About Raka

I am trained in craniosacral practice, a therapeutic model with sensitive touch that includes physical, emotional, mental, energetic an spiritual aspects of our being. I completed my initial qualification in 2017, and continue to receive ongoing training and mentoring in this field. I teach yoga & mindful movement online and in-person, having practiced various forms since 2005. I am also trained in counselling skills and coaching. I have interests in all things to do with living well with the body, and how we each express our unique gifts in the world.

I have degrees in philosophy and cognitive science (MSc), and worked in psychology research before retraining in the healing arts and sciences. While in research I studied unusual minds – people who perceive the world differently, mainly those who have faceblindness or synaesthesia. Contemporary Buddhist training influences my thinking and practice, and I am a student of Insight Meditation and the Soulmaking Dharma. I think of meditation as any way of training attention that brings more freedom, compassion and beauty; this covers many possibilities.

I have studied with and/or been positively impacted by the work of: Thomas Atlee and others (Craniosacral), Catherine McGee, Rob Burbea, Yanai Postelnik, Kirsten Kratz and others (Insight Meditation), Teja Bell (Qigong), Paul Grilley (Yin Yoga), Judith Lasater (Restorative Yoga), Hilary Barrett (Yijing), Laura Nalbandian and colleagues (Evolutionary Astrology), and many other psychologists, somatic practitioners and philosophers.

I grew up in India and live in Scotland; my experiences of immigration and multiple cultures impacts all aspects of my life including how I work. I love learning about science and spirituality from Indian and European traditions. I enjoy working with people from varied social backgrounds, my clients have often been outsiders in different ways.