I’m ILANA, Embodhied Awareness Mentor, Soul Seeker, Peace Maker, Living in Arlington, VA
All my life, I keep coming back to these questions:
Does life truly need to be a grind to be valuable?
Can thriving be more than just surviving?
What does it mean to be free?
I work with overextended women, who have realized that they have lost not only their health or well-being but also a connection with something deep and true within themselves.
I know this story well, because I have lived it.
How I got here…
For most of my adult life, I lived with low-grade, chronic stress - pushing myself too hard and overthinking even “good” goals like eating “clean,” exercise, and work/family balance.
My body sent warning signs, physical symptoms of burnout, and my doctors advised me to “manage my stress.” However, I was living the “right” way, so why was I still so “wired and tired”?
The first turning point was the day I was back in a doctor’s office with escalating stress symptoms of adrenal dysfunction, fatigue, and anxiety. By her facial expression, I knew that she had given up on me. There was nothing more, medically, she could do for me.
The second turning point was progression into a gut dysbiosis that literally forced me to stop, reset my digestion, and rest for six months. It was the one time in my life I believe I nearly died.
And almost dying is a powerful wake-up call and motivator.
These health challenges set me on a journey of deep, sometimes painful, self-discovery. I learned that my imbalances had a powerful root, overlooked by medical doctors - undigested, unexpressed emotion and fear, which came from grief, loss, and other peoples’ expectations for my life (real or projected).
Reconnecting With My Purpose…
During this time, I also underwent a powerful spiritual reawakening, and I felt again the connection to my centered, joyful Self, a part of me that I was well aware of as a child,
but to which I had lost my connection in a rapid succession of life events - back-to-back corporate job promotions, marriage, a “geriatric” pregnancy, leaving the corporate world to be a full-time mom, marital separation, family deaths.
I leaned into the practices of Ayurveda, energy work and Reiki, yoga nidra, classical meditation, mindfulness, and permaculture, all of which came easily to me like a memory. In the stillness of practicing these wisdom traditions, I found my purpose and the space to digest emotions and experiences. I gained the courage to slow down…a LOT…and not to wear busy-ness and overwhelm as a badges of honor. In stillness, I learned to be fully aware of the joy that thrums in my body and all creation, in spite of life’s challenges. I regained my health.
Today, I practice Awareness or Presence - moment-to-moment listening to my Higher Self and being fully aware without attachment to outcomes. My practice is a lifelong evolution, not a state of arrival. My effort is not perfect, just consistent. Daily, I experience growing joy and peace in this Presence, which is the loving companion I have sought my whole life. And I find answers, guidance and resilience in the face of life’s challenges, setbacks, losses, and circumstances.
I founded Bodhi By Design out of gratitude for the wisdom that transforming challenges into growth has given me. This work is my love letter to you and Source.
I don’t want other women to feel broken or that they have to just settle for surviving their life. I study, live, and teach Ayurveda, classical meditation, diet and lifestyle design, and mindfulness, and lead meditation and book studies for those souls seeking to go deep in their self-realization practice.
I work with women on-line and in-person to help them reveal the diamond of joy, peace, love and wisdom that is their core being and birth-right. You were born to thrive!
A Peek Into My Life
“Mama”
My daughter is part of my purpose and core life lesson: learn, embody, receive and demonstrate unconditional love.
“Healer”
I am a Spiritual Counselor, an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor and Nutritionist, Reiki Master, Meditation Teacher, and writer. Since I was a child, I have helped others feel better.
“Mentor”
As a leader leader in business and my community, I have used my superpower of seeing pure potential in others to inspire individuals and teams towards their potential, even if it meant them moving on.
“Figure Skater”
I picked up my first pair of ice skates at age 52. I conquer fear every single time I step on the ice. Each session is also an act of gratitude for the strength I have regained after years of fatigue and burnout.
“Permaculture Designer”
a.k.a. grower, urban wildlife habitat manager, food forest advocate, nature’s observer. It is my joy to create spaces that mimic nature’s intelligence and to watch nature thrive.
“Knitter”
Knitting teaches me patience and non-attachment to outcomes, especially when I have to unravel and re-knit weeks or months of work.
My Values and Mission
Honesty and integrity are the foundation of Bodhi By Design and my life. I share with you what is possible as you work towards awareness and wellness, based on personal experience and what I have learned from mentors, clinical studies, and classical texts.
But there are no guaranteed outcomes to my services since each person is unique in experience, desire for change, willpower to participate, and their journey.
Read about my values, vision, mission, and qualifications for more information on what the practice of Bodhi By Design is to me.
Additionally, see my Services & Safety Disclosure to clarify what awareness mentoring is and is not.
Now…Tell Me About You
Tell me about your struggles and your vision for your life. Schedule a free initial 45-min conversation, the first step towards a life of purpose and renewed well-being.