November 7, 2025
PACHAMAMA SCHOOL - EPISODE 37
Atasiea: Why Your Revolution Needs Dance - Ecstatic Dance LA on Community Healing & Ceremony (Ep. 37)
About the Episode
In this transformative episode, host Xóchitl Kusikuy Ashé sits down with Atasiea (pronounced 'Ah-tah-see-ay'), whose angelic name meaning "oneness" perfectly reflects his life's work. As the co-founder of Ecstatic Dance Los Angeles and a Master Reiki healer with over two decades of experience, Atasiea shares profound wisdom about building conscious community, maintaining spiritual hygiene during chaotic times, and why dance is a revolutionary act.
This conversation goes deep into the heart of what it means to show up as a leader and healer in times of unprecedented change. Atasiea reveals the pivotal moment when his teacher asked him a life-changing question: "How much ceremony do you do alone for yourself?" This inquiry led to a complete transformation in his approach to self-care and spiritual practice, implementing weekly ceremonies aligned with moon phases and taking one full day off social media for personal renewal.
They explore how Ecstatic Dance LA became a cornerstone of LA's wellness community over 11 years, surviving and thriving through the pandemic by pivoting to outdoor beach dances. Atasiea shares the philosophy that underpins conscious dance: everything in nature is moving, and when we engage in regular dance practice, we align ourselves with these cosmic rhythms. But he's clear—ecstatic dance isn't always ecstatic. Sometimes people come to grieve, to process, to simply be held by community in their authentic expression.
This episode is essential listening for healers, teachers, community organizers, and anyone seeking to navigate these turbulent times with grace, resilience, and connection. Atasiea offers practical wisdom on emotional regulation, the power of breath, and why spiritual self-care must level up to meet the moment we're in. As he beautifully reminds us: "The breath is life. Air is the one element we can't live for more than a few minutes without."
Whether you're building community, serving others, or simply trying to stay grounded during times of collective crisis, this episode offers both ancient wisdom and practical tools for thriving in the new earth that's emerging.
Topics Covered
The Origins and Philosophy of Ecstatic Dance LA - How Atasiea and Robin Parrish founded the event in 2014 and built it into an 11-year cornerstone of LA's wellness community
Dance as Revolutionary Act and Spiritual Practice - Exploring how conscious movement serves as both ceremony and celebration, going beyond performance to authentic self-expression
The Power of Consistency in Community Building - How showing up regularly, rain or shine, creates trust and stability that allows communities to thrive
Pivoting Through Crisis - Adapting Ecstatic Dance LA during the pandemic from indoor spaces to beach dancing, demonstrating resilience and innovation
Self-Care and Spiritual Hygiene for Healers and Leaders - The critical importance of personal ceremony, rest, and regeneration to avoid burnout when serving others
Weekly Moon Ceremonies and Digital Detox - Atasiea's practice of taking one day completely off social media and conducting ceremonies with each moon phase
The Sacred Container of Ecstatic Dance - How the event is held as ceremony with opening rituals, altars, and closing meditations to create safe space for all emotions
Essential Skills for Navigating Times of Change - Communication, emotional regulation, self-care, and community connection as foundational practices
Breathwork as Life Force and Healing Tool - The often-forgotten power of conscious breathing for regulation, clarity, and reclaiming personal power
Community as the Next Buddha - How building and maintaining conscious community is essential medicine for these revolutionary times
"Ecstatic dance is not always ecstatic. Sometimes people are just coming to recover, be in grief, just be out in public, get out of their own depression bubble."
-Atasiea | EnergyHealer, Bodyworker, Spiritual Guide, Artist, Cofounder of EcstaticDanceLA
Atasiea
Atasiea (pronounced 'Ah-tah-see-ay'), also known as Kenneth Lawrence Ferguson, is a name that means 'Oneness'. He is a Theta Healer, Certified Reiki Master, Bodyworker, Yogi, Minister, Dancing Freedom Facilitator, Actor, Dancer, Capoeirista, and the Co-Founder of Ecstatic Dance Los Angeles.
Born and raised in Oakland, California, Atasiea has trained extensively across the globe—from California to Brazil, the UK to Central America—for over two decades. He co-founded Ecstatic Dance Los Angeles in 2014 with Robin Parrish, creating an all-ages, substance-free conscious dance celebration that has become a beloved sanctuary for LA's spiritual community for over 11 years.
