Dr. Ali Maya, a clinical psychologist, plant medicine support guide, ceremonial musician, and healer, has been a student and teacher of world mysticism traditions and Indigenous shamanism for more than 25 years. She integrates her academic training in clinical psychology, Buddhist studies, and comparative mysticism with all she has learned from Indigenous healers of North and South America.  She is an ordained minister, officiating weddings and other sacred ceremonies since 2008, and a yoga and meditation instructor since 1997.

Ali, who joined the Plant Spirit School faculty in 2022, founded a private clinical psychotherapy practice called the Aptos Counseling Center. She founded Ali Maya Retreats in 2008, providing domestic and international in-person retreats, online courses, mentorship programs, and one-on-one coaching packages.

Her retreats, programs, and music are guided by the prayer for the alleviation of human suffering and the opening of the human heart in service to creating a healthier, happier world for all. She has released four studio albums of ceremonial music.