About “me”
Through my ongoing journey as a mother, mentor, healer, and student of life, I am humbled and honored to play a role in empowering individuals to embark on their own transformative journeys.
I have always been driven by a deep desire to achieve the conscious integration of body and mind. My journey has led me to embark on personal growth and establish the Synthesis Center in 2010, a place dedicated to transformative experiences and methodologies for personal development, as well as fostering a genuine connection with our inner, sacred world.
Raised in the USA and Greece, my path began in the sciences, with a BSc and MSc in Computer Engineering and PhD in Biomedical Engineering. Subsequently I worked for several years in the fields of medical engineering research. However, feeling unfulfilled and wishing to be of more direct service to others, I turned to the study of the nature of mind. I went back to University to complete a BSC in Psychology and then trained as a Gestalt Psychotherapist. In the meantime, I taught and practiced yoga intensely, delving into the philosophy as well as the experience. My dabbling with Meditation turned to a committed practice and I began guiding Zen Sittings, and now I am a Dharma Teacher-in-Trainig in the lineage of Zen Master Seung Sahn, under the direction of Hyon Gak Sunim. My endless curiosity and intuition brought me to meet Alberto Villoldo, the Four Winds and Energy Medicine, which is the most comprehensive synthesis of all my life’s seeking and questioning. I feel I am finally home, with my tribe and with this amazing life path.
I have my private practice at Synthesis, where I combine Psychotherapy, Body practices, Mind practices and Energy Medicine to tailor a holistic and personal approach to each person’s Life Quest. I am honored to be on the faculty of the Four Winds online and residential programs.
Here’s a long version of the above:
Gestalt Psychotherapy
I completed my BSC in Psychology and was trained in Gestalt Psychotherapy at the ‘Gestalt Foundation’of Athens, an institute which, along with its sister Training Center in Thessaloniki, is renowned for its ethical and human-centered training of therapists. I was fortunate to study, be shaped and grow under the guidance and care of Despina Balliou, Yianna Yiamarelou, Antonia Konstantinidou, Katia Hatzilakou and Yiorgos Diplas. Meanwhile, I interned in various organizations and NGOs, including the Anti-Cancer Society, “KEFI”, and the child-protection hotline “Together for Children”, while also starting my private practice. I further advanced my knowledge and personal growth with seminars for professionals on topics such as abuse and trauma, crisis management, couple’s work, etc. I am always especially interested in the body as a doorway to awareness in everyday life and have trained in using the body as a means for grounding and information. I have since attended trainings and workshops with teachers from around the world, enhancing and enriching the way I approach human psychology and life.
I work with individuals and groups, from teenagers to adults, and throughout the year I organize experiential workshops and retreats.
Zen
Inspired by my roots in Yoga and Gestalt, I was first drawn to the meditation teachings of the late Michael Stone, also a therapist and an Ashtanga Yoga practitioner. I later encountered the teaching of the prominent American Zen Master Hyon Gak Sunim, in Crete in 2012, and eventually began intensive training in Zen meditation. I have attended multiple silent intensive meditation retreats at the Zen Center Regensburg and received the Five Precepts (Taking Refuge) in 2019 from Hyon Gak Sunim and Zen Master Dae Bong, Patriarch of Mu Sang Sa Temple, South Korea. I subsequently received the Ten Precepts in 2023, as part of my training to be a Zen Dharma Teacher of Seung Sahn Sunim’s lineage.
Energy Medicine
I am a graduate of the Four Winds, under the inspired guidance of Alberto Villoldo and Marcela Lobos. I have also trained with the amazing Kostas Fourtis and the beautiful community he has established in Greece. I have traveled to Peru and spent time with and received healings and guidance from amazing shamans, healers and colleagues. After going through the Medicine Wheel several times, I have found this to be the most comprehensive and holistic approach to human potential, as it encompasses body, mind, soul and pure being. Applying this medicine to people from all over the world I am constantly astounded by its efficacy and beauty. I am incredibly honored to be a member of the teaching faculty of the Four Winds, both in their online and residential programs.
Along with private healing sessions, I also offer ceremonies, a very important and powerful way to bring intentional shifts into our lives. I run small groups in Greece, Germany, and online.
Yoga
I have a daily Ashtanga Yoga practice since 2000. I me the practice through Nikos Zografos, and began to train in Ashtanga intensely for 13 years under the guidance of Kristina Karitinou. I completed my teacher’s training in the Primary and Intermediate Series with Kristina, and had the opportunity to assist her in classes and workshops. In 2010 I met and trained with Manju Jois, the son of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. In 2013 Manju authorized me to teach the Primary Series and in 2016, the Intermediate Series. I co-founded (with Kristina Karitinou) the Ashtanga Vinyasa Association of Greece, and served on its Board of Directors from its creation until 2017.
From 2015 to today, I have further developed my practice and teaching with Nancy Gilgoff, one of the original practitioners of Ashtanga Yoga, and have completed Nancy’s Primary and Intermediate Clinics. I have travelled to India and have met beautiful and inspiring people on this path. Through Nancy’s foremost assistant in Europe, Andrea Lutz, I have gained invaluable further insights and experiences in the practice, both through teacher’s trainings and frequent contact and collaboration.