Sky House Herbs

Ashley Elenbaas
  • 4.8 (28)
  • ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

Everywhere we go, we can find plant spirits. In this podcast, clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas invites us to discover the healing power of plants—not just their medicinal properties but their deeper wisdom and gifts. With respect and reverence, Ashley guides her listeners to be open to the teachings of these potent teachers. If you are looking for a holistic approach to healing that can help you achieve optimal health and well-being, then pop in for a listen.

  1. 5 Herbs for Focus and Calm During Overwhelm

    20H AGO

    5 Herbs for Focus and Calm During Overwhelm

    In this episode I share five of my favorite herbs for focus and calm, especially during seasons of overwhelm. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/EIozKcr_kbI  Before we talk about any plant, I begin with something essential. We have to know what calm actually feels like in our own body. If we are disconnected from our inner sense of peace, we may not recognize it when an herb gently nudges us there. Mindfulness is not separate from herbal medicine. It is the foundation that allows us to work with plants in a wise and embodied way. 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc  🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  In this video I explore: -Rhodiola for stress resilience and mental stamina -Lion's Mane for cognitive nourishment and memory support -Peppermint as a refreshing ally for mental clarity -Rosemary for uplifting focus and improved recall -Ginkgo biloba for circulation and memory support ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— These herbs are not cure alls. They are allies. When used consistently and with awareness, they can support clearer thinking, steadier attention, and a calmer nervous system. I also share simple and practical ways to incorporate these plants into your daily rhythm, along with reminders about patience. Many herbs reveal their gifts over time. Regular intake and mindful observation are key. If you are longing to deepen your relationship with herbal medicine beyond quick tips and single herbs, I invite you to join my herbal apprenticeship where we explore plant energetics, formulation, and embodied practice together.

    26 min
  2. Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #4

    1D AGO

    Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #4

    There is a kind of solace that arrives not as an answer, but as a deeper question. It finds us when we sit still enough to feel the weight of what we’re holding—the fear alongside the hope, the weariness next to the resilience. This fourth Gentle Friday is an invitation into that kind of spaciousness. Together, we arrive just as we are. We breathe into the quiet, we name the mixed-bag feelings in the chat (sad and soulful, curious and concerned, hopeful and heavy), and we remember that holding complexity is itself a sign of deep resilience. We explore the teaching that peace begins as an inside job, inspired by the vision of walking monks and their quiet procession across the country. Ashley offers a reading from David Whyte’s Consolations on the word solace—not as an escape, but as a way of asking the beautiful question in unbeautiful moments. We then turn to the plants, our faithful allies, for support. From the everyday ritual of chamomile tea to the nerve-repairing wisdom of ginkgo and the soothing, polysaccharide-rich infusion of marshmallow root and rose, we share the tangible ways we tend our own nervous systems. We practice a 478 breathing technique together, a simple tool for regulation. ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— The circle closes with two oracle cards—the Blackberry, reminding us of the fruit born when heart and mind align, and the Crone (Hecate), standing at the crossroads, listening for inner wisdom. This is a space for plant spirit support and community healing, a place to remember our sacred smallness and our profound connection. Pull up a chair. Pour a cup of tea. Let’s be still together. In this gathering: A centering silence and a collective pulse on how we're feeling A reading on "Solace" from David Whyte's Consolations Community-sourced care practices for the nervous system Plant wisdom: chamomile, lemon balm, ginkgo, milky oats, marshmallow root, and rose A 478 breathing practice for regulation Oracle readings: The Blackberry (heart-mind unity) and The Crone (inner guidance at the crossroads) 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc 🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/

    59 min
  3. Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #3 | Ashley Elenbaas

    5D AGO

    Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #3 | Ashley Elenbaas

    We gathered on a Friday not to escape, but to arrive. To let the churning settle. To name what we were carrying—exhaustion, anger, disorientation, hope—and in the naming, find we were not alone. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/AxwroMghnNw  This is the third Gentle Fridays gathering, recorded in February 2026 as the Saturn-Neptune conjunction reached its exact degree. I read from David Whyte’s Consolations on anger—not as surface violence but as the deepest form of care, the unwillingness to let what we love be diminished. I pulled a card from the Plant Speak deck, and the orchid arrived: that rootless bloom that receives everything it needs from light and air. A reminder that we too can receive from unseen channels, that we are here to funnel goodness back into the earth. ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— And then Mary Oliver closed us, as she always seems to, with the news that someone lingers, little by little becomes everything that makes the difference. If you are feeling the weight of this season—the exhaustion, the wanting to scream and shake things, the strange grief of watching old systems dissolve—this hour is for you. Not to fix. Just to hold, together. Find what you need to release. Find what you need to carry forward. Find the thread from my heart to yours. 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc 🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/

