“My favorite part [of my healing business] is helping people understand that the power to heal lies within themselves,” said Redwood alum Maya Holland.
Twenty-one-year-old Maya Holland currently works as an energy medicine practitioner and a somatic healing guide. She provides services to young adults to help them recover from trauma, reduce anxiety and deal with depression. Maya uses meditation and a type of hypnotherapy called somatic mindful guided imagery (SMGI) to help her clients face their emotional issues.
Maya’s healing journey began at the age of 16 while she was attending Redwood High School. Maya experienced a rough emotional period in her sophomore year, but through this experience, she discovered the Academy of Intuition Medicine in Sausalito.
“[The Academy] helped me come to terms with all of these energetic imbalances that caused me to feel the way I was feeling,” Maya said.
During her two years studying at The Academy, Maya would attend three-hour classes every Tuesday night. She learned about earth energy, life force energy and what exists beyond the 3D plane.
“I was the youngest person in the whole class,” Maya said.
Maya views her mother, Karyn Holland, as her biggest supporter. Karyn owns Citrine, a boutique in Larkspur.
“[My mom] has not only been my biggest support but also my biggest guide,” said Maya.
Karyn also attended The Academy and was always someone that Maya could talk to about what she was learning. Karyn encouraged Maya to continue exploring energy medicine even when Maya felt that what she was learning about was not widely accepted.
“We were speaking the same language,” Maya said.
Maya started her business while attending the University of Westminster in London. She originally taught group classes for young adults on Zoom. Her first in-person class was taught in the back of her mom’s retail store, Citrine, with about 8 young adults attending.
“[Sessions with Maya] give you more information to [help you] make sense of the world around you,” Hylton said.
Elizabeth Hylton is a Redwood graduate who has gone to two SMGI sessions with Maya. Hylton finds that Maya can balance when to be serious and when to be fun during the sessions to make the experience more enjoyable.
“She’s able to balance being charismatic and also understanding when it’s time to be serious,” said Hylton.
Hylton appreciates how the classes are individualized to the person taking them.
“She tailors the experience to you specifically and it is really introspective,” Hylton said.
Maya’s group classes eventually led to her meeting with people one-on-one. Currently, most of her clients do private sessions. In January, Maya will be starting consistent group classes at Citrine.
Maya focuses on helping people understand that they don’t need someone to fix them and that it all lies within themselves.
“Being able to connect people to their inner power is one of the most rewarding things,” said Maya.
Maya believes that after COVID-19, many people are going through issues that are harder to discuss. Maya works to let them know that the feelings they are dealing with are normal.
“You can be the brightest light you can be without having to get on any medication that will make you rely on someone else besides yourself,” Maya said.
When studying somatic mindful guided imagery, Maya found that she was able to create everything she wanted and become clear on what she was supposed to do with her life.
“I want to share that with other people, to help them clear what is no longer serving them and understand that we have the power to change for ourselves,” said Maya.
