I would love to tell you a little bit about myself and my mindfulness journey.

I was born and raised in Newfoundland, an island on the North East coast of Canada. My parents are both artists, so I grew up surrounded by art, music, dance, and very open-minded conversations. I remember I was in my early teens when my mother began meditating and exploring the world of mindfulness. Although I was always very intrigued by this, it wasn’t until much later that I began exploring mindfulness meditation for myself and establishing my own personal practice. In 2016, I graduated from The University of Toronto with an Honours B.Sc in Psychology & Anthropology. From there, I worked for many years as a one-to-one care worker, supporting children and adults with special needs.

After a few years of trying to find my way and discover my path, I decided to move to Europe. My parents are both originally from Bulgaria and they now live in Italy, so it felt like a very natural next step for me. I moved to Copenhagen somewhat on a whim, and shortly thereafter, Covid-19 began. I decided to go and spend this time with my family in the countryside of Sicily after ending a very painful relationship.

It was during this time that I began doing yoga daily to keep my body active and anxiety at bay. This is gradually what led me to learn more about mindfulness meditation. While searching online one day, I stumbled across a free version of a self-guided MBSR course. Despite having never heard of the course, I decided to dive right in and began guiding myself through the curriculum. Now, I should stress that this is not how a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course is intended to be experienced, but of course, I was not aware of this at the time. In any case, being introduced to this course during a very challenging moment in my life was truly life changing for me.

I first began meditating with the subconscious hope to rid myself of my anxiety. However, I quickly realized that not only was this not going to happen, but this was not the intention with which we practice. I realized that what my mindfulness practice was allowing me to do, was to get to know myself and my anxiety on a deeper level. I was able to soften around my anxiety, create space for it, and observe my habitual reactivity towards it. For many years, I expended an enormous amount of energy pushing back against my anxiety. The irony lies therein that once I allowed myself to observe my anxiety and allow it to be there, it loosened its grip over my life. My thoughts shifted from “I am an anxious person” to “anxiety is here right now”. Not only has my mindfulness practice helped me navigate these feelings, but I have cultivated a warmer, kinder, and more compassionate relationship towards myself and those around me.

When I had completed my first MBSR course, it felt as though something just clicked. I realised that not only do I need these practices in my life, but I also dreamed of sharing them with others. From there, I began searching online for any courses or degrees in this field. To my absolute surprise, not only did a MSc in Mindfulness Based Interventions exist, but it was in my beloved Ireland, a country I have dreamed of living in for years.

I am delighted to have completed my Master of Science in Mindfulness Based Interventions at University College Dublin in 2023. What I love most about mindfulness is that it is a never ending process of discovery. As a mindfulness teacher, my hope is to help guide others in exploring the world of mindfulness, learning and growing together. I would be deeply honoured to have you embark upon your mindfulness journey with me.