I met Florencia Fridman and Samira Wayu Asibakaashi in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala. I'll tell more about it in the short intro before our conversation, but here's short biographies by Florencia and Samira themselves:
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Florencia Fridman is a self-empowerment artist working with heart opening therapies involving holistic nutrition, Ceremonial Grade Cacao, yoga, sound journeys, and breath work as instruments for transformation; creating a safe vessel for self exploration.
She works with T'zutujil Mayan elders from Guatemala, has been working with rebirthing (a breathing modality) since the age of 8. She graduated from Laughing Lotus Yoga Center in 2013. Sine then she has been traveling internationally to places like Panama, Guatemala, Argentina, South Africa, and Croatia to share her passion for wellness and Cacao. Florencia has opened for Deepak Chopra, has shared Cacao with the Spotify team, and is a resident ceremonialist at the Assemblage in NYC.
Co-Founder of Cacao Lab, a Ceremonial Cacao brand aiming to bridge the gap between the modern culture and the indigenous communities.
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Samira has been raised and traveled through different parts of the world since she was born, from the jungle of south America in Venezuela and a small beautiful little island in the Mediterranean Greece, and then back to the exotic Caribbean were she created her first project of reforestation and conscious natural products: Gaia Earth Alchemy, a project based on the the tree of life Moringa Oleifera, Cacao and other special caribbean plant remedies.
Since young age she always felt a deep connection to nature identifying herself with it, which gave her a reason to continue travelling and learning from different teachers and guides. From the Andean mountains to the volcanic lands of Guatemala, to European stone circles and back to the thick forests of the Amazon, learning from the ancients prayers and practices.
She felt a deep inspiration to learn about Amazonian sacred plant medicines from indigenous leader and healer Benki Piyanko Ashaninka, with the vision of being a bridge of the ancient wisdom and knowledge keepers for the protection of nature and is inhabitants and expansion of consciousness.
She has also been participating in very important annual gathering called Aniwa Gathering, an encounter of the wisdom keepers from different linages around the world. This gathering will happen again 3.-7. of June 2020.
▶ Popol Vuh – a text recounting the mythology and history of the Maya K'iche' people
▶ Meaning of Nawal - the day sign of the Mayan calendar
▶ Meaning of the Nawal 'Kawoq'
▶ Cacao Lab – Florencia's and her brother's company
▶ Cacao Lab on Instagram
▶ Cacoa Lab on YouTube
▶ Gaia Earth Alchemy – Naga Moringa tree project started by Samira
▶ Gaia Earth Alchemy on Instagram
▶ Moringa oleifera: A review on nutritive importance and its medicinal application
▶ Asháninka people
▶ Pachamama Alliance
▷ Maya Tz'utujil -seremoniakaakao Suomessa
