About Raka
Training & approach
Background
I came to my work through interests in consciousness studies, and through personal experiences of illness and healing. I studied philosophy and psychology at university and worked in research exploring unusual perceptions, mainly faceblindness and synaesthesia. To manage stress, I learnt to meditate and practiced different movement styles. I gradually became more invested in learning about mind-body health, and about spiritual traditions and practices. These interests took many fruitful directions, significantly changing my orientation in life.
I trained in counselling skills in 2010 and worked as volunteer bereavement counsellor. Over the years I learnt different energy healing and psychological frameworks, and I completed my professional training in craniosacral biodynamics in 2017, with ongoing studies in this field. Working this way showed me how to connect with a whole person through the medium of touch and body sensitivity.
I practice yoga and qigong, and sometimes teach this. I also study more broadly in the area of embodiment, energetics and psychology from different perspectives. I trained in coaching in 2021, and appreciate the interplay of embodiment and insight in our personal development. I love writing, reading, dancing and art-making. I am a student of contemporary Buddhist dharma which is a significant influence and resource for me; it impacts all aspects of my life.
I see the body as a gateway to the whole person. It is not just an interesting object, cleverly put together but unfortunately causing problems. It is a mirror, and a map, of each unique life. Connecting with the body sensitively, with careful touch for example, can reveal the deeper aspects of a person: what they have been through, what they are holding on to, and what is trying to emerge. We can work anatomically, tracking injuries and physical impacts of past events, and we can also reach into other layers of experience: memories, emotions, thought patterns, strengths and gifts.
Good rapport is essential in any support relationship, and I place real value on dialogue and expression in my work. Sessions with me can be relaxing and quiet, and they can also be active, with movement and words. They are not something that is simply done to you; your awareness, your words, and your presence are all part of the process.
We are amidst a crisis of embodiment, wherein we have have forgotten how to live in and with the body. We feel nothing or we feel too much; we go numb and collapse, or we can’t stop doing and being busy. There are middle places between these extremes where the body becomes an ally and a guide to a feeling-thinking-knowing way of living, joined up and not so disconnected. This opens a doorway to a more soulful way of being in this challenging world.
Working philosophy
