Atava is inspired by the healing traditions of her ancestors and loves turning people on to the amazing and healing world of medicinal plants! She has been studying and practicing healing arts for over 20 years and has an undergraduate degree from Stanford University and a graduate degree from Naropa University Oakland . Atava also is certified in both Acupressure and the hands-on healing art, Jin Shin Jyutsu®.
Atava has studied with both western herbalists and traditional indigenous healers, including Mexican curandera Dona Estela Roman, Zapoteca midwife Dona Enriqueta Contreras and Dr. Apela Colorado,“the mother of indigenous science.” Atava has researched extensively the indigenous healing traditions of both her indigenous Mexican ancestors as well as her Polish Slavic ancestors.
Atava completed her Western Clinical Herbalist training at the Ohlone Herbal Center in 2006. In 2008 she was accepted as a professional registered member of the American Herbalist Guild. Her teaching venues include Naropa University Oakland, the Northern California Women’s Herbal Symposium and the department of Holistic Health Education at JFK University. Atava sees clients in her private practice in Oakland and also is a volunteer herbalist at the Charlotte Maxwell Center, a clinic for low-income women with cancer. Atava’s teaching and healing work is a unique and powerful combination of herbal medicine, flower essence therapy, therapeutic dream work, spiritual counseling and energetic bodywork. She also runs a small herbal product company that specializes in medicinal mushroom extracts. Her website is: www.ancestralapothecary.com.
