Why this page exists
Botanicals & Company draws on published research and reference sources throughout, but a good deal of it also comes from actually doing things: taking a course, training in a discipline, trying a technique properly rather than reading about it secondhand. This page exists to keep that visible and current, rather than mentioning a qualification once in an article and letting it quietly go out of date. It will be added to as new training starts or finishes, and nothing here is removed once it happens, even after a course is complete.
Currently training
Callanetics instructor training
Status: in progress. Training towards a Callanetics instructor qualification, a low-impact, isometric exercise method built around small, controlled movements. This connects directly to the site's Living Well writing on movement and rest.
Why I'm Training as a Callanetics Instructor →
Aromatherapy certification
Status: in progress. Studying towards an aromatherapy certification through Aromatic Studies, underpinning the essential oil safety, dilution and evidence discussion that runs throughout the Journal and the Botanical Library.
Beginning Aromatherapy Certification: Why I Chose Aromatic Studies →
Completed
Indian head massage
Status: completed. A short, practical certificate course in Indian head massage technique, which led directly to the twice-weekly hair oil ritual now shared with my daughter.
Botanical Rituals No. 007: The Twice-Weekly Hair Oil →
A note on what this page is not
None of the training listed here amounts to a medical, dermatological or nutritional qualification, and nothing on this page should be read as implying otherwise. Where an article on this site makes a scientific or medical claim, that claim is expected to stand on its own evidence and references, set out in our Editorial & Evidence Policy, regardless of what training sits behind the person who wrote it.
Last reviewed: August 2026