Today we’d like to introduce you to Cristina Gutierrez.
Cristina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started studying Ayurvedic Medicine in 2012 at a wonderful school in Milwaukee, WI called Kanyakumari Ayurveda and Yoga. It was there that I became certified as an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, and where my journey as an independent business owner began.
I found myself working to uplift holistic healing modalities after struggling through the western medical system with my own illness and finding refuge in Chinese Medicine. One session of acupuncture with a trusted friend and herbalist was able to begin the unraveling of disease in my body and provide the relief that several months of Dr’s visits only exacerbated.
Inspired, I began organizing the Healing Arts Project in Chicago alongside several other peers, and brought practitioners from all walks, to provide donation based wellness services on a monthly basis to people from all over the city that had limited or zero access to healthcare.
It was through this work that I discovered a calling to deepen my own self-care practice in order to master that knowledge and make it accessible for folks who resonate with holistic medicine. I searched high and low for a practice that was the perfect fit for me and ultimately learned about Ayurveda through Yoga as they are connected in the ancient philosophies of Vedic knowledge that comes from India.
Ayurvedic Medicine incorporates many diverse healing modalities such as aromatherapy, herbalism, body therapies, color therapy, nutritional therapy, crystal therapy, meditation, movement, and more, and covers everything from daily rituals for longevity to customized diet and nutrition to honor the uniqueness of each and everybody. The richness of this practice nourishes my creativity in that I have so many places to pull from whether I’m working 1 on 1 with clients or designing my herbal formulas for general use. This is why Ayurveda out of all the other healing modalities, resonates with me so deeply. Out of this knowledge and practice, my business Ayurvedic Elements was born.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road has been long and hard while simultaneously gently and fiercely supported by the ancestors and universal guidance along the way. In the time since I began studying Ayurveda, I met the love of my life, both of my parents crossed over, and I became a first-time mother, all while making the most important career change of my life and trying to build my own business.
Needless to say, there were lots of distractions, and many different life experiences vying for my attention, but through it all, my passion for this work remained and kept me motivated through the struggle. Slow and steady has become my motto, and it carried me through the last 5 years of becoming an independent business owner. By the same token, Ayurveda in Chicago is still pretty brand new, so building a base here for my practice has taken some time, but being really intentional about my work has opened up doors that I never before knew existed.
Ayurvedic Elements – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
My company is Ayurvedic Elements. I make small batch organic herbal medicines for digestion, women’s health, and immune support. I also do 1 on 1 nutritional counseling and bodywork.
My wish for Ayurvedic Elements is that it inspires people to make self-care a priority, especially those who may think that it is only accessible to folks with disposable income. To that end, everything in the product line is under $20, and can be found primarily in local community market pop-up shops as well as online at www.arirosebodycare.com. I work exclusively with organic herbs and oils to provide the purest wellness formulas to my community and am really proud that it does not compromise my ability to keep production cost low and make the final product affordable to families and individuals at all income levels.
My most popular item is Liquid Gold which is a general immune booster that can be made into a tasty drink and is a most delicious formula that can be part of almost any daily self-care ritual. In close competition is Herbal Cold Care and Moon Tea; the former helps with relief from cold symptoms, and the latter with grounding/calming an overactive or depleted nervous system. All formulas can be sipped in a cup of tea, rolled into a chewable pill with raw local honey, or taken as an herbal shot for a quick daily regiment.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as harmony. If you are in harmony with your purpose, you will find opportunities to live out your dreams. If you are in harmony with nature, you will find everything you need to thrive. If you are in harmony with your spirit, you will connect with others whose spirits fulfill you.
If you are in harmony with your body, you will live with ease. If you are in harmony with all of these things, you will inevitably find happiness. Good health, happiness, connection to the earth and the cosmos, and making dreams come true are all the measures of success for me in this life.
Pricing:
- Liquid Gold $10
- Herbal Cold Care $10
- Moon Tea $10
- Nasya Medicated Sinus Oil $12
- Rosewater Eyedrops $12
- Aromatherapy Sprays $12
Contact Info:
- Website: www.arirosebodycare.com
- Email: ayurvedic.elements@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ayurvedicelementschicago/
Image Credit:
Claudio Vergara of Andino Photography
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