Mélanie Schmidt-Ulmann and her Hildegard of Bingen notebook

An article outside our usual routine

Usually, we write after going on site: a class we tried, a team we met. This article came about differently. Mélanie, a friend of the team, wanted to share her passion for well-being with the people of Le Mans. We talked it over among ourselves and thought: why not? Sortir au Mans is also about the people here who create, who write, who pass things on.

You won't find it in our regular sections: we're simply sharing it, hand to hand, with those it might interest.

Who is Mélanie Schmidt-Ulmann?

Mélanie is a holistic therapist and psycho-practitioner. She has supported families for about twenty years: one of the first doulas in France, she created Slow Parentalité (slow parenting), then trained in naturopathy at the Institut Hildegardien, in Bach flowers (she is a certified counselor) and in olfactotherapy.

She also writes. Eleven books to her name, on parenting, zero waste and above all Hildegard of Bingen, to whom she has already devoted “Les secrets de bien-être d'Hildegarde de Bingen” and “Le grand livre des secrets de santé d'Hildegarde de Bingen.” Her guides have been translated into German, English, Italian and Portuguese, among other languages.

Hildegard of Bingen, a 12th-century abbess

Born around 1098 in the Rhineland, Hildegard was a Benedictine nun. She led a community of nuns, founded two monasteries near Bingen, composed music and wrote about plants, stones and remedies in two works, “Physica” and “Causae et curae.” Spelt holds first place among the grains there.

At the heart of her thinking is one word: viriditas, the “green force,” that vital, self-healing power that makes plants grow and that, for her, sustains the health of the body as well as of the soul. In 2012, she was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church, the fourth woman to receive that title.

The notebook

“Mon cahier de remèdes & recettes d'Hildegarde de Bingen,” subtitled “Pour apaiser naturellement les maux du corps & de l'âme,” came out in late September from Éditions Mosaïque-Santé. In it, Mélanie gathers more than 150 entries arranged from A to Z: everyday remedies, beauty formulas, rituals for emotions and cooking recipes.

You'll find the food of joy, plants, stones and buds, arranged by major themes: digestion, heart and circulation, immunity, respiratory tract, women's health, muscles and joints… Each entry gives the ingredients, the method and tips for use. It's a practical notebook, one to keep in the kitchen rather than on a shelf.

These are gentle practices, meant as a complement to daily life: for a real health concern, your doctor remains the first person to see.

To meet her

• Through November 30: in her new practice space at L'Étoile du Nord, 10 rue du Nord, Mélanie is offering a free individual 30-minute discovery session, subject to available slots. By appointment by phone or text at 06 16 29 49 33.
• Saturday, November 14, 3–6 PM: book signing at the bookstore area of a major cultural retailer in Le Mans. A chance to leaf through it, ask her your questions and leave with a signed copy.
• Friday, November 20, 5:30 PM: a second signing, at the Thuard bookstore.

Mélanie put a lot of herself into this notebook: share this article with someone who likes taking care of themselves naturally.

Getting there

• Free discovery session: through November 30, L'Étoile du Nord, 10 rue du Nord, Le Mans. By appointment at 06 16 29 49 33
• Signing: Saturday, November 14, 3–6 PM, bookstore area of the Fnac in Le Mans
• Signing: Friday, November 20, 5:30 PM, Thuard bookstore, Le Mans
• The notebook on the publisher's website
• Mélanie Schmidt-Ulmann's website