Through his private practice, Angelic Presence Healing with Atasiea, he offers transformative services including advanced Reiki training, deep energy healing, therapeutic massage, intuitive life coaching, spiritual guidance counseling, and ceremonial facilitation. His rare ability to address physical ailments while simultaneously healing emotional and spiritual imbalances has established him as a sought-after practitioner.
Atasiea was featured as one of the star healers on TBS's reality show "Lost Resort" and was recently highlighted by Conscious City Guide as one of the leaders igniting our evolution in 2024. His approach combines ancient wisdom with modern healing practices, creating powerful transformation for individuals and communities alike.
Connect with Atasiea
Website: atasiea.com | EcstaticDanceLA.com
Instagram: @ecstaticdancela
Practice: Angelic Presence Healing with Atasiea
"Everything inside us and everything in nature is moving. The stars and the planets, the solar system is dancing through the cosmos."
-Atasiea | EnergyHealer, Bodyworker, Spiritual Guide, Artist, Cofounder of EcstaticDanceLA
Episode Transcript
Xochitl Ashe (01:14)
So happy to be here, so happy to be back. This episode is going to be a really good one because with us we have my brother, Atasiea somebody I love deeply and we've had a friendship for many, many years. At least the other day I was thinking at least like 15 or something, it's crazy. It's been a long time. So I wanna introduce Atasiea to all of you because this is going to be a really powerful conversation for this moment. So, Atasiea an angelic name meaning 'oneness' stands at the confluence of ancient wisdom and modern healing practices. For over two decades, this Oakland-born visionary has been transforming lives through his extraordinary intuitive gifts and comprehensive mastery of multiple healing disciplines as a distinguished Theta Healer Certified Reiki Master and expert body worker, Atasiea channels profound healing energies with remarkable precision. His global trainings span from California to Brazil, the UK to Central America, has culminated in a unique healing approach that transcends conventional boundaries. He is the co-founder of the acclaimed ecstatic dance Los Angeles. Atasiea has created a pivotal sanctuary for conscious movement and spiritual awakening. This all-ages substance-free celebration has become a cornerstone of LA's wellness community, drawing seekers from across the world. Through his private practice, Angelic Presence Healing with Atasiea, he offers transformative services including advanced Reiki training, deep energy healing, therapeutic massage, intuitive life coaching and ceremonial facilitation. His rare ability to address physical ailments while simultaneously healing emotional and spiritual imbalances has established him as a thought-out practitioner among those seeking profound healing. Recognized for his exceptional gifts, Atasiea was featured as one of the star healers on the TVS reality show, Lost Resort. where his transformative methods reached a national audience. Most recently, he was highlighted by Conscious City Guide as one of the leaders igniting our evolution 2024. We are so happy to have you here. Yeah, I love these conversations. I really feel like they're such deep medicine. And always the intention is to have our listeners join us in these exchanges, these sacred exchanges that we come to partake in. And therefore, think it's always really good to ground ourselves in open sacred space even before we begin and before we recorded today's show I asked
Okay, thank you for opening Sacred Space.
Atasiea (04:54)
Thank you for your invitation to do so. upon a little bit of the medicine of the California White Sage. for this plant, ally, and its spirit of cleansing, purification. I'm gonna invite you, Xóchitl and all our listeners to take a moment to drop into a deep round of breath. Allowing your lungs and belly to fill up with air. And then allowing each exhalation to empty your body of any stagnant air. We just take a couple of breaths to center ourselves. If it feels good, may want to place a hand on your heart and a hand on your womb or your belly or dentin. We're just gonna ask for great spirit. the creator of all that is unconditional love and unity consciousness to fill this space in all directions. North, South, East, West. above below and within. Asking for the elements of earth and fire, water and air and ether, and all of our benevolent ancestors, angels, gods, and benevolent spiritual forces to harmonize with us in this space, in our bodies, and in the environment. Asking for the medicine that is accessible through the wisdom that we each carry to be shared and communicated and processed in a good way by all those who hear this transmission and join us for this conversation. Thank you. Thank you, thank you. It is done.
