Zena Takieddine

Zena is Body Mind You Holistic Wellness’s co-founder and somatic lifestyle medicine facilitator. Born in the US, raised in the Middle East, originally from Damascus, Syria, Zena had a passion for history, culture, and the power of artistic expression to tell the story of everyday people and transform their pain into resilience and strength. She pursued her studies in History of the Middle East and History of Islamic Art and joined different organizations that supported artists in their work.

In parallel, she also found herself drawn to the power of somatic healing modalities. The journey began for her when, one day, she discovered a Yoga class. Having never tried Yoga before - Yoga was not well known back then - Zena was surprised at how deeply it helped her feel grounded, balanced, and rooted. For the first time, the intensity of internal anguish she often felt calmed and quieted. She decided this was an important path for her own wellness and thriving and enrolled in the intensive one-month immersive Yoga Teacher training in the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram in Austria. Soon her curiosity led her to other modalities and she eagerly explored voice workshops, dance workshops and any alternative practice she could find.

In her 30’s, Zena began volunteering at refugee camps in Lebanon. She brought the knowledge and wisdom of Yoga to these communities and could see the benefit it offered them. The meaningfulness she discovered in serving underprivileged communities opened the path for a new focus and purpose.  She started to collaborate with other like minded individuals and joined different NGOs and organizations that served these communities.

In 2016 Zena was introduced to Somatic Experiencing by her sister and felt the immediate alignment with the work she was doing. She completed the 3-year Professional training in Spain and became the first certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner in Lebanon. Her passion for learning continues and Zena keeps pursuing further specialized trainings in trauma recovery and healing.

Zena and Nora often talked about creating a space someday that would integrate the passion they shared for alternative naturalistic healthcare. One day, their vision became clearer and the concept for Body Mind You Holistic Wellness was formed.