Teacher Training
- Practitioner of mindfulness meditation for the past 12 years and teacher for the past 4 years to individuals and organizations in person and online.
- Certified by the 2 year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program taught by world-renowned senior teachers Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, in partnership with Greater Good Science Center at University of California Berkeley and the Awareness Training Institute, completed in February 2021.
- Continuous teacher training with Tara and Jack, as well as new teachers such as Oren Jay Sofer and Alison Cohen.
Teaching Experience
Public and communities
- Designed & teaches a 7 Week Introduction to Mindfulness course. Students from many different nationalities & cultures have given a 9.24/10 average satisfaction rating to this course.
- Founded, leading and teaching on a weekly basis at the Mudita Mindfulness Community of 10+ members and 10+ guests for the past 3 years.
Businesses and organizations
- Teaching morning meditation sessions every day at the European Court of Auditors (an EU organization) since April 2021.
- Teaching weekly meditation sessions to a tech start-up, Visage since August 2021.
- Experienced at bringing small mindfulness practices into the workplace. As a business leader at tech startups for 11 years, closely familiar with the fast pace of the business world and the big difference these practices can make in happiness as well as performance of teams.
Teaching Approach
- Trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive as traumatic stress is estimated to impact close to 90% of the population
- Establishing mindful & multicultural communication guidelines to create safe learning environments
- Making wellness accessible to all by allowing to pay what you can afford to pay
- Multi-lingual as needed; English - Turkish - French
- Focusing on real-world applications of mindfulness; bringing the practice alive by integrating it into daily life
- Focusing on direct experience of concepts
- Sharing and learning from others in small groups
- Moving from scientific evidence and using science to trust in the practice
- Bringing teachings to life with literature and stories from many walks of life
You can read more about my approach in my manifesto on everyday wellness.
About Me
I'm born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, and after receiving an American education here, I have spent my university years in St. Louis, US (Washington University in St. Louis).
I moved to France 5 years ago. My French partner and I live near Valence at the moment - we plan to move to Nice later this year and I'm looking forward to being by the sea again! 😊
I consider myself a blend of Turkish, American, and French cultures. My gender pronouns are she/her/hers. I care deeply about multiculturalism and I make it a big part of all my work and communities.
Read more about me here.
My Mindfulness Story
Mindfulness meditation came into my life 12 years ago, at a moment of deep grief and depression due to the sudden death of my father. I was 21 years old at the time. Over the past 12 years, my mindfulness practice has
- helped me go from a depressed, highly anxious person, to a happier and calmer person who finds a lot of enjoyment in life.
- helped me heal from traumatic experiences such as violence at home when I was growing up.
- taught me that I live in a wise human body, my mind tells a lot of funny stories, and my heart is richer than I ever imagined!
- helped me become more resilient - I now feel more equipped and held when I go through the difficult moments in life.
- taught me to respond instead of react - I've seen that if I take a moment to accept the reality of what is here and now, I could show up to take action in the world or within myself with more kindness, fierceness and effectiveness.
- anchored me in the present moment rather than in the past, the future, or in my never-ending to do list.
- shown me that I could love myself the way I am, and I could make the choice to not take anyone out of my heart. I've understood that there are no bad humans, only humans suffering, and we can choose to constantly forgive ourselves and each other.
- helped me find my center, protect my boundaries and meet my own needs. I've seen that everyone is happier when I don't cancel myself out for the sake of others.
- made me so much more effective in other areas of my life, such as when I show up as a manager and leader in the business world, or when I interact with my life partner. Interestingly, I made a big leap in these "other" areas of my life when I practiced more mindfulness.
- taught me that all of human interaction and communication at work, home, friendships, society... is about the clear seeing and kind expression of observations, feelings, needs and requests.
Thanks to my practice, I have so much more presence, awareness, kindness, compassion, equanimity, and joy.
As a teacher, I now have the privilege of witnessing how others benefit from these basic understandings of mindfulness, how they open their hearts, and live fuller, more joyful lives.