About
My name is Natalia
I am originally from Russia, from a big city on a Volga river called Saratov. My best childhood memories are about spending summer time with my family by the river and summer activities such as swimming, eating lots of fresh summer fruit and berries, and playing badminton and ping pong.
Passion
Even though my entire family are chemists, I chose to go a different route and studied psychology. I graduated from Moscow State University with a Master’s Degree in Psychology in 2010. While I was studying, I also realized that I had the energy and the drive to pursue fitness training, and in I went through a round of multiple fitness certification programs while I was studying psychology full time. It helped me to stay balanced, as my body was craving for movement after sitting in class all day! For 4 years, I worked part time as a group fitness instructor in World Gym, Moscow teaching aerobics classes, kids activities, indoor rock climbing and cycling, stretching, Pilates, and even water aerobics. It was a lot of fun and it was a great community to be a part of.
Building a holistic practice
My professional path has given me the chance to work with a wide range of clients, including seniors, prenatal and postnatal clients, teenagers, athletes, and people recovering from injuries. That experience helped me grow personally and professionally, and shaped the holistic, body-centered approach I now bring to Body Relax Therapy in Louisville, KY.
Professional growth
I continued expanding my skillset by taking a 200-hours Yoga Teacher Training with Rudy Mettia in 2013. This enabled me to dive even deeper into therapeutic movement, meditation, mindful breathing, and yoga philosophy. Throughout the next several years, I continued growing my body therapy skillset in by completing an immersive training in Thai massage with Sarah Vosen and Sarah Yovovich (2015). Ever since then, I began incorporating therapeutic touch into my session and it’s fascinating how much progress that added to my body therapy sessions! Finally, right before the pandemic, I got certified in cupping therapy with International Cupping Therapy Association.
Authentic connection
I bring my most vulnerable, true self into all my interactions. That energy is always felt and resonated with on a subconscious level, which allows my clients to open up and trust me. My goal is to treat the root of my clients’ problems /pains, not only the symptoms. Getting to the core of things is a challenging long-term process that requires not only motivation and commitment on both ends, but a lot of trust, patience, and the ability to be present and honest with each other.