Adrienne Crombie

Dreaming a New World

April 30, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

As I continue to investigate and learn more about the mysterious world of medicinal herbs that are hiding in plain sight all around me, my relationship with the plant world grows stronger. I learn a lot from people who visit the farm and introduce me to the plants that are growing wild in the field and around the garden. I’ve always learned by doing and after I’ve been properly introduced to a plant, I cultivate the relationship by exploring it’s medicinal properties. But the first thing that impressed me when I started to learn to forage and that impresses me still is that medicinal plants, when allowed to grow wild, are ubiquitous. And if they are growing in such proliferation, and if the natural world is an expression of divine intention, then they must be trying to tell us something or perhaps they are supplying a need.

Take Mugwort, for instance. Mugwort is crazy abundant and is one of those plants that will just take over if not kept in check. It has a bad rep as an invasive and is widely regarded as a useless weed. More and more, though, Mugwort is being recognized for it’s ability to enhance and clarify dreams. It is not a psychotropic, it simply enhances brain clarity while simultaneously relaxing the body. It can be used as a sachet under your pillow, it can be smoked, or it can be brewed and sipped before bedtime. We have blended it with wild foraged Lemon Balm and, of course, Lavender to create our Dream Catcher Tea Blend.

Maybe our world needs some heavy duty doses of Mugwort now. Maybe we need to go back to the drawing board and redesign our world and first we need to dream that new vision. It’s time to take a break from the chaos, to investigate our inner world and listen to our intuitive voice. When we were children we believed in magic because we saw it everywhere. It’s time to revision the world and to see the magic that lay hidden in plain sight.

I invite you to join our workshop, Dream Weaving, Realize Your Dreams with Herbs & Ritual with Katie O’Neill on August 1st, August 29th or on October 16th. Let’s start dreaming a new world together.

Katie O’Neill, Herbalist

April 27, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Katie came to the farm on recommendation of a friend who said we had to meet and that Katie was an herbalist who would be a perfect fit for Mad Lavender Farm. As it turns out, Katie is more a person who creates space than fits into it. When Katie ONeill creates space for her workshops, for instance, you feel as though you’ve walked into an apothecary from the 16th century. Herbs and elixirs are displayed in pretty bottles and jars, tea is poured from a Moroccan teapot and it is all laid out beautifully upon a tapestry draped table. Her love for the natural world is expressed in everything she does so her workshops are more than informative, they are a sensory experience.

Like all the best teachers I know, Katie is always engaged in learning more; taking classes, reading, traveling and exploring. Every time I check in with her on Instagram I am witness to her great sense of adventure and her curiosity; be it a trip to Findhorn, Scotland, therapeutic immersion in the ocean in the middle of winter, or discovery of a new medicinal plant remedy. Thanks to her input, the varieties of herbs in our garden are increasing every year. Katie advised us to plant Tulsi Basil last year and now we’ve fallen in love with it. It is an amazing herb with so many beneficial qualities. Katie takes a deep dive into it with her workshop “The Medicine of Tulsi: A Meditation and Plant Medicine Making Journey.” This year we are introducing an herbal tea blend we call Dream Catcher that will complement Katie’s workshop “Dream Weaving: Tap into your Dreams with Herbs & Ritual.” Herbalist, Flower Essence guide, and student of Medical Astrology and Celtic traditions, Katie is offering a plethora of herbal remedy workshops from May through October. Check them out at www.madlavenderfarm.com/events.

The Goat Yoga Dream Team

April 26, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Meet the Mad Lavender Goat Yoga Teachers: Lea, Jenn, Ava and Shannon. They are my Dream Team. Ava and Jenn have been with us since the beginning and they have fine tuned the goat yoga experience over the past four years to what it is today. Shannon and Lea are brand new to teaching goat yoga. They approached us specifically to teach goat yoga on the farm because they were passionate about wanting to do this. It takes a special kinda yoga teacher to run goat yoga events. She needs to have great yoga chops, a good sense of humor, an ability to think outside the box, be quick on her feet and of course she needs to love goats. And now our goat yoga teachers need to also play singing bowls! Shannon and Lea have come through it all with flying colors.

We introduced a new dimension to goat yoga last year when Ava had the idea to begin her session with a smudge ceremony followed by singing bowls. Smudging is a tradition that helps to ground us in a sense of the sacred. The vibration of the singing bowls helps to open the heart and mind to the present moment. Our guests are brought to a lovely elevated state and then the goaties are introduced and all hell and hilarity breaks loose. For those of you who have never experienced singing bowls, it gives you a little taste and for those who are already sound bowl enthusiasts, it’s a nice bit of healing vibration. Sound Bath Goat Yoga has been a winning combination and is now regularly scheduled on our calendar.

If you love sound bath and would like to enjoy a Sound Bath in the tipi without goats, there are several events presented by sound healer Leslee Penny that include sound healing. Please take a look at our Workshops & Events in the category of Spiritual Practice.

Shannon with goats — Shannon getting some goat love.

Goat Yoga with Ava

April 26, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

Ava is one of those women who seems to have the secret to eternal youth. She has the energy of a teenager and the enthusiasm of a child with a ticket to Disneyland. Only Ava does not keep her secret very well. She shares it openly that it is her spirituality that is the source of all her glow and gusto.

When Ava Marino came to Mad Lavender Farm in 2015 to teach our first season of goat yoga she set the gold standard for goat yoga on our farm. Every single person who arrives is warmly welcomed and introduced to the amenities available to them. She makes sure that she is aware of everybody’s skill level in yoga and if there are birthdays being celebrated, she recognizes them in a special way. Ava knows that the real stars of the show are the goats. The goats provide the laughs and the love and she insures that all of our guests have ample interaction with them. And lots of photos! Private Goat Yoga Parties and Bachelorette Parties are Ava’s forte and our guests always have a truly unforgettable experience.

I feel so lucky to know Ava and have the benefit of her inimitable energy, warmth and intelligence to help grow our venue. There is nobody like Ava. Fortunately, her methods and standards are eminently teachable – and so that’s the way we do Goat Yoga on Mad Lavender Farm!

Love Pose — Bachelorette Goat Yoga Party in the LOVE pose.

Innovative Yoga with Jenn Stas – Live Wild & Free

April 16, 2021 by Adrienne Crombie Leave a Comment

When people ask, “How did you get the idea to do Goat Yoga?” the short answer is, “Jenn Stas.”

I first met Jenn in 2015 when she signed up for a Tarot workshop that I was teaching on the farm in our tipi. We got to chatting and Jenn let me know that she was a yoga instructor and founder of Wildflower Sup Yoga. She noticed that we had a couple of Dwarf Nigerian goats and asked me if I’d consider offering goat yoga classes. I had no idea what she was talking about. Jenn showed me a You Tube video of a goat yoga session and it looked like massive fun. So I said yes, by all means, I think we should do that. Goat Yoga has been a major attraction at Mad Lavender Farm ever since.

It is so fitting that Jenn Stas introduced Goat Yoga to Mad Lavender Farm. Jenn always injects a bit of playfulness into her yoga practice and so the unpredictable high jinks that ensue when goats are brought onto the mats are well within her comfort zone. She delights in their antics and has innovated postures and sequences inspired by the goat’s natural instinct to jump, cuddle and play. My favorite is Daisy Goat Bridge.

This season Jenn is offering Partner Goat Yoga, an adventure on so many levels, Restorative Baby Goat Yoga, aka goat cuddle yoga, and Lavender Yoga, which takes place in the lavender field in full bloom and does not include goats. All are highly recommended. You will be in the hands of a master with the heart of a child. Have fun!