Join Santalena Groves, the founder of Heart Grown Wild, a local and organic plant-based natural skincare company, in this informative and fun class where she will guide you through simple and sustainable ways to clean your beauty routine. Brattleboro Food Co-op Kitchen Classroom, Canal St. entrance.  This class is free for all, but you must register, and soon – this class fills up quickly!: 802-246-2821 or Shareholders@BrattleboroFoodCoop.coop.

From Heart Grown Wild’s website:

SantaLena began her journey with plants at an early age. It wasn’t until she went off to school in Western North Carolina that she truly began her connection and presence to the outdoors- finding solace on a remote mountain top, sitting in front of a cascading waterfall, or wading over river rocks. As a social worker, this practice helped her to stay grounded and open. During her career in Social Work, she became passionate about helping others find alternative therapies and practices outside of a pharmaceutical pill, often incorporating movement and connection to the outdoors while serving others. Following her 200 hour yoga teacher training at Back Bay Yoga in Boston, MA- she attended an event in Somerville, MA called Herbstalk. Inspired by this community of nature lovers and healers- She reached out to members of the Herbal Academy. The director, graciously offered an opportunity to write for them- and it was at this time that she took their herbal course online. While writing blog posts for their website it was requested that she write up a holiday gift box. She crafted her very first batch of all natural, herbal, skincare products. The mindful, self-care practice of a hot bath, a face mask, or a scrub with plants felt so grounding and therapeutic. Creating beautiful skin rituals with the plants became habitual. This was the seed, and Heart Grown Wild grew from there. After completion of her Herbal Apprenticeship at The Gaia School of Healing in Vermont, diving deeper into the world of plant spirits she was inspired to create based off of her connection to the plants. Following her completion of this deeply moving course, SantaLena made a radical leap to devote the majority of her time to the plants and making Heart Grown Wild a full time reality.