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WELCOME TO MOTHER TREE
LEARNING AND WELLNESS
Mother Tree Learning & Wellness is about soul care, taking care of all parts of our being holistically. It is a platform for those who are looking to build self-awareness and self-love through educational coaching and consulting, yoga asana, and creative visual art practices.
About the Founder, Cristina Benz
Taking care of our land and respecting nature were important values that were instilled in me at a young age from many of my family members. Every summer I spent time at my Nonno and Nonna’s farm. I remember going for walks with my grandfather in the cool mornings and humid afternoons and learning about the plants, the animals, the indigenous people that were first to take care of the land, and how important it is to leave nature as I found it.
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Mother Tree Learning & Wellness evolved after visiting the Redwood Forest in 2020 just before Covid began and 8 months after transitioning from the art classroom into a district racial equity leadership role. It was while I was on a hike in California in the Redwoods where I remembered from my childhood how gentle, nurturing, and powerful these ancient trees were.
During the walk amongst the Redwoods I learned that there is a mother tree that is surrounded by smaller trees and it is the mother tree that nurtures and communicates through its root system. These giant and magnificent trees have a special coating on their bark to withstand forest fires, and can live beyond what is expected because of its uniqueness.
This felt familiar as I had taught high school students for many years. I wanted to create a space for students to thrive because I didn’t always have these spaces growing up in my education. I spent time listening, supporting, and nurturing relationships with my students. It was the seeds that I planted when I taught them about visual arts and life that I hoped would guide them later to find what they loved to do.
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It is the mother tree that is a metaphor for my work now and where I have become rooted in sharing what I know through connection with others, healing and joy through yoga and the arts, and coaching clients for abundant and fearless living.