My first exposure to herbs was soon after moving to Montana at age 12 when my mother came down with pneumonia. She took echinacea as part of her healing process, and so my young curiosity was struck.
I spent the early years of my career doing retail management, marketing, event coordination. However, feeling a sense of longing to find my true “calling,” in 2004 I left my corporate job to go work as the manager of a small alternative bookstore called Barjon’s. It was at this store that my interest in herbalism really blossomed.
Having studied energetic and shamanic healing systems for many years, I found myself now very interested in the more bio-physical application of plants. This propelled me to the independent of study of Chinese medicine and herbs. In 2010 I took over ownership of Barjon’s and shifted its focus onto being a formal apothecary.
Soon thereafter I attended my first formal herbal training at a week long seminar at the Shang Shung Institute for Tibetan Medicine. Although I have great love for the Tibetan system of healing, my desire to not be limited to one particular tradition of herbalism propelled me to pursue a more universal approach. This led me to East West School of Planetary Herbology in 2012.
Upon attending my first seminar that spring, my expectations were far more than exceeded. Having my roots as an energy healer I was delighted to learn that both Michael and Lesley Tierra were not only clinical practitioners, but true healers in the deepest shamanic sense of the word. I felt truly at home.
My clinical practice has evolved and grown very organically over the past several years.
Outside of work and study, I currently spend a great deal of time teaching meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, as well as practicing martial arts, songwriting, singing, and spending time with my two wonderful children.
I am looking forward to implementing an herbal tonic tea room into my existing apothecary in early 2014, as well as teaching more classes and workshops. My goal is to do more research and education in the area of “so-called” incurables such as HIV and hepatitis C.
I feel very honored to study under the guidance of such an amazing faculty at East West!
Please feel free to visit my website at www.barjons.com