I respectfully and with gratitude acknowledge that I live and work on the unceded, ancestral, and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səlil̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) peoples.

I was born in Montenegro, a small tribal country in the southern Balkans that opens into the Adriatic Sea. I immigrated to Canada in 1995, during the civil war in the former Yugoslavia, with my three-year-old daughter. Prior to immigrating, I graduated from the University of Belgrade and received extensive training in Counselling Psychology, Psychodynamic, and Gestalt Therapy.

My counselling and therapeutic approach is influenced by Social Phenomenology, Yogic training, and Buddhist Philosophy. Since 1996, I have been in practice—first as a client, then under supervision—with psychotherapist Andrew Feldmar, who apprenticed with the renowned counter-culture psychiatrist R.D. Laing.

My approach to yoga and movement is grounded in somatic and embodied practices, and influenced by Vijnana Yoga and Kundalini Yoga, both of which I taught for over twenty years (see appendix below).

Since 2002, I have been studying and practicing Buddhist teachings, primarily within the Theravada school, as well as the Nyingma and Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism. I am trained as a Meditation Instructor (MI) through the Shambhala lineage.

Earlier in my career, I worked as a Refugee Officer (YVR) and a Settlement Counsellor with ISS. In 2001, I transitioned to full-time work as a yoga and meditation teacher and counsellor in private practice. In 2018, I began offering Biodynamic CranioSacral Therapy.

Please note that I am not a registered counsellor.

I offer guided meditation every first Wednesday of the month at the Vancouver Shambhala Centre.

I also coordinate Death Matters, an online meeting series, and host Meditating with the Soma—seasonal, in-person weekend retreats designed for both beginner and experienced meditators.

Volunteer Experience: WAVAW (now Salal) – British Columbia’s largest sexual violence support crisis line, supporting survivors of sexual assault and sexualized violence.

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