Nurture Planet

Karen Atkins is a Certified Wudang Qi Gong Instructor, Award-Winning Songwriter, Photographer, Certified BodyTalk Instructor and Powerful Visionary.

Her natural flair for teaching, and passion for helping people access and increase their inner vitality, inspire and encourage her students and clients to reach their fullest potential. With a love for sharing knowledge, her interpersonal skills and eloquence, she has become a very popular instructor, teaching throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. She has also pioneered programs for children in schools throughout New York City.

After experiencing enormous benefits from her first Qi Gong class with Grandmaster Yun Xiang Tseng (Chen), she knew that she had found a gold mine and that she wanted to share Qi Gong and the Taoist teachings with as many people as possible.

She brings to her classes a wealth of knowledge from years of formal study and self-guided exploration that has included music, a plethora of philosophies and ancient systems, movement therapy, nutrition, counseling, energetic medicine, dance, yoga, martial arts & various approaches to meditation.

In 2005 she set up a healing center to facilitate the growth of the alternative healthcare modalities and to support the development of practitioners in the Northeast. In 2008, the center grew to become Nurture New York and expanded its reach to support numerous alternative healing modalities and education, as well as programs for the arts and for children. It soon became clear that the programs needed to extend globally and the business evolved into Nurture Planet.

Karen's wealth of interests and desire to learn has led her through a variety of career paths, including music, landscape design, internet marketing and sales and photography. Her ultimate passion is to help people reach their fullest creative and personal potential by simultaneously cultivating their life force and inner world.

A native Brazilian, Simone moved from a career in television for a major Brazilian network into the field of alternative healthcare in the U.S. She has attained a range of health & bodywork certifications from institutions across the country, including Manual Lymph Drainage, Shiatsu, Reflexology, Reiki Healing and Health Counseling, and has an associate degree in occupational studies & massage therapy.

Her aim is to offer massage therapy that revitalizes the body and restores