The Sacrum Navitas Approach
The Sacrum Navitas healing philosophy is four-fold; Physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Our belief is that, in order to achieve optimal well-being, you must address each branch one by one. Without mental stability, you will not experience spiritual freedom. Without emotional release, you will not experience physical peace. So on and so forth. While we are happy to work with you wherever you are at, even if you are only willing to address one acute problem, we keep this mentality in the back of our minds.
Clara's personal approach to tackling an ailment is also four-fold; IDENTIFY the issue, DISCOVER the cause, SUPPORT the body to heal from within, PREVENT future issues from arising/reocurring.
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The numbers 3, 4, and 5 are trusted numbers in ancient medicine. In Indian Ayurvedic Philosophy, there are three Doshas. In Hippocrates' Grecian theory, there are four physical humours. In Traditional Chinese and Indigenous American medicine, there are five elements.
The Sacrum Navitas approach combines all of these philosophies, although most commonly bases our approach on the four earth element theory, earth, fire, air and water. These elements go hand in hand with the seasons we experience in North America, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and eventually back to the branches of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.
Clara's Training
Yoga and Reiki
Clara began practicing yoga as a small child, and was a certified instructor by the time she was 18. After finishing her training, she began teaching at pop up locations and studios. She landed a position teaching for the Special Olympics, and began hosting her own community yoga sessions on her family farm.
Clara's grandmother and mother were both Reiki masters, and Clara completed her own Reiki masters in 2023 under the tutelage of Melissa Pieciak.
Clinical Training
Clara began her clinical herbalism training in 2023, under the mentorship of seasoned herbalist Ilana Sobo. After completing two levels of herbal training, Clara decided she wanted to make a career out of clinical herbalism and take on clients. Her training including learning how to formulate and administer herbal medicine, read blood counts, work with contraindications and diagnosis, understand detailed anatomy and bodily functions, properly address emotional, mental and physical trauma, understand mathematical dosages and constituents of plant medicine, as well as experience hands-on field experience with real life clients, under the watch of her professional mentors.
During her clinical training, she also received a basis in Ayurvedic Indian medicine. Although Clara does not claim to be an Ayurvedic practitioner, she does often implement her Ayurvedic knowledge into her practice, especially when formulating herbals according to her patient's Doshic constitution.
Plant Medicine
Clara originally decided to take classes on herbalism with the intention of getting herself off of pharmaceutical medications and treating her own anxiety and depression. Soon into her training, however, she realized she wanted to do more than just help herself. Clara completed two years of herbal classes with world traveling herbalist Lupo Passero, as well as guest teachers such as Indigenous elders and medicine men, mushroom and micellium experts, medicine making experts, master gardeners and herbalists, forestry and foraging specialists, as well as other incredible practitioners. Clara is excited to announce that her plant medicine repertoire will grow in 2025 when she studies Flower Essences in Costa Rica with Wild Ginger Herbal Center.
Doula
Clara's lifelong goal has been to work in women's sexual and reproductive health. During her years of training, Clara took a special interest in women's advocacy, and decided to take her passion to the next level. She completed her doula training with Melissa Harley and is currently working towards her DONA Intl. Certification.
Beyond Medicine
The Sacrum Navitas philosophy goes far beyond physical medicine. As mentioned below, we also strive to advocate for women's health, animal rights, environmental impact and Indigenous recognition.
Additionally, Sacrum Navitas hopes to give life to an entire school of thought, one that resists the restraints put on us as a society in the last century. Sacrum Navitas aims to bring public attention to the poor quality of food in America, the unethical practices of industrial farming, the dangers of technology and radiation, the mental and emotional impact of industrialization, the truth of the pharmaceutical companies, the ways environmental destruction is affecting us, the effects of social media and the internet, among other modern dilemmas. Through helping people to understand their own connection to the earth, we hope to enlighten the public to the world around them and inspire them to think outside the box and resist the separation from nature that has, unfortunately, been normalized in our everyday lifestyles.
Advocacy
Clara strives to add advocacy into her clinical practice. As a young woman, she was made aware of the disappointing lack of adequate care in women's reproductive and sexual healthcare. She has taken a personal interest in taking on young female clients that feel unheard or disrespected by their doctors. Additionally, she aims to bring attention to the chronic lack of confidence and knowledge that young women seem to have when it comes to their own healthcare. She hopes that through teaching classes, speaking on social media, and working with clients one-on-one, she can help women (of all ages) gain the confidence to speak up for themselves, and take an interest in understanding their own bodies.
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As well as women's advocacy, Clara is a passionate environmental and animal rights activist. She strives to work towards making healthcare more ethically and sustainably conscious and does her best to only use plant based products in her practice, using local, wildcrafted, and sustainably produced products as often as she can.
The western medicine module has zero concern for ethical or sustainable responsibility, and Clara hopes that with more natural medicine available to people, we can begin to see a change, as people heal from the earth without harming it in the process.
Last, but certainly not least, Clara strives to pay homage to the fact that much of her training came from Indigenous tradition and the majority of plants she works with were originally identified and studied by the Native Tribes of North and South Americas. She hopes to carry their wisdom further into the 21st century by practicing herbal medicine and studying the ancient crafts of Indigenous medicine.