Xochitl Ashe (07:41)
Yes. So I wanna, know, lot of folks, they know you for your involvement with Ecstatic Dance LA. And I love that Ecstatic Dance LA, you know, I've been to other Ecstatic Dance events around the world, but Ecstatic Dance LA is very special, as it's been a place that has held it down in such a powerful way for. here in Los Angeles, the spiritual conscious community, in a really rounded way, which I've really appreciated. And I think about, as I interview many people, one of the things that I'm often asking is, here we are during this time of great changes, and the world is not the same anymore. And we all feel it. people in our bones. And like what is the one thing that's gonna support us during this time? What are the things, right? And every single person always says the word community. Community, community, community. must build community, we must be in community, we must learn about community. My guest. two episodes ago Eden Tull who is a mindfulness teacher, writer, author, she was telling me that Thich Nhat Hanh said that the next Buddha is not going to embody one person but it's going to be embodied in a community. The community itself is the next Buddha. And so I wanted to invite you to this podcast, Future Pooja. earth because we're having these conversations and you know people can talk about community but you guys are creating it and you created like really powerful community. I mean every time I go to Ecstatic Dance I'm like I love LA. I love LA. I love LA's people. I love what we're here to do. What we're about and I even remember before I ever went to Ecstatic Dance LA I met this I had a new friend that we had just started a friendship and she invited me to Ecstatic Dance LA and she's like, you have to go. But you I was also going to like Agape and I was like, man, my whole Sundays are already so booked. But she's like, you have to go to Ecstatic Dance LA because it's not like any other ecstatic dance. It's like, this is my church. And I was like, whoa, okay.
Hahaha!
Atasiea (10:40)
you
Xochitl Ashe (10:43)
Okay. So then I was like, I better go. I mean, she's saying that's like her church, you know? So yeah, I mean, I feel like she's not the only one, you know, there's been other people who've shared with me, like that for them, ecstatic dance is how they can keep their spiritual connection with joy.
Atasiea (10:44)
you
Xochitl Ashe (11:12)
So as one of the co-founders, like how did that, I know that like getting to ecstatic dance was part of your healing journey. Like I wanna hear about that because I feel like understanding like how you became the co-founder, what your journey was like. I think that has so much medicine for us in terms of creation of effective community.
Atasiea (11:46)
Wow. So can you re-save the question that you?
Xochitl Ashe (11:50)
Yeah, I just wanna, yeah, let's just start by like how did you co-found ecstatic dance? Like how did that come about?
Atasiea (12:05)
Well, my business partner, Robin Parrish, and the co-founder of Ecstatic Dance LA and I decided to co-found the event in 2014 because we had both moved to the Los Angeles area years before that and had a background as actors and musicians and dancers in a musical theater. conservatory training program that we both went to in the UK. We studied acting at the Guilford School of Acting together and we have been collaborating for years doing art, like performing arts work and producing shows and things. I we wanted to work together and then I ended up moving back to the US from abroad and I discovered ecstatic dance at a time when my acting career was changing because my permission to work as an actor got revoked suddenly and I had to move back home. It was a real crisis moment and I discovered ecstatic dance and it was just like, wow, this is a really beautiful community and practice where people are just fully expressing themselves through movement and celebrating to music and just processing and in their catharsis, but it's not performative. This is people's authentic self-expression of like, I'm dancing and I'm moving because I need to express what I feel, not because it needs to look a certain way or be cute or be good dancing even. This is like a raw moment of my self-expression coming through and being in that space after being in such a highly charged performative, like you've got to get it right and make money and... It was like, wow, I really need to check this out. And so that is what drew me into the ecstatic dance practice and the community. And I immediately on my first ecstatic dance met my Reiki master who I ended up having a, you know, 15 or more year relationship studying for 10 years with him. then founding my own Reiki practice as a master teacher, I met. my shamanic dance instructors, Samantha Sweetwater, who created Dancing Freedom there at Ecstatic Dance in Oakland. And those processes were so transformative for my own personal healing process, practicing Reiki, and then learning to facilitate ceremony and dancing freedom that when I moved in 2012 back to LA, I knew that we needed to have like a conscious dance. practice in LA, one that was DJ driven and not just led by somebody with a playlist on a microphone, which a lot of conscious dance like five rhythms and soul motion is like a guided thing. The whole point of Ecstatic Dance is that the DJ set is what's guiding you. Nobody's telling you what to do. You just do whatever you want. And so I talked Robin into co-founding Ecstatic Dance. He hadn't even actually been to an ecstatic dance yet, but I was like, just trust me. It's like mixing live theater with festival culture and hell of dancers that are just like doing every kind of modality on the dance floor. it's it's really hyped. And he was like, okay. So we went up to Oakland and visited the dance and he was like, ⁓ okay. I see what it is. And I feel like we could do this really well in LA. We've been producing the event ever since.
