Awaken Herbal Wisdom

• Develop an intimate knowledge of a select group of 12 more medicinal herbs primarily able to be grown or foraged in the UK
• Understand the stages of life and their energetic qualities
• Explore the interplay of the seasons and doshas with the stages of life to cultivate deep awareness of balance and health at each stage, beyond the labels and diagnoses commonly attached by allopathic frameworks
• Question the status quo, meanings and messages society tells us to expect and accept at each stage of life
• Refine your skills in listening to and understanding the messages of your body and of others who would like support with herbs
• Advance your herbal remedy making skills from five- to seven-herb formulas
• Create lasting bonds with your community of like-minded, curious and empowered souls
• Expand your capacity to support your loved ones and community with herbal medicine
• Solidify your foundation of herbal knowledge and skills upon which you can build a legacy of health of your choosing

No! You are welcome to join the course no matter where you live, just be sure to make suitable arrangements for joining our in-person sessions. We are located in a quiet rural village just an hour from York with plenty of independent accommodation within the village and camping and caravan accommodation in nearby seaside town, Bridlington. There are ancient monoliths and serene private beaches nearby, so plenty of peace, nature and history to explore. As the course progresses, some of you may want to find accommodation to share. There’s an extra bit of magic that happens when you can create a special home away from home and enjoy extra after-hours conversation with your fellow journeyers.

As much or as little as you want! We do strongly recommend you listen to the guided 1:1 audio teachings that accompany each of our live Zoom sessions before we meet online - usually no longer than 30 minutes each, but there are otherwise no formal assignments, papers to write, assigned readings to do or exams to revise for. Whatever you feel inspired to read, do or make beyond our sessions together is completely up to you and very welcome for discussion and questions within the cohort. It's your journey!

As the original medicine, herbal medicine spans all cultures, continents and civilisations. We are fortunate so many of these ancient lines of observing the natural world - both plants and people - are intact today and that we are able to explore and consider so many valuable perspectives that contribute to our better understanding of how all of nature can thrive together. Each practising herbalist finds their own inspiration and creates their own alchemy, and you will, too. On this course, you will have the opportunity to explore the energetics, concepts and terminology of both Western herbal medicine and Ayurvedic perspectives, intimately woven together in a way that facilitates embodied, elemental and experiential learning. Curious to learn a bit more about how we work with Western and Ayurvedic energetic systems? Read more here.

The learning experience we offer is blended in many ways, making our approach to teaching and learning unique amongst herbal medicine schools in the UK. Our intention behind how we structure our herbalism courses is to provide a blend of the best aspects of a traditional herbal apprenticeship, a classic academic course and hands-on herbalism workshops so you are well held by us and can relax into your journey. You can read more about our approach to teaching here. And if you're specifically wondering how 'academic' our herbalism courses are, read here.

Yes! Catering for our in-person gatherings is included in the course fees, and there will be plenty of herbal tea available to drink when we are together.

Applications for the 2026 Year One cohorts are currently open.

Our application process is simple and straightforward, intended to give us a sense of who you are, what is inspiring you and what you are hoping to gain from your experience to help us determine if our school and the journey we offer is a great match for you. As you work through your responses, just be yourself. There are no prerequisites or official requirements for joining our course.

We aim to let you know the outcome of your application within one week.

If successful, you will be offered a place on one of our first-year cohorts. All places are offered and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

Please note submission of an application is non-binding and does not guarantee you will be offered a place on our upcoming cohorts.

Yes! You can split the cost into two equal instalments of £698.50 or you can pay in four equal instalments of £349.25. Instalments for all payment plans are charged automatically in accordance with the timing of the plan. For the two instalments plan, the second payment is charged on the same date one month after the initial payment. For the four instalments plan, successive payments are charged on the same date of the initial payment for the following three months. The final payment for deposit plans, when offered, is charged automatically in full on the specified date. If you have any questions about timing and payment plans, please contact us.

Live participation is warmly encouraged, as there is a real richness in learning together and engaging in shared inquiry in real time. That said, the course is intentionally designed to support real lives.

All live online group sessions and guided 1:1 audio teachings are recorded and made available for you to revisit, or to engage with in your own time if attending live isn’t possible on a given week. You’re welcome to move between live participation and recorded learning as needed across the seasons, without falling behind or needing to catch up.

Our in-person gatherings are audio-recorded, as well, for future reference for all students and in case anyone is unable to attend a gathering due to unavoidable circumstances.

All course recordings are available in your student portal, which is accessible via traditional desktop or in our student app, so you can listen and learn wherever and whenever suits you - with a cup of herbal tea, on a walk, out in the garden, or as you're going about your day-to-day tasks and travels.

We invite you to be present to your learning journey in a way that feels sustainable and grounded. If there are occasional — or even regular — diary clashes that are unavoidable, please don’t let that deter you from applying. You will still be fully supported within the course. If you have any questions at all, do feel free to contact us and ask, as we want the learning experience to be right for you.

Yes! Whilst continuing on is completely up to you, two further years of development are available after completing the first year of the course so you can continue to go deeper into your exploration of herbalism, health and your body. You can explore what the second and third years of the journey look like here and here. You can also download our full curriculum guide, which shares the details of the herbal learning journey we offer across all three years.

This course and its successive years have intentionally not been designed as a formal qualification because we believe the wiser we become in ourselves, our homes and our communities, the more we are able to lift each other up to create a stronger society organically. There are many brilliant clinical training courses available across the globe; however, not everyone wants to complete 500 clinic hours, conduct a research project and sit exams. Whilst not everyone wants to become a clinical herbalist, many do want to develop a high level of skill and knowledge for personal reasons - and that's the journey of empowerment we love to provide. Wondering if you need a qualification for how you'd like to work with the knowledge and skills you gain with us? Read more here.