
Teachers of WOIW

LEAD TEACHER AND FOUNDER Owner of Omaroti Well of Indigenous Wisdom School, Olatokunboh Obasi has been working in the wellness field for over 15 years. She is a yoga and dance instructor, clinical herbalist, nutritionist and birth doula. Committed to community holistic health, social justice, and education, she works heavily in community service and African Traditional Medicine. She inherits Ifa from her father's lineage and is an Iyaawonifa and is a Tekina (a Taino word meaning holder of community service) in her adapted home of Boriken. Presently, she coordinates Herbalists without Borders International on the island providing devotional service to people in need. A guest presenter and teacher of many conferences she’s originally from Africa, her travels around the world are extensive as she integrates traditional knowledge of herbs, with her western education. She received her Master’s of Science from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Olatokunboh is multilingual, loves cooking, gardening and creating art. She is a mother of 3 young adults and she continues to learn from her children through challenge and tribulation as she shares her journey of life with them and the human family. Description of Experience Olatokunboh (Ola) works with clients clinically in private sessions to provide wellness and holistic health through herbal medicines. Her experience covers all dis-ease states including diabetes, pain management, adjunct cancer support, chronic and acute digestive concerns and reproductive health support for both men and women. Her practice of herbalism is primarily but not limited to the Ayurvedic tradition. Medical history and tests, assessments of iris, pulse and tongue, and custom-made herbal formulations are amongst holistic modalities that she uses to clinically approach guiding clients to wellness! Teaching Technique Olatokunboh is the primary teacher for WOIW. She teaches the majority of the classes in indigenous style; teaching her students how to create practice, how to unlearn and learn critical thinking, how to learn from the earth library and learn how to rely on self study. While this style is not for everyone, it has shown a life changing impact on those who have achieved from the course. Olatokunboh believes in mentorship and lasting relationships with her students. Part of being teacher is being leader and a relative in the field of herbal medicine. She cares for all her students deeply.

ELDER INDIGENOUS TEACHER
Miguel Sague was born in the eastern region of the island of Cuba, which is recognized as that country’s most important center of Indigenous population and culture. He was raised steeped in the traditions of his Indigenous ancestors. For over forty years he has collaborated with other members of the current Taino Resurgence Movement in the promotion of the spiritual tradition of our Taino culture.
I will be teaching a course on the bohitiu tradition focusing on elements of healing dances and one-on-one cleansing rituals.

ELDER TEACHER Paul Bergner is Director of the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism. He has published the Medical Herbalism Journal since 1989, and has mentored students in teaching clinics for medical herbalism and clinical nutrition, training more than 400 clinical herbalists since 1996. He has taught nutrition at both the undergraduate and graduate levels of academic study. He has authored seven books on topics of medical herbalism, Chinese medicine, ethnobotany and folk medicine, nutrition, and naturopathic medicine. Paul is also an accomplished naturalist, tracker, and explorer of the deep ecology of the plant world. He teaches classes and guides wilderness retreats in nature awareness and Visioning. He feels most truly at home off trail in the wilderness with his family taking lessons from the wild places. Topics The Spiritual Heart in traditional medicine A Spiritual Heart is described in all traditional medical systems, it is the center of awareness and consciousness. It is multidimensional, it has both generosity and love as well as a boundary and self-protection, and when centered and balanced has access to a deep well of universal wisdom. An Eleventh Century Arabic treatise on heart disease makes no mention of heart attacks, heart failure, or even heart palpitations, but describes the chief symptoms of heart disease as “rancor and the desire for revenge.” It is the center of our psychology. Disturbance of the spiritual heart through trauma is a chief symptom of many individuals in the modern world, and is often the cause of inappropriate prescriptions for psychotropic drugs. Relying on both tradition and direct experimentation, and identifying traditional and Western herbs that affect this center of awareness and consciousness has been a subject of study and experimentation at the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism since the late 1990s. The presentation will include a description of the properties of the Spiritual Heart in older traditions and in modern life, along with materia medica and formulation with Western herbs to promote heart centering, heart protection, and access to heart wisdom. In many cases, if the spiritual heart is in order, other imbalances may resolve on their own. (This is normally a hands-on class with tasting of the remedies. For distance/zoom students at our California school, we send out the remedies in advance. It is not absolutely necessary, but adds value. If the student had at least one of the herbs, such as Crataegus, Motherwort, Rose, it would help) How to sit with a Plant We will practice awareness exercises in order to enhance the ability to see a plant on its own terms. We will identify inner obstacles to clear seeing and connection, especially identification of the “Conquistador Mind” which wants only to grasp and take and use things. We will learn practical skills for centering and awareness to set aside the grasping self and the agenda. We will learn to see the plant in its ecology. Finally we will learn "mind's eye drawing" to learn to memorize a plant's features and form a deep and permanent connection with its spirit in the Dream Mind. For the healer, this same skill set prepares one to sit in the same openness and awareness with the patient. Psycho spiritual Clinical Skills for the Healer Knowledge of Self, and navigating ones own psychological complexity is as important a clinical skill as materia medica, therapeutics, or interview skills. These skills are essential and can determine the success or failure of one's work as a healer. In our clinical round table community at the NAIMH in 1998, a woman had a sacred dream: the herbalists were seen in kayaks, in a circle, with tips touching, in a sheltered bay by the ocean, safe from large waves. Beneath them was a circle of nurse sharks, who had come from the seven oceans. If you have ever floated in a kayak, you know that the process is a matter of constant re-balancing. You can never rest. This powerful dream helped to shape our clinical training in the following 25 years. We will describe the kinds of polarities which require constant balance on the part of the healer. Such polarities as the balance between supporting the patient's intentions, vs telling the truth. Being compassionate vs having good boundaries. Recognizing the patient has lost her balance vs recognizing them as an adult. Responsibility to give your best, vs not your responsibility for the patient to get better. Not giving what you don't have vs not taking what is not yours.

GREEK HERBALISM Maria Christodoulou is a clinical herbalist exploring the wisdom and whimsy of ancient Greek herbal medicine. In a previous lifetime, she lived on a farm in ancient Greece and found the cure for plagues. Maria grew up in New York and currently lives in Athens, Greece. She offers plant walks, herbal consultations, retreats, and courses at www.thegreekherbalist.com. Ancient Greek Herbs In this course, we will explore the ancient and modern uses of herbs indigenous to Greece with knowledge shared to us by those who used them thousands of years ago, as well as by those who continue to use them today. In Greek antiquity, the practice of herbal medicine was not separate from everyday living; it was an integral part of every custom, celebration, and recipe throughout the ancient world. Ancient physicians wrote extensively about medicinal plants for both serious and acute illnesses. In modern day, the use of herbs in Greece continues, but many practices have been lost. Learn how these ancient Greek herbs continue to have a long-lasting legacy and how we can continue to honor their important role in both healing and history. Divine Touch: Gods of Ancient Greek Herbal Medicine Come on an imaginative journey to ancient Greece to explore sacred rituals, temple medicine, and powerful herbs ruled by the mythical Greek gods and goddesses. Which divinities were associated with health and healing? What plant allies did they have? Learn about the myths that blended together divine healing and powerful herbs and be inspired to carry on tradition within your own herbal practices. Sacred Tree Medicine in Ancient Greece Before the ancient Greeks had thought of building marble temples for their gods, they had worshiped the divine energy of trees. These sacred trees played an important role in herbal medicine and prayerful rituals. Learn how the ancient Greeks harnessed the healing power of these trees and how you can connect more deeply with the trees in your life.

MAESTRA DIVINA Silvia Margarita Sánchez Gomezjurado Nace 19 diciembre 1960 Estudios en Naturopatía Herbolaria Andina Ayurveda Cosmética Natural Farmacia Vegetal Trabajo con plantas medicinales desde 1995 Trabajo en Comunidades Campesinas del Azuay, Cañar e Imbabura, Ecuador. Lo temas que podría compartir: - Plantas Mágicas Andinas: Usos en Medicina Tradicional - Enfermedades por Mal Aire, Ojeado, Mal Viento. Plantas utilizadas y tradiciones. - Plantas Cálidas vs Plantas Frescas: Tratamiento de enfermedades - El Maíz como medicina - La Farmacia en la cocina - Importancia de los Baños Herbales A ver cuáles te interesaría. ¡Muchas gracias! Silvia Sánchez Gomezjurado Naturopatía y Herbolaria