Xochitl Ashe (16:05)
So if you guys started in 2014, so this last year was a 10 year anniversary.
Atasiea (16:16)
Yes, yes, we just reached a real milestone and it doesn't feel like it's been 10 years or more now. We're having our 11 year anniversary in June. The pandemic changed a lot of how we do things. For a while we were dancing online and broadcasting the music via Twitch and Zoom and people were joining us from all over the world for the first part of the pandemic and then... Robin moved the event out onto the beach in Venice where people could do social distance dancing and still commune with nature and see each other and just have a practice to move together, connect and heal. And so that's what we did. that dance ended up becoming super popular during the pandemic and remains to be a precious thing that people love to come. you know, do the ecstatic dance, but just out in nature on the oceanfront, which has been lovely. We're also now going back indoors and have indoor dances too, now that the pandemic is over.
Xochitl Ashe (17:27)
I really admired because I watched you guys do that Pivot right like I was you know watching it all go down and and Just in a great admiration because you guys were so agile I mean, I'm not saying that it felt like that, you know because for all of us That are entrepreneurs that are running projects businesses It didn't always feel so comfortable to make those changes necessary, but I really admired your agility through it all. 10 years is a lot to celebrate. mean, 11 years now, not only to be working with one person in a business partnership, like, wow, that you guys have been working together for this long.
Atasiea (18:19)
Yeah.
Xochitl Ashe (18:22)
but also like celebrating, bringing community together so consistently.
Atasiea (18:31)
Yeah, it's been, it's had its ups and downs when we first started the dance, where I was coming from at that place was like, I don't want to live in a major city in America, especially where there isn't an ecstatic dance that I can personally go to, to get my groove on, to process some stuff, to move things out. And since there isn't one here, why don't I, why don't we start it and we could do it really well. And then as we got going, it was clear, oh, we could really do this as a proper business and really hold it down and establish ourselves. Let's give this more attention than just like, oh, this is a little ranking community gathering. And that was more Robin's impetus. He was like, no, we need to do this legit. It was one of the best ecstatic dances ever. And so we just stuck with it.
Xochitl Ashe (19:23)
Hehehehe
Atasiea (19:30)
Pivot during the pandemic was largely his motivation and generation of the energy to do it because honestly at that time I was having deaths in my family, my father passed. And so I had to withdraw some attention during the first part of the pandemic to focus on caring for my father and my family. And then I came back and I've been helping since then. But Perseverance is real and it translates directly to the philosophy that underpins why we're even holding the dance event, which is everything inside us and everything in nature is moving. The stars and the planets, the solar system is dancing through the cosmos. And the relationships and the synergy between things moving in and out of relationship with each other, the cycles of things being born and emerging and then like maturing and then decaying and dying, like that's something that's happening that when we engage in a regular practice of dancing ourselves, it gives us an opportunity to Utilize dance as not just recreation, but also like this is my ceremony This is my time of realign with what's happening in my personal life But also on a macrocosmic level and when that ritual is done in community regularly in a safe enough space where people know they can really go Let it loose or feel their full feelings And just be seen and be kind of held by the container of everyone's out here doing this it provides some kind of psychological support that is one, cathartic, and two, celebratory, and two, sometimes it's just really fun and fiery and sexy and just all the things. So it touches a lot of notes and we realized from our mentors who started Ecstatic Dance in Oakland, mainly Donna Carroll, who, bless her heart, she lent us all of the speaker equipment that we used to found the dances. We couldn't afford to buy that.
Xochitl Ashe (21:48)
Wow.
Atasiea (21:49)
She emphasized consistency is your number one most important thing that you have to establish to make your dance take off. If you're inconsistent and people can't trust that you're gonna be there rain or shine or whenever, they'll stop coming. But if you're like, we're doing this, and if anything, we're just gonna increase doing this, but at the minimum we're gonna be here on Sundays getting it working in the sand.
