Co-founders & Co-directors
Kris Miller & Tammi Sweet
Tammi Sweet, MS, LMT received her formal training in Neurobiology & Endocrinology and is a licensed massage therapist. She has worked for many years as an instructor in Anatomy and Physiology at the college level and currently teaches A&P at the Finger Lakes School of Massage in Ithaca, NY. In addition to teaching the brilliance of the body, Tammi loves to bring others into deeper relationship with the natural world and with spirit. Tammi has been a practitioner of herbal medicine and a teacher of primitive skills & herbal medicine for many years. She studied herbal medicine with Rosemary Gladstar & Pam Montgomery, earth-based skills and philosophy with Brooke Medicine Eagle and Tom Brown, Jr. and has been influenced by many other wonderful herbalists especially Stephen Buhner’s pioneering work on the heart as an organ of perception.
Her background in physiology has made her a valuable resource to developing herbalists and massage therapists who want to deepen their foundations as practitioners. In 2007, she decided to integrate these loves into her own school and co-founded the HEARTSTONE CENTER for Earth Essentials with Kris Miller.
"The thing that aided my learning was Tammi’s enthusiasm, excitement & passion for what she was teaching." --A.C.
In addition to teaching in the classroom and workshops, Tammi loves to take the adventures and learning outside onto the land. She frequently offers weed walks and garden classes on medicinal plants and garden practices at Heartstone and in other magical places out in the community.
Kris Miller, MA, LMT, CHP received her formal training in Clinical Psychology and is a licensed massage therapist and certified practitioner of Hakomi Body-Centered Psychotherapy. In private practice as a counselor for over 30 years in Ithaca, NY, she has been influenced by a variety of clinical modalities & orientations as well as the diverse life experiences of her clients. As a result, she offers a rich variety of resources to her clients. Kris' philosophy is holistic & transpersonal. She has a special interest in nourishing aliveness and health in our social identities, relationships, groups & organizations. 
Over the last decades, Kris has studied herbal medicine with Pam Montgomery, Rosemary Gladstar, and other beloved herbalists, EMDR with Ida Wolffe and earth-based skills & philosophy with Brooke Medicine Eagle and Tom Brown, Jr.
In addition to her practice, Kris has taught courses in Stress Management and Counseling in the Department of Health Promotion at Ithaca College. For over 30 years, she has been a training consultant in human relations with Training for Change, Inc and in earlier years, at Cornell University, focusing on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion, and social identity.
Now in her 60’s, Kris is integrating all of her loves including healing in relationship to the earth, earth-based practices and Spirit. To this end, in 2007, she co-founded the HEARTSTONE CENTER for EARTH ESSENTIALS with Tammi Sweet. Since 2009, she has also been offering guided retreats, facilitated councils and ceremony at the Center. Kris is available to officiate and assist with planning weddings for all couples who choose to enter the sacredness of marriage.
Since the fall of 2011, Kris and Tammi have been working with others to create
the Finger Lakes Herbal Network.
We are so excited about the vision and initial activities of this organization!
We invite you to google its young website and join the e-newsletter list for ongoing news and activities!
Sharon Costianes is our goddess of cuisine during the herbal apprentices. In addition to her activities with HEARTSTONE HERBAL SCHOOL , Sharon is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner CM, and a voice teacher and performer. She works from her studio at Body Song Center for Movement and Music in Enfield NY as well as in locations throughout the Ithaca area.
Kara Timmins, MS is joining the Heartstone School staff in 2012 for our Advanced Herbal Medicine Series. Owner and clinical herbalist at Apothekara, in Ithaca, NY Kara has a deep history and love of working with herbs. First introduced to wild herbs in the meadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, New Mexico over 15 years ago, she began eating wild foods, identifying and foraging for medicinal herbs. She apprenticed with several herbalists and organic growers across US and Canada as well as The National Center for Preservation of Native Medicinal Herbs in Rutland, Ohio where she studied endangered medicinal herbs. She completed a 4 year Clinical Herbalist program at Dominion Herbal College in Vancouver, Canada with over 500 clinic hours working in herbal medicine clinics in both Vancouver and Toronto. She holds a BS in Biology and MS as a Physician Assistant. Since graduating, she has worked at a hospital in Syracuse on Orthopedic and Vascular Surgery services and with Dr. Nasri Ghaly at an integrative psychiatric practice in Syracuse, NY specializing in herbs, vitamin deficiencies, lifestyle changes as an integrative approach to mental health.
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Links: Tom Brown Jr - Tracker School, http://www.trackerschool.com |