Calluna Holistic
Health
Heather Lynne Newman BA, D. Phyt, CYT
Medical Herbalist, Yoga teacher, Reiki Master
Heather Lynne Newman BA, D. Phyt, CYT
Medical Herbalist, Yoga teacher, Reiki Master
Heather is a matchmaker between people and plants. Every herbal protocol she develops is uniquely built for the individual before her.
She saw the limits of generalized medicine from an early age, and she spent years looking for a more compassionate model of care. Herbalism was an obvious choice: it empowers the individual and offers the tailored approach she had been seeking.
Heather began working in holistic health and supplements around 2005. This led her to pursue both formal and informal education to integrate therapies for the body, mind, and spirit.
In 2011, She graduated with distinction from Concordia University where she majored in Specialization Psychology. And in 2016, She graduated with the highest honours from Pacific Rim College’s Phytotherapy program. She has also earned certification as a Yoga teacher and received training in Ayurvedic, energetic, craniosacral, and other therapies.
Heather is happy to serve the public as an educator, instructor, and holistic health practitioner.
Photo credit: Alexis Hennig
Natural Medicine
Natural Medicine
As a child, I was always cooking or making some other kind of potion. Today I am blessed to be making herbal medicines professionally, and I never did stop cooking.
In 2005, I began working at the Pointe-Claire Holistic Centre where I first became acquainted with the field of natural medicine. There I learned about plant medicine, homeopathy, supplements, nutrition, cooking, and yoga. I spent a few years managing the Centre and writing articles about healthy living.
I chose to study the mind, beginning university with a major in Linguistics and completing a second major specialization in Psychology. My focus was on language processing and behavioural neurobiology. After graduating with distinction from Concordia University in 2011, I came to Vancouver for its majestic natural beauty. I began to work for a medical herbalist and was inspired to return to the path of natural medicine.
I left Vancouver in 2013 to study botanical medicine at Pacific Rim College, which offered one of the most comprehensive herbal medicine programs in the Western world. In the fall of 2016, I graduated from their Phytotherapy program with highest honours and over 500 hours of clinical practice. Since then, I have returned to Vancouver to work at Maya Natural Health with Bev Maya, a medical herbalist who is a leading expert in endocrine health.
Energy Medicine
Energy Medicine
For as long as I can recall I have been drawn to energy work. When I received my first Reiki treatment in 2012, it was somehow subtle and yet incredibly powerful. My experience during the session was then confirmed by an energetic testing device, and I have since become trained in both Reiki and energetic testing with the REBA device. In 2012, I did my Usui reiki level 1 training with Myorei healing and subsequent levels through Reiki master Nicole Langille. Finally, I became a Reiki master in January of 2018. I have been practicing Reiki hands-on and via distance method since 2014. It is an absolute joy to practice, and recipients have reported deep relaxation, relief from anxiety, insomnia, nausea, pain, and grief.
Movement & Meditation
Movement & Meditation
My dear aunt introduced me to yoga in my single digits. I took to it immediately. At age 11 I was one of two students doing yoga as an extracurricular, back when the practice was considered very strange. Eventually, I found Ayurveda, and it quickly became a second language to me. I did my yoga teacher training at Ashtanga Yoga Montreal in 2011 and have continued to study Ayurveda formally and informally. The spiritual and therapeutic elements of yoga have always interested me more than the physical benefits. I went on to teach yoga to people with substance abuse disorders and to older adults in assisted living. Since leaving Montreal, I have been teaching private lessons to students of all levels, including people with injuries and other limitations. As with herbal medicine, I take particular joy in tailoring methods to meet my clients' unique needs.