synergyelyse williams
Gaia Botanica: A Vision of Balance
The source of all life according to Greek mythology is Gaia, Mother Earth. She emerges into the field of modern science through the Gaia Theory, which describes the Earth as a living self-regulating organism. In observing lessons from nature, both scientists and poets have discovered the Earth’s tendency towards balance, and we too may look deeper into ourselves and nurture our own self-correcting core. By working with the fundamental principle of self-correcting balance as an active force in the human body as well as the environment and plants around us, we can support positive physiological and mental change through plant-based medicine.
Elyse’s love of exploring the relationship between people and plants has inspired her to live and study with native people in rural Alaska, Honduras, Costa Rica and Belize. Teaching and studying nutrition, botany and the art of healing with plant medicines in these locations prompted the decision to pursue a Masters of Science in Clinical Herbal Medicine at the Tai Sophia Institute, the first accredited institution in the country to offer a rigorous program incorporating medical science with Western herbalism. Around the same time, Elyse became involved in instructing SynergyDance, a dance and still motion practice based on the healing principles of Dr. Randolph Stone’s Polarity Therapy developed by dancer and healer Charmaine Lee. SynergyDance engages the body in the vital step-down of energy, moving through the five elements of ether, air, fire, water, and earth to allow the feeling and understanding of the body’s subtle energies, and how they affect our physiological, spiritual, mental and emotional make-up. Elyse also teaches SynergyDance and other programs at Blue Heron Wellness in Silver Spring, Md.
By continuing to study the science and mystery of plant medicine, and the subtle energies inside and outside the human body, Elyse holds a deep commitment to studying the universal principles behind health and dis-ease, and translating them into functional practices and remedies that allow balance and healing to take place on an individual, group, and environmental level.