About Nalaya Chakana

Pregnant couple ocean embrace laughter

Nice to meet you

I’m a lover, sister, friend and mother.

I don’t call myself an “Intimacy Life Coach” anymore, or “Tantrika”. I don’t believe that it’s the titles that grant us our credentials (nor the amount of IG followers for that matter).

I believe it’s my life that reveals the truth of what I teach.

I’m not here to convince you of anything. I’d rather just be me. And if it happens to inspire you, you’re welcome to knock on my door.

Love and its mystery is my absolute greatest fascination. Whatever I write, express, record or create – it has always been, and always will be, for the sake of love.

My personal life journey and its many challenges have brought me to where I am now: living my life with the love of my life.

My mission is simple: to inspire you to dare to love… 

Once upon a time

Ruwan and I met 4 years before we got together. It was a short-lived neutral encounter, far from romantic, and yet it sparked something in the both of us. 

We would sporadically connect over business related topics from afar. Our work overlapped, and I guess subconsciously it was a sneaky way of keeping the connection alive.

I’m quite an old-school kinda woman. I’ve never been on dating apps and I simply didn’t believe in falling in love with someone on the other side of the world. 

But… after that one podcast interview in which I was the guest on his show, it sparked my curiosity to know him better. 

The moment he broke the ice, nothing could stop us. 

Not even a world pandemic.

It was 2020, borders were closed, and we had to find a way to get me from Peru to Thailand. 

I left my home, my community and security, knowing I wouldn’t be able to return. Risking my comfort and stability for a man I had never even kissed. 

And yet, it didn’t feel like a risk at all. It felt like the moment had finally arrived for us to be together. 

It’s this feeling of simply WOW! I had no idea it was possible to feel such incredible sense of “we are truly made for each other”. Our beliefs, values, experiences, dreams and visions… we compliment each other with such grace, sometimes even to the point of ridiculous.

The joke of this incredible pilgrimage of true love, is that I was in the middle of teaching DARE TO LOVE when this unfolded. 

Fun Fact

Ruwan and I first flirted with each other during a podcast interview. You can listen to the episode here..

Fun Fact

Ruwan asked Nalaya to marry him with an actual elephant in Thailand!

Fun Fact

After two years on the road, we found our community in Mexico. We’re finally home…

My healing journey

You can’t become a specialist without having suffered yourself. So where did it all begin for me? Well… as extreme as it may sound, it began when I nearly died.

In my early 20’s I fell in love with a narcissist. It wasn’t him who nearly killed me, but in a way he set something in motion that lead to one of the most difficult healing processes of my life.

That relationship was the most destructive and abusive experience I’ve ever had. It literally broke my sense of reality and my connection to self. 

Soon after we broke up, I ended up in the hospital with a serious bacterial infection in my left breast, right on top of my heart. Something that could’ve easily killed me had I waited longer.

No disease or accident is ever random. The body will scream when we ignore its whispers.

So there I was, locked up in the isolation department of a hospital with doctors coming in with full protection gear, looking as though they were on Mars.

I was confronted by my own shadows like never before. Unable to go anywhere… but inside.

It was time for me to embrace my femininity and heal all that was stopping me from being the woman I am meant to be.

With the help of plant medicine ceremonies and tantric practices, I slowly began to reconnect and ground back into myself. Something that took me years.

Ultimately it brought me my purpose and all the tools I needed to arrive here: living the life I’ve always dreamed of!

The rest is history…

my life in a nutshell

I've been a nomad since birth

Usually the ‘About’ page will give some general information about where someone is from and other basic background info.

But how do you formulate the “where”, if you were raised in 6 countries and moved about 13 times before the age of 21? You could say I’m from The Netherlands because my ancestors are. I speak the language and know how to blend in, but the quest to know where I truly belonged, is ultimately what allowed my life to become so vibrant and full of experiences. 

“Where do I belong?” is the question that drove me from one corner of the globe to the next. It had me loose myself and run away from all I know. It drove me into the deepest depression while simultaneously allowing me find the most exquisite sense of liberation. 

At some point in my 20’s I understood that the spiritual path of “detachment” wasn’t my path. It was quite the opposite. I sought depth, connection, and had to learn to get “attached” so to speak. Due to my upbringing, I’d become a master at leaving and starting over again.

I’d basically left every person I’d ever loved. And I knew that had to change…

There came a time in which I understood that my actions were going against everything I truly desired. That is the pivotal point in which I chose to stop running. I knew that what I needed was deep connection – to myself, to the universe, to my family, friends and all my relations. 

This, in essence, is what allowed me to understand the intricate layers of “connection” and “intimacy”. The countless cultures that shaped me have allowed me to discover different aspects of what it takes to truly be able to relate and build an understanding. 

