Welcome to another Spotlight on Aromatherapy featuring Hana Tisserand! Hana is the Chief of Operations and Communications at the renowned Tisserand Institute where she is also an educator, course moderator and key content creator. Hailing from Prague, Hana and brings a strong background in French and English translation and interpretation as a professional interpreter working with politicians, authors, and educators. I reached out to Hana soon after watching a webinar she gave for the...

Happy spring equinox~Spring is “champing at the bit”! Water, associated with intuition, is rising and running, sap is flowing in the Maple trees. Birds are coming home, and the soil slowly awakens. There may even be some eagerness in the air that goes along with “Spring Awakening”. What better way to honor Spring’s burgeoning energy than muse about sensuality and living through the senses? Get out your bottle of Ylang ylang essential oil, make a cup of Jasmine tea and spend a few minutes with...

What does Jasmine sound like? What about Frankincense or Vetiver? Get your essential oils, and brew up some Vetiver tea, Jasmine tea and prepare some Frankincense water and sit for a spell to discover the sounds of these aromatics with Yuliana Kireyeva, an accomplished choir conductor, classical vocalist and certified aromatherapist. Yuliana translates scents to music notes, what she calls Olfactory-Auditory Congruence. I cannot fully articulate how moved I have been by these pieces and...

Greetings on New Moon time! Welcome back to Luna Aroma, an invitation to explore moontime through observations, guided aromatic encounters and poetry.  This is still a quiet time of year in the Nothern hemisphere, when the days are getting longer but cold and barrenness still blanket the Earth.  We're in the realm of Hunger moontime as the sun ever so slowly awakens the soil and stirs hibernating animals we may seek more activity, more sun and fester impatience. Yet we must slow down and...

A rose, is a rose, is a rose, is a…rose. Mused the legendary Gertrude Stein. How does one go about knowing a rose or any other aromatic plant for that matter? Through the poetry of Gabriel Mojay! Join us during this poetry-inspired hour to immerse yourself in Rose’s history and therapeutics through verse.  This hour starts off with Gabriel’s insights on the pharmaco-energetics of diffusion aromatherapy! Pharmaco-what? Pharma-co YES! Get out your pencil and notepad as he shares wisdom about...

Healing for Unemotional wrecks. Who can help us understand what an unemotional wreck is and how to transform such a state into fulfillment?  Introducing: Melissa Holman! The founder of Lemon Balm Coaching and Master Transformational Coach who helps people rediscover emotions that have been stuffed away for so long that emotions and pain are foreign to them. That's right, rediscover. Sometimes it seems easier to shove everything away and plow ahead. Until something shifts in life that forces...

Welcome to Luna Aroma. A lunar-inspired way to work with and learn about aromatic plants and their essential oils. We get out of the books and turn to direct experience. It is here that we enter moontime, learning by observing nature's rhythms as demarcated by new and full moons.  Experience, Notice, Observe, let me be your guide.  Each episode is created and shared near each new moon, which provides a reference point and rhythmic structure to the ebb and flow of this aromatic journey. Why...

Tea. What comes to mind when you read that word? Family farms? A gorgeous experience? Quality ingredients? This episode highlights one of the first trained tea sommeliers in the United States: Gabrielle Jammal, also known as "the Tea Lady". Once you spend time with Gabrielle you may never look at bagged tea the same way as she removes the "veil on the tea world"! Gabrielle is a tea sommelier who took tea tasting and experiences to new heights by creating a tea program at the esteemed...

This episode features the wonderful Nikki Fraser, Co-Founder of the Essentria Aromatherapy School. Join us as we have a blast delving into topics like aromatherapy schools, "aromatic lifestyle," and learning from mistakes.  (Pssst: listen to the episode for a special discount on certification classes at Essentria Aromatherapy School!) Nikki is a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, Certified Aromatherapist Health Practitioner, co-founder of the Essentria Aromatherapy School and past education...

Greetings friends! Welcome to the divine alchemy of Lopa Visaveliya, a subconscious seamstress and multidimensional healer whose breadth and depth of practice help open doors to subconscious and conscious healing. Do I have your attention? Yes, let's open the doors to perception and healing... With a master’s degree in early childhood education and over 10 years of teaching experience Lopa decided the Earth is her classroom and she may continue helping others thrive outside a classroom...

Greetings friends of Essential Aromatica! I'm pleased to introduce Liz Hill, the host of the Spiritually Speaking with Liz podcast and proprietor of Karma Ripon, a store that draws you in and makes you feel like you belong because you intuitively know something is there for you. Join us for banter about the number 22, paying attention (!) and getting into the intricacies of Aromatherapy. Liz shares her journey of how she came into the practice and studied with the esteemed Shirley Price. We...

One of my goals as an aromatherapist is demystifying aromatherapy and making it accessible. Years ago, upon moving to NYC, I felt incredibly disconnected and literally ungrounded. This episode is inspired by an upcoming community class I am giving at P&T Knitwear in NYC's Lower East Side. The class, and therefore this episode, is inspired by my journey, professional experience and bolstered by 3 books purchased from P&T Knitwear (listen to the episode to learn which books!). Here's...