    51 min
  4. Five Core Herbs for Emotional Support in Times of Crisis

    FEB 9

    Five Core Herbs for Emotional Support in Times of Crisis

    In this episode, I share five core herbs I return to in times of crisis, emotional overwhelm, and uncertainty. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/cxzC43VUtpc  After the intensity of the past weeks, I wanted to offer something quieter and more grounding. This is not about fixing or pushing through. It is about returning to what helps us stay steady, present, and human. 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc  🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  I talk about five herbs I have lived with and trusted for many years, plants I reach for when my nervous system feels taxed, my heart feels tender, or my mind needs a little quiet. In this video, I explore • Chamomile for calming and settling the nervous system • Motherwort as support for the heart and courage • Lion’s mane for mental clarity and focus • Chocolate as nourishment and emotional support • Skullcap for quieting a busy or anxious mind ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— I also read a poem by Mary Oliver as a way to help us slow down, regulate our nervous systems, and find solace in the natural world. Poetry, like plants, can be a gentle doorway back into the body and into a sense of connection. If you are feeling tender or tired, I hope this episode feels like a soft place to land. Chapters: Five Core Herbs for Emotional Support in Times of Crisis | Ashley Elenbaas 0:00 Welcome 4:48 Poem 9:38 Herbs 15:56 Brain

    23 min
  5. Minnesota in Crisis: An Herbalists On the Ground Reflection

    FEB 2

    Minnesota in Crisis: An Herbalists On the Ground Reflection

    This week’s episode is not a normal herbal teaching. I am coming to you as a person living just outside of Minneapolis, as a clinical herbalist, and as someone feeling a lot right now. I feel upset, angry, overwhelmed, and also deeply grateful all at the same time. And I want to be honest that I cannot show up this week pretending everything is fine. In this video, I share an on the ground reflection on what is happening here in Minnesota, what people are experiencing, and how we can care for ourselves and each other in moments of crisis. In this episode, I talk about - What it feels like in Minnesota right now, and the heaviness many communities are carrying - How fear, grief, tension, and uncertainty affect the nervous system - The way herbalists and helpers show up and what they are doing right now - Why what is most needed right now is safety, connection, and support - Gentle grounding practices for nervous system regulation - How we can hold complexity, anger and tenderness, overwhelm and courage, justice and rest Sometimes the medicine is not a plant. Sometimes the medicine is simply being with one another. I also offer a few small ways to return to steadiness, including my Gentle Fridays, a free weekly gathering space. ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— Gentle Fridays - A Free Online Community Gathering hosted by Ashley Elenbaas https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/upcoming-events  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc  🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  Resources: Help Vulnerable Minnesotans Pay Rent: Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Rent Relief Fund https://www.givemn.org/story/Renter-Support-Fund Colectiva Bilingüe’s shared rent relief fund https://colectivabilingue.org/en/donate/  Sky Without Limits/Cielo San Limites https://secure.everyaction.com/rNRFm0SWNEKBhn_ntFnAsA2  Send Herbal Support to Pow Wow Grounds a Native-owned coffee shop gathering supplies for Linda Black Elk. Email Gina to coordinate your herbal donations:queenofair@aramsound.com

    35 min
  6. Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #2

    JAN 31

    Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #2

    Welcome to a space of quiet centering and shared breath. This is Gentle Fridays, a weekly gathering for rest and co-regulation—a practice rooted in the understanding that our nervous systems seek calm and connection, just as animals in a herd breathe together to find safety. In this session, we come together to acknowledge what we’re feeling, to place our ingredients on the table before making the soup. We read from David Whyte’s "Consolations" on the true meaning of maturity—the courage to inhabit the past, present, and future all at once. We pull a card from the Flower Speaks deck, receiving the message of the Daffodil and the power of concentrated thought. This is an invitation to build resilience, not as a sprint but as a marathon. It is for anyone seeking a nervous system regulation practice, plant spirit guidance, or simply a reflective community where all of your being is welcome. A reminder that in challenging times, we are skilled chefs in a shared kitchen, and together, we can make something nourishing. Featured in this session: A guided breathing and centering practice. A community check-in and shared reflection. A reading on "Maturity" from David Whyte's Consolations. Plant spirit insight from the Flower Speaks oracle deck (Daffodil). Shared wisdom from the community on practices for staying centered. Join the Sky House Community: Explore our herbal courses and garden gatherings: http://skyhouseherbs.com

