FELICIA COCOTZIN RUIZ (Xicana/Tewa) blends the traditional healing art of curanderismo with modern cooking practices of today – specializing in “Culinary Medicine” as named by her Maestra. As an indigenous foods activist and plant-based chef, she has cultivated a cooking style that compliments her training as a curandera, by creating nutrient dense dishes that are full of intention and deeply rooted in indigenous tradition and wisdom. Her approach to wellness also includes teaching others how to create 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 the Americas for over five hundred years, with each curandera offering a unique skillset applying her natural gifts, training, or cultural practices. With permission from her elders, Felicia carries on her grandmother’s lineage of holistic healing through workshops and gatherings held all over the world.
Felicia completed training as a massage practitioner in 1995 from Bio-Link Therapeutic Massage Institute focusing on Ayurvedic massage, studied holistic aromatherapy at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, is a graduate of the T. Colin Campbell Plant-Based Nutrition Studies Program, is a yoga nidra instructor certified by the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center of Los Angeles, and is the Board Chair with the non-profit organization NATIFS.