Yadira Ayala

Woolly Bears Lead Instructor, Tree Frogs Lead Instructor, Forest School Flying Squirrels Senior Instructor
Pronouns: She/They
I began immersing myself in the natural world in 2015 when I directly experienced the healing possibilities of deep nature connection. I had reached a breaking point in my busy life – training martial arts, being a special makeup effects artist, and juggling two serving jobs in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Escaping to the mountain homeland of the native Chumash one afternoon, I felt drawn to the clear waters and relaxing sounds of the ripples passing gently over every stone. I was enamored by the soft, velvety moss, the tiny mushrooms, and the giant Oak and Sycamores nourishing an entire world that’s easy to miss when distracted by thoughts, worries, and responsibilities.
On this day, I hiked for miles, lost in the beauty, only to turn a corner to realize I was lost. Despite the signs warning of Mountain Lion and rattle snakes, I was naive to these dangers and carried on hiking. The rush of dopamine being surrounded by such forested area and the adrenaline when I reached the top of the mountains was brand new to me, but a moment of panic told me it was time to turn back.
Even with my lifelong fear of getting lost, I felt safe in that moment and managed to stay calm. I pulled a stone from the bag of natural mysteries I collected and said a prayer. Guided by my intuition, I retraced each step back to the trail. The careful, close observation I practiced in my wandering, getting on the ground, noticing things most of us miss, created a mental picture of the landscape that saved me. I felt so proud of the way I handled it, trusting my intuition and memory. I returned to this location many times and eventually received powerful messages that I needed to return home to Indiana to find my true purpose.
When I arrived home a couple years later I felt directionless and unsure, but I knew I wanted to work in nature. I googled “nature jobs” and didn’t find anything compelling. Then I found Alderleaf Wilderness College in the PNW. My partner at the time was looking into wildlife management and was intrigued with their animal tracking program. We decided to travel cross country to tour the school and later that month we both got accepted.
We came home and began selling all of our stuff, in preparation for our big move out to Washington State. However, plans changed upon learning I was pregnant with our first child. We decided the best thing was to stay close to family to raise our child. I felt both sad to defer my dream and really excited to become a mother. I put everything on hold and focused on preparing for a beautiful assisted homebirth.
After a much needed year off to be a full time mom, I was ready to rediscover my path. I enrolled in a nine month intensive herbalism certification program with herbalist Greg Monzel at Persimmon Herb School. This led me to White Pine Wilderness Academy that was hosting an adults survival skills pathway. I could hardly believe schools like that existed in my hometown.
Balancing life as a new single mom and going back to my studies, I felt energized and hopeful. I was surrounded by a community of like-minded individuals and on my way to becoming a full time wilderness instructor.
I give gratitude to the people who have influenced my journey, mentors who help develop my wilderness skills, students who give me experience as a nature educator, and friends and family who believe in me, and my two beautiful girls who chose me to be their mother. I give gratitude to myself for the patience it took to get to where I am and for following my desire to do exactly what I am meant to be doing.
Credentials
- Survival Skills Pathway
- Certified Herbalist
- WFA Certified
- Bi-Lingual Naturalist at Holliday Park
- Level I Track & Sign Cyber Tracker
My Classes
- Woolly Bears Forest School (3-4) (Lead Instructor)
- Tree Frogs Forest School (5-6) (Lead Instructor)
- Flying Squirrels Forest School (7-9) (Lead Instructor)