Who I am
I started my spiritual journey in 1998 while doing an MBA in Phoenix AZ. There, I started meditating and became a Reiki Master. As much as I loved it and was drawn to it, I felt that something was missing. Then, in the year 2000, when I moved to Memphis TN, I started practicing Yoga in the only studio in town and I immediately fell in love with it. I practiced for hours and my body was finally at ease as it was soaking in the benefits of it. I knew immediately I wanted to teach it I. What I had not realise back then is that I had found what it would be the pillar for my growth, transformation, and healing.
I am a Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher (at 500 hours) and have been teaching Yoga since 2003. I am also certified in Trauma Sensitive Yoga, iRest Yoga Nidra (level 1), Yin Yoga and Breath Coach.
I am a Spiritual Coach and a Reiki Master and trained in Pain Reprocessing Therapy to work with chronic pain clients.
My Story
I am originally from Romania but moved to Argentina when I was 9 years old and grew up there. After my engineering studies and a master degree, I worked for 10 years at FedEx in US in the marketing department. As time went by, my desire to teach Yoga became very strong and in 2009 I gave up my corporate career to do it full time. I taught at several studios and I also was part the faculty of The University of Memphis in the Science and Sports department as I created and instructed a Yoga program. Eventually I opened my private practice at home offering Yoga, Reiki, and Spiritual Coaching.
That was my first and huge step in living a more authentic and meaningful life. I was finally doing what I was supposed to do and it felt amazing.
In 2015 my husband was sent to Belgium by his company and I consciously decided to give myself a break from teaching. I needed to rest and take care of myself. Then in 2017 when we moved to Netherlands, I felt ready to start teaching again and opened my private studio at home.
In November of 2024 my husband and I moved to Luxembourg and I am excited to share what I have learnt in these last 25 years and offer Therapeutic Yoga and Pain Reprocessing Therapy sessions.
Throughout the years, I have been strongly drawn to understand trauma and chronic pain because of my own history. While growing up, I experienced an array of traumas and I developed anxiety and PTSD; after giving birth to my twin boys in 2004, I started having chronic back pain. In fact, I had/have fibromyalgia, but that has only been diagnosed 4 years ago.
I've done Jungian psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioural therapy for 20 years as I worked on my mind. However, my body was lagging behind with consistent pain. In 2017 I started Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, a psychotherapy where you work on the body to release stored trauma and emotions. I also tried several somatic modalities to help the body heal and I've attended Trauma Sensitive Yoga certification. And I finally understood the complexity of it all, the magnitude of what I had lived, and the impact it had on my nervous system. The secret lied in the body. Until I addressed the body, the healing could not be complete.
It's been a long and challenging road but as I look back Yoga has literally saved my life. I don't know where I would be now if I hadn't practiced Yoga. I am forever grateful as it has kept me sane and has guided me to my authentic “Alma”.
My deepest desire, apart from continuing my own healing and transformation, is to help those in need. Trauma and chronic pain are invisible to the eye and they can go unrecognised for many years as it was in my case. I'd love to provide a healing door for people to reconnect with themselves, find their true self, and build a foundation of self love, compassion, and understanding.