Persimmon Healing
About Maria
Persimmon Healing is owned and operated by Maria Corrales, a Licensed Massage Therapist (NE #3901, 1000hrs), practicing since 2007. Maria's unique healing offering is enriched by the colorful life of adventure and purpose she has led.
Maria first began her healer path when she traveled alone at the age of 19 to the South African bush to help care for orphaned and injured baboons (the largest monkeys in the world) at C.A.R.E.. Over the course of four years Maria dedicated herself to the care of innumerable emotionally, physically and psychologically traumatized baboons, rehabilitating them for successful release back into the wild. She personally raised nine orphaned infants as their surrogate mother, the first of which (Stew) was featured on Animal Planet's "Growing Up Baboon". Utilizing her anatomical understanding as a biology student and guided by intuition and compassion she performed her first abdominal massages on baboons struggling for survival in the grips of tetanus, providing desperately needed relief.
Maria spent half of her twenties living in the wilderness with primates, both in South Africa and Costa Rica. She honed her skills of observing and listening to the vast wealth of non-verbal information available, both from other beings as well as from our natural environments themselves, finding nature to be a conduit for spiritual insight and clarity.
When not living in the wilderness with monkeys, Maria completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology, formal training in massage therapy, and operated her therapeutic massage practice in the United States.
In 2011, Maria traveled to Dharamsala, India where she studied yoga with Yogacharya Lalit at Himalaya Yoga Valley, becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher. She later returned to India from 2017-2019 where she volunteered and studied at Tibetan Buddhist meditation centres, living in close proximity to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other highly-realised beings, having the great fortune to receive many teachings and blessings from them.
Maria has now returned to her home state of California and is pleased to offer her supportive heart and healing hands that she may benefit all beings to the best of her ability.
About Persimmons
In Japan, Persimmons represent transformation. They begin as hard, green, unpalatable fruits, blending in with the foliage, easy to miss. Gradually they transform into delicately delicious orange fruits, remarkable for how brightly they suddenly appear as the leaves behind which they hid fall away showcasing their beauty against the bare branches of their tree.
Maria's maternal grandmother was born of a Samurai family in Japan. She always loved persimmons and Maria always associated them with her. After her passing Maria learned that the root of her grandmother's maiden name meant Persimmon and that her nickname as a child would have been "Little Persimmon".
As an honoring of her beloved grandmother and her intention of supporting the healing transformation of others Maria named her business Persimmon Healing. It is her joy and honor to assist others in nurturing their physical, mental and emotional transformation so that the leaves behind which they hide can fall away to reveal their inner sweetness and innate brightness.