Xochitl Ashe (21:55)
you
Atasiea (22:19)
at the beach, meet us over there. And we, to the best of our ability, tried to establish that level of stability that people can trust. Like, okay, they're gonna be dancing and I know it's gonna be a good time if I go and I can just kind of get some stress off and like play and also meet dope people like other artists, healers. Therapists, moms, grandpas like people of all ages that want to dance. We got straight-up people who are in there like wisdom of Maturity and still dancing. We got babies dancing like it's it's beautiful
Xochitl Ashe (23:01)
Yeah, wow. I mean, there's so many places that I want to go with this. Well, I remember I was at a dance studio and I took a picture of a poster and I don't remember. I'm going to look it up and we'll put it in the notes. But I remember that, like I don't remember who said it, but I remember what the poster said and it really impacted me deeply. And it said, your revolution does not include dance, I don't want to be a part of it.
Atasiea (23:49)
Was it Audrey Lohan?
Xochitl Ashe (23:50)
I think so, but you know, I don't remember right now. So we'll just we'll just confirm and and and put it on the links of this podcast. But I was just like, yes.
Atasiea (23:59)
I see what you mean. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes.
Xochitl Ashe (24:08)
Yes. And so, you know, to some people, it might be interesting that I'm bringing you to talk about dancing when the theme of this podcast is how do we show up? How do we show up when things are so extremely challenging for so many? How do we show up when the world is no longer what it used to be? When we're entering and- era when change is happening so fast. And I was like, yeah, this is when we need to dance the most. Like this is when we really need to be in dance and in ceremony the most. One of the things that I wanna share with our listeners is that me and Atasiea have been friends for a long time. And one of the ways that you and I connect, which is really, really sweet that I so appreciate about our friendship, is that we love to do ceremony together. We really do.
Atasiea (25:21)
Yes.
Yes, yes, yes.
Ceremony has become such a staple in my personal and spiritual development and the practice of ceremony is one of the guiding posts that keeps me aligned with nature, but also... not creating a separation between nature and my own personal life and environment and the things that I'm dealing with as a human being. trying to navigate the tides and the changes in the chaos in times of life with resilience and gratitude and some level of sanity or clarity or guidance with how to move. When we started Ecstatic Dance, both Robin and I kind of approach it from two different angles. I'm looking at it like this is straight up a spiritual practice for me and I know there are other people who deal with it. dance like church. And then he's more like in a secular mindset of like, it might not be that deep for everyone. It could just be a dope party or celebration or movement practice. It's just recreational and it's fun and you meet friends. It doesn't have to be a spiritual practice. And I'm like, well, let's try to make space for both those realities. So however you want to access and utilize the dance, could be woo woo to you, or it could just be like, I'm just, just sweating. I need to move my body. But the point is we hold it like a ceremony, meaning when people arrive, we actually take a moment to drop in together and set an intention and welcome, you know, the elements and nature to hold space for what we're doing in a good way. We have an altar. We have resins and things burning like to consecrate the space. And then what happens during the dance happens. Hopefully it's a good vibe. Hopefully the DJ says it's amazing and people are transformed at the end and then we ground at the end with a closing meditation just to get everyone back in their body, do a sound healing or guided meditation. And then we go and most of the time people are better off because they went through that process with themselves and together. and feel like, I've got rinsed off. I'm ready to get back into whatever life has for me out there. Ceremony with people like you ceremony on my own time and then ceremony in the larger community Has been like a web that's kept me Feeling like okay We are going in a direction of solidarity as people who have shared about shared enough values to want peace and Want to share about what is? Healing and where to go in case of emergency like with the fires and stuff that just happened here in LA We've been able to share a lot of information and just be in touch with the community to see like, you really good? Who needs help? Who would have said money to who's volunteering where that kind of thing is really important in times where emergencies, catastrophes, or just the hardship of the timeline that we live on in society can be really pressing and individual. It's nice to have a space that you can come to where you're like. friends and maybe even chosen family or just people that you resonate with can hold space with you and for you. And the final thing I want to say about that is that ecstatic dance is not always ecstatic. Sometimes people are just coming to recover, be in grief, just be out in public, get out of their own depression bubble and they're not ecstatic and that's fine too. It's not always about being wild and crazy. It's about feeling how your body is actually feeling, moving to music and breathing and having permission to just express whatever, you know, consensually needs to be expressed in connection with other people. And that is priceless and often we are not permissed to do that in a club or other settings where dancing is happening. It's like if you get out on the floor and you get wild and crazy people will be looking at you crazy and you might feel judged, but the whole point of Ecstatic Dance is dance however you want to.
