SAFIYA HASSAN

I have always been in awe of nature and fascinated by the healing power of plants. I grew up around elders and bush women who would guide me to drink, rub, or inhale a concoction they conjured up. No matter how strange these natural remedies were or how horrible they tasted (ugh!), I never questioned their wisdom because deep down I always had a knowing. 

 

As a child, I knew I wanted a career in health and healing, and in 1994 I received my license as a Registered Nurse. I specialized in care for premature infants in the NICU.  

 

I spent over 20 years working as a nurse in the healthcare field and I loved caring for my patients, but I always felt like something was missing. After experiencing an adverse reaction to a cream prescribed for my eczema, I began to revisit my curiosity about herbs. I realized that holistic health practices were more in line with my belief systems and I began to study herbal medicine and various healing modalities.

​

In 2009 I Opened N-diya Center for Healing in Brooklyn, New York where we provided various healing therapies and a line of natural skin and hair care products I formulated. Nothing on my path to becoming a healer was wasted. I use my nursing skills to assess my clients and my understanding of the disease process serves me well in my healing practice.

​

I’ve always thought there should be more focus on preventative regimens and in 2011 I joined fellow health practitioners and formed “The BedStuy healing circle”. Together we gave free health and wellness workshops at the  Bedford-Stuyvesant YMCA branch, where we focused on teaching the importance of self-care. 

 

In 2015 I formed “The Well Woman Movement” and joined forces with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to administer wellness services and health education to pregnant women in an effort to reduce maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in communities most at risk. 

 

My time spent nurturing these women has inspired me to do more. My research into why the health disparities that exist have frustrated and challenged me and I was compelled to form Divine Deliveries, a not-for-profit organization to provide education and wellness services to expecting women and new moms at risk. 

I soon realize that there was a limit to what I could do as a registered nurse. In 2021, I paused all initiatives to return to school to become a midwife. My goal is to return to the community to assist women in having a safe and joyful birthing experience. 

​

In 2018 I began Mind, Body, and Soil, a small-scale backyard farming focused on drawing a parallel between eating a healthy plant-based diet and healing the body mentally, physically, and spiritually. Here we have 1 acre of land where we grow organic fruits, vegetables and herbs and raise chickens. In the near future, we will also add goats and bee farming. It is my dream to encourage people to re-establish a relationship with nature and to have fun with it.  Our back to nature workshops will teach the community how to grow their own food, forage, make medicine, and more.

 

May love & light follow you always,

Safiya