I'm Maria Gabriela. It’s nice to meet you here. I love helping women prepare for, manage, and celebrate the transition into menopause and claim the energy of the Creatrix on the other side.

I’ve been passionate most of my life about helping people with their health. It’s the reason I went to pharmacy school.

Early in my career, I did what many of us do: I worked a ton, ate whatever, drank alcohol to deal with anxiety, and traveled A LOT for my job. As I got into my late 30s, I started to have issues with digestion, and as I slid into my 40s, this progressed into brain fog, fatigue, insomnia, and plain old burnout.

Though I had some self-care practices with yoga and acupuncture, I needed to make some substantial changes. Ayurveda helped me come into deeper relationship with my body and its needs. I learned that I need routine and REST. I needed to shift my diet (I only learned how to cook for myself in the last couple of years, friends!). The best part is that Ayurveda is dynamic. I get to decide, based on how I’m feeling, what practices may help. And, with full awareness, sometimes I just don’t do them. I’m human!

At my core, I’m a teacher and a writer (check out my blog!). I’m excited to share Ayurveda with you in a way that makes sense to your life and experiences, and hold space with encouragement and guidance to help you meet your health goals.

About Me: Clinical Pharmacist Turned Ayurveda Health Coach

My Philosophy on Ayurveda vs. Allopathic (Western) Medicine

Most of us haven’t been taught how to take care of ourselves in a meaningful way. We aren’t taught how to hear the call of our body and respond in kind. We aren’t familiar with the constant feedback we receive from our bodies, our emotional state, and from the rhythms of nature, telling us how everything we take in through our senses affects us.

Ayurveda can teach us self-care. It does require taking radical responsibility for ourselves, but I want you to know: it is not about rigid rules, food lists, or deprivation; it’s about learning to deeply listen to ourselves. When applied practically to the individual, Ayurveda can help us align with how we feel today, in this season, to help us live our juiciest lives.

I believe that ancient teachings from Ayurveda and our modern, allopathic medicine go hand in hand to keep us in vibrant health. There are times we very much need allopathic medicine.

The problem is, we’ve been taught by our culture that we are separate from our bodies and from nature, and that we can just push through, grind though, do whatever we need to, to be more “productive,” and that when things start to break down (because we’re human, and they will) we can just go to the doctor for a quick fix drug and not change our lifestyle or diet in any way.

My Credentials

  • Over 800 hours of training in Ayurveda + Yoga

  • Ayurveda Health Counselor Certification, The Shakti School

  • Ayurveda Wellness Coach Certification , The Shakti School

  • Yoga Teacher (200 h RYT program)

  • Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Florida

  • Certified Pain Educator, American Society of Pain Educators

  • Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, University of Florida

  • I’m a Pubmed-able research nerd, with multiple papers published in medical journals

  • I’m also a writer- I have one published short story in Michigan Quarterly Review

  • If you want a glimpse into my life before Ayurveda, feel free to look at my Linked In profile

 

Grab My Free Resource:
Ten Ways to Ease Perimenopausal Weight Gain WITHOUT Changing What You Eat

YES really... and spoiler alert: it doesn't include exercise (though this is a wonderful thing for a woman in perimenopuase)

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