    57 min
  7. Winter Robustness: Staying Steady in Challenging Times

    JAN 26

    Winter Robustness: Staying Steady in Challenging Times

    In this episode, I explore the idea of robustness—what it means to stay steady, rooted, and responsive in the face of challenge. From a seasonal and herbal perspective, robustness is a measure of health: not the absence of difficulty, but our capacity to meet life as it is without losing our center. Winter is a time that naturally asks us to slow down, turn inward, and build reserves. Drawing on lessons from nature and community, I reflect on how resilience is shaped through challenge, vulnerability, and connection rather than isolation or hardening. In this conversation, I talk about how robustness can be cultivated through simple practices, relationships, and plant medicine—especially during winter, when our systems need extra support. In this episode, I explore: - What robustness is and why it matters for mental and physical health - How resilience is built by meeting challenge rather than avoiding it - Lessons from nature about strength, adaptability, and seasonal cycles - Community and co-regulation as foundations of collective robustness - Quiet winter practices like candle gazing to help organize thoughts - Singing, humming, and vocal toning to calm the nervous system - Staying connected to nature as a source of steadiness and strength Herbal allies I discuss for supporting robustness and resilience include: - Licorice root – a deeply nourishing adaptogen for building reserves - Motherwort – a comforting herb for the heart during distress I also touch on nourishment beyond herbs, including sunflower oil, and how fats and oils support the skin, nervous system, and overall vitality during the colder months. This episode is an invitation to think about robustness not as pushing through or toughening up, but as the ability to remain present, connected, and supported—especially in times that feel uncertain or demanding. 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc  🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  JOIN the 2026 Year One Herbal Foundations Course - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/herbal-foundations-enrollment  Resources: Book: “Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words” By David Whyte: https://amzn.to/4bgYC7s  Join Us Each Week for “Gentle Fridays:Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times” live ZOOM gatherings on Fridays at 12 pm EST https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/upcoming-events  Bear Medicines from “Why Am I So Cold” https://youtu.be/MPtY8fYaDd8?si=nlGoppI7cF-UYI3l  ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram ———— Chapters: Winter Robustness: Staying Steady in Challenging Times 00:00 Intro 00:40 Robustness 02:15 Reading 06:40 Reflection 07:56 Trees 09:40 Redwoods 11:40 Community 13:05 Practices 13:20 Candle 14:55 Humming 16:10 Oiling 17:20 Adaptogens 18:40 Nervines 19:40 Motherwort 21:00 Licorice 22:10 Closing

    26 min
  8. Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #1

    JAN 24

    Gentle Fridays: Plant Spirit Support for Changing Times #1

    Sometimes, the world asks us to hold more than we thought possible. In these changing times, how do we stay rooted, regulated, and connected to our own sense of strength? Welcome to Gentle Fridays. This is a space of quiet gathering, a co-regulatory container for our collective nervous systems. Together, we practice the ancient, mammalian art of finding calm alongside others—through breath, shared silence, and honest check-ins. In this first session, we explore the concept of robustness—the health found in meeting the world with a vulnerable and firm presence. We share simple, grounding practices for daily life: vocal toning for release, candle gazing for a wandering mind, and the protective ritual of body oiling. We also discuss plant allies like motherwort for the heart, passionflower for the unraveling grip, and the elemental medicine of sea salt. We close with a message from the plant spirits, drawing the Sunflower card—a reminder that true leadership and radiance begin within, especially when we feel our light is dim. Join me, Ashley Elenbaas, a clinical herbalist, as we tend to the body, mind, and spirit through plant medicine and shared humanity. This is a practice of resilience, a return to the quiet center from which we can rejoin the fray. In this episode, we explore: The science and soul of co-regulation and nervous system support. Grounding practices for overwhelm: toning, candle gazing (trataka), and body oiling. Herbal allies for the moment: motherwort, passionflower, and sea salt. A community check-in and a plant spirit reading for collective insight. Resources: The book referenced is Consolations by David Whyte. Learn more about my work at Sky House Herb School: http://skyhouseherbs.com/  If this space offered you solace or strength, please subscribe. New episodes arrive each Monday on the main podcast. May you carry a sense of robustness and gentle connection into your week. 🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://bit.ly/4iRnpyX 🎫 Upcoming Events - https://tinyurl.com/3y4xp6kc  🔗 Sky House Herb Website - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  ————  MY ONLINE COURSES 🌱🌝 Roots & Spheres Class: https://bit.ly/RootsAndSpheres  🌿Herbal Foundations Apprenticeship: https://bit.ly/HerbalProgram

    59 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
28 Ratings

About

Everywhere we go, we can find plant spirits. In this podcast, clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas invites us to discover the healing power of plants—not just their medicinal properties but their deeper wisdom and gifts. With respect and reverence, Ashley guides her listeners to be open to the teachings of these potent teachers. If you are looking for a holistic approach to healing that can help you achieve optimal health and well-being, then pop in for a listen.

Information

  • Creator
    Ashley Elenbaas
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    252
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ashley Elenbaas
  • Show Website
    Sky House Herbs

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