Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Hart.
Hi Kim, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story
In my mid twenties, after years of conventional talk therapy, I was healing from the trauma of my childhood deeply enough that I was ready to give back. The desire to bring the body more into the healing process drove me to look at becoming a Naturopathic Physician.
Discovering that the cost was similar to conventional medical school, and in the early 1990’s I was unsure how I would pay that back, (I lived in a state where Naturopathic Medicine was not recognized at the time), I decided I would attempt to learn all the parts of Naturopathic medicine practice, and see what happened…
It began with training as a Massage Therapist at Northern Lights School of massage in 1993. I LOVED it! It was an amazing journey of self-discovery working with and receiving the bodywork. Once out of school and practicing, I fell in love with helping people change the patterns of their physical pain.
After a few years of practice as a massage therapist, and knowing I still wanted to work with mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of trauma, I had a dream of learning by apprenticeship. I wondered how I could possibly do this in a first world country….I offered this up to creator, unsure how I could possibly manifest this wild dream.
A while later I was at a continuing education conference and heard about a woman in living in the jungles of Belize, and an indigenous Maya elder who was working with her. Evidently, they were beginning to offer classes. All the hair on my head stood up, and I got dizzy….. I knew this was important…
I asked for her mailing address (there was very little internet and certainly no email at this time) and mailed a “snail mail” letter to her expressing my interest in anything she was offering.
After 4 weeks with no reply, I was very saddened and unsure how to proceed. I did not realize it took two weeks for the letter to arrive at its destination in Belize and then another two for a response to be delivered….. let alone time for her to write a response.
We have laughed about this many times since, as she does not typically respond to individual letters….however, about six weeks after I mailed my letter, I received a response from Rosita Arvigo (Sastun). I was thrilled! And so excited. Rosita was planning an herbal apprenticeship in Belize. I immediately wrote back to let her know I was interested in anything she was willing to teach.
After some time, Rosita wrote to let me know she only had 2 of us signed up and she could not run a course of this depth for only 2 students. She said she thought she may be teaching some (indigenous) bodywork classes in the U.S. soon. She would let me know when and where these classes were to be held.
This began a journey of traveling for 25 plus years, living in Belize for 3 winters, learning with Rosita Arvigo, as well as Maya Herbalist and Midwife Miss Hortense Robinson, Curandera Miss Beatrice Waight, Miss Juana Shish and many other indigenous healers In Belize.
I began to then also learn with Curandera Elena Avila (Woman Who Glows in the Dark) in New Mexico; and with Elena on a pilgrimage to the sacred indigenous sights in and around Mexico City I also met her teacher Ehe and began learning with her comadre Rita Navarette, and later with Laurencio Nunez and several others. These amazing Traditional Healers or Curandero/a’s carry living medicine lineages from generations of their elders. They are from Zapatec, Otomi and Aztec nations.
Through their generous hearts they have shared many of their traditional ways of medicine and Rita has mandated that I also teach this medicine. When I have expressed emphatically my discomfort as a white bodied woman teaching in a brown lineage, she repeatedly emphasizes for me to teach to help spread the medicine to the people. Maestro Laurencio has also added his words to this conversation.
The compromise I have come to is whenever I can I host Maestra Rita and Maestro Laurencio in Minnesota as well as other more local Indigenous elders so that the students can learn directly from them as well.
I have been blessed for so many years now as an Herbalist (rainforest herbs and western herbs), Massage Therapist and now as a Classical Homeopath along with the Indigenous Medicine lineages I carry, to be able to work with many clients and students who have a history of trauma, as well as reproductive health, fertility and digestion challenges.
I practice, live and teach from a Traditional Medicine lens, specifically honoring the lineages I am honored to walk in and the teachers who I have learned with.
Passing along the medicine, helping many reclaim their birthright and lineages, and working with clients to help the people heal is what my teachers have insisted I do. It is also the work of my heart. I am honored to be a part of this beautiful medicine way and pray it continues to be a respected living medicine tradition.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In addition to the traumas which led me to the healing modalities and thus the medicine ways I have learned and carry, I had incredible financial burdens (early divorce) and lack of resources, due to being unable to work in the early days/years of my therapy due to my history of trauma.
Later I was traveling and studying for decades, learning with the Indigenous Medicine Carriers where I was invited. Working with and for some of the Elders and Medicine Carriers with no pay, more of an old school apprenticeship model is and was amazing and a true blessing. It also meant I was struggling financially for decades. I have devoted many, many years to the path I was guided to follow.
Additionally, contracting lyme disease and later hemorrhagic dengue fever contributed to long and expensive recovery and treatments.
Even so, I would not trade these wonderful, intense experiences and teachings for anything. About half of the Medicine Carriers I have studied with over the years have now passed away. I am so grateful for their lessons, the intended and unintended. Their guidance and generosity. And their wisdom.
I feel truly blessed. I hope and plan to continue to pass on these amazing techniques and ways of healing to others, as I have been mandated.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Adagio Holistic Therapies, LLC is a holistic community of practitioners and educators. We offer treatments, classes and host events.
Since 1993 our purpose continues to be: Changing Patterns, Enhancing Health, Creating Vibrant Life
We offer many therapies including Maya Abdominal Therapy, Acupuncture, Massage, Herbal Support, Classical Homeopathy, Cupping, Reiki, CranioSacral therapy and much more… our focus is in natural and indigenous medicinal ways.
We work with families, reproductive health, fertility, digestive challenges, autoimmune, pain, trauma and much more.
We are known for successfully working with “difficult cases”, when folks have “tried everything else”
We work in conjunction with conventional medical treatments and also work with someone who just wants natural support
We are a community and thus refer to each other and even outside our offices so our clients receive all the care they need
Our classes are healing in focus and they are for folks who want to learn to help themselves and their families, as well as some class offering for practitioners with a license to touch
We host international and local events, retreats, and classes. Bringing together people, communities, and medicine ways
How do you define success?
Success is incredibly individual.
For me it is community, meaningful work, helping others, creating safe space, living a heart centered life, while having fun and lifting others up.
There is so much more….
Contact Info:
- Website: https://adagioholistic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adagioholistic/?next=%2F&hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adagioholistictherapies
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adagioholistictherapiesllc1094
