Mavis Gewant, Sacred Artist, Doula Trainer, Postpartum Doula and Sacred Mother
Upholder of the Harish Johari Lineage of Yantra, Mandala & Deity Painting
Mavis Gewant, MA, CD, CLC, Sacred Artist, Labor & Postpartum Doula, Birth Educator and Doula Trainer for Birth Arts International. Mavis embodies the Sacred Mother, as passionate about the wellbeing of babies and new mothers as she is about her art students. With her calm, gentle presence, during her workshops, she holds space for her students with much compassion and patience.
Mavis has been involved in the birth field for the past 25 years and was sparked by reading Spiritual Midwifery when she was 16. This led her on her journey to educating and supporting women, babies and their families, as well as birthing her own 2 sons, naturally and one at home. Believing that pregnancy, birth and postpartum is a sacred time, she attended The Santa Barbara Graduate Institute and received a Master's degree in Pre & Perinatal Psychology. She has been facilitating birth healing groups for the past 10 years, and was a presenter at the APPPAH/Birth Psychology Conference..
Since childhood, Mavis has been creating art, and understood that making art took her to a very deep and soulful place. Growing up in a time when being an artist wasn’t considered a mainstream career, Mavis listened to her inner voice and pursued going to art school in New York City. She attended the School of Visual Arts and later got a BA in Visual Arts from SUNY Empire State College. In her early 20’s she met author and artist, Harish Johari and began a 20 year apprenticeship with him in Sacred Art. He taught her how to paint Yantras, geometric energy pieces; deity painting and mandalas, which deepened her connection between the divine, sacred and creativity. He told her she must teach, as that is her path. As a professional artist, she has mastered the Harish Johari Wash Painting Technique, a multi-layered approach using watercolor and gouache, and incorporates this style into her work.
A popular teacher, dedicating her life to teaching this to others, she is passionate about sharing the benefits of this healing and transformative artform. She runs a yearly Sacred Painting trip to her teacher’s family home in Haridwar, India, as well as international retreats. Her work is featured in private collections worldwide and numerous books including, The Planet Meditation Kit, Harish Johari, The Labyrinth of Birth, Pam England and The Practice of Nada Yoga, Baird Hersey, to name a few. Her own Planet Mandala Coloring book for adults was released in 2016.
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Mavis & Dada (Harish Johari) at Ananda Ashram