Xochitl Ashe (30:53)
I wanted to bring up that you are also in high service as a healer and supporting others on their path. And one thing I've really admired about you in this past year is that you told me that you take one day that's just for you and you disconnect from social media. And I was lucky because in one of these days you invited me to be in ceremony with you, which was very rare as this is your day. But what I loved about it is that you were telling me that you're taking one day a week where social media is off and you are just doing you. You're in ceremony, you're doing ceremony for yourself. And... that this was inspired by the words of one of your teachers. Can you share that? Because I thought that that was impactful to me. And I think I get a lot of listeners that are teachers themselves, are leaders, are healers. And I thought that that was really an important piece that we all need to hear as we are serving in the world.
Atasiea (32:18)
Yeah, well, yeah, thank you for asking. This weekly ceremonies that I do were recommended by a couple of different. Influences my teacher. His name is Andrew Bartzis and he's called the galactic historian You all can look him up on YouTube He is a shamanic practitioner a Reiki master and has a special gift of reading the Akashic record for everything that Has lived or is the leaving on planet earth? he can read the records from the inception of our universe to present time and he at a training program called Living the Mystical Life Daily, where he just trained people to live a ceremonial and intentional life. And I didn't do that training, but I used to work with him privately doing readings. And in one of the readings, he was like, you need to be in way more ceremony than you are to keep your spiritual hygiene at a level to hold the kind of space that you need to hold as a community leader. how much ceremony are you doing? And I was like, I'm doing ceremony all the time. Like weekly I just had a dance and I'm doing ceremonies for my clients. And he was like, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You're doing ceremony for the other people, but how much ceremony do you do alone for yourself? And I was like, what? I mean, he was like, exactly. I was like, well, because it was kind of, somehow it had escaped me that I needed to.
Xochitl Ashe (33:46)
Yeah.
Atasiea (33:54)
take that kind of time for myself to heal myself and fill my own cup so that I could be a better spaceholder. Somehow that was not naivete anyway. So anyway, he suggested that and then my ancestors actually told me it needed to be weekly with the moon phases. So I developed that practice to do it weekly. Now my days off that I do, I try to take Monday and Tuesday off, which is my weekend because our events happen on Sundays. So after that, just unplug. The ceremonies don't always fall on that day. If the moon phase is falling on the Monday or Tuesday, I'll do a thing, but it can be any day of the week. And yeah, I do a ceremony, new moon, full moon, first quarter and third quarter, fire ceremony. And it's been great. And also the digital detox. On the Monday, I do my best. just not use my phone at all, but sometimes I have to for an appointment. But those are my days for self care, rest, regeneration, and not to be answering to anyone or responding to any sort of like, need this from you and just like fill my own cup. And it's been essential to carve out that time, especially as a freelance artist, healer, teacher, professional entrepreneur, like All of those freelance types of jobs, you can just get stuck in a cycle where you never are not on the clock. So designating a time, a coach, financial coach, Jessie Johnson, gave me this wisdom. She was like, as a freelancer, as a business owner, you need to set aside two days of your week where you are not on the clock, where you're not working. And I was like, wow. I had never thought of that, but I'm on the verge of burnout and running myself ragged. because I don't have that. I'm chasing money all the time, so I don't get any time off. And it's like, that's not balance. That's not humane. We have to turn it off sometimes. So that's what I aim for. And inevitably, it's really just the Monday. And then by Tuesday, I'm having to turn on the phone and respond to clients and collaborators. And stuff is always going on. But I do recommend that if you all can carve that out. Your days might not be right next to each other. But I try to just do them back to back. I'm also a projector in human design, we don't have endless generator energy to just be going and going and going all the time. Generators need to go until they actually exhaust themselves physically and then rest. Whereas if projectors keep doing that, we can make ourselves sick.
