One does not "have" courage; one is summoned by it.
Anointed by it. Touched by it.
BAYO AKOMOLAFE
Welcome,
I'm Oviya. I've been holding healing space for people for over sixteen years. I'm a licensed massage therapist with highly specialized training. I tailor treatment to each persons needs. This includes flexible pricing to give priority to people whose lives are impacted by cultural and systemic oppression. See scholarships + sliding fee scales.
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I am LGBTQIA+ affirming, HAES® registered, trauma informed and committed to offering safe and inclusive space.
my story
a long winding path... a never ending life ritual
I've been on this path for as long
as I can remember...
I come from a long line of healers, intuitive's, poets, artists, bards, independent thinkers, and trouble makers.
I've always been sensitive to subtle energetics. From a young age I had an intense and intuitive sense of the sacred and many mystical experiences that shaped my life but had no context. I was enamored by spirituality and over time
I wove together myriad spiritual frameworks to make sense of my experiences.
My mother was chronically ill. As a child, I took on the responsibility of healing her. An awareness of and sensitivity to human suffering broadened my compassion at an early age. I grew up acutely aware of other peoples’ feelings and seeking ways to ease their pain. But I had no idea how to ease the emotional and physical pain that overwhelmed me. I suffered from PTSD, eating disorders, and severe dissociation.
In my teens I became a serious student of yoga and a dedicated seeker. But nothing I did eased the harsh way I treated myself inside. I didn't know how to escape the grip of trauma. By the time I reached young adulthood I was a single mom of two and felt completely lost and utterly broken. I was in my darkest place when true healing began.
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My recovery has been a long winding path that has forever changed me. I've discovered the healing journey to be a never-ending life-ritual without an ultimate destination. I am grateful for my scars and their wisdom. I feel a deep connection with the path of the wounded healer. I have learned to honor and harness my sensitivities and to alchemize my struggles into medicine for myself, my community and the wider web of life.
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I am blessed over and again to witness how restoration of ease and trust in the body and the imagination creates the conditions for an alchemy of profound sorrow and pain into a fuller capacity for love and life. My work and all that I do stems from the knowing that heartbreak can become medicine.