Ashley Judith Flemino
Above the bustle of town, Ashley Judith Flemino lives with her two daughters in a yurt home on a coffee farm on Hawaii's island. Originally from Minnesota, Ashley arrived to Oahu's North Shore in her early 20s for an adventure and eventually found her way to the wide open spaces of the Big Island. The simple living and easy connection to nature she found on island suit her.
"Hawai'i has always felt like a healing island. I like to spend most of my time outdoors, and I feel immersed in nature here."
Ashley wears the Hand dyed Organic Indigo Jumpsuits
Ashley wears the Hand dyed Organic Indigo Jumpsuits, Iron dyed Tee and Canvas Hat
A lifelong student of yoga and wellness, she recently launched her passion project, Sacred Loom www.sacredloomhi.com. Ashley describes it as "A co-creative space for harmonizing mind, body, and spirit." She explained,
" I am trying to weave yoga, body work, sound, and plant healing together for overall wellness."
Ashley wears the Hand dyed Organic Indigo Jumpsuits
Her love for community has kept her in Hawai'i where she works with like minded artists and healers. She offers yoga practice accompanied with live music, or sound healing.
"I love to collaborate with talented people in my community, lately I have been working with sound healers and musicians."
"I am really into using whole plants, which means using a plant as it is. You might just use the bark, seeds, or petals, but you don't change their makeup."
Her interest for plant medicine and holistic healing keep her inspired and fueled her latest chapter of her project: creating small batch whole plant infused body oils.
This process mimics the ancient practices Ashley has studied, "When you use the whole plant you are getting the plant as the way nature intended."
Ashley is a hands-on herbalist, which means she often harvests her own plants, and spends time with them in her home kitchen before infusing them for weeks in oil.
Her yurt home serves as a space to create and grow with her daughters.
The smaller space means minimalism and slow living are a must, which Ashley found refreshing, and she loves the circular shape.
Ashley wears the Hand dyed Organic Tree Barck Clutch Jumpsuits
"Simplicity has afforded me to be more present, especially as a mom with young children, to enjoy the simple things. "
"I noticed a shift when I moved there, it's a great space to be creative and It has everything that we needed."
Ashley wears the Hand dyed Organic Tree Barck Clutch Jumpsuits
Sacred Loom feels like a personal extension of Ashley's values of natural healing, slow living, and simplicity. She continues to explore and grow among the coffee farms.
Text and Photos by Megan Spelman