And while I was breaking patterns within myself, and seeking ways to reconstruct the foundation of who I am, I naturally attracted people who sought my guidance. Looking back I’m amazed that all of this began when I was so young.

You can call it a “gift” or a “purpose”, or you can say it is my countless travels and ease in which I can have an understanding with people from all over the world since I was a young girl, that has allowed me to read people clearly. However you wish to interpret this – it’s something I carry that allows people to open up to me and share things they’ve never shared with anyone. 

At times it’s been overwhelming. And other times it’s felt like such a relief that I’ve never needed to search for my purpose, but that it’s simply there. 

There is nothing in life that fascinates me more than to see how we are often so afraid of our greatest desires. And that in some twisted way we find pleasure in sabotaging our path towards what we seek most.  

my journey

Tantra & Shamanism

The 5 years I lived in India (2010 – 2015) and the 5 years I lived in Peru (2015 – 2020) are at the base of everything I teach. 

India took me into a deep journey of spirituality, invisible realms, meditation, tantra and healing. 

The love I feel for India is so great and so unique, nothing can describe how meaningful those years are to me. 

And… there came a time in which I needed grounding.

So I went to Peru.

Peru gave me a solid home, rooting, a sense of belonging like nothing I had ever experienced in my life.

There my purpose grew, my sense of connection, my place in the community.

Through the Andean tradition as well as the shamanic traditions from the jungle, it allowed me to ground my spiritual understanding of the East. It allowed for me to create down-to-earth magic in how I teach.

Peru is a jewel in my heart. Precious and priceless.

The logo of my website is a combination of the two: the Lotus for India, the Chakana for Peru. 

Feminine pose stormy sky
21March2020

Dare to Love

My most successful course was launched!

20May2019

Tantric Lifestyle - retreat

Retreat held in the Sacred Valley, Peru. A journey of how to implement tantric elements on a daily basis

11November2018

Shamanic Sexual Alchemy - retreat

10-day journey through the 4 elements, working together with curanderos from Peru

3February2017

Coaching 1:1

I took a break from medicine, let go of energy healing sessions, and purely focussed on the "here and now". I began to coach online

1April2016

Healing Sessions

Individual healing sessions became my main focus. Combining shamanic and tantric techniques

20March2016

Gaia Equinox Retreat

Women's gathering in which we traveled for 3 weeks throughout Peru. Going to sacred places for particular work and activations

15April 2015

Siddha Kundalini Initiation

Received 'tantric healing' initiation by Tantric Master in India

13March2015

Shaktipat Initiation

Received (white tantra) initiation by Tantric Master in India

2October2014

Ayahuasca Training - Inter-dimensional

Next level training, to deepen my understanding of healing modalities 

15August2014

Assistant in Ayahuasca Ceremonies

For 5 years I assisted both in Europe and in Peru during plant medicine ceremonies. I assisted during catharsis and offered healings

11July2014

Ayahuasca Training - Hands of Light

Intensive training to be able to perform healing sessions during plant medicine ceremonies

20December2012

Red Tent - gatherings

Throughout India and Holland, for 8 years, I held women's gatherings during full moons

18August2011

Eve Cups - menstrual cups

Started production of my own brand of menstrual cups. It became a global success

TESTIMONIALS

“Just wanted to send a big THANK YOU! It’s been a year since the retreat, and I can see clearly how big of an impact it has been. It really allowed me to end one cycle, and open space for the new. The transformation is so tangible!

I touched places inside myself I didn’t even know existed. It has empowered me as a woman, allowed me to see what I am capable of, and on top of that – I now enjoy life more fully!

I still am wearing the bracelet I received at the retreat. I often look at is to remember the gratitude I have for you and the opportunity you gave me with the work we did together.”

Marie McCormack
Quebec

“Nalaya is the perfect person to host retreats! She creates a space in which you feel at ease and ready to open up. 

Her ceremonies are so beautiful – as is her voice and drumming. At times it was challenging for me, yet always for my greater good and transformation.

In one word I can say this retreat was EXCEPTIONAL! Our group, the astonishing location next to the river, the full-moon bonfires, the quality yoga classes, the amazingly delicious food. Wow! If you consider working with Nalaya, go for it!!”

Christina Lackner
Austria

“I felt comfortable and at ease with Nalaya. I would recommend this retreat to anyone who is looking to release and let go of any darkness they are holding onto. The exercises and workshops are thought provoking and deeply healing.

I’ve had a lot of loss and change in my life recently. The time with Nalaya and everyone else in the retreat brought me back to a place of balance and acceptance.

It was truly a wonderful experience with an amazing group of people. Thank you for everything!”

Theresa Grimmer
Canada

ALWAYS WELCOME TO WRITE ME

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