Below are some examples of popular workshops. This list is not exhaustive, but it is meant to provide samples of the kinds of workshops & classes that Yervika offers.

• The Importance of Herbs for Garden Ecosystems: Herbs have many virtues for garden ecosystems, and need to be understood as integral to garden spaces. As such, incorporating herbs into new and old garden spaces should be done consciously and intentionally. This workshop explores the virtues of herbs for garden ecosystems, and engages participants in a discussion about specific herbs’ virtues for edible crops, for soil, for insects, and for the garden’s human tenders.

• Planting Medicinal & Culinary Herbs in a Garden Ecosystem: In this workshop, we come together to plan and plant herbs that have medicinal and culinary purposes in a garden. We first discuss the properties of each herb that we wish to plant, and subsequently plant each herb in the garden so that the herbs maximally benefit the garden and the community that tends to it. 

• The Sensory & Therapeutic Herb Garden: Herbs have the potential to activate our multiple senses in ways that make us feel more alive and connected to our surroundings. In this workshop, we explore the sensory virtues of herbs, focusing in on lavender and rosemary, two herbs that thrive in Mediterranean climates like the Bay Area and that live abundantly around us. If supplies & abilities permit, participants will make lavender sachets to take home. 

• Creating your own kitchen herb container mini-garden: The benefits of having your own kitchen herb container are endless, and they are very easy to create. In this workshop, we will discuss the main kitchen herbs that can grow well on a balcony, as well as their various and multiple uses including in food, tea, and more. As an extension, we can create a kitchen herb container together for one participant to take home, or, if participants would like to purchase materials beforehand, we can make kitchen herb containers together for each participant to then take home.

• Sephardic Herbalism: An Introduction to Herbs used in Jewish SWANA Traditions: There is a rich history in Sephardi culture of using herbs for medicinal, spiritual, and culinary purposes. Sephardic Jews/Jews of the SWANA region used herbs to protect against the evil eye, to appease the spirits, to bring good luck & good fortune, to flavor food, and to address maladies of physical, emotional, and spiritual natures. This workshop is about how Jews of SWANA lands use(d) herbs for various purposes, including to address spiritual & physical ailments. Participants make bulsikas or herbal amulets to take home with them, and receive a written resource on herbs used in Jewish SWANA traditions.

• Medicinal Flowers: Herbal Oil Making: Many flowers have medicinal virtues. Some of the most commonly used flowers in garden ecosystems—marigolds—are beneficial for the skin. This workshop explores the medicinal flower calendula, also known as “pot marigold.” Together we dive into the uses of calendula, when and how it grows, and its benefits both for other plants in the garden and for the humans who tend it. We cover best practices for harvesting & drying this flower, and we learn how to make an herbal oil which is one of the simplest forms of medicine making. 

• Plants for Body Aches: An Introduction to Salves: Many of us experience pain in our bodies, either due to leading sedentary lifestyles, various types of arthritis, or other long-standing injuries. There are herbs that can help soothe this body pain, and we can even make our own concoctions for this purpose! This workshop goes into a few herbs that are helpful to address body aches, we will learn what an herbal salve is, and we’ll make our very own together. Each participant will have a small sample to take home with them. *Note: this workshop requires access to a stovetop burner.

• Tea Blending Workshop: Did you know it is very easy to make your own delicious and nutritive tea using the herbs from your own garden? This workshop explores common low-risk herbs and ways in which they can bring more wellness and wholeness into our lives. We will discuss best practices for drying and harvesting herbs, and participants will make their own herbal tea blends to take home. 

• Herbs for Managing Stress & Regulating the Nervous System: There is more than enough in this world to make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. Fortunately, there are herbs that can help us better manage stress and help us regulate our nervous systems when we need it. We will learn about specific herbs for managing stress and regulating the nervous system, and make our own tea blends with the herbs we learn about. Participants will receive our online guide to herbs for the nervous system & stress resilience, and they will also get to take home their own tea blends to enjoy whenever they want!

• Herb Harvesting & Herb Drying Workshop: Many people have an abundance of herbs in their gardens that they don’t know what to do with. In this workshop, we discuss the best season for harvesting specific herbs, as well as harvesting ethics and techniques that will do the least damage to the plants. We talk about the importance of reciprocity with herbs, and why harvesting intentionally matters so much to the herb’s health as well as to the medicinal benefits that the herb provides. We then discuss the multiple techniques of drying herbs and talk about best practices for storage. This workshop is great to do hands on in a garden from June-October. It can also be split up into two consecutive workshops (harvesting as the first workshop, drying as the second).

• Natural Skin Care Workshop: This workshop dives into some simple recipes for natural skin care. It covers oils, salves, and maybe lotions. In this workshop, we discuss how and why most skin care products are harmful to our health, including our hormonal health, and we dive into some herbs that can be easily made into products that help to keep our skin healthy and vibrant.

• Medicine making workshop: This workshop focuses on the various forms of medicine that can be made with herbs, including oils, salves, tinctures, oxymels, syrups, vinegars, and more. The workshop can either be a sampler workshop where we discuss these various forms and subsequently make one or two, or the workshop can center on one form of medicine that we discuss in detail and then make. The latter would be a deeper dive.

• Workshop on a specific group of herbs: This workshop focuses on a specific group of herbs that is typically supportive of one body system. These include herbs for the digestive system, for the immune system, for the nervous system, for immune health, herbs for skin health, and more. It typically includes making medicine with one or more of the herbs we discuss.

• Wellness workshop: any of the above workshops are great for wellness retreats and events, including professional development days for teachers and school professionals