Xochitl Ashe (36:40)
Yeah, I'm a generator. That sounds familiar.
Atasiea (36:44)
Yeah.
Xochitl Ashe (36:49)
Yeah, well, thank you for that. I think that it's just such a, I've really been doing it. I've been taking a day off. know, Mondays are good for me as well, just because weekends, I have a partner, so that's when he doesn't work and I like to go out and be with friends. But it's important to have time just for ourselves. Mondays he's at work. And I'm not, so I just do my practices, take my walks, know, do all the things that just offer a care for myself. Because I think that the most important message that you shared with me by example, right, like you modeled this for me, is that Like I'm really good about energetic hygiene as like I clean myself spiritually, right? Like whenever I work with people, I'm really, I've trained myself for many, many years to be the observer of their experience, not take on any of their heaviness. And yet not noticing that when the world is going through so many changes. Like we are empathic sensitive beings and we are affected deeply. When LA burns, we're not just thinking about the homes that got burned down. We're thinking about the animals that died and all of their homes, right? Like us leaders today that are conscious are very sensitive, whether we deny it or not. we are affected by the global changes that are happening with climate, with politics, just with even technology. And so thank you for modeling that like, I thought I had really good, you know, spiritual hygiene, but when the world goes up a level of chaos, goes up a level of challenge, that is such an invitation to be like, ⁓ wait, hold on. Like what I've been doing actually is not enough. It's not meeting the moment. I actually have to up my self-care to another next level in order to meet it. And if I don't, then I'm like struggling too.
Atasiea (39:28)
you This is especially for leaders, teachers, spaceholders, healers, people doing things for others in a service-oriented job kind of way. We have to have the self-care game on lock. It has to be held down properly or else we're eventually going to be depleted and unable to continue to serve without doing harm to ourselves. potentially even somebody else when we're dysregulated. it's really important.
Xochitl Ashe (40:10)
Yeah, and I think that I'm being really specific in terms of like a spiritual self-care, right? Like the time, like let's not only go to our altar when we're like praying for our clients, praying for our family, praying for like the world. Like how about taking some time to go into our altar to also be... connecting to our spiritual team like, hey, help me navigate this time. You know, like we need that spaciousness to be able to sit at our altar and listen to the guidance of the earth that is here for us. I don't believe that these times are happening and that there is no guidance being offered. I don't, I refuse. That's not acceptable to me.
Atasiea (41:10)
Yeah. Yeah.
Xochitl Ashe (41:11)
The earth loves us way too much to not guide us through these times.
Atasiea (41:18)
Thank you for saying that. That is important for me to hear and to listen, to humble myself and to listen to the earth. is what I'm taking from what you're saying, especially at times of uncertainty and chaos and a lot of noise. This is the time when we need to, when I need to, get still and get quiet enough to listen to her and to the honorable and benevolent and ascended ancestors who've been here to course correct or chart. chart the guidance, chart the pathway forward in times of uncertainty. Yeah, yeah, that's what is needed.
Xochitl Ashe (42:17)
So what do you think are the skills that are being required of us right now that you're noticing to show up at this time?
Atasiea (42:29)
communication skills, refinement of emotional regulation, so that communication can stay coherent enough, like if that's interpersonally in our relationships, and then also on a broader scale than that, that's important. What we just talked about, self-care, the ability to self-regulate so that you can communicate properly and then follow through with whatever you. are trying to create in your partnership, in your business, in your family, and in the world. Those are key things. And then... Yeah, I think that also helps us to actually stay informed about what possibilities are when we have. healthy enough relationships with honorable humans that are worthy of us and we're worthy of staying in that communication with to learn like, hey, what are you focusing on? What's helping you out? What should I be paying attention to that's health benefits or like where are the resources like staying in that communication is essential when we can be triggered. Traumatized or struggling or challenged we're gonna need to be able to have people that we can reach out to and say yo I am in dire need of prayer or spiritual support or just practical help, know, those kinds of things. And it's sometimes not easy to ask for that, but. Those are the importance of community and strong friends, soul family, loved ones, a healthy enough relationship dynamic to communicate. Honestly, I think that's one of the most important things.