How can odors, aromas and scents transform and empower us? Join Makeba Lloyd, founder and formulator of her NYC Harlem-based company of Butter by Keba to find out! Her journey from the NYC real estate market to founding her own company is one of transformation and intention that started in 2005 during a trip to Egypt. Never looking back, this trip reinforced a longing for her to empower and “bring people together through fragrance”. This goal goes beyond the notion of perfume and into helping...

What do Saffron, "Sunset Cocktails", Saint George's Common Table and P&T Knitwear have in common and anything to do with aromatherapy? A lot! This episode highlights community connection with threads of the ephemeral & aromatic Saffron weaving things together. Saffron, one of the worlds priciest aromatic spices is incredibly water soluble and not a common botanical hanging out in an aromatherapists bag of tricks...or so one might think.  Join me during this episode recorded at...

Join Clare Licher of PhiBee Aromatics to revel in the passion, practice, expertise and distillation-know-how of native plants of the Southwestern United States. This episode is a deep reminder of the time, patience and great care it takes to wild harvest and distill plants, and how this expansive practice is a continual reminder how "plants make the world bigger than us", much bigger.   Look forward to hearing Clare expound upon the following topics during this episode: The implications...

How does an Aroma-technologist and Hatha yoga meditator and practitioner approach the business and practice of farming and distilling? This episode explores such questions (and more!) with Krishana Chaitanya of Nisarga Farms. This episode celebrates the work and philosophy of Nisarga farms, which includes attention to soil, plants, farmers, harvesters, distillers and beyond.  We contemplate: The meanings of "holism" and "organic" on a high level and related to essential oils up to the...

What lessons do Alchemy and other Arts offer us for working with the Divine? Is the Divine within and without us? The DIVINE, you say?! Indeed. We mere mortals have been pursuing the mastery of several arts for centuries to attempt working with the Divine, often failing to "see the forest for the trees". Failing to see how the Divine is everywhere, including within us and how that Divine may be touched & illuminated (!) through mind-set and physical pursuits while acknowledging we mortals...

As a saying goes: "You only have one attention." Indeed! This episode focuses on the practice of Attunement in herbalism and aromatherapy. Quite frankly, the practice may be applied to anything when you think about it. Tune-in (pun intended!) and muse about "PIGGS" (as related to Attunement: P="Perceive", I="Imperceive"....) and Saint George's soup featuring Oregano, Bay laurel and Cumin.  I find it fun how a lot can come from soup making, cooking with herbs and more. Are life's lessons...

Can the power of plants transform everyday experiences? Does healing and transformation emerge from listening and bringing joy? Join Carolyn Jones to find out during this "Spotlight" Episode. Carolyn is a Chaplin, Grief Counselor, Author, Aromatherapist, Herbalist and Dream Therapist who is a firm believer in the healing power of self-care. Self-care includes a lot of things, which are shared during this podcast episode and highlighted in her Webinar Series called the Healing Project. This...

Imagine your sense smell impacting your entire sense of being. It happens every day. Something magical happens when the chemical sense of smell mixes with our own chemistry. That power of olfaction married with vibrant essential oils is harnessed by Bioesse Technologies and Breatherapy Tabs. This episode highlights Aaron Theno, a professional vocalist and the Vice president and Chief Aromatherapist of Bioesse Technologies and Breatherapy Tabs. Aaron's diverse background in arts and business...

Autumn is the time of falling leaves, cooler and shorter nights and the final time to harvest. We've planned and worked hard all year. Now the time is upon us to rest and contemplate the cyclicality of nature, including life itself. This episode looks at the intersection of liminal spaces, root medicine such as Vetiver and the death-life cycle. This is a magical time of year, but dancing with that magic takes gravity, like roots, which may support us while navigating "gaps" in life. Get your...

Does it only take one drop of oil to experience sudden change? Can Rose essential oil support a grieving heart? Join certified aromatherapist, Judith Guerra, and me as we delve into the vapors of working with and experiencing the impact of essential oils on the mind-body. Our conversation highlights topics ranging from mindful application of essential oils, staying curious, taking a time out, pain management and much more.  A born seeker, Judith was intrigued by what she saw and experienced...

Span the globe with certified aromatherapist, Jirbie Go based in Manila, Philippines. Also known as "Couch Wasabi", you'll find out that there is nothing "couch potato" about Jirbie's passion for aromatherapy education and plants. Her intense involvement in educating and integrating the aromatherapy community, including plant farmers and distillers, shines through: she is the country representative for the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (AIA) and founder of the Alliance of the...

This episode highlights Elizabeth Ruth of Herbology East and West's: Lotus, Lady and Verse. Join us as we get "into the stacks" and talk about plants, books and more books. What DOES it take to be a book worthy of reading? Of purchasing and putting on your shelf? Of going back to over and over again?* When I step back and think about our conversation a few words shine through: credibility and standards.  Elizabeth's extensive background as a Landscape designer and Librarian informs her...

As Lavender season comes to an end I found it's time to reflect upon the virtues of the many "Lavenders" out there. This episode is inspired by my recent class "The Lavenders", which celebrates the virtues of several of "The Lavenders": Lavandula angustifolia, Lavandula latifolia, Lavandula x intermedia with a shout out to Lavandula stoechas. One Lavender is not better than another, they all just are. Plants are beings expressing themselves, existing and adapting in the climate and location...