Nikita Ierisov
Bridging yoga, sound, and depth psychology as paths of inner awakening
I have to started to explore the world since I was eighteen years old, when I started working on merchant ships sailing across the continents. But my first transformational experience happened when I first went back-packing to India with my girlfriend at the age of 24. At the same time my interest in yoga began and I also became a vegetarian, so trip to India was logical continuation of this journey.
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Since then I continued to work at sea, because it allowed me to travel and explore the world and at the same time I enjoyed the solitude the sea provided to explore various philosophical teachings in which I was always interested.
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My first experience of awareness was also at sea, when I started to practice calisthenics and later combined it with yoga. On the ship you have very limited space and a lot of stress - many people there usually tend to cope with it using alcohol. I have many stories to tell how alcohol can adversely affect our mind and body, so eventually I decided to give up on it completely. Then it is very rarely when you can find a gym on the ship during that times, so I have to look for other options how to deal with stress and eventually I started my body-workout journey, which eventually brought me to yoga.
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I became Chief Officer (Senior Deck Officer, 2nd in command after Captain ) at the age of 26 and continued to work at sea, which allowed me to feel pretty comfortable in my home-city of Odesa, which is in Ukraine. I also practice yoga there in yoga-club called "Maharaj" from 2018 till 2021. I consider this time as my main training in yoga, even though I received a formal certification - YTT200 in Bali. I also have learned a lot attending yoga classes all around the world.
Everyone is a teacher, and everyone is a student - that is my approach.
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So I had the comfort, but I was filling that I am living not my true life, I was feeling that something was missing. I was feeling that life is meant to be more interesting. I didn't feel connected to any purpose of mine or a mission.
At around 2019 my wife at that time initiated a shamanic ceremony for me, which I consider the second the most powerful transformational experience. Although I practiced yoga I still consider myself hard to shift my consciousness and perceptions. That is why I consider that psychedelics did necessary work to open this doors of perception and cleared imposed mental baggage.
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We also started to travel more to Asia and at that time also I explored such a powerful places like Koh Phangan and Bali and understood that life can be different. Another important shift happened there through dance. I had never seen myself as someone who could dance, so stepping into it was deeply transformative. Through rhythm and music, I discovered a new level of connection with my body, along with powerful insights and emotional release.
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And I believe that also there my journey into Jyotish had started. When I visited Sekumpul waterfall for the first time, something opened in my subconsciousness. I realised how the fantasies since my childhood manifested into my reality and I had strong urge to make a tattoo when I will come back home to Odesa.
There is a saying, that one doesn't choose to become a Jyotishi, nor did I think about astrology during any period of my life. But when I came to Odesa, my yoga-teacher Inna Goncharenko started Jyotish astrology course, so I decided to join, simply because I was interested to know more about Vedic worldview. But quickly I became immersed and realised that my tattoo was basically representation of my Moon in Sagittarius. ​
This is was my first deep encounter of my intuition.
Very soon after the first course was finished, I continued study of Jyotish, but with another teacher - Kali Shankar.
I realised also that immigration and wanderings were important parts of my development, and thus I decided to leave Ukraine. So in 2021 my wanderings has began: I lived on Bali, Koh Phangan, Chiang Mai. Then through Europe: Greece, Malta, Italy and Turkey and eventually I came to Canada. And here on Vancouver Island I together with my partner decided to create Dharma Station. Actually, we discussed a lot before, only in Canada we finally did it.
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In Asia I immersed myself completely studying Jyotish, but also I have opened the creative side of mine. I believe that his wandering across the SE Asia are meant to resurrect my creative sub-personality, which I have buried while working at sea.​​
Music has fascinated my since childhood.
​​However during my career at sea my creative sub-personality and thus my music was blocked: environment, false believes and so on. But during my 6-months stay in Bali I bought my first DJ controller and my musical journey have finally began.
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And it is still is going on.
​​​In Canada I have had another transformative experience and now it was through sound. After living one year in Vancouver I felt I have lost my track and new crisis have began. In Vancouver I met Kasia, who is musician and sound practitioner, and what she have told me about the sound in terms of healing inspired me a lot. I felt that I desperately need I crystal bowl and I bought one and immersed myself into the exploration of her wonderful properties. At the same time we bought a motorhome and moved with my partner from Vancouver to Vancouver island, basically from the megapolis life into almost wild nature.
​​​We went straight to the ocean side, and living there among the old cedars and listening to the roar of the ocean I was playing bowl and singing with it. And transformation has happened - anxiety disappears and clarity comes.
Healing properties of the sound inspired me so much that I have started to write a book about this.
My journey with sound and voice has continued, and I have immersed myself even more deeply in musical theory and bought an acoustic guitar. I realized that every instrument is, in fact, a teacher. I began to sing mantrams, which is an ancient practice of Nada Yoga. Once again, I was not specifically searching for it; rather, the practice itself manifested naturally through me.
At this stage of my journey, my work is centered around exploring human purpose and expanded states of consciousness through the intersection of yoga, sound, and depth psychology.​​​
I design practices and atmosphere, which helps to awaken your inner healing intelligence.
Through my research and work I also bridge ancient wisdom traditions with latest scientific models of body, mind and psyche, which broaden the understanding of the human nature in general, but also the most important knowledge that I provide - facilitate the individuals on their own journey towards their own purpose and wholeness.
