El Larson

Elizabeth "El" Larson has spent more than 20 years helping clients unravel layers of stress and support their well-being. Her work, offered through HEARE in Pasadena, California, joins sound and space. She is certified in Feng Shui (BTB school), sound healing, reiki and Ayurveda, and is accredited in the WELL and Fitwel building standards.

Her approach begins with listening on all levels. Whether she is working with a person's subtle energy field, the land or a built space, she looks at intent, current and fundamental conditions, and the principles of nature. Elemental archetypes, as found in Ayurveda, Paganism and Taoist Wu Xing, give her an intuitive yet systematic way to read imbalances and shape remedies. She is a practicing Druid and blends the traditions of her lineage with what she has gathered over the years. An animistic outlook places her within an environment rather than on it.

El grew up on a quiet lake in rural Minnesota, playing "wilderness children" with her siblings among trees, stones and water. She studied Buddhism in middle school and Hermeticism in high school, began practicing yoga and meditation in 1999, and in 2003 traveled to India to practice asana, pranayama and meditation with masters. An alchemizing sonic experience in ancient Buddhist dwelling spaces outside Mumbai led her to study the healing potential of sound.

Curious about how acoustics and built spaces affect well-being, she took a job at RoTo Architects. There she spent several years exploring how to bring her experience into design, guided by Michael Rotondi, Tenzin Wangdu Thokme and Nels Long. Her first project, with Wangdu, was a meditation space made from remnants of the firm's "Still Points" exhibit. Her training also includes Tibetan bowl sound healing, shamanic journey work, Ayurvedic wellness counseling and Shaolin Kung Fu and Qi Gong.