Blooming Rooted: Herbalism Retreat

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The doors for Blooming Rooted 2025 are officially open!

Blooming Rooted is a weekend immersion retreat where we will explore the intersection between the natural world and transformational healing.

Engaging with plants through intuition, science, breathwork, plant walks, creative expression, myth, medicine making and ceremony will open the gateway to an embodied knowledge of ourselves and the natural world.

Located in the high desert of Mancos, CO, Blooming Rooted Herbalism Retreat, is a sacred pause, where you can connect to the land, your body, likeminded community and medicinal plants. This retreat is for anyone interested in cultivating a connection with plants on a deep level and kindling transformational healing in their bodies and personal lives. Come let yourself be nourished by intimate safe community, delicious healthy meals, herbal medicines, and nature. 

There are many ways of understanding medicinal plants. From classroom scientific learning, to intuitive connection, or plant walks in the field, we each have an affinity for how we want to learn about herbs. This retreat is centered around providing you with as many different approaches to making your own unique relationships with the plants as possible. An avenue from which we will explore our own inner world, personal healing and transformation.

We are going to engage all of the senses in a multifaceted herbalism experience that will leave you awestruck by your own revelations, connections and relationships with medicinal plants and yourself.

Woven into the nurturing fold of our willow tree, you will have sacred space to feel into your individual passions, purpose, and points of healing. Under the influence of the Beltane or Autumn Equinox, our collective dreams will be amplified and held in cherished community. 

This year we are offering Blooming Rooted Autumn! Autumn will be "Rooted"- with an emphasis on releasing and herbs like roots, mushrooms & berries. 

Sign up here!

What you will gain from attending this retreat: 

Early Bird Pricing ends May 9th Sign up now!

Blooming Rooted Autumn ~ Equinox, September 19th-22nd

Held over the autumn equinox, we will be leaning into the settling energetics of this time. Working with seasonal herbal medicines like roots, mushrooms and berries. We will be softening and soothing the nervous system after the intensity of summer, and holding intentions for moving into the winter months ahead. 

Autumn Session Schedule:

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Sign up for the Autumn Session here!

*Schedules is subject to change based on weather and collective energetics. :)

The Land: 

The retreat will be held at Deer Hill Expeditions Base Camp in Mancos, CO (20 minutes west of Durango). Located on 130 acres of meadowland and pinon juniper forest, we will be held by the Mancos River Valley and tucked up against the high desert Menefee Mountain. Most activities will be held on site- either in the open and bright workshop room, in the grass underneath the cottonwood tree, or on the trails that traverse the land. There is also a swimming hole, and cozy lounging area. 

You have the option to camp on the land, stay in the bunkhouse, or get a private room. 

*Please note, this is a co-ed experience. The bunkhouse is female only, so we ask that men camp or get a private room. 

Pricing:

Pricing varies based on chosen accommodations.

Camping: $700 (Early Bird $625) 

Included

Not included

Bunkhouse: $750 (Early Bird $675)

Included

Not included

Shared Bedroom, Twin Mattress: $950 (Early Bird $875)

*Only 1 available

Included

Shared Bedroom, Full Mattress: $1000 (Early Bird $925)

*Only 2 available

Included

Private Bedroom, Queen Mattress: $1300 (Early Bird $1225)

*Only 1 available

Included

*Limited space available! If you would like to join us, simply purchase the retreat with your chosen accommodations. 

Sign up for Autumn Session here!

Our Team: 

Elliott Brinkley

The retreat will be led and facilitated by Elliott Brinkley, clinical herbalist and owner of Dancing Willow Herbs apothecary. Elliott formulates handcrafted herbal products, works 1:1 with clients, and educates her community. She is a certified Clinical Herbalist with over 1400 hours of training from the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, North American Institute of Medical Herbalism and the Acorn School of Herbal Medicine. With a decade of professional herbal practice, she has the gift of conveying grounded clinical herbal strategies with everyday people, so that they can feel empowered to make informed decisions about their wellness. Her passion emulates beyond the clinical/scientific and weaves through the energetic nature of healing and the sacredness of connecting people to the Earth.

Blooming Rooted Retreat illuminates Elliott's love of bringing like-hearted people together to form a safe, deep community. Elliott was raised attending multiple retreats every year since before she could even walk. She learned from her uncle, breathwork teacher and leader, David Elliott, how to hold space for vulnerability and deep healing amongst large groups of people. Blooming Rooted is a culmination of Elliott's love of emotional/energetic healing, combined with her love of the Earth and the medicinal plants. 

Eliza Rose Kane

A healer. A teacher of breathwork and creativity. A writer. & most of all, a thought provoker. Using breathwork meditation, movement and creative expression, Eliza plays with weaving together the esoteric and the scientific to create experiences that inspire people to dive into a deeper understanding of themselves and this world we operate in. 

The work Eliza shares, while fun, will push your capacity for growth, challenge your limiting beliefs and ultimately take you to a heightened level of awareness. Her goal is to help people feel safe and comfortable in their body, confident, connected, and full of possibilities.

