Herbalism in the Blue Ridge: The Wise Woman & Her Heart Retreat

Herbalism in the Blue Ridge is a three-day wellness retreat for women in perimenopause, menopause, and the post-menopausal years, held at Heirloom Springs in Monroe, Virginia. It is led by master herbalist and author Kat Maier, whose work in Energetic Herbalism shapes the weekend. This year's focus is the wise woman and her heart, set within an Ayurvedic and energetic reading of this stage of life.

What to Expect

The weekend begins on Friday at 2pm and ends Sunday at 1pm. Days follow a steady rhythm of learning, movement, and meals on a working farm.

Friday opens with an interactive farm tour, where you meet the herbs and the animals, followed by welcome refreshments made with farm herbs. The first workshop, Energetics of Menopause, looks at constitution and the Ayurvedic doshas as a way of reading your inner landscape, beyond simply raising or lowering hormones. A nature walk leads to an outdoor yoga class, and dinner is served outdoors under the stars.

Saturday starts with coffee, a light breakfast, and a morning hike, then a Pilates mat class in the barn focused on osteoporosis, pelvic floor, and the nervous system. The second workshop takes up specific challenges, including bone density, hot flashes, and hormone replacement therapy, with time for questions. After lunch there is a garden stroll to identify herbs in their living context, then a medicine-making session where you craft a tea blend and a tincture and weigh the pros and cons of capsules, vinegars, and calcium extractions. The evening brings restorative yoga, happy hour featuring farm-foraged herbs (with mocktails available), dinner, and a fire ceremony, Vision of Aging and the Wise Woman.

Sunday follows with a hike and a second Pilates class, this one on post-menopause, nervous system, and longevity. The final workshop, Going Forward with Grace, covers plant allies for anxiety, sleep, and depression and returns to the stories shared at the fire. Reflection time on the farm and a brunch featuring the Heirloom Springs signature quiche close the weekend.

The heart theme also brings in the heart as an organ of perception, tools for heart-centered living, and herbs that support heart and cardiovascular function. Blood pressure, cholesterol, and circulation are discussed with respect for medications and a preventive lens.

About Kat Maier

Kat Maier RH (AHG) is founder and director of Sacred Plant Traditions, a center for herbal studies in Charlottesville, Virginia. She has been in clinical practice for over 30 years and teaches internationally at universities, conferences, and herbal schools. Many of the clinical herbalists she has trained have gone on to start their own schools, apothecaries, or practices. She is coauthor of Bush Medicine of San Salvador Island, Bahamas, and served as president of United Plant Savers, receiving the organization's first Medicinal Plant Conservation Award.

The Setting

Meals are farm-to-table, prepared with seasonal and farm-grown ingredients, and often served outdoors. Lodging is at the Elston Inn on the Sweet Briar College campus, and a custom Heirloom Springs toiletry kit waits in your room on arrival.

Before You Go

The retreat is open to all levels, from women who have never worked with an herb to experienced home herbalists. Yoga and Pilates are offered at a mat level, and the only request is that you arrive open to the material. The retreat is taught in English.

The retreat is fully all-inclusive: accommodation, all meals, four workshops including the medicine-making session, hikes, Pilates, outdoor and restorative yoga, the farm tour, the garden stroll, and the fire ceremony. Spots are limited.

You will leave with a working knowledge of plants that support women at this stage, recipes for your own kitchen, and herbal preparations you made yourself.