RETREATS & SANCTUARY
Roots of the Heart was created as a sacred offering for those who feel the call to connect more deeply with the Earth through intentional gatherings, ceremonial practices, and conscious travel. This work was born from lived experience and a deep reverence for the land, sacred plant medicines, the ancestors, and the quiet wisdom that lives within us all.
Over time, a profound calling emerged to guide others into remembrance of their innate connection with the Earth and all living things. We have witnessed that when we slow down, when we gather with intention, and when we root ourselves in the rhythms of nature, something ancient begins to awaken.
Through reconnection with the land, the body, and the sacred cycles of life, we do not become something new. We simply remember. And in that remembering, we return to the living roots of the heart, the place where purpose, presence, and belonging quietly reside.
Some Roots of the Heart offerings, courses and retreats are cultivated through travel, inviting participants to journey to lands that carry powerful memory and teachings. Others are held closer to home. While not every retreat involves travel, each one is rooted in deep connection with the Earth, ancestral wisdom, divine remembrance, and sacred relationship with the self.
Through ceremony, presence, and reverent engagement with the natural world, we create spaces where the body can soften, the heart can listen, and remembrance can unfold. These gatherings and retreats are invitations to slow down, to reconnect with what is ancient and alive, and to walk gently in relationship with the Earth and with your own inner knowing.
OUR STORY
After five years of offering both national and international retreats, Roots of the Heart came into being. What began as a deep passion for ceremony and visiting sacred sites around the world slowly evolved into a calling to create something more intentional. A sanctuary that could hold intentional offerings, courses, sacred travel, ceremonial retreats, or all of the above, guided always with a deep love and care.
Through journeys across many lands of our beautiful Earth, a profound knowing emerged for our founders;
When we connect, when we heal, and when we allow ourselves sacred time to simply be, we enter a deeper relationship with ourselves. In that space, we come to know the roots of the heart, the roots of our being, and the roots of our purpose.
Our founders hold deep reverence for the Earth Mother and for ceremonial practices passed through land, lineage, and lived experience. Whether visiting and honoring sacred sites, holding space on sacred land, or sharing in sacred medicine, Roots of the Heart is a sanctuary of love, presence, and support.
Alyssa Gutierrez
Co-Founder
When Raíces del Corazón (Roots of the Heart) came into being, it arrived during a deeply transformative chapter in Alyssa’s life as a mother, wife, and woman. The vision for these retreats was born from years of personal healing, spiritual devotion, and a profound calling to create spaces where others could reconnect with themselves, the Earth, and the sacred wisdom that lives within every human being.
Alyssa has walked a spiritual path for two decades. Her journey began early in life, influenced by the mystical and spiritual traditions rooted in her Grecian heritage. While many people refer to her as a healer, Alyssa herself does not strongly identify with that title. Instead, she sees her role as one of supporting others in their sacred remembrance, walking alongside them as they rediscover their own inner wisdom and learn to return to a place of self love and wholeness.
Much of Alyssa’s work has centered around women and the sacred feminine. Her background includes extensive work in womb healing and feminine liberation, guiding women through practices that help them reconnect with the deep intelligence of their bodies. She leads women’s circles, teaches womb liberation work, and has experience in both midwifery and doula support. Her offerings also draw from Grecian shamanic traditions and traditional Balkan Womb Healing, creating spaces where women can explore healing, empowerment, and reconnection with their feminine essence.
Although Alyssa had already been walking a spiritual path for many years, she felt a growing sense that something deeper was calling her forward. Through a series of meaningful and divine connections, she was eventually introduced to the world of sacred plant medicines. Through ceremony, Alyssa was reconnected with a part of herself that felt long forgotten. In the quiet and sacred spaces held by the medicines, she began remembering pieces of her spirit that had once been buried beneath years of life’s experiences. After years of working with plant medicines, she found a depth of healing unlike anything she had known before. Old wounds that had lived quietly within her began to soften and release, opening the doorway to deep personal liberation and a sacred remembrance of who she truly was.
It was through this profound process of healing, remembrance, and reconnection that the path of curanderismo found her, guiding her deeper into the sacred traditions of working with the plant medicines and the wisdom they carry.
Having spent over twenty years immersed in Latino communities, Alyssa became fluent in Spanish and developed a deep respect and understanding of the culture and its traditions. Her time living in Central America further deepened this connection, in a way that felt as though it had all been divinely woven long before she ever consciously stepped onto the path. What once seemed like separate experiences began to reveal themselves as part of a greater unfolding, eventually guiding her to begin apprenticing in the traditional ways of curanderismo as a curandera. Under the guidance of experienced teachers and an Ayahuasquero, she began studying the sacred medicines of Tobacco and Ayahuasca, learning the traditional practices connected to Amazonian and Andean shamanic lineages and the ancestral teachings surrounding Ayahuasca and Yagé.
Alyssa considers herself a lifelong student of life. She approaches this work with humility and the understanding that learning, growth, and devotion to the path are ongoing processes that continue for as long as we walk this Earth.
Her Mediterranean heritage, combined with her experience in feminine healing and her training within curanderismo traditions, allows her to hold a unique and deeply supportive container for those who feel called to work with sacred medicines. Within women’s spaces especially, Alyssa brings a nurturing presence that honors both the strength and tenderness of the feminine journey.
Through Roots of the Heart, Alyssa’s intention is simple yet profound. She hopes to support others as they walk their own path of healing and discovery, to inspire people to see the beauty that exists in life and in the world around them, and to remember the sacred truth that already lives within them.
Pablo Gutierrez
Co-Founder
Pablo is a husband, father, brother, and friend to many. When Roots of the Heart was born, it came during a deeply transformative time for him and his wife. It was a period of creation, reflection, and deep connection in their lives and in their shared path.
Originally named Raíces del Corazón, meaning Roots of the Heart, Pablo was the one who cultivated the name and the essence behind it. The inspiration came from a deep calling within him to support others on their journey of remembering. A journey to find the roots of the heart, the roots of where we come from, and the roots of our sacred remembrance.
Pablo carries a deep love and appreciation for supporting others on their path. Over the years, he has held supportive containers and circles for men, creating spaces where men can gather, remember, connect, and express themselves with honesty and presence.
Like many who walk the medicine path, Pablo holds many roles in life. One of these roles is his relationship with sacred medicines, particularly his path with Grandfather Tobacco. His journey with this plant teacher began years ago and has slowly unfolded into a deep relationship built on respect, prayer, and devotion. It is through this deep respect and sacred connection with Grandfather Tobacco that Pablo shares this medicine with others. With love and care, he offers the spirit of tobacco in many of its traditional and sacred embodiments. For Pablo, tobacco is not simply a plant, but a teacher, a protector, and a guide. Through prayer, ceremony, and presence, he shares this medicine as a way to support others in grounding, clearing, connecting, and remembering their own relationship with spirit and the Earth.
After much sacred remembrance, Pablo's path eventually led him into the traditions of Mayan and Aztecan shamanism, following the ways of the ancestors who walked before him. What began as a personal journey of connection and reverence slowly unfolded into a deeper relationship with these ancient teachings, guiding him to study, listen, and learn with humility.
Pablo has immersed himself in these sacred traditions with great respect, dedicating time to understanding the wisdom carried through ceremony, prayer, and ancestral knowledge. His path continues to unfold as one of remembrance, where each teaching reveals another layer of connection to the earth, the spirit world, and the lineage of those who have preserved these ways.
A lifelong student of the ancient paths, Pablo approaches this work with humility and devotion, honoring the wisdom that has been carried across generations while continuing to learn, grow, and deepen his relationship with the sacred traditions that guide him. In doing so, he is continually inspired to share what he learns with others, supporting all who are willing to receive.
Pablo also supports Roots of the Heart with his music. Music has always been a part of Pablo’s life. Since he was a young child, he has carried a deep love for sound and rhythm. This love naturally led him onto the path of medicine music, where he now shares songs from an open heart, offering them as medicine for those who receive them.
Regardless of the path Pablo walks, the roles he carries in his professional life, or who he is to his family and the community around him, one thing remains constant in his presence, Pablo meets life with humility, sincerity, and an open heart.
He does not place himself above the work he offers or the paths he studies. Instead, he walks beside others, grounded in the understanding that we are all remembering, all learning, and all growing in our own ways.
OUR TEAM
Behind every retreat, gathering, and shared experience is a circle of beautiful souls who help make these spaces possible. Our team is made up of individuals who lovingly support the work before, during, and after each retreat. Whether we are gathering close to home or traveling abroad, these dedicated individuals help create an environment where everyone who joins us can feel welcomed, supported, and cared for.
Each member of our team carries a genuine love for humanity and a deep belief in the mission behind these retreats. They show up with open hearts and a sincere desire to serve, offering their time, energy, and presence so that others may step into a space of connection, reflection, and remembrance.
Beyond our retreat team, we are also blessed to walk alongside a circle of teachers and mentors who guide and inspire us on this path. These respected elders and mentors share their wisdom generously, supporting our continued learning and growth as we carry this work forward.
At times, shamanic practitioners and traditional medicine carriers also join us during retreats to share their knowledge, ceremonies, and sacred medicines in respectful and meaningful ways. These collaborations allow those who attend our retreats to experience teachings and traditions that have been carried for generations.
Whether in the United States, Mexico, Peru, or Greece, we are deeply grateful to be supported by a beautiful network of teachers, guides, and community members who continue to inspire this work.
Together, we walk this path of learning, sharing, and remembering.
Connect With Us
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