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Butterfly

“Don't fight your demons. Your demons are here to teach you lessons. Sit down with your demons and have a drink and a chat and learn their names and talk about the burns on their fingers and scratches on their ankles. Some of them are very nice.”

 

- Charles Bukowski, Author

My whole life has been constant change...

 

I’ve moved from country to country, changed professions, and found myself repeatedly being challenged. I constantly felt like I was not enough. I didn’t speak the right language, didn’t understand the culture, wasn’t good enough for the job. It was a continuous effort to determine how to navigate this change as I was always striving to fit the “mold”. It required a tremendous amount of resilience and adaptability, but through those experiences, I learned a lot.

 

Who I am today has a lot to do with what I’ve been through and where I’ve come from. Had I not been through these experiences, I would not have been able to create my own unique therapeutic approach, looking at a person as a whole human being, not just with my eyes, but with my heart and applying my knowledge of the Eastern Philosophy combined with Western Practices.

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Qualifications & Training

Psychology

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  • Member of NZAC since 2018 (license #88625)

  • DBT Skills for Adolescents and Families Course Certification - 2022

  • EFT, Emotionally Focused Therapy Course Certification - 2021

  • FACT, Focused Acceptance Commitment Therapy, ACT as a Brief Intervention Course Certification - 2020

  • ACT, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, working with Trauma Course Certification - 2020

  • ACT, Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Course Certification - 2019

  • Postgraduate Diploma in Counseling -- NZIPC, Auckland, New Zealand, 2018

  • Master of Arts with Distinction -- Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

  • Bachelor and Honors (Psychology and Linguistics) -- Moscow State University, Russia 

 

​Yoga

   

  • Yin Yoga Teacher Certification – Hot8Yoga, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, 2015​

  • Vinyasa Flow Teacher Certification - Exhale Yoga, Venice, Los Angeles, 2013

  • Diploma in Teaching the Science and Art of Yoga and Ayurveda, Advanced Level 2 – Chennai, India, 2007

  • Diploma in Teaching the Science and Art of Yoga and Ayurveda, Level 1 – Chennai, India, 2006

 

Mindfulness

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  • Certificate in the Science of Sound as Meditation -- Chennai, India, 2008

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My Journey

Who I am today has a lot to do with what I've been through...

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I experienced repeated severe trauma from a very early age. The settings in my brain, developed through my childhood environment and reality, left me constantly feeling like I was not enough. I started modeling at the age of 14, seeking validation through my physical appearance. Despite finding success, the validation felt shallow and often attracted the wrong kind of attention. What's more, a lifestyle focused on my exterior led me to develop an eating disorder.

 

Living externally as a model and poster child was taking its toll on my mind, body, and soul... 

My passion for yoga sent me to India...

 

I fell in love with yoga, becoming a dedicated practitioner and teacher focused on adaptation and application of the ancient discipline to contemporary lifestyles. The more I practiced, the more I wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the nature and philosophy of yoga, which prompted multiple trips to India.

 

I first traveled to Chennai, India for an in-depth study of Practice & Philosophy of Yoga and Ayurveda with A. G. Mohan, the founder of Svastha Yoga & Ayurveda. After the completion of yoga teaching certification courses,I trained under K. Patthabi Jois, who developed and popularized the Vinyāsa style of yoga referred to as Ashtanga Yoga. 

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My in-depth study of yoga helped me develop a personal approach to teaching, creating well-balanced programs for students focused on their personal needs rather than standardized routines.​

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I loved helping people, but...

 

Feeling empowered by my yoga studies, I began to take control of my life, including my eating disorder. Wanting to help others, I began volunteering with Eating Disorders Association New Zealand (EDANZ). 

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I was young, passionate, and knowledgeable, but still found that people would not take me seriously because I didn’t have the right letters behind my name. Despite having lived through these experiences, and even after publishing a successful book aimed at helping people with their eating disorder recovery, I still felt resistance. Rather than pull back, I decided to dive deeper.

Studying psychology was part of my own healing process...

 

I began pursuing a career in Counseling, which allowed me to do what I had already been doing with more conviction, so that I could reach more people. Now, armed with both the right knowledge and the right letters, I was ready to start helping again.

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Today, I'm on a mission to help others...

 

I firmly believe we are here on Earth to learn, grow, expand our awareness, and find and bring forth our purpose through human experiences; not just the experiences of love, joy, and comfort, but also those of pain, loss, and suffering. In observing myself and others, I am certain that it is the repression of the so called negative feelings that creates the ultimate suffering. By welcoming, integrating, and transforming this "negative" energy  into an energy that serves us, we are able to transform and blossom.

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