Eliza and Elliott formulated their signature offering, Botanical Breathwork, during the pandemic when people needed, more than ever, to ground into the healing capacity of their bodies and the Earth. Weaving the essence of plants with the transformational practice of Breathwork allowed people to feel connected to themselves, an aligned community and herbal allies in a profound way. 

Eliza will lead Botanical Breathwork for the group, provide her intuitive wisdom throughout the weekend and assist in holding space. 

"Botanical Breathwork is DYNAMITE. Eliza + Elliott = MAGIC. Every time I’ve done Botanical Breathwork, joining live or on my own… I get a full body heat happening. A fire that runs through my whole body. You’ve both created a very potent container. I am in awe." -Marjorie C.

Katie Terrell Ramos

Katie is a Mancos Colorado-based artist who lives on her lavender farm in the beautiful Southwest mountain desert. Katie’s known for her hand-carved rubber stamp picture book illustrations along with her colorful bandana collections. Her lavender farm, Mesa Verde Lavender, is known for their culinary lavender, hydrosols and artisanal lavender products. In the summer, Katie tends to her 2200 lavender plants and in the winter she writes and illustrates children’s books. Amidst all of this, Katie stays grounded with her cultivated Tea Ceremony practice. She loves serving tea for others and encouraging them to slow down, in order to connect with the wisdom of the tea plant, and the wisdom inside of them. 

Katie will be offering optional tea ceremony in the morning at the retreat, as well as helping hold space for the group. 

Join our Community!

Testimonials: 

"The Blooming Rooted Retreat felt like the hug my soul had needed for a few years. I signed up on a whim, because it felt like I must, and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. The dive into herbs and their energetics was lovely. And it went way beyond that. I felt pushed to some edges, immersed with total love and acceptance by beautiful beings and nourished by amazing food in a gorgeous setting. I laughed and cried and learned and explored. There were moments of intensity as well as enough gentle space to let it all settle and ground.  It was a wonderful container that Elliott created. I'd highly recommend if you're feeling the pull." -Poa 

"I signed up for the Blooming Rooted Retreat because I felt in my heart I could use a reset in nature with like minded humans. I was also very interested in making tinctures and learning how to support and honor nature within that process. I had the opportunity in the past to experience Elliots profound herbalist gifts and connection with nature so it felt like the perfect thing at the right time. I was personally coming out of a deeper, more introspective period of solitude and I was in a lack of better words, ready to Bloom! It's hard for me to put words to the transformation and connection I experienced while at the retreat, but I can say a part of my heart center cracked open that I didn't even know was closed. It led the way to the most beautiful happenings that summer and as the winter approaches I find myself becoming more rooted and going with the flow. I believe the retreat gave me a deeper capacity to let the big mama lead the way, and flow with the seasons of nature and life without judgment or resistance to what is." -Lindsay

"Attending Elliott's herbal classes was one of the best things I did for myself this summer. I have always been interested in herbal medicine, and Elliott's warmth and enthusiasm as she shared her knowledge about herbs, lifestyle, and bodily systems gave me the confidence to be able to dive deeper into one of my lifelong curiosities. I loved that we were able to taste teas, tinctures, and whole plants as a class--it was a multidimensional experience that helped me begin to create an individual relationship with each herb that we highlighted. I learned some truly fascinating fun facts this summer and have found so much joy in incorporating the new strategies and recipes that I learned in class into my weekly routines. It feels like Elliot's class has kickstarted a new era of self-care and herbal empowerment for me, and I can't wait for the next series!" -Caroline
“I am so appreciative for the classes I‘ve taken at Dancing Willow Herbs. Through Elliott’s lighthearted, interactive, and wisdom packed classes, I’ve become better at understanding the fluctuating processes of my body, which were a complete mystery to me before! Now I have an understanding of which herbs and lifestyle adjustments I should take to bring balance to my system and enhance my optimal wellness. I highly recommend her classes for anyone who wants to grow their knowledge of herbs and health. Thank you Elliott and the wonderful team at Dancing Willow Herbs.” -Melissa
“The herbal education classes at Dancing Willow were fantastic. I signed up for the series on a bit of a whim but am so glad that I did. Elliotts energy and knowledge about herbs and their healing powers is incredible. Every class was filled with information about fascinating herbs and how best to incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle. Her passion for teaching really made the class enjoyable. I will certainly be including more of these herbs, and what I learned about herbalism, into my daily life. Definitely looking forward to more classes in the future." -Will
"Elliott has a gift of explaining the properties, uses, and benefits of plants in a way that makes it easy to understand and apply. Elliott is very knowledgeable in her profession as a Clinical Herbalist and is passionate about sharing her gift with others. I always walk away from her classes with so many great nuggets of information and I am excited to use this new knowledge to improve my overall health and well-being. Thank you, Elliott." -Johhnie
“To know Elliott, is to be in the presence of a true Healer. She lives by her values, her beliefs, her passions, her integrity and by her love of nature and life… She encompasses all that Herbalists have been, are and will be.” -Jenny