ANA LYGIA PRICE-ECKLES GREW UP IN A LOG CABIN IN VERMONT,
where the fern filled woodlands were her playground. Her early Waldorf education set the stage—a focus on creativity and the lessons of nature were paramount, and whimsical magic permeated. Narrated by interstate 91, many moves unfolded her verdant childhood—as a teenager she landed in Western Massachusetts with her father, and attended a performing arts charter high school (PVPA). After graduating from Sarah Lawrence College, where she focused on social sciences and visual art, she searched NYC for the familiar comforts of home. She dedicated her time to the food service industry, several internships, and finally to science prerequisites at Borough of Manhattan Community College.
photo by Ruth Eckles
A health crisis and the rediscovery of her great-grandmother (and herbalist) Adele Dawson’s book, Herbs: Partners in Life, brought her to the herbal world. She attended ArborVitae School of Traditional herbalism since 2014, graduating in 2017 with 3 years of certification. Here she found a home, harking back to memories of waterfalls and elders' gardens. She’s ever grateful to be a part of the herbal world, where she sees a responsibility to:
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share the sense of connection and stewardship that can be gained from reestablishing our relationship with the plants of our own evolution;
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offer a window into the many ways we are all connected rather than separate from each other and our environment;
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encourage the possibility of health empowerment through an acceptance and knowledge of the innate wisdom of our own inner and outer ecosystems;
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discover her families' ties to nature and activism through getting to know her grandmother's legacy, and continuing to learn from her as a guide and mentor posthumously.
She has a particular interest in the nervous system and soothing imbalances of the heart, including addiction, anxiety, and the repercussions of chronic stress. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn where she enjoys the bounty of Prospect Park.
Ana and Adele, 1986