Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness School
is a center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine interventions supporting allopathic medical strategies, embracing and integrating the Ancient Sciences rooted in Ayurveda and Yoga philosophies, modern Western Science and Western Herbalism.
We promote salutogenisis in action ~ an embodied well-being approach that focuses on interventions, experiences and daily habits that support meaning and connection, rather than solely on disease prognosis by emphasizing work to navigate, with equanimity, mindful health and resiliency practices.
Every product, class, and practice is offered with deep respect for the land, the lineages, and the community we serve.
Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness is located on the unceded, ancestral territory of the Maara’yam (Serrano) and Chauilla people.
Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness Guides
Amanda B'Hymer
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Amanda B’Hymer
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP
Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist
Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness School Director
Amanda began professional work as a facilitator, teacher and guide in 1995. She has been professionally engaged in life-long, experiential, environment-based learning teaching in public schools, facilitating social service programs, guiding the Montessori method and leading Community Centered Health and Wellness classes. She is passionate in her dedication to share Therapeutic Yoga and Ayurveda Herbalist perspectives as modalities toward a more salutogenic life experience.
She is professionally registered with and certified by:
- International Association of Yoga Therapists
- Optimal State Yoga Therapy Training School
- Yoga Alliance
She offers in Scope Of Practice:
- Yoga and Mental Health; Yoga and Physical Health; Yoga and Ayurveda; Yoga Nidra in the tradition of T. Krishnamacharya, T.K.V. Desikachar and Amy Wheeler PhD
- Ayurveda Herbal interventions from the SVA lineage of Vaidya Mishra and Traci Webb
Amanda is the founder and director of Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness, which encompasses Grateful Desert Apothecary ~ Joshua Tree California's primary Health and Wellness shop, Grateful Desert Holistic Wellness School and Grateful Desert Cabin studio. She has completed over 3,000 hours of Ayurveda Herbalist, Yoga Therapist, Yoga Teacher Training and professional development courses including:
- Ayurveda Women's Wellness, Ayurveda Living School, Dr. Sarita Shrestha BAMS, AYUR MD (OB/GYN)
- Ayurveda Herbalist, Ayurveda Living School, Traci Webb
- Yoga Therapist and Lifestyle Wellness Counselor, Optimal State Yoga Therapy School, Amy Wheeler PhD
- Yoga Nidra Facilitator, Optimal State Yoga Nidra, Amy Wheeler PhD
- Yoga Philosophy and Chanting, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandrian
- Yoga Sutra, Yoga Philosophy and Chanting, Kate Holcombe
- 500 RYT, Anusara Hatha, YTT, Yoga Bliss, Jenn Lucene-Smith
- Restorative YTT, Yoga International, Cyndi Lee
University Studies:
- Urban Communities and Environment, Antioch University Los Angeles
- American Feminist Literature and History, University of Washington
- AmeriCorps, Education Reform and Service Learning, Western Washington University, Bellingham Public Schools
Amanda has been living and working in Joshua Tree, California since 2006 alongside a magical menagerie of cats, dogs, birds, lizards, snakes, humans, bunnies, insects and flora of all kinds.
Elise Kost
Energy Medicine Teacher
Elise Kost
Energy Medicine Teacher
Elise began her studies of human nature over three decades ago through university degrees in psychology and philosophy, laying the groundwork for her lifetime of exploration in consciousness, the nature of transformation, and merging with The Divine. Aside vision quests, her foundational experience is in Daoist YangSheng practices; energy cultivation arts of medical, spiritual, and martial QiGong and TaiJi; Reiki; Andean shamanism; and numerous meditation forms including Neidan, Vipassana, Tonglen, and Dzogchen (Phowa). In addition to her ultimate guides of Nature and Spirit, these lineages have been profound teachers of Stillness, Movement, Transmutation, Expansion, and the mysterious Sacred Space in Between.
For more than ten years, Elise studied and taught with The Four Winds ~ recognized globally as a leading institute for energy medicine ~ where she received a master’s certification and became one of the lead faculty of their 300-hour Medicine Wheel certification program. Her professional focus includes sovereignty (personal liberation), courage (the power of the heart-spirit), and connecting to The Sacred.
Elise primarily works one-on-one as a guide, supporting clients and students in healing, wholeness, and the cultivation of personal practice, while empowering the authentic actualization of their becoming.
For over 25 years, Elise has been devoted to a consistent discipline of self-realization, the mysterious arts of Freedom, and deepening Awareness of the Unified Field. She is also a poet and creator of ceremonial adornments crafted to support people in claiming their unique expressions of beauty and celebrating their love of aliveness.
Her book, The Temple of Changes: Between Earth + Mystery, along with her one-of-a-kind jewelry “peaces”, can be found at the Grateful Desert Apothecary in Joshua Tree, California.
Tanesha Atwell
MScN, B.S.
Tanesha Atwell
MScN, B.S.
Tanesha holds a B.S. in Athletic Training and M.S. in Clinical Nutrition (MScN) and has professional experiences in the areas of trauma-informed trainings, exercise and nutrition, and community health and policy.
With a passion for dance, travel, graphic design, and food sovereignty, Tanesha brings a dynamic and holistic approach to education. She integrates her diverse interests and professional expertise to create inclusive, engaging, and innovative learning experiences that empower individuals and inspire lasting, positive change.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Tanesha ~ affectionately known as Tee ~ is a proud mother to her puppy, Kalena, and her rescue tortoise, Papi. She is dedicated to embracing universal love, nurturing creativity, building resilience, and fostering meaningful connections in all aspects of her life.
