ABOUT ME
My journey here took a painful experience to wake me up to what really matters, and to who I really am.
I was born into a less than perfect family. As I grew, I slowly disappeared underneath layers of conditioning, unhelpful beliefs and distorted visions of myself and the world. I had to develop thick skin! I put up a wall around my heart and disconnected from my feelings and my body. My belief was that I am indestructible. I could do it all alone.
And I could. I did it all alone. I created everything I had wished for. I met a wonderful man, got a great job, beautiful home, had two amazing children – good life by all conventional standards.
But I wasn’t happy. Because I lived in my head. ALL. THE. TIME. And it was pretty messy up there. I was highly self-critical and judgmental, ridden with anxiety, and constantly seeking validation and fulfillment externally. I felt empty, scared and lonely. What was wrong with me?
Hey, I’m Silvija
I’m a recovering anxiety-driven overthinker and perfectionist, who enjoys exploring ways to fully embrace life and cultivate inner peace.
The game-changer for me was the discovery of mindfulness and body-centered practices, which I’ve been exploring for many years now.
They sparked in me a deep personal transformation and fueled my passion to offer them to individuals who are aware of the limitations of traditional talk therapy, and are looking for a holistic and profound way to heal, grow and reconnect with themselves.
And then, it struck me like a wrecking ball—an all-consuming burnout. My life and the very essence of who I believed I was, crumbled into a million pieces.
Facing and accepting what happened and then embarking on the journey to rebuild my life was incredibly challenging and intimidating. I had to take each step slowly, venturing into a life I never thought was possible.
Over time, I started to believe in the potential for a different kind of life and in my ability to change. I consciously began to reshape my detrimental thought patterns and beliefs. I made friends with my emotions and past wounds. Gradually, I reconnected with my body, I opened my heart, and I started to experience genuine joy and inner peace. I finally felt like I was enough.
I didn’t go through it by myself. I reached out and asked for help. You see, my friend, seeking help is not a sign of weakness. It takes some serious guts, and I’m here to say, it’s totally worth it!
This is how my passion was born. To help others walk their path. Because I believe change is possible and you can do it too! You can create the life you’ll love.
If my story resonates with you and you’re seeking assistance and direction, I’d be honored to be there for you on your path.
Hi, I’m Silvija
I have been practicing mindfulness for many years. I believe it is the most powerful tool that can help us live with greater calm, ease and balance.
It has sparked in me a deep personal transformation, that has resulted in positive change from the inside out. I am passionate about sharing it with others who are on their own journey. I know from experience how hard and lonely, as well as liberating this journey can be.
My heart felt belief is that people don’t need to be fixed. At our core we are all whole and simply amazing. When we are able to connect with ourselves, we are all resourceful and creative.
I fell deeply connected with my intuition and nature. My own quest is to find flow in everything – my way of being, my way of thinking and especially in my way of interacting with people.
When I am in a flow, I am fully present, unconditionally compassionate and my thoughts and actions are aligned with who I want to be.
This flow, however, wasn’t always part of my life …
My journey here took a painful experience to wake me up to what really matters, and to who I really am.
I was born into a less than perfect family. As I grew, I slowly disappeared underneath layers of conditioning, unhelpful beliefs and distorted visions of myself and the world. I had to develop thick skin! I put up a wall around my heart and disconnected from my feelings and my body. My belief was that I am indestructible. I could do it ‘all’ alone.
And I could. I did it all alone. I had everything I had wished for. A wonderful man, a great job, good life by all conventional standards and two beautiful children. But I was not happy. I lived in my head. ALL. THE. TIME. And it was pretty messy up there. I was self-critical, judgmental and extremely anxious and was seeking recognition and fulfilment from outside myself. I felt empty, scared and lonely. What was wrong with me?
And then it hit me. Burn-out or break down. Brene Brown would say ‘The Awakening’. Well, who cares about the labels, for me it felt like I was falling apart. The image I had of who I was fell into pieces. It was built on rotten foundations.
It was so hard and scary to face and accept what happened and to start rebuilding my life. I had to walk the path, step by step, into a life I did not even know I could have. I started to believe life can be different and that I too can change. I consciously began to change my damaging thought patterns and beliefs. I befriended my emotions and my hurts. I finally felt my body again! I opened my heart and for the first time after a very long time I felt true joy and calm that came from within. I finally felt good enough.
I didn’t do it alone. I asked for help. Because you know, my friend, asking for help takes real, freaking guts. And it is so worth it!
This is how my passion was born. To help others walk their path. Because I believe change is possible and we are the only ones who can create the life we want.
If my story resonates with you and you want support and guidance, I would be honored to support you on your journey.
What people are saying
Silvija has been integral to so much important change in my life over the last few months. Her skills of active listening helps relax and open my skills of listening to myself and getting into touch with my intuition and body knowledge. She has helped me to realize and understand answers that lie within myself that I found I just needed to find the peace and stillness to slow down and listen to. I am so thankful for her excellent coaching technique and the work that we have done together and I look forward to all our future sessions.
Silvija is an incredibly compassionate and skillful life coach. She is a great listener who knows exactly what questions to ask to nudge you onto the right path towards your personal or professional goals. Her gentle, yet concrete and no-nonsense approach will open your eyes to exploring possibilities you simply couldn’t see on your own.
My sessions with Silvija have been life-transforming. We started off our virtual meetings in the middle of the nightmare pandemic confinement with the goal to develop and practice self-love. Week by week, we tackled one false thought after another in connection with different aspects of my life. Whenever I was explaining something that was bothering or upsetting me, she provided a very surprising mirror in which I saw things and connections I did not see before. And when words could not suffice, we practiced mindful somatic dives into my heart and subconsciousness. These have been incredibly effective and full of insights. We mindfully observed what was there, what it was trying to tell me and how to let it go in order to set myself free. And what remained in the end were self-awareness, self-compassion and self-love.
Silvija has been a guide for me during some extremely challenging times. Through somatic work and coaching she showed me how to listen to my body, how to get in touch with my heart and calm my anxiety. I learned how to feel what I want and need and how to get my needs met.
I loved my coaching sessions with Silvija. She is an incredibly gentle coach, asking just the right questions and adapting her advice to your own way of understanding. She helped me see things and realise habitual responses that I wasn’t fully aware of before and showed me a way to tweak my attitudes and responses just a little but just enough to achieve the change I was looking for. I can only recommend working with her 🙂
What makes my heart sing?
My zen teachers, my two beautiful children. They are my mirrors, showing me what is still there for me to face and work with. They keep reminding me what being in a flow looks like.
My wonderful husband. He believes in me in all I do. I admire his patience and groundedness.
Connecting with life. Walks in nature, yoga, meditation, QiGong.
My more ferocious side loves crazy mountain bike rides, climbing mountains and exploring exotic corners of our beautiful planet.
Training & experience
-
Body-Centered Psychotherapy advanced training with Hakomi institute, approved by the European Association for Psychotherapy and the European Association of Body Psychotherapy (ongoing)
- ICF accredited Mindfulness & Somatic Coach at Mindfulness Coaching School
- MBSR mindfulness trainer with Mindful Academy International
- Mindfulness for children trainer through Mindful Schools
- Somatic Attachment Therapy certification with Embody Lab
- Polyvagal Theory in Therapy training with Deb Dana
