I use an anti-oppressive, holistic, trauma-informed lens centered around those most impacted by patriarchy, sexism, misogyny, and colonization.
Kia ora, Ni sa Bula Vinaka and Namaste, I’m Ashley.
Our bodies often hold our own stories and those left unheard by the generations before us. These experiences and narratives live not only in our minds but also in our bodies and nervous systems. I understand that many of you will be healing intergenerational wounds. That’s why I use an Indigenous, person-centered approach so that you may safely (re)connect to your inner world.
I work with women, femmes, and non-binary beings of color who are:
- wanting to explore and unpack struggles with identity, shame, challenges around assimilating to the dominant culture, and navigating different cultural worlds
- looking to address racial, intergenerational, childhood, and sexual trauma or the effects of colonization
- experiencing anxiety, depression, burnout, and overwhelm
- seeking psychoeducation and healing around navigating the world as a highly sensitive person
- wanting to learn strategies to regulate your nervous system and reconnect with your body after experiencing disconnection
- interested in using Indigenous models of well-being in your healing journey
- wanting to integrate trauma-informed yoga alongside therapy to re-establish a relationship with bodily sensations & emotions, and release tension & trauma stored in your body
- Seeking 1:1 work either before or alongside joining my Tantric Movement course
Sessions are available in-person at the Koru Hub in Island Bay, or online via Zoom.
Did you know, there are so many different ways that trauma can manifest physically?
Such as dis-regulated breathing, throat constriction, lack of presence, nervousness, GI Issues, sweaty palms, heart palpitations, flashbacks, anxiety, insomnia, heightened sensations and startle reflex, clenched muscles (neck, shoulders, jaw), sunken chest, heavy heart, aches and pains (headaches and backaches), migraines, loss of skin sensations, numbness, to name a few.
By incorporating trauma-informed Yoga, Yoga & Tantra philosophy, Dance & Movement Therapy, Pūrākau, and somatic approaches to healing trauma, I am able to learn what matters most to you.
My passion for this work stems from needing representation for our people in these spaces that take into account the effects of immigration, colonisation, oppression, systemic inequities, and trauma on our wellbeing.
About Me
I am the daughter of immigrant parents and a descendent of the Girmitiyas: the Indentured laborers who were brought from India to Fiji to work in sugarcane plantations.
I draw on their strength, wisdom, and energy in everything that I do.
Whether I’m counselling, advocating, or teaching, I challenge harmful, oppressive narratives and systems that weren’t made for people like us.
To create spaces for us to heal what our ancestors were never allowed to heal.
Rather than seeing you and your story in isolation, I see it through a holistic lens in relation to the people, systems, and experiences in your life.
I’d love to connect with you to see whether I can support you with your well-being goals.
FAQs
Registrations, Qualifications & Professional Development
Registrations:
- Provisional Member, Registered with NZ Association of Counsellors (NZAC)
Qualifications:
- Master of Counselling Studies
- Ancestral-based learning of Achala Paripurna Rajayoga lineage
- Ignite Embody Yoga’s Roots 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher
Professional Development:
- Transcending Sexual Trauma through Yoga: Comprehensive Trauma-Informed Yoga
- Foundations of traditional Māori Healing and Bodywork: Mirimiri and Romiromi
- Foundations of Dance & Movement therapy
- Trauma Center: 20hr Trauma Sensitive Yoga training
- Mahi a Atua Mataora Training
- Purākau and Motivational Interviewing
- Somatic Approaches to Healing Trauma
- Working with clients with Anxiety
- Tools for your Anxiety Toolkit
Experience
- Rangatahi counsellor in a kaupapa Māori mental health service for the past four years.
- Yoga teacher facilitating 8-week-long Yoga in school programs for the past three years.
- Tutor for the Bachelor of Counselling and Addictions Practice at Weltec teaching Human Development & Psychology, and Trauma-Informed Practice.
Fee Schedule
- $140 per 50-minute session for those in employment
- $120 per 50-minute session for those currently studying or not in employment
- Fee is paid at the time of booking via Card or PayPal.
Cancellations
Any cancellations need to be notified more than 48 hours before the appointment. Late cancellations will be charged out at session rate per cancellation. Note weekends and public holidays are not counted in the 48-hour period.
Appointment times
Please use the booking link to find a suitable time. Sessions are currently available:
- Monday 12 pm - 4 pm
- Wednesday: 9 am - 4 pm
- Thursday: 9 am - 4 pm
Languages
I also speak Hindi हिंदी.
My lived experience
- I grew up being disconnected from my body, carrying wounds from childhood sexual trauma, which meant that I struggled to trust not only others but also my bodily sensations and emotions.
- I experienced silencing, lived my life through secrets, and deeply feared the judgment of others, which was the breeding ground of toxic shame.
- I felt so much confusion around my Fiji-Indian-Kiwi identity, that I turned my back on my culture for a long time, before coming back to it as an adult.
- I struggled with my own internalized racism for years.
- I spent years experiencing depression and symptoms of cPTSD that had shaped the way I grew up.
- I was never taught how to navigate the world as a highly sensitive person, having to learn more about myself and strategies to thrive as an adult.
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Get Directions
Maharani Movement, The Koru Hub The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand
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https://www.ashleyraju.com/
April, 2024
Saturday
August 26,2019
- Tuesday
- 9:00am - 10:00am
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