“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell
Hi, I am Derya Deniz.
To begin with, I don’t think I have a proper, or particularly cool, answer to the question, “Who am I?”
I’ve spent my entire life trying to find an answer, and I’ve even structured an entire training around this very question. The answers are still evolving, but I can at least share how yoga found me and the journey that brought me here.
My journey with yoga began during a time of deep personal struggle.
Since childhood, I have been searching for a deeper meaning I couldn’t quite name, and that longing eventually manifested as anxiety and panic attacks. I was looking for a way to stay grounded amidst the challenges I was experiencing. And that’s how yoga found me. It was the only thing that seemed to help with my anxiety. What began as a personal practice soon became a calling. And slowly, my life began to reshape itself.
I became fascinated by this ancient knowledge, the subtle energies of the body, and the healing potential of presence and touch. This curiosity led me to study Thai Yoga Massage and energy work, first in Istanbul, then throughout Southeast Asia, where I immersed myself for three years in traditional healing practices and continued my yoga studies in countries like Thailand, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia.
I was about to run my own retreat in Bali when the lockdown hit, and my whole life turned upside down. I went through some really dark days. During that time, I studied Kriya Yoga in the lineage of Mahavatar Babaji. Once again, yoga saved me.
When it was over, I booked another one-way ticket, this time to Peru, straight into the Amazon jungle. I began studying plant medicine, mainly with Ayahuasca. I spent three years between the jungle and Colombia, deepening my relationship with plants, psilocybin mushrooms, and the many dimensions of consciousness and self-exploration.
During my time working with plant medicine, I witnessed how women can struggle in these experiences due to a lack of care, support, and safety, and how they can be exposed to difficult or even harmful experiences, including discrimination. This inspired me to deepen my studies around psychedelic safety and education, and to create spaces that offer support, particularly for women.
The name of my yoga school also appeared in the jungle. One day, while I was reading Food of the Gods by Terence McKenna, I came across a section titled “Symbiosis.” The moment I saw it, I knew it had to be the name for my sharings.
Throughout my years of both yoga and plant medicine practices, I’ve done my best to learn from as many teachers and traditions as I could; listening deeply, practicing wholeheartedly, and gradually distilling what I found to be the most accessible, simple, and effective tools for transformation. With deep reverence, I honor the ancient roots of both practices and the lands and cultures from which these practices originate. I do not claim ownership over any of these teachings, but rather see myself as a humble channel; sharing what has been generously passed down to me.
I offer my heartfelt gratitude to all the teachers I’ve had the privilege of learning from; for their generosity, wisdom, and presence.
Currently, I am studying Integration Psychotherapy in England while continuing my studies in Advaita Vedanta and living in Porto, Portugal.
One of my teachers describes herself as an “explorer of consciousness,” and I think that is what I am being trained for as well. I don’t think I will ever stop trying to understand the question: Who am I?
The path continues to unfold. I remain a student; of life, of the human experience, and of the endless mystery of who we are. I don’t promise any healing or transformation. What I can offer is a space where you are invited to meet yourself exactly as you are.
If you’re called to explore the deeper dimensions of yoga, soul, and self with me, I welcome you with a full heart.
Let’s begin the remembering.
