asked to stop and look with more awareness of diversity, inclusivity and to examine our own personal privileges. As herbalists and plant medicine people on this land collectively known as Turtle Island, it is vitally important to reflect on how these calls to action affect the way we work with plants, the land and our communities. Join Herbalists Tiffany Freeman, a Neyihaw living in Calgary, and Amber Fox, a person of settler ancestry living on Vancouver Island, for a discussion on the importance of these reflections and ways to decolonize our herbal practices in a sharing and open hearted discussion on entitlement, privilege, and colonialism in plant medicine & harvesting.

04/13/2020

Mindful yin practices still being offered - and available to stream anywhere! Live and on-demand - see Yoga Lab Victoria for details.

Also, I will be donating 100% of earnings from teaching during the pandemic to RAVEN Trust - please also feel free to donate to them directly/give dana in support of the healing work with land/relationship/ourselves that we are all doing together.

04/04/2020

Thoughts from an herbalist of settler ancestry whose whole heart resides in these gorgeous traditional territories of the Lkwungen-speaking peoples - today represented by the Esquimalt and Songhees nations. Deep gratitude to the stewards of these lands and waters, from time immemorial. May the way I walk in this part of the world (as an herbalist especially) continue to be guided by this deepest honouring and commitment to deepen my understanding of our shared journey ... to understand the ways in which I can continue to listen deeply, and to contribute in any positive way I may be able. With raised hands, and my deepest bows.

Original post, shared from Amber Fox:

"Know what I've been thinking about lately? Land, nature, our responsibilities, and using this time to practice all the amazing things we might implement when we're on the other side of this.
Here's one very important practice I think we could all use this opportunity to implement consistently - meaningful, respectful territory acknowledgements.
In these times where we're all reaching out to each other from a safe distance, often via virtual platforms and to people in different geographical places.... it's an excellent time to start incorporating a meaningful acknowledgement of whose traditional territories you live/work/play at the beginning of each interaction! Especially if you are hosting meetings, or online classes etc... but also in your regular conversations.
Start by learning whose traditional territory you live in (there may be more than one!), how to correctly pronounce the name of their nation(s), take some time to learn about the history of where you live, and reflect on why it is meaningful to you to acknowledge.
Get comfortable with each of these aspects (practice with friends, at the dinner table, by talking it out with your pets, etc!).
Here are a few other ideas:
- Start here: https://native-land.ca/
- Read a bit deeper, reflect, consider how you can take meaningful actions. Sit with the feelings that come up for you, even if they're uncomfortable. Reach out to talk it through with someone you trust (that person can be me, if I feel OK for you). It's a journey... and remember that vulnerability is a component of any meaningful relationship. It's OK to have some feels.
- EDITED! Because I make mistakes too!! Don't forget to introduce yourself (ancestry, pronouns too), and how you came to be here.
- Even more reading, very important thoughts: https://apihtawikosisan.com/2016/09/beyond-territorial-acknowledgments/
- If you feel ready to take your territory acknowledgements a bit deeper, think of how you can highlight ongoing injustices, and what actions you can (or are) taking to take positive steps toward change. And at all costs - avoid the common mistake of 'territory acknowledgement script' or rushing through it. It is so very important that you reflect and offer a meaningful personal connection as a component of a respectful territory acknowledgement.... after all, this work we're doing starts with each one of us, in our inner hearts."

Earlier this year, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) released a Territorial Acknowledgment Guide.[1] The territorial acknowledgements found in this guide vary from fairly short…

04/01/2020

- educate yourselves, listen with an open heart and mind. Let’s all drop our assumptions and our binary habits ... we’ll need all our gorgeous and resilient diversity, now more than ever.

Besides - do you really think you can see who is trans? It is hubris to think you can see anything about anyone else - it is a long long journey to know anyone else’s truth/experience... and we’re best served by humility and respect on our paths together.

Transgender Day of Visibility ( ) is a day of recognition, empowerment, and celebration of trans and gender diverse people. One way we can make our communities safer and increase the visibility of trans people is to share opportunities to learn about gender diversity.

During this time of physical distancing we offer you the opportunity to learn about how you can help change the world for gender diverse communities by taking or sharing our free online module “Exploring Gender Diversity”.

https://learninghub.phsa.ca/Courses/8141/exploring-gender-diversity

Trans Care BC recognizes and applauds all of the trans, gender diverse, Two-Spirit, and people of all genders who helped develop this introductory learning module. The community input and design was key to making this learning tool successful and popular! Over 2,000 people have completed this intro module in under a year, and we have received interest in it throughout the province and beyond!

In celebration of TDoV we are also offering free, one-click access to the course by clicking the link below.

Exploring Gender Diversity: http://ow.ly/lyW350z1vzs

03/31/2020

Big medicine right now:

“A woman may crave to be near water, or be belly down, her face in the earth, smelling the wild smell. She might have to drive into the wind. She may have to plant something, pull things out of the ground or put them into the ground. She may have to knead and bake, rapt in dough up to her elbows. She may have to trek into the hills, leaping from rock to rock trying out her voice against the mountain. She may need hours of starry nights where the stars are like face powder spilt on a black marble floor. She may feel she will die if she doesn’t dance naked in a thunderstorm, sit in perfect silence, return home ink-stained, paint-stained, tear-stained, moon-stained.”
Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Vojtech Preissig - Meditation.

03/19/2020

Streaming Yin tomorrow evening from Yoga Lab Victoria 7-8pm

A grounding practice for these uncertain times, to calm nervous systems and come back into our bodies and connection with all we have to be grateful for - to access our innate goodness, kindness, connection and compassion... much needed in these times.

Details on how to join will be posted soon.

Sending love and light,
a

03/17/2020

Lovely friends... would you appreciate a recorded or live streamed grounding meditation this week?

Let me know, I’d be happy to offer this medicine to the community.

Sending love,
A

01/02/2020

Class Schedule for Jan-May 2020:

Sundays 4:30pm - Meditation (by donation)
Tuesdays 8pm - Mindful Yin
Wednesdays - Slow Flow + Meditation
*all classes held at YogaLabVictoria

I look forward to practicing with you!