I am Elena. To me, movement is life, and life is movement. I have always been physically active, and involved in various athletic activities and sports. My other keen interest has long been natural healing and self-improvement. 

I was a competitive swimmer in high school. Having experienced back pain and sciatica since age 12, after an injury, as a teenager I became accustomed and soon learned to enjoy physical therapy exercise. I wanted to know more and be able to help myself, and eventually - others!

Throughout my life, I have chosen jobs in the wellness, fitness, and care taking professions. A medical school graduate from Moscow State University, I specialized in sports medicine. However, I chose to pursue a professional path other than medicine.

After graduation, I worked as a Fitness Trainer and Swimming Instructor for several years. Apart from working with adults, I trained children and teenagers with musculoskeletal challenges, as well as coached all ages in swimming technique and conditioning.

I lived in Russia at that time, where developmental and physical health benefits of baby and infant swimming had been in the mainstream for decades. After getting my Baby Swimming instructor certification, I experienced the joy of working with the little ones, and their parents, in the warm water.

In 2009, I moved to the United States, and soon pursued education towards a preschool teacher permit!

Yet my yearning for hands-on therapy and coaching, and for being in the fitness and wellness professional sphere, soon took me on to my next endeavor – to get certified as a Personal Trainer and Health Coach through the American Council on Exercise (ACE). After working as a fitness trainer at a gym for a short while, I found myself in the bodywork field, getting trained and starting my practice as a Licensed Massage Therapist. And my new profession even took me to work on a cruise to Antarctica, twice!

To add to my repertoire of skills, I was happy to find Watsu® and WRT Water Release Therapy®, and pursued my training and certification. The highlight of my newly discovered career in the Aquatic Bodywork field was briefly meeting and working with Harold Dull, the creator of the original method – Watsu®.

For two years, I was grateful for the experience to work with the local Ventura County teams of gifted young Baseball and Softball players, assisting with their agility drills, strength and conditioning, as well as creating a Mobility Training & Therapy program for them.