Rachel Bull
Certified Clinical Herbalist & Flower Essence Practitioner
Welcome to Rhythmic Healing! I am your herbalist, Rachel (she/her) and I am glad that you’re here.
I was first introduced to the art of herbalism during a comprehensive internship at Three Leaf Farm in Lafayette, Colorado. There, my desire to learn more about plant medicine and the healers that carry on this tradition expanded greatly. I grew up in the world of allopathic medicine, but have since learned how to incorporate the wisdom of the body and the intuition of the earth as a vital & alternative path to healing. I am constantly in pursuit of accessible, effective, and ethical health and wellness for those in my community.
While every body is unique, I believe there is something out there for everyone when it comes to plant medicine. My passion is working with folks to find a rhythm of healing that feels best to them and their body using herbs, nutrition, flower essences, movement, lifestyle changes and vitalist practices to bring the body back into balance. I love incorporating herbs into my skincare routine, garden, cleaning supplies, cooking, and baking (most often in a loaf of sourdough).
The plants are my greatest educators, however, I received my formal herbal education from the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism where I became a Certified Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner. I also hold a certificate in the fundamentals of medical herbalism and advanced herbalism.
In addition to working with clients one on one, I am an herbalist at the Little Herbal Apothecary in downtown Lafayette and sell tea blends and herbal salts for Salt & Bread Co in Longmont.
Practicing Vitalism
The herbal lineage that I studied under was western herbalism with an emphasis on vitalist traditions. Vitalism is the foundation of my practice.
So what is it?
It is the understanding that there is a vital power that lives within all of us, made up of the four elements: earth, fire, water, and air. The elements work in harmony or disharmony with one another which creates a unique expression of vitality from person to person.
Each tradition calls this force something different. In Western Herbalism it’s the Vital Force; in Chinese Medicine it’s Qi/Chi; in Ayurveda it’s Prana; for some it’s the Spirit. No matter what term resonates most with you, your vitality is alive and always working to bring your body back to its baseline and into balance. Even when disease, pain, or unwelcome symptoms arise, your vitality is showing its face and inviting you to pay attention because it knows how to protect you. When we allow our body to express its vitality in this way, we welcome resilience and strength for our next phase of healing.
It is about awaking the power that is already within.
There are various ways of addressing vitality. It is a wholistic approach that involves looking at diet, lifestyle, movement, relationships, mood, etc. that include physical, emotional, environmental, and spiritual aspects.
Vitalist Therapeutics May Include
>> Hot and cold therapy
>> Meditation
>> Prayer & Spiritual Connection
>> Ceremony & Ritual
>> Watch the sunrise & sunset
>> Breathe deeply
>> Burst exercise
>> Walk outside
>> Drink water upon waking
>> Progressive muscle relaxation
>> Ample sleep
>> Eat nourishing foods
why rhythmic healing?
A few years ago, once the new year rolled around, I spent some time reflecting on the upcoming year. After mulling over what I wanted the year ahead to encompass, I landed on the phrase “healing rhythms”. My desire was to approach the new year with an expectancy of nailing down some rhythms of healing that felt good and accessible to me and my body. So I tried things, some stuck, some didn’t. I relearned and unlearned habits and ways of nourishing myself. I integrated vitalist practices that felt accessible and I filled my apothecary with herbs that I got to play with. Over time, I landed on some rhythms that felt budget friendly, authentic, and comfortable. And I know full well that what I practice now will change in the future as we are ever evolving beings whose needs continuously change as we age and grow. In the midst of all of this, I became keenly aware that what works for me will not work for everyone. This birthed in me a desire to walk alongside people to find what does in fact work for them, a rhythm of healing that is supportive and attainable.
That’s the first layer of what this name means to me. Peel it back a little further and what’s there is a desire to align with the natural and authentic rhythms that the earth cycles through. Our earth is full of them! There’s the rhythms of the moon, the seasons, the waves in the ocean, the circadian rhythm, the cycle of life & death. Rhythm is in our bones, the way music reverberates through our bodies as if it is reminding us of our ever cosmic and connected divinity. My goal is to reconnect us back to these rhythms of the earth: adjusting the way we nourish ourselves, our patterns of sleep, what herbs we utilize based on the seasons & aligning the way we consider our goals and what we want to manifest and call forth based on the phases of the moon.
On a practical level, in our day to day lives, we are constantly settling into rhythms and routines. Sometimes they serve our higher purpose, sometimes they don’t. Vices or not, they are there because we are creatures of habit, committed to safety and harmony. At Rhythmic Healing, my intention is to walk with folks on their journey back to health, rediscovering and settling into a healing rhythm that jives with them and their lifestyle. Each body is unique therefore a healing protocol is going to be unique as well.