Gather

10/24/2018

Contact me for details!
If you have limited experience working with folks, and you'd like get involved, contact me anyway! This could be a great opportunity. ❤️

09/17/2018

Sept 28th we will discuss reclaiming our fertility, natural birth control methods for achieving and preventing pregnancy, as well as the racist history of birth control, pregnancy and birth in the US. Class is at Gather from 5-8pm $30. See you then!

09/09/2018

This Thursday at come learn what it means to be an ally for POC. Racial justice work is complex and multifaceted. There are certain spaces where white allies need to work through our privilege with other white allies. If we're going to be true allies, we need to do our own work and not assume others will carry it for us. ✨

09/09/2018

Am i caring for myself in a way that’s helpful? Or am i caring for myself in a way that I’ve been told is what’s best for me? We can be our own experts of our bodies. As people with wombs, we have an incredible guide to ourselves in the menstrual cycle. This class is an invitation to a deeper understanding of our cycles and our fertility through direct engagement. Fertility awareness is a method of tracking and interpreting our cycles to prevent or achieve pregnancy as well as to gain “body literacy” (the self-knowledge received from observing scientifically proven signs of fertility and infertility.) This class will introduce you to the Justisse Method of Fertility Awareness and how to use this method for natural birth control or to increase your chances of conception or to simply know thyself better. The Justisse Method uses cervical mucus/fluid observations along with basal body temperature to determine times of infertility and fertility. We will review the fantastic workings of our bodies throughout the menstrual cycle, learn the signs of fertility and infertility, and discuss why the menstrual cycle is the 5th vital sign of our bodies.
This class will help you answer questions like: What’s this white stuff in my underwear? Can I get pregnant at any time? How do I know I’m ovulating? Where’s my period? Is this the rhythm method (no, is the answer)? What’s the cervix do anyway? Why didn’t I know this before?! Fertility awareness can be relevant to your life regardless of your current birth control method, partnership status, sexual orientation, or gender identity. We will leave this class with a new understanding and appreciation for our fertility as a part of the health of our whole body. $30

08/23/2018

Every little bit helps! We re getting closer to what we need for our low-cost clinic! Please consider donating and sharing :) thank you!! ❤️

Gather is a Community Herbal Clinic, and classroom. Our Clinic is designed as an accessible resource for people on a budget and as a stepping stone for people interested in learning how herbal medicine can support their health and well-being. We believe that true healing comes from treating peopl...

08/15/2018

Dear Community,

It’s been a little over two years since we opened Gather. My vision was to provide affordable access to plant medicine, a safe, heart-centered place to come and speak with an herbalist about health concerns, have a nourishing cup of tea in an inspired space, affordable wellness education, and to be a container for collaboration and community. These visions, and so much more came beautifully into fruition, and only because of the vibrant people on this island. My gratitude for what has been created is so much bigger than I can express.

Over the past few months, I have been contemplating the best direction to take Gather in order to strengthen the roots of why we opened in the first place: Community Herbalism. My intention was always to have the Tea Bar as well as the herbal clinic but the reality is that with limited time, resources, and people, the cost of providing the Tea Bar has increasingly hampered the growth and flexibility of Gather as a herbal clinic. When I take into account the needs of my family, and how much energy I actually have in me for plans to serve food and continue the Tea Bar, it becomes clear that the best move would be to simplify. So, after quite a lot of re-visioning, I have decided to close the Tea Bar and retail part of Gather. This shift will allow me to focus on what I do best, and where my heart is: my work as a Community Herbalist.

Beginning Sept 1st, we will be residing solely on the studio side of Gather. Much will stay the same, but many things will be different. We are in the process of putting together an inviting herbal consultation/clinic room for private appointments only, and will be open once a week for a walk-in, low-cost, community clinic. Newport Community Yoga, and herb classes will continue, as well as community events. We will have even more offerings in our treatment room, and a self-serve tea station will be available instead of the bar. We plan on continuing to serve our teas and elixirs, and selling our handmade herbal products out in the community as a pop-up shop.

I have poured my whole heart into Gather and it’s time for these necessary shifts to make a greater impact, and improve the quality of our offerings. I look forward to this transition, and am excited for what’s to come!

In gratitude,

Sarah Berkman, Community Herbalist

08/01/2018

Body Systems-An Herbal Approach this Sat!
Aug 4 9am-12pm
The Respritory System
This is an introductory course on the functions of the human body including the actions of herbs specific for each body system, preventative care, and basic herbal therapeutics.

This class will cover how to nourish each body system with preventative care, and medicinal plants. Each month we will study a different organ system, followed by a discussion of primary herbs and relevant therapeutic approaches for that system. This will give you a basic understanding of the possibilities offered by herbal medicine by maintaining health of the various body systems.

This course consists of two main fields of study:

Materia Medica: A beginning study of the properties and actions of specific herbs, how they work in the body, and how they they are used . Every month students will be given homework assignments and samples of herbs to experience directly.

Therapeutics:
We will cover basic treatment approaches for specific conditions. After learning how the body works and how individual herbs affect the body, we will bring the knowledge together to view how herbs can be used to re-establish balance in conditions such as colds and flu, indigestion, and chronic stress. Approaches to preventing disease by maintaining health will be discussed.

Drop ins are open! $30

07/30/2018

Gather