FELICIA COCOTZIN RUIZ is a curandera who practices holistic healing by intertwining the wisdom of her own indigenous traditions with complimentary modalities used today. Her approach to wellness includes teaching others how to prepare natural whole foods, to creating personal and spiritual harmony with sacred scents, energy work, and deep relaxation techniques.
WHAT IS A CURANDERA? Curanderas are traditional healers, who carry knowledge of foods, herbs, and other cultural remedies working with the body, mind, and spirit. Curanderismo has been practiced throughout Mexico, Central and South America, and in the United States for hundreds of years, with each curandera offering a skillset unique to her natural gifts, training, or cultural practices. As the granddaughter of a New Mexican curandera, Felicia continues this lineage by integrating her Mexican and Native American teachings to help others (re)connect to their Self with natural foods, herbal remedios, and good energy - and that is how Kitchen Curandera was born. With permission from her elders, she continues to share knowledge through workshops and gatherings held all over the world.
Felicia completed training as a massage practitioner in 1995 from Bio-Link Therapeutic Massage Institute, studied holistic aromatherapy at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, is a graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Plant-Based Nutrition Studies Program, and is a yoga nidra instructor certified by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center of Los Angeles. She has been featured in various magazines including American Indian, Native Peoples, Spirituality & Health, is a recipe contributor to the site Forks Over Knives, and is a founding board member with the non-profit organization NATIFS. Lastly, in 2018 Felicia earned her popoxcomitl (a clay vessel used for smudging rituals) in a ceremony given by elders of her community, honoring her as a Curandera of Culinary Medicine.