Wellness Retreats

Faculty

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  Natasha Despotovic

  Natasha Despotovic is an entrepreneur, international development professional, homeopath and yoga teacher. She resides between the city of Washington in the United States, where she runs a non-profit organization, offers homeopathy medical services and teaches yoga, and Samaná in the Dominican Republic, where she designed and built the Villa Serena Hotel 27 years ago. She balances this diversity of projects and residences with joy, grace and skill. Due to her interest in different techniques and traditions in the area of wellness, consciousness and spirituality, Natasha has received training and certifications in the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga, Meditation and Ayurveda at the Himalayan Institute, Pennsylvania, and Shanti Yoga Center, Bethesda, Maryland, where she continues to teach yoga. She has studied Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Iyengar yoga, Sufi spirituality, the Fourth Way, Reiki, Tantra, Reflexology, Group Psychotherapy and Transcendental Meditation at the international level, in Europe, Latin America and the United States. As her academic background is in the area of linguistics, literature and philosophy, she speaks seven languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Croatian and Dutch, which makes it easier for her to work with both Hotel Villa Serena guests and homeopathy patients by internet all over the world. In her homeopathy work, she integrates all the classic and contemporary methods and approaches that have proven to be successful and beneficial. She treats acute and chronic ailments, physical problems, as well as mental challenges and emotional trauma: from injuries, pain and inflammatory and infectious diseases to chronic conditions, addictions, depression, anxiety and other mental health challenges. Natasha believes life is a precious gift and our mission is live it in health, wellbeing, joy, and service to others. “True richness is not what we own but what we are able to give. The quality of our consciousness is our greatest wealth.”
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  Bill Dennis, M. Ed.

  Bill Dennis, M. Ed. Facilitates Interdisciplinary groups of independent clinicians wanting to form Collaborative teams. He founded Metro Collaborative and Practice Success after many major projects in integrative healthcare as well as Intensive Internships. He practiced psychotherapy at The Center for Holistic Medicine in NYC and has facilitated and taught collaborative healthcare to dentists, physicians, and therapists in his private practice. His publications, honors, projects, charities, positions, endorsements and testimonials from clients: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-dennis/
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  Marina Vesanovic-Dvornik

  Marina Vesanovic-Dvornik Born and raised on the coast, passionate about the sea and customer service, Marina is a Zumba and yoga instructor with eleven and six years of experience respectively. After graduating from Hotel Management in Croatia, she tried her first Zumba class in 2009 and since then has been sharing her passion for this Latin rhythm dance with numerous practitioners in Europe and the Dominican Republic. Realizing her dream of living in a Latin American country, in 2013 she moved to the Dominican Republic assuming the position of Hotel Villa Serena’s General Manager, at the early age of 26. A hidden gem on a Caribbean beach was a perfect place for her to discover spirituality and consciousness. After recognizing the positive impact yoga has had on her life, she became an instructor and shares her passion with all the guests and residents in the area. Warm, down-to-earth and charismatic, she inspires many dance and fitness enthusiasts to achieve their dreams.
  
  "After six months living and working in the Dominican Republic, I realized that I had not worn the right shoes previously in my life. Walking barefoot is one of my favorite activities."
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  Angelina Rodau

  Angelina Rodau

  Angelina is the Yoga and Aerial Yoga Teacher, Yoga Retreat Coordinator and the Online Marketing Manager of Villa Serena.

  Originally from Kazakhstan, Angelina grew up in Germany as a child. At the early age of 18, she already had an urge to explore and a keen interest in the unknown. So she traveled to Australia for a year in the middle of her last years in high school for a work and travel. Having spent an exciting year abroad, she traveled a bit through Asia before returning to Germany to complete her High School Diploma. The wanderlust was very strong and so she left on a “small” trip around the world after graduating from high school. She has traveled through Kenya, the Emirates, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. ( Up to this date she has already visited 30 countries.)

  She then began and successfully completed her studies in economics. During an internship, which she did in a yoga studio in Spain, she discovered her deep passion for yoga. Angelina has received training and certifications in the Philosophy and Practice of Yoga, Aerial Yoga and Mindfulness. After her studies, she traveled to the Dominican Republic to deepen her knowledge of yoga. As a result, she began to give her first courses in the lovely Shala of the Hotel Villa Serena, surrounded by beautiful sights, humming birds, waves rolling against the shore, gentle breezes swaying coconut trees, and the smell of exotic flowers. She couldn't imagine a better start as a yoga teacher.

  As in any profession, you never stop learning as a yoga teacher. That's why she reads a lot and tries to practice on a daily basis. Not only does she constantly expand her knowledge, but she also collects new ideas. As the saying goes, “practice what you preach.”

  She has her own unique style of yoga. It is based on Vinyasa Flow, which is intuitively combined with elements from Yin Yoga and Anusara Yoga. Meditation and pranayama should not be missing in her yoga classes and she loves to combine her classes with yoga philosophy, suitable for everyday use.

  Her goal is to motivate her students to live YOGA on and off the mat, and to inspire them to reconnect more intensely with themselves and their bodies, to learn about themselves, connect with their inner being, start chasing their dreams, and to take care of the most important thing in their lives - themselves.