All About Ya Doma

Ya Doma means 'I am home' in Russian. Coming home to nature and to one's self is the realization of what happens when immersing yourself in nature. We are nature. Our removal from nature has removed us from our true Selves. Connecting with nature brings us back to ourselves. In safety and support, we can relearn who we are and how we want to be and show up. This realization has us taking 100% responsibility. Depending on where you are on your journey, this understanding can be daunting, exciting, or anything in between.

Ya Doma Nature and Forest Therapy was founded on the principle that when you come back home to who you are, you can live in alignment with truth, integrity, and inspiration.

Ya Doma's goal is for each participant to walk away from each session with more intention and inspiration of walking your truth. Step out of the fear of ego and truly listen to what your heart is saying. Our heart speaks to us every day. Sitting in the present moment will help you accept what is and trust in yourself and the process. Sitting in the stillness, you will hear the whisper of your heart. It is when you follow this insight, you are stepping on your true path, learning a little more about who you truly are.

Ya Doma's passion is to assist those who want to find their inner truth in a healing and supportive environment. Ya Doma wants to walk the path alongside you to assist you when you need guidance; to hear your stories of growth, of the dark, and the light. When practicing forest therapy, LIMITLESSNESS is possible.

Whether you are interested in trying forest therapy once or want to commit to a transformation, Ya Doma will meet you where you are at. The forest will show you the path and you will be the one to choose to walk it. With an open heart and still mind you will be open to receiving the wisdom.

All About Kim

"The feeling of being 'at home' is an effervescent flood of knowingness, trust, and acceptance that comes over my entire being whenever I am still in nature. Nature is nurturing, supportive, trusting, and embraced in love. I am able to access these sensations through Forest Therapy. When I realized how much I needed this support to help me through the hardest and darkest time of my life, I knew I was forming a lifelong practice. With the amazing changes that were happening within me, I felt inspired to share. And so, my passion of reconnecting with self and developing a strong relationship with nature to become the person I know I am and live the life that I know is possible has been the catalyst for creating Ya Doma Nature and Forest Therapy." The path of listening to my heart has led me to other natural modalities of healing including Wim Hof and Reiki.

Kim is the founder of Ya Doma Nature and Forest Therapy. She spent her early life living in nature, primarily amongst the ponderosa pines and fresh lakes of the Okanagan. It was important to her to spend as much of her life outside in nature. So, when it was time to make a career choice she chose for it to be in the forest. Little did she know the relationship, growth, and path that would incur from this one heartfelt decision.

She received her diploma at BCIT in Renewable Resources- Forestry and set about the next few years caring for the forests. She felt very privileged to be walking the untouched earth of northern BC and Alberta where the creatures and stillnes of the land were plenty.

Kim wanting more stability and a family went back to school to become a teacher. She received her BA in Geography at UVic and then her BEd at UBC.

Kim taught part-time while raising her children. It wasn't until she started a small teaching contract that she realized her students at the tender age of 5 and 6 needed to be outside - as did she. So, she created a whole outdoor curriculum to encourage play, exploration, be inquisitive and develop as caring and compassionate human beings. Kim presented her program and ideas to the School Board, offered her wisdom and experience at the District for Professional Development, and presented to the parents of her students. Kim was having the best of both worlds; living her passion of helping and teaching all while being in nature and promoting health and wellness in nature.

During a time when she needed great healing and support, Forest Therapy found Kim. She was in the forest when she received the insight to check out forest bathing. She began the next phase of her life committed to healing. The Forest Therapy training and practicum were Kim's way of healing from what she encountered on her journey. Kim was suppressing her inner self and her lessons got bigger and bigger until there was a point where she was forced to listen. She believes that if Forest Therapy and Wim Hof could help her through her darkest times it could help anyone through theirs. Kim is a certified Forest Therapy Guide with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy, Jikiden Reiki Practioner, and Clinical Counsellor.

In order to serve more people from all walks of life, Kim became a Jikiden Reiki practitioner and clinical counsellor. Jikiden means "directly passed down" in Japanese. Reiki helps to facilitate the flow of blocked energy to alleviate stress in the physical body. Energy healing is amplified when in nature. Kim received her training in 2020.

Understanding the importance of having a trusting person to talk to, Kim completed her master's in psychology counselling. Her dream is to marry forest therapy and counselling to support those who seek more than traditional talk therapy. Counselling provides direction whilst forest therapy grounds an unregulated nervous system. Together, in a place of calm, you will move in a direction that is in alignment with your true self. The counselling session becomes an honest dialogue as one can expect to have your heart space opened and you are in a place of calm.

Kim practices forest therapy on a regular basis, listening to her inner voice. She has a new perspective and is creating a life that is truly hers. "I see how I am the creator of my own life and how I am 100% responsible." Kim is walking her truth. You can do the same. Kim has now found another way to live her life purpose; by living in a way that she can personally heal as she helps and teaches those on the path who are seeking to heal as well. "As we individually take the responsibility of healing ourselves, so do our relationships, our communities, our culture, our surroundings, and our earth. Let's walk together."