Introducing Core Faculty Graduate: Maria J Garcia

Hello Community, I’m Maria J Garcia. For over 30 years, I have worked as a transformational guide, life and professional coach, speaker, and workshop leader. 20 years ago, I graduated from Sacred Centers as a chakra life/professional coach, Healer and Teacher, and soon after established Sacred Centers East in creative

partnership with Anodea Judith. When the pandemic closed that physical space, a new vision emerged: Portals of Grace, a virtual platform that now brings chakra-based coaching to a global community.

My journey of awakening started in the 70’s in New York City, with its explosion of holistic and spiritual modalities. Seeking healing from a painful condition, I came across Macrobiotics. Burgers and fries gave way to brown rice and adzuki beans, beer and wine to miso soup and bancha tea. This deep cleansing process changed not only my body, but my consciousness. After 6 months, pain-free and feeling stronger than I had ever felt, I was led to my first spiritual teacher, and to Kripalu Yoga Center, an organization that would later play a significant role in my life.

The birth of my daughter was the catalyst to move from the intensity of New York to the peaceful hills of Pennsylvania, eventually to the Kripalu Ashram at Sumneytown.

I served as executive director for five years on this sacred land. And then…life changed…again, as we learned of the long-term misuse of power and sexual abuse of community members by our beloved spiritual leader. The betrayal was devastating, but it also became a turning point.

It was then, while co-leading a healing gathering for the community, that I was lifted into an expanded state of consciousness and gifted with a guiding vision for my life. It revealed that these events were taking place all over the world as part of a larger evolutionary process of dismantling outdated power systems rooted in a distortion of the feminine and masculine principles - the relationship between the Divine Father and the Divine Mother. From this, I saw the emergence of a new paradigm grounded in balance, sacred union, and love.

Clarity came in the form of Anodea’s groundbreaking book Wheels of Life. How was it possible that after 5 years of living in a sophisticated yoga community I knew almost nothing about the Chakra System? How could such a vital, foundational teaching have been so overlooked?

I knew that this was not just the missing piece to my healing and my work, but to my experience of Consciousness and of Life. The chakra system became the path to my life mission. I immersed myself in Anodea’s teachings as a way to access my own inner knowing and authentic creative power, and I’ve never looked back.

Seeing the life-changing potential of a chakra-based coaching program, I set out to design one. That was close to 20 years ago, and that potential continues to evolve to meet today’s challenges, both individually and collectively.

As a member of Sacred Centers Academy Core Faculty, I offer the foundational programs, Psychology of the Chakras and Creating On Purpose, in a life-coaching model for individuals and small groups of 4-6 participants. These live online programs offer an in-depth exploration of the journey of Liberation and Manifestation, designed to profoundly impact your life.

“My role is to stand in the sacred land of the heart, live my truth, and be a bridge for others to do the same. I serve our shared destiny by providing a clear and comprehensive map for the journey through the chakras, and the guidance, support, knowledge, tools, and inspiration to ensure your safe arrival. The chakra system is our map, I am privileged to be a guide.”

The Mother

She is the wave that swells within me that cannot be contained

She is the wind that blows the house down and sets me free

She is the earth that warms me, for her womb has birthed the sun

She is the fire that leaps with joy, the burn of grace from a love so fierce it will not stop until I melt into her.

She is the ether that knows no bounds, the formless, the timeless beingness, the

silently adoring witness of all I can’t remember and must, to be whole again,

She is the fullness of the empty space, the emptiness of the cosmic womb,

Telling me that even the trap door is a Portal of Grace…

Maria J

You can connect with me at portalsofgrace.com