Xochitl Ashe (44:30)
So as we are coming to a close, I just want you to close your eyes. And I just want to see if there is something that you want to share that you know that was so profoundly effective, like a piece of wisdom that really supported you, has supported you, still maybe supports you, that you would like to share with our listeners that perhaps is just the perfect medicine that they need today.
Atasiea (45:20)
Thank you. The breath is life. air is the one element that we can't really live for more than a few minutes without. and relating to the breath as... and air itself as a living consciousness, an elemental entity that is giving us life and then taking it in that way and regulating it can help us control our minds, our energy, our movements. and help us reclaim our power. So like just remembering to breathe consciously and intentionally and deeply and even practice breath work or yoga or something that can help us regulate our breath is so simple and so easy to forget and let ourselves then get swept up in a temper tantrum or get triggered and it's like just coming back to the breath is everything.
Xochitl Ashe (46:37)
Thank you for that reminder. I love, you I often think of like food and water, like those are essential in order to live. Like, you you can live without food for up to a month, but you can't live without water for more than three days. And no one talks about air, so I'm glad you brought it up, right? Like, yeah, we actually can't live without air, period. It's air is life.
Atasiea (47:08)
All the elements are but that one is like essential in real time and it's easy to hold our breath when we get triggered for whatever reason and a lot of Maladies and ill health and imbalances are coming out of just not breathing well or the quality of the air not being good. So, you know, it's So simple and it's easy to come back to and if you if someone is a leader a facilitator
Xochitl Ashe (47:10)
life. Yeah.
Atasiea (47:35)
especially in the conscious dance or yogic spaces or movement arts, that's something that we constantly need to remind ourselves to do and invite the people that we're guiding to just return to that.
Xochitl Ashe (47:46)
Thank you so much.
Atasiea (47:47)
resource. Yeah, thank you. Thank you for this inspiring conversation.
Xochitl Ashe (47:53)
Yeah, and if you wanna be in touch with Atasiea, just check all our links. We're gonna make sure that all of them are there for you because you definitely wanna continue knowing what Atasiea is up to. And if you're ever in LA, highly, highly, highly recommend you participate in an ecstatic dance LA. Thank you everyone, thank you.
Atasiea (48:19)
Thank you. Yes. Peace.
Meet Your Host: Xóchitl Kusikuy Ashé
Fifth-Generation Quechua Aymara Medicine Woman
Xóchitl Kusikuy Ashé is a fifth-generation Quechua Aymara medicine woman dedicated to bridging ancient wisdom with future-ready solutions for our rapidly changing world. With deep roots in indigenous healing traditions and a passionate commitment to planetary flourishing, she carries forward the sacred knowledge of her ancestors while embracing the innovations needed for our collective future.
Through The Pachamama School Podcast, Xóchitl creates spaces for transformative conversations that honor our profound connection to ourselves, our communities, and Mother Earth. She brings together visionaries, innovators, and wisdom keepers to explore how we can navigate these times of profound transformation with wisdom, courage, and hope.
Her mission is rooted in the understanding that we are living through unprecedented planetary change, both challenges and opportunities that require both ancient wisdom and contemporary innovation. Xóchitl believes that by honoring the sacred teachings of Pachamama while embracing evolutionary solutions, we can co-create a world where all life flourishes.
As your guide on this journey, Xóchitl holds space for the medicine that emerges when we remember our true nature as Earth's allies and co-creators. Each conversation on the podcast is an invitation to step more fully into your role as a steward of the new earth we are birthing together.
When she's not recording transformative conversations, Xóchitl can be found in ceremony, tending to the earth, working with plant medicines, and supporting conscious leaders in their healing and visionary work.
Join Our Sacred Community
Want to be a guest on The Pachamama School Podcast?
We're always seeking visionaries, wisdom keepers, and conscious changemakers who are pioneering paths forward for our collective healing and planetary transformation. If you're doing work that bridges ancient wisdom with modern solutions, creating regenerative communities, or supporting the birthing of the new earth, we'd love to hear from you.
Have questions about the podcast or want to share the love?
Your voice matters in our growing community of earth allies and conscious co-creators. Whether you have feedback, want to share how an episode touched your heart, or simply want to connect with like-minded souls on this journey, we welcome you with open arms.
Ready to connect? Send us an email via our contact form and let's start a conversation.