A Live Online Course
Wisdom of the Sierras
The Art of Herbalism, Permaculture & Meditative Rituals
LED BY INDIGO DONALDSON
PERMACULTURE EDUCATOR, HERBALIST AND HOLISTIC HEALER
A Seasonal Online Herbal Arts Apprenticeship with Optional In-Person Immersions
YES! I WANT IN >>>
*LEARN MORE BEFORE YOU PURCHASE*
Sign Up for Indigo's FREE webinar "Spring Renewal: Cultivating Health with Herbs & Mindfulness Practices"
Who Is this course for?
This course is ideal for beginners interested in herbs and experienced practitioners eager to expand their knowledge. It offers a welcoming, inclusive environment, emphasizing a more interconnected way of living, learning, and healing, with meditation and ritual as an important component.
Course Outcome and Benefits
Graduates of the course will possess the knowledge to identify, use, and appreciate the intricate roles of plants in ecosystems, and will have developed mindfulness practices to deepen their connection with nature. This transformative learning experience fosters a significant shift in perspective, empowering them to become stewards of the earth, committed to practices that regenerate and rejuvenate themselves and their environment, and advocates for holistic living within their personal circles and the broader community.
Join us in this unique blend of learning and experience, where every lesson is a step closer to nature, sustainability, inner wisdom, and peace through meditation.
YES! I WANT IN>>>COURSE HIGHLIGHTS
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Deepened Knowledge of Herbalism: You will gain comprehensive insights into plants, including identification and uses, alongside herbal remedies and natural healing practices. This will enrich your understanding and skills in herbalism, providing a well-rounded knowledge base for both personal and professional applications.
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Understand the World through a Permaculture Lens: You will learn the ethics and principles of permaculture, being able to view and interact with the world in a more sustainable and eco-conscious way. This understanding fosters a deeper appreciation of ecological systems and guides practical applications in both personal and community environments.
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Enhanced Well-being through Meditation: You will not only learn meditation techniques for mental clarity, stress reduction, and emotional balance, but also methods to quiet yourself, enhancing your ability to attune to and listen to the plants. This deepened connection with nature contributes to overall well-being and a more intuitive understanding of the natural world.
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Experience in Ritual Practices: You will explore ritual practices that deepen your connection to nature and self, offering spiritual enrichment and personal growth. These practices also foster a sense of community growth, as they encourage shared experiences and collective understanding, further enriching the learning environment.
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Integrated Holistic Approach: The course uniquely combines these elements into a cohesive whole, empowering you to adopt a holistic approach to health, sustainability, and spiritual fulfillment.
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Homemade Herbal & Food Recipes: Receive an extensive collection of recipes and detailed guides for crafting herbal remedies and food as medicine
"I want people to draw insights from inner wisdom and external knowledge to feel healthy, empowered, and inspired to live their dreams in this wondrous world. I believe in the profound connection between plants and humans, viewing plants as guides and teachers. The key to this connection is learning to quiet our minds, trust our intuition, and comprehend the deep wisdom of plants."
Indigo Donaldson
Sample of Course Topics
- Basic knowledge of how each body system functions, their interconnectedness, and how they are related to and function within each season of the year
- Herbs, foods, and practices to nourish, balance, and strengthen each body system and ourselves as a whole
- How to stay healthy in accordance with the elements and seasons
- Identifying herbs, which parts, at which stage, and in which season is the best time to harvest them
- Many techniques to incorporate herbs into our lives including herbal formulas, foods as medicine, recipes, and great sources to purchase herbs
- Western Herbalism and Traditional Chinese Medicine healing techniques
- Permaculture principles and ethics and how to apply them to a healthy daily life
- Techniques and practices such as rituals, breathing, and meditation exercises
SCHEDULE
6 Classes Per Season | 2-Hour Calls Live on Zoom
Season 1: Spring into Summer begins April 23, 2024
Season 2: Summer into Fall begins July 23, 2024
Season 3: Fall into Winter begins October 15, 2024
Season 4: Winter into Spring begins January 7, 2025
All classes are on Zoom on TUESDAYS from 6:00pm - 8:00pm Pacific Time on the following dates (click below for the full calendar for each season):
SEASON 1: SPRING INTO SUMMER
SEASON 2: SUMMER INTO FALL
SEASON 3: FALL INTO WINTER
SEASON 4: WINTER INTO SPRING
All classes will be recorded.
Replays, presentations, and other course materials will be available in a course portal for you to revisit any time.
There will also be a community group for you to connect with others in the course and have access to Indigo to ask questions, especially if you can't make the class live.
Optional Immersions
Join us for any of the following OPTIONAL in-person, hands-on immersions to connect with nature while connecting with each other and integrate the teachings. We have an immersion for each season so you can learn about that season's plants, nature, and environment.
Immersions are OPTIONAL and attendance is not mandatory to participate in the Seasonal Herbal Arts Apprenticeship. You are welcome to attend whichever ones you can or none at all.
Immersions are also open to all students to register, regardless of whether you enroll in the seasonal courses, although participating in the apprenticeship provides you with a comprehensive and deeper background.
COST
The cost for each In-Person Weekend Immersion is $250 per student. This includes one meal each day, which we will cook together and share as part of our Food as Medicine lessons.
Each student is responsible for their own travel expenses ( i.e. gas, camping fees, materials fees for making medicine) & all other personal food expenses beyond the one shared meal.
IMMERSION 1 |JULY 26-27, 2024 | SIERRAVILLE HOT SPRINGS, CA
IMMERSION 2 | SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2024 | BUCKEYE HOTSPRINGS, CA
IMMERSION 3 | DECEMBER 6-7, 2024 | NEVADA CITY, CA
Meet Indigo Donaldson
Indigo Donaldson is a holistic healer who has studied natural healing of the human body as well as the ecology and healing of the earth.
Her primary area of study and experience is in western herbalism, along with an understanding of Chinese medicine and Asian bodywork techniques.
She is also a permaculture educator and designer, with the understanding that there is an important symbiotic relationship between a healthy human being and their environment.
She owns two herbal medicine companies, Indigo Herbals and Surya Care.
The Inspiring Journey Behind Indigo's Course in Her Own Words
My journey with being committed to finding natural healing wisdom for myself and others began when I was 16 and watched my father die in the hospital of lung cancer in New Jersey. I did not grow up with my family knowing anything about good health or natural medicine. We ate terrible processed food and went to the doctors and were given anti-biotics for everything. While I was in the hospital with my father I watched very unhealthy, obese doctors give my father drugs that obviously weren't working while he was also given food with no nutrition to eat.
I've always had a strong intuition. I always felt different than everyone else around me. My intuition told me that everything they were doing for my father felt completely wrong. So after he passed, I made a commitment to start learning what I could about natural food and medicine.
Soon after, I met a friend of a friend who offered a tube of lip balm that she said she had made.
Something came over me and I was so fascinated that she had actually made lip balm herself. Where I grew up there was only lip gloss that came from the Macy's cosmetic counter or a drug store.
I asked her "How on earth did you make that?"
She replied by giving me a little book entitled "The Herb Book " by Jethro Kloss. And said the recipe was in there.
That book was full of information about herbs and healing that I couldn't believe this existed in the world. I read it cover to cover in 2 days. Herbs to heal every ailment you could think of- from helping to stop smoking to healing cancer! And so many wonderful recipes for oils, balms, and tinctures.
Luckily at that time, I had moved to Philadelphia where there were several old apothecaries and herb shops. I got my hands on as many herb books as I could and started making all kinds of things.
I then started looking for schools to study and found one called Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies in Boulder, CO. I moved to Boulder the next year, went to school, and apprenticed with several herbalists and at the Herb Research Foundation and in Herbal Product Companies.
While in Boulder in that rich town of healing modalities, I studied Meditation at Naropa Institute and was an avid Ashtanga Yoga Student. After many years there soaking in all that beauty and wisdom I moved to Santa Cruz, CA, another Herbal Medicine Mecca, and continued my herbal studies and work with herbs. I then went to Twin Lakes College of Healing Arts to learn about the body and bodywork. I also apprenticed with Acupuncturists.
I lived in Santa Cruz for many years and I learned a lot about healing myself while learning to work with others.
I also became inspired by Herb Gardening while in Santa Cruz. I loved being outside and learned all I could about organic gardening. I then moved up to Sebastopol and Occidental which is the Mecca of Permaculture and learned all I could there for a few years.
There is so much to write about the projects I have been involved with, businesses I've had, teaching I've done in these areas, and the immense amount of healing I've done and continue do to do on myself.
I could truly say one thing for sure right now:
That day in the hospital when I sat by feeling helpless watching my father die, I made that commitment to learn all I could about Natural Healing, to heal myself and others, and I fulfilled and will continue to fulfill that commitment until I leave this planet!
This program is part of that commitment, I feel very confident teaching from my heart all the knowledge, experience, and wisdom I have gained to help others empower and heal themselves, their families, and their communities. To live a thriving healthy life and help create a thriving healthy planet.
My main goal is to teach and pass on all the knowledge and wisdom she has gained over the past 35 years of study. There has not been a more important time in history to assist people to feel empowered and understand that they hold the key to their own thriving well-being.
What previous students say about Indigo's courses
“Indigo teaches with incredible detail that is still easily consumable. Her material is thoughtfully presented. If you are looking to deepen or enlighten your herbal education, I highly recommend her classes. I lost faith in modern medical and have always been interested in the benefits of herbs, after taking her classes this enhanced my path to extend herbal use and gardening. Indigo has immense knowledge and I would recommend her sharings to all.”
Ahna Rymer
"I attended several of Indigo's classes on the benefits of herbalism having the ability to heal ailments and make one's life healthier. She is extremely knowledgeable about which herbs/plants are medicinal. She is able to explain the herb knowledge to a person like myself who has had no knowledge of this subject before. Her use of powerpoint also made the lesson easier for me to grasp and understand, and for note taking. I have also visited her garden, and this further helped me in the learning process to understand which parts of the plants are used, and prepared. She also brought in prepared beverages and tinctures that she created for the students to try, further adding to the learning process."
Vanessa Lyon
"I really enjoyed Indigo's class on herbalism. Indigo has such a vast knowledge of herbs and natural remedies, and shares ways to easily integrate the use of them in daily life in a way that is accessible and practical. I was looking for specific ways I could integrate some natural remedies in the care of a sick family member, so after the class, I booked a one-on -one with Indigo. I am so grateful for her support and for what I was able to learn from her in that time!"
Elena T
PAYMENT OPTIONS
EACH OPTION COMES WITH
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PDF of Each Presentation
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Portal available 24/7 with Recorded Classes + Material
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Community Group with Access to Indigo
