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The Willow Journal

All About Botanical Breathwork

All About Botanical Breathwork

Botanical Breathwork is a new offering at the apothecary! We are excited to share this with you to help you move through anxiety, grief and stress- so that you can connect with your spirit and the spirit of the plants! 

What is Botanical Breathwork?

Botanical Breathwork was founded by Elliott Brinkley & Eliza Rose Kane to explore the intersection of energetic herbal medicine and breathwork meditation.

Breathwork meditation helps to move stagnation and emotions so that you are more receptive to your essence and the essence of the plants. It is a great tool for getting out of the head and into the heart for emotional, energetic and physical healing.

How Botanical Breathwork started...

It was spring 2020, when Eliza Rose Kane and Elliott Brinkley started dreaming up Botanical Breathwork. With all of the societal intensity around the pandemic, Botanical Breathwork was created as a tool for people to connect back into their bodies, the Earth and the plants to create a sense of safety. On a monthly basis, Elliott & Eliza would offer Botanical Breathwork classes on zoom to people all over the world. Elliott would intuitively choose a plant based on collective energetics of that time. We worked with Hawthorn, St. John's Wort, Violet, Motherwort, Rose, Calendula, Rosemary, Reishi, Lavender & more! By bringing awareness around the gifts that plant was ready to share with us, guided meditations centered on the plant, Eliza's brilliant intuitive encouragement during the breath & Elliott's detailed monographs shared after the event, a comprehensive botanical healing experience was created! 

Once Elliott took over Dancing Willow Herbs in 2021, Botanical Breathwork had to take a pause in order for her to get her bearings as an apothecary owner. Since then, Elliott has been able to expand her teaching abilities into regular community classes at the shop, herbal conferences and her own retreat! 

It was at this retreat, Blooming Rooted, where the perennial roots of Botanical Breathwork were re-watered & sprouted again! Eliza journeyed from New York to Mancos, CO to help support Elliott and facilitate Botanical Breathwork. The breathwork experience added so much to the weekend, in terms of deep transformational healing. This reminded Elliott of the power of breathwork, not only as a tool for moving through stagnant emotions but also for connecting to the medicinal plants. In an effort to support her local community, instead of offering breathwork on zoom, Elliott is offering Botanical Breathwork in person at her apothecary. 

Elliott has been called to incorporate breathwork into her practice again, because it is a profound tool for emotional healing which can often be a layer within physical imbalances that is keeping someone from healing. For many people, taking all of the herbs or making the dietary changes isn't enough, there are deeper layers of emotions and energetics that need to be cleared alongside the physical changes- especially with chronic conditions. 

Elliott's breathwork journey...

Elliott was pretty much born into the breathwork world. Her uncle, David Elliott, has been leading breathwork retreats and healer trainings since Elliott was a child. Elliott's mother would always cook at the retreats, which meant they attended 4-5 of these containers, per year, for Elliott's whole life. Elliott would sit in circle, watching the adults having big emotional releases, patiently awaiting her opportunity to get up and sing, dance or do 1 handed cartwheels in the center of the circle. 

This exposure to the world of healing, emotional expression and sacredness of nature paved the path that Elliott walks to this day. 

Even though Elliott was immersed in this world, it wasn't until 2012 that she started consciously participating in her uncle's healer trainings, in order to facilitate breathwork for others. It was here that Elliott & Eliza originally met and kindled a deep sisterly connection. Since then, she has facilitated breathwork for private clients and led groups in Durango, CO. Elliott also helped to support Eliza on her breathwork retreat in Cornwall, England.

To reignite this connection, Elliott just completed another week long intensive healer training with her uncle October 2024. Here, she was able to gain more clarity around how she wants to incorporate breathwork into her herbalism practice working with 1:1 clients and her larger southwest Colorado community.  

The Dancing Willow Herbs Botanical Breathwork Experience...

By bringing Botanical Breathwork into the apothecary, surrounded by thousands of herbs, it helps hold the container for a safe and beautiful breathwork experience. 

1:1 Botanical Breathwork Sessions

A 1:1 Botanical Breathwork session includes a brief discussion around what is coming up for you, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Then Elliott will hold space for you while you do the active breathwork meditation. She will incorporate energetic herbal support into the experience as intuitively guided. After the session, a customized herbal formula will be created for you that will include herbs suited to your energetic needs to help integrate the breathwork experience. 

This offering is a great introduction to breathwork and working with plants on an energetic and physical level unique to your needs. 

Book a 1:1 Botanical Breathwork Session here! 

Botanical Breathwork Groups 

Elliott is bringing monthly Botanical Breathwork groups to the apothecary, centered on an individual plant. These intimate groups are an opportunity to learn about and develop deep relationship with the chosen plant. We will begin by grounding and connecting the group, followed by tasting the herb, learning about medicinal qualities, practical uses & energetics. After orienting around the plant, everyone will lay down for the breathwork meditation experience, while Elliott holds space.  

Botanical Breathwork groups are a great way to deepen your relationship with individual plants, your body & community. 

Sign up for an upcoming Botanical Breathwork event here!

Comprehensive Herbal Consultation + Botanical Breathwork

The full Dancing Willow Herbs consultation experience! 

This offering is a complete look at your physical ailments from a clinical herbalist perspective with customized herbal formulas, nutrition and lifestyle recommendations to address physical root causes as well as energetic contributors to your symptoms. This is a full herbal consultation with Elliott plus the incorporation of intuitive guidance around deeper layers and plant allies that can support. This includes a breathwork meditation in the follow up to help you move through emotions and energetic blockages contributing to your physical ailments. 

This offering includes a complete 2 hour clinical intake, as well as a 30 minute follow up discussing therapeutics, a 1.5 hour private breathwork session & customized herbal formulas for physical body as well as energetics.

The comprehensive consultation and breathwork experience is for the person with deeper physical imbalances in conjunction with need for emotional/energetic support. 

Book a Comprehensive Herbal Consultation + Botanical Breathwork here! 

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If you aren't local, but would like to experience breathwork, I recommend working with Eliza Rose Kane! She offers 1:1 zoom sessions & regular breathwork groups online! Here is her website!