Thank you for being here, beloved one.
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There is no space beyond love. Even through the darkest of depths, existence is an act of unconditional, ever-present intimacy with the earth that you are. Here, we explore what it means to be alive and how we can go about experiencing life in a way where we participate in the cycles of giving and receiving, spreading light, and alchemizing fear. We honor our humanity by moving through the emotions we feel rather than judging ourselves or others. This radical acceptance and freedom of expression creates a trust within ourselves and alongside others that defies all division. Through understanding the the ties that bind us all, we pray for a world of connection, conservation, cultivation, and creation.
Creativity,Wellness,Nature &
Education.
About Me
Eliana, a Southern California native, combines her diverse background in arts, education, nature, and holistic health to advocate for holistic and inclusive learning. She is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree at UC Santa Cruz in both Global and Community Health (B.A.) and Education, Democracy, and Justice. (B.A.)
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Eliana's professional experience is extensive and varied. She has served as a tutor at a public college, offering free English and writing support to adults aged 17 to 65 from diverse linguistic, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds. Additionally, she has worked at multiple community centers, organizing a wide range of events, including health and wellness workshops, yoga classes, art shows, music events, and inclusive co-working spaces.
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In her role with the California State Parks Junior Rangers Program, Eliana developed and facilitated outdoor curricula for children aged 7 to 12, fostering their connection to nature. She also worked as a forest preschool teacher, emphasizing holistic education through socio-emotional well-being and nature-based discovery, aiding in the development of children's cognitive, fine motor, and language skills.
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With six years of experience shadowing various holistic health practitioners, Eliana has recently started practicing fire cupping and preparing sea moss. Her holistic approach is further enriched by her background in the arts, where she supports creative expression through music and dance.
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Eliana's mission is to nurture a deep understanding of our interconnectedness with nature and each other, promoting community, compassion, and sustainable living. She emphasizes the importance of nature in fostering peace and connection, creating inclusive, nature-based curricula, and offering intentional self-care practices. Eliana also views creativity as a vital form of self-care and a means to develop learning skills. In the future, she aims to establish a center where individuals can engage in these practices, fostering a community dedicated to holistic well-being, natural living, and creative expression.
Currenty, she works at the Center for Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz where she is developing a "Plant Consciousness" lab based off student feedback on how they would like to see the department grow. This lab will include platforms for exploration of holistic and medicinal uses of plants, plant relationships to other life-forms and intelligences​, small scale / independent gardening skills , and global and community perspectives on agriculture through teach-ins.
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Eliana is currently offering fire cupping and sea moss gel to the public, which can be found on her "services" page.
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Keyword: Holistic Health
Definition:
Holistic health is a way of approaching health based on well-being: body, mind, and spirit. This approach differs from Western uses of the term holistic health, as it does not solely focus on physical well-being and diseases. Through this keyword, holistic health promotes the interconnectedness of being alive through balance and integration of physical, emotional, spiritual mental, cultural, and community health.
Historical Development:
Holistic health can be traced back to various ancient cultures and traditions around the world. Two examples of these traditions are Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In these two cultures, there is a strong emphasis on the need to balance all aspects of life and consider the different ways in which specific areas of one's life affect others and the effects this may have on one's overall well-being. In the twentieth century, the concept of holistic health became more relevant in Western medicine through the work of doctors such as Dr. Arnaud de Borchgrave. Through his work, complementary and alternative medicine became more common and well-known.
(Gergen, K. J., 2015).
Academic Relevance:
Unlike Western medicine, which treats disease as individualized health issues rather than one's life, holistic health offers folks many more opportunities to work towards overall health and well-being by integrating particular lifestyle choices that consider general wellness in all aspects of their life. Holistic health overlaps with fields like psychology, medicine, sociology, social sciences, public health, public policy, architecture, public planning, interior design, nutrition, human resources, physical therapy, exercise sciences, and health in the traditional sense. Because holistic health practices the concept of considering the overall quality of life when thinking about what it takes to maintain good health, rapid growth in research within the above fields can be seen as various fields have begun to consider their impact on health and how they can take preventative measures towards ill health and offer healthy tools for a healthy lifestyle. (Hetler, B. 1980).
(Sarvimäki, 2018)
This diagram highlights the different aspects of holistic health. This visual illustration shows how the overall goal of health can be achieved through the integration of healthy aspects of all areas of a person's life. This exemplifies how holistic health can be achieved through integrated care and contextual understandings of how particular health problems may arise.
References
Sarvimäki, A. (2018). The five life dimensions in humans according to the holistic model [Figure]. In Sarvimäki, A. (Ed.), Understanding human development. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-five-life-dimensions-in-humans-according-to-the-holistic-model-Sarvimaeki_fig1_327468992
Hettler, B. (1980). Wellness promotion on a university campus. Journal of American College Health, 29(4), 197-202. https://doi.org/10.1080/01644380.1980.11482038
Gergen, K. J. (2015). The social construction of reality: A critical analysis. Theoretical Perspectives on Health and Illness (pp. 91-104). Routledge.
Other Experience
August 2008 - August 2012
August 2012 - August 2015
August 2015 - August 2018
August 2018 - August 2022
African Drum + Dance Member
Springfield Tornado Victim Education Fundraiser (founder)
Harvard University Health Project Judge
San Diego Symphony's Your Song Your Story Project - Video Journalist
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San Diego International Film Festival Intern
JOURNYS Magazine - Editor
Soulscape - Holistic Reading + Metaphysical Center Employee
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SD Mesa College - All Levels College English Tutor + Music Department Intern
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CA State Parks - Park Aide, Jr. Ranger Program Designer + Facilitator
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The Template - Barista, Event Planner / Organizer, Art Curator
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Connect SD - Salesperson, Community Member
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The 100 Summit - Event Planner / Art Curator
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Umbrella Friends Festival - Connect SD Art Installation Team