Elif's Journey of Heart, Healing, and Homecoming

Introduction:

My journey to self-discovery began under the starry skies of my family's summer camp in the early 2000s. With my favorite music playing on my walkman, I would dive into the starry summer night, stargazing, and feeling a strange longing for a 'home' pulled at my heart, gently diving into my journey of knowing thyself.

Early Explorations and Dreams:

In my university years, the dream to explore beyond my birthplace took shape, evolved from my cosmic wanderer spirit of teenage years. Europe was calling me, ready to show me its rich mix of cultures and teach me so much. The chance to live there as a volunteer, to immerse myself in a variety of cultures and social impact projects, was the call to adventure I'd been waiting for. I had a strong feeling that if I could start this journey, I might discover my life's purpose, and it marked the beginning of my quest as I did whatever it took to travel across Europe.

The Turning Tides of Life:

But life's journey is never a straight path. In 2014, the early loss of my mother to a long battle with cancer marked a profound turning point. At the age of 26, I moved to Istanbul, balancing a new job with a new Master's studies. I navigated through this period of intense change and stress. It was a time when I kept my grief hidden and showed my inner strength.

The Revelation:

In the midst of that chaos, I discovered meditation. It became my anchor, offering peace and clarity. It was a revelation, a quiet yet powerful force that transformed my approach to life's challenges.

The Burnout, Death and Rebirth:

In 2016, after two intense years of work, study, and travel throughout Europe while pursuing my dreams, I reached a point of burnout. Just one day after I talked to my boss to quit, my father suffered a sudden health crisis and passed away within a week.

During my journey, I had been actively involved with international NGOs, focusing on soft skills, communication, personal growth, and emotional intelligence. After completing my master's degree in NGO Management, I took a break from that world and transitioned to corporate life in European organizations. It was a welcome change, offering a more balanced lifestyle, with lighter workloads and better pay.

Living in Europe also allowed me to cultivate new habits, like regular exercise, and to enjoy the vibrant international community. Weekends were filled with dancing, attending festivals, and participating in cultural celebrations. It was a refreshing phase in my life, taught me to take my time for emotional recovery, personal growth and celebrate life's moments fully alive.

Deepening the Journey Within:

When the pandemic struck, it brought the world to a halt, but for me, it became a catalyst for personal growth. Thanks to the pandemic, the money I used to spend on socializing was now available for investment in self-improvement. Being passionate about learning, I immersed myself in Mindvalley, a platform dedicated to growth in every area of life. It was a revelation, and I threw myself into it wholeheartedly, enrolling in multiple courses simultaneously. It felt like my own school, a way to nourish my soul after years of feeling overwhelmed, burnt out, and in grief. The pandemic provided me with a much-needed break from the fast-paced life I had been living.

Within the Mindvalley community, I connected with my soul tribe and underwent profound transformation in a very short period. I absorbed knowledge like a sponge, learning from incredible people who were on a similar journey of growth, just like me. 

Co-Alignment and Heartfelt Connections:

After a period of personal growth and self-nurturing, I felt a strong desire to give back to the community by guiding meditations voluntarily. It was during this time that I met Phil, who shared a similar passion for guiding meditations within the community. Our paths crossed while attending the online Mindvalley University, where I made the decision to lead meditations and elevation sessions for the community and offered this idea to other community students. Phil immediately said “I’m in!” The rest is history! Phil and I instantly clicked, connected and decided to collaborate in guiding these sessions together, giving birth to our Co-Alignment community.

Co-Alignment was like a vibrant club within the Mindvalley community. It served as a space for people to come together, connect deeply, and experience profound transformations. The atmosphere was filled with love, laughter, and the magical connections, friendships, partnerships and growth happening right before our eyes.

This was also how I met Joy and Global Heart Healing! Gonna come to this part of the story in just a minute.

Healing, Dancing, and Global Heart Healing:

This period that I was busy with thriving Co-Alignment was also a time that I felt disconnected in my romantic relationships, frustrated by their superficiality and objectification. So, I was on a break from dating and turned my focus inward, channeling my energy towards self-healing. Then with a dear friend’s guidance from the Co-Alignment tribe, I discovered ChakraDance, a transformative practice using movement therapy and energy healing to connect with and heal my sacral chakra. Inspired by the profound effects of my first ChakraDance session, I was determined to become a facilitator, deepening my connection with my feminine essence.

During this time, our paths also crossed with Joy, and we discovered her powerful Global Heart Healing sessions. These sessions became a cherished part of our journey, as we would gather with our community to participate. It was a truly magical experience, allowing us to grow and transform together within our magical community space.

I had a one-on-one session with Joy to address my sacral chakra challenge. Remarkably, within three days of her healing session, my intentions were fully realized, leaving me amazed by the instant and profound change. Then, I was connected to her further and I was 100% in for whatever she was teaching! 🥰💖

Love, Partnership, and Global Connections:

Our connection with Phil was heartfelt from the start, but as time went on, it grew more romantic. We were living in different countries, and we decided to meet in person to explore this connection further. Taking a leap of faith, we booked a villa in Spain, deciding to live together for a month to see where it would lead. We didn't know what to expect, but as we met and began living together, it became clear that this journey was about deep connection, partnership, and love. Our story was embraced by our community, and it has been a blessed and magical journey. Since we've met, we've grown together, learned a lot, and created beautiful meditations. We've also made wonderful friends from all around the world.

So , the sacral chakra healing worked! ;)

Conclusion and Invitation:

Today, I bring together my technical skills with my love for healing and art. I take care of all the technical tasks for the Global Heart Healing website, community and courses.

You can explore my channeled art and poems on Instagram under the Spirit of the Rainbow account, meditate with me & Phil on Insight Timer, or follow me for joining my next ChakraDance session. Thank you for diving into my story and being the heartbeat of the Global Heart!

Much love,

Elif