sun ritual
JOSHUA TREE - CALIFORNIA
wellness + balance
through
ecology
+
bodywork
Tending to the inner and outer wilderness
through bodywork, plant medicine,
and ecological education.
tending/defending
 Warm Blurry Lights |
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 Three Teacups |
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- Tend your inner wilderness - Defend your wild places -
When we bear witness to the ecology of a place, we tend to our greater community, weaving resilience and strength. When we learn and honor traditions of those who have walked these lands before us, we are building our foundations for a future. As a non-indigineous person from outside of the US, I am but a guest on stolen lands. With this in mind, I hope to help people tune in and strengthen their connections to the places they move through and call home - a practice that helped me find my sense of belonging on this earth as a queer and eternal outsider. Through this naturalist practice of moving meditation and animism engaged with science and ecology, we also tend to our personal resilience during our difficult, rapidly changing times through deepening our connection to the land. We can learn to tune in, noticing geologic formations and the flora and fauna that thrive in the varied landscapes we will pass through. And as we learn to listen to the stories of our surroundings, we are bearing witness to the interconnectedness of all things.
"...Our land passes in and out of our bodies just as our bodies pass in and out of our land; that as we and our land are part of one another, so all who are living as neighbors here, human and plant and animal, are part of one another..."
(Wendell Berry)
I invite you to walk with me and work with me as we learn to be better advocates for the inseparable issues of environmental and social justice, and to be good tenders of the wild. I invite you to prioritize self-care and tend to your own body through bodywork, movement, and botanical allies. These practices give us tools to reground and reset our mental spaces when tough situations arise. Feeling good in your body is a right and a radical pleasure - it gives us the fortitude to enjoy the journey into the inner wilds. Making space for our own health also allows us to have energy and space to rise up for the environment and natural world with our deepest ferocity and resilience.
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- Moving Meditation Walks -
40$ / hour
For groups larger than 4, inquire for rates
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Walks focus on meeting and recognizing plants and animals, discussing traditional uses of plants and herbal medicine, alongside the ecology of place, and opening our connection to the land. We will walk and visit with plants, rocks, and animals along trails of varying intensity and make time for a brief guided meditation and breathwork. These walks are great experiences for visitors and locals alike, as many of the skills and experiences you learn in the desert can be taken with you and revisited throughout your future journeys. On these walks, we will also learn about who's ancesteral tribal lands we are guests on, and focus on conservation ecology and current human impacts on the desert.
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Want a longer, more strenuous guided hike or workshop tailored to your specific group?
Send an email and a customized adventure or workshop can be whipped up for you.
Inquiries and appointments for bodywork and walks can be made through email, call or text.
Sliding scale or barter is available on a case by case basis and prioritizes queer, trans, and BIPOC folks.
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- Bodywork and Energywork -
60 min - 90$
90 min - 120$
5 session injury management package - 10% discount
Specializing in acupressure, myofascial release, injury management,
deep tissue and swedish
:: New Moon Acupressure Alignment ::
Offered only while the moon is growing from new to full, we work with the building energies to restore balance in the system. This modality is gentle, pressure based energywork in accordance with Chinese Medicine meridian systems. Session will be accompanied by opening and sealing qigong exercises and breathwork.
:: Waning Moon Myofascial Release ::
Offered only while the moon is transitioning from full to new, we work with the releasing emotions and energy through myofascial release. This modality consisits of gentle sustained stretches and holds, similar to yin yoga, and is assisted through floral essense offerings and breathwork.
:::: Bodywork books are currently closed ::::
NO BODYWORK SESSIONS WILL BE OFFERED IN 2020 OR EARLY 2021 DUE TO COVID SAFETY CONCERNS.
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SUN RITUAL
Sun Ritual is Lee, an ecologist, licensed and certified massage therapist, field botanist, wilderness first responder, and herbalist based in Joshua Tree, CA. Frequently drifting and inspired heavily by the natural world, Lee creates bodywork herbals and ritual tools with awe and intention based on season and place. Their work with science - both ecology and botany - and animism - a belief that all things are connected and possess spirit and sacredness - are felt through their guided plant walks, bodywork sessions, and herbal formulas. They integrate bodywork treatments with responsibly sourced herbal therapies to provide a deeper connection and respect for the natural world while enhancing the effectiveness of the sessions and bolstering mental health. They draw a lot of their philosphy from radical communities and their upbringing in Taiwan and around Taoism. They are also passionate about keeping traditional medicines like bodywork and herbalism accessible. Lee is always learning.
- 914-886-3679
instagram @wildgifts
"no light without dark"
RESOURCES AND SITES OF INTEREST
(non-definitive and always growing)
Borderlands Restoration Network
The Institute for Applied Ecology
California Native Plant Society