Shamanic Initiation Retreat in Peru – November 25 - December 20, 2026

I am Shika. I am born in Canada and ancestral roots from the Island of St.Lucia. My intention is bring souls home to self through the healing of plants, somatic healing, connecting with the wisdom of the elders, community and working with the elements. Also, helping other being connect with their unique gifts and share it with this world.

Started my jounrey as a public relations and marketing director at a young age. After going through physical trauma, my whole life got turned upside down and by body began to shut down. I then started to have more vivide dreams that I head before, but after the events that happened they felt more of a reality. Yet did I know, it was aya speaking me and healing me in my dreams. I spoke toa friend and eventraully found out the women I was dreaming of was, the grandmother medicine.

Then I decided to sit with aya and through that first experience and since then my life has been a jounrey of coming home to my self again and again and again. This brings me to the doors that opened and what has happened for the past 7+ years that brought me to guide souls back home too.

I am a breathwork facilitator trained by Sacred Breath Academy. I went through a 1.5 years training learning how to regulate the nervous system in a trauma informed way while helping souls integrate plant medicine ceremonies with breathwork.

I also support other plant medicines as well such as hape, flowers, herbs, sananga and mushrooms. After being able to heal my PTSD, endometroisis, candida, trauma, chronic pain, insomnia, addiction, depression and anxiety with these plants, it has brought me back to the ancient wisdom of my ancestors and and nature again and again. I am continuing my studies in Herbal medicine with Ecovercity and continuing to offer support to souls feeling called to work with the plants and their truth and divinity through 1:1 healing, retreats and the Earth Dhrama Program ( teaching souls to step into their dharma with the support of community, nature and the elements).

More about Shika Chica: www.shikachica.com

Hailing from her native Singapore, has over 15 years of experience healing trauma through yoga, mindfulness, art, and counseling. Atira holds a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy from La Trobe University, Melbourne, and has been featured on TEDx. She is also the founder of Art to Healing and the international Yogathon event, Yoga for Freedom. Her work is dedicated to trauma recovery, supporting individuals and communities through therapeutic and healing practices.

Atira has worked extensively throughout Asia and Australia, spearheading programs that empower women and girls who have survived sexual abuse and exploitation in the sex trafficking industry. Since 2004, she has designed and implemented trauma-informed art therapy, somatic healing, and mindfulness programs for vulnerable populations, partnering with international organizations to bring these modalities to refugee camps in Burma, war zones in Cambodia, the brothels of Kathmandu, post-earthquake recovery efforts in Nepal, and remote Aboriginal communities in Australia.

Mentorship at AYA Healing Retreats

Atira now serves as Mentor for Facilitators and Practitioners at AYA Healing Retreats, playing a pivotal role in the development and training of trauma-informed facilitators and healers. Through structured mentorship, supervision, and guidance, she ensures that the AYA Healing team maintains the highest ethical, professional, and trauma-sensitive standards in their work with plant medicine. Her mentorship program provides practitioners with ongoing support, reflective practices, and skills refinement, fostering a safe and integrity-driven healing environment for all participants.

In addition, she has trained extensively in trauma recovery approaches, including Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, Neuroaffective Touch, and Polyvagal Theory, and is currently training as a Womb Surround Facilitator.

As the Founder and Clinical Director of Art to Healing, Atira has developed groundbreaking trauma recovery programs for sex-trafficked survivors in Asia, pioneering research on the efficacy of Somatic Experiencing, Creative Art Therapies, and Reproductive Health Education in empowering BIPOC survivors of gender-based violence and complex trauma. She also co-developed and delivered the first-ever Somatic Experiencing Trauma Resolution training for sex-trafficked survivors in collaboration with SETI and Lotus Circle International.

Atira is deeply committed to fostering transformative healing experiences, integrating cutting-edge trauma therapies with ancient wisdom traditions to support practitioners, facilitators, and participants on their healing paths.