Mariposa means butterfly in Spanish.
As a young woman living in Switzerland I felt like a caterpillar. I knew there was so much more to life than what I was experiencing. But I did not know what this meant. I just had this strong longing to fly, so to speak. One day I literally packed my bags and took off on a journey of soul-searching and healing. The real metamorphosis started when on some tropical island the magic of breathwork and rituals entered my life. Finally I had tools to connect to myself, to come home to my Heart and to grow into the best version of myself. I found my purpose and a new meaningful way of living. The butterfly has now settled in Portugal and would love nothing more than to share this part of the journey with you.
My own path might sound quite unique. But I deeply believe that there is butterfly potential in every single one of us. Maybe you are still living as a caterpillar, or maybe you're already the pupa waiting to emerge.
My life’s mission is to be there for anyone who is longing for change and who is ready for a transformation.
I wish for every human being, that they find the courage and the conditions to grow and connect – with each other and for each other.
I deeply believe that life becomes full of purpose and abundance as soon as we connect with our essence.
The essential self is called the “heart” in many traditions. And although I do not like some of the associations which come with this word, it holds a lot of meaning for me. Living from the heart means being connected to life itself, to Nature and other human beings on a much deeper level. It means being in touch with my heart’s desires and dreams, seeing what this whole journey is about.
When we are connected to the heart, we are connected to love and freedom. Freedom to decide and act from our own essence rather than influenced by external factors.
It really means waking up from the limited existence of a caterpillar and living life fully and joyfully as a butterfly.
When Magical Breathwork Makes You Live Your Life Fully
How did I arrive in this place?
It was in fact my breath that helped me to stretch my wings. I did not even know it back then, but for years on end I was completely cut off from myself and life. I did not feel much, I did not really know what I wanted or what mattered to me most. Bullied in school and suffering in painful relationships, I had learned early on to fit in and disconnect. But I knew for sure there must be more colour to life than just this kind of rigid functioning and conforming that I was experiencing.
My sense for this ‘something’ drove me out into the world to pursue a path of self- discovery. Years of travelling followed but it wasn’t until I experienced the magic of my own breath that I connected to what I learned to know as my heart. This way I finally found the way home to myself.
Trance and Realisation through Breathwork
The breathwork introduced me to different states of consciousness without the use of substances. I instantly loved the intensity and power of it. At the same time, I understood how breathwork, meditation and other awareness practices can lead into a state of presence which is full of healing potential. I came to see the very behaviour patterns and belief systems that had left me so unhappy in my early years. Exploring and undoing what I became aware of started the powerful transformation of the caterpillar. On the way I discovered that I really liked these intense journeys and the processes that are connected with them. A new purpose for my life unfolded itself inside me.
Ashtanga and Kundalini Yoga, Bhakti and Rituals
In the early years of my travelling I dedicated my time fully to the science and practice of Yoga. I started with Ashtanga yoga, studied classical Tantra and eventually met my teacher Reinhard Gammenthaler. The Swiss Kundalini expert became my biggest inspiration regarding yoga and its original traditions. The use of Mudra, Bandha and breath became essential in all my practices.
A Yoga Teacher Training followed and very sweetly brought singing back into my life. I found the courage to take singing lessons and fell in love with chanting mantras and using my voice in the practice of Bhakti yoga. As a teenager I was told I did not have a good voice, but I had always loved singing. And now I was finally finding my voice – on so many levels of my being!
Working with the sacredness of prayer and ceremony opened up yet another level of life magic. The profound effect of coming together in a community of open-minded beings shaped me enormously from then on. What a shift! Singing circles, dances and ceremonies made me so much more alive and colourful.
Integrating Western and Eastern Knowledge
Back in Zurich for a couple of months each year I took the first steps to integrate this newly found wisdom into my work. I continued to work as a nurse in a psychiatric clinic with children, while teaching yoga and meditation to my colleagues and the kids there.
Meanwhile, life abroad introduced me more deeply into the art of meditation. My first 10-day silent retreat simply blew my mind. How much I had been longing for this kind of profound experience, reaching a much greater self-awareness. Many other retreats and the study of Advaita Vedanta with Mooji in Portugal and India followed.
Turning into a Breathwork Therapist & Coach
Already amazed by the power of the breath in yoga, I then came to explore breathwork. The simple use of my own breath in a conscious way quickly became a big part of my life. Soon after I was blessed to meet and study with Leonard Orr, the founder of Rebirthing breathwork, which was another important turning point on my journey.
The breath became the focus of all my studying, practising, and teaching. I started working as a breathwork facilitator for groups and offered my first breathwork ceremonies.
After another painful relationship breakup, I decided to dig a little deeper into my darkness, as there was a need to understand myself better, and with help from others to see my blind spots. I started learning the profundity of Family Constellation and Zen counselling in training with Svagito Liebermeister whose very unique approach unites therapy with meditation. I cried a lot and I healed a lot.
Serious Commitment and Playful Joy
Commitment to growth is an important value for me. I am committed to my spiritual practices, my self-development and to my work. And I am very much inspired by people who share this focus and are ready to let go of old habits and patterns.
But in all this dedicated practice I love to laugh, to play and to move. I love sharing playfulness in my workshops and classes. Dancing and moving my body to heal is in fact part of my daily life.
The arrival of another human being in my life in 2019 – my little son – helped to deepen this connection every day: continuous transformation, purpose and joy. Everything is right here, right now. Life is meaningful, but better not to be taken as too tight and serious.
Freedom
Throughout all the precious teachings and practices, I encountered on my path I had this one major realization: I am not who I thought I was. I am not my reactions, my emotions or my thoughts. My being is not dependent on my expectations, my conditioning or any outer circumstances. This was simply the belief of the caterpillar.
But life is much bigger than this. To wake up and come home to my heart over-and-over again is what has guided me ever since. In the connection to the heart lies the connection to life as it is. This is freedom. The butterfly knows this.
And it is this freedom that I truly and deeply wish for all human beings to experience. And I wish for you that you continue your life’s journey connected to your own heart, fully independent from any teacher, therapist, or healer. On the way I am happy to share this space with you!
Mariposa – Butterfly Magic
Did you know that a butterfly does in fact need the struggle of coming out of its tight chrysalis (the cocoon-like sac of the butterfly larva)?
Its wings are wet when it first emerges, and the friction of squeezing through the small hole helps to remove some of the liquid. After the struggle the wings must dry before the butterfly can take flight to fulfil its purpose.