New here? Read this first.
Let me introduce myself.
Welcome to the Gaian Oasis!
I’m Maria and I’m an ecotherapist and equine facilitated learning practitioner specialising in helping people to recover from depression and it’s insidious little chums - anxiety, burn out, stress and overwhelm - through creating deep therapeutic connections with the powerful healing magick of Mother Nature.
But that’s not all I do - there are other highly effective, but a little woo woo, tools that I chuck into the mix that make healing and thriving so much easier.
What’s my story?
I’ve been involved in therapeutic work in nature since 2005, when I began helping kids with special needs, particularly autism and ADHD, to build self esteem and confidence through working and playing with horses.
It all came to an abrupt end after my own mental health issues (I’m a neurodivergent abuse survivor) decided that they were sick of being ignored and starting making noise. A LOT of noise. I had a massive nervous breakdown, ended up being publicly shamed and humiliated, and became a shell of my former self.
I’ll tell you more about that in other posts, but long story short, my dream business ended in 2013 and I’ve spent the last 12 years trying, and mostly failing, to rebuild both the business and myself.
I’ve learned a LOT along the way and over time my methods have changed to reflect my own lived experiences, and those of the people I work with.
I created The Gaian Path: healing body, mind, Soul & spirit through holistic healing, lifestyle changes, activism, and a generous sprinkle of Mama Nature’s magick.
This year I’ve been given a second chance.
Back in February 2025, after ten years of renting our home in Spain, our landlady decided to give us notice. For ten months we searched for a new home for me and my husband and our 5 adult kids, (also neurodivergent), 2 ponies, 3 elderly dogs, 4 ducks and a colony of feral cats that we accidentally became the guardians of.
In November, we found a new place. One that has a lot of potential to allow visitors to come and interact with the plants and animals.
We’ve decided to go all in creating The Gaian Oasis - a sustainable sanctuary where lost and wounded Souls can come to heal and thrive through connection with Mama Nature’s magick.
I want to share with you how we’re going to turn a run down farm in Spain into the Gaian Oasis. I also want to share with you how you can create your own healing sanctuary wherever you are.
You’re in the right place if you’re interested in:
🌱 Depression recovery & mental wellness practices;
🏡 Farm renovation & sustainable living;
🐾 Animal rescue & animal assisted therapy;
🔮 Rituals, tarot, plant medicine & earth magick;
💚 A gentler way of living and working that doesn't create burnout for us or the planet.
Plus a healthy dose of sacred activism, just to keep things spicy.
Real transformation.
No bypassing, or toxic positivity.
Just healing through living in harmony with the Earth.
Connection and community is an integral part of everything I do, so I don’t just want to share my stories, I want to hear yours, too. I want to hear your challenges, what’s burning you out, why you feel depressed and stressed and what anxiety holds you back from doing.
Equally, I want to meet the animals that help you maintain your mental health and bring you joy, I want to see your gardens, your houseplants, the places you go to relax, the recipes that you love to cook and the books you enjoy reading, so I’ll have regular chats going on.
I do hope you’ll join me
What you can expect from me
I’m not going to make promises to publish on a specific day. Some weeks you might get lots of posts, and other weeks I may be quieter. I encourage everyone to live their lives and run sustainable businesses without all the hustle and strain on their mental health, and I walk my talk.
All my content is FREE.
I believe that everyone should be able to find free resources to help them recover from depression and feel healthy, happy and whole, just as nature intended.
Having said that, The Gaian Oasis isn’t free for me to run. People and animals need feeding, bills have to be paid, and renovations cost money, so I WILL talk about my paid products from time to time.
But I do promise not to shove them down your throat at every turn.
I offer a subscription option if you’d like to support our work.
You won’t get anything exclusive in return, only the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing you helped our animal friends or contributed to the planting of a tree. I’m just in the planning stages but I think I may offer surprise gifts from time to time and your name will be added to our board of supporters (if you wish). Look out for posts updating you about that.
So that’s it!
I hope you’ll stick around and cheer us on as we create the physical Gaian Oasis here in Spain, as well as a virtual version online for you to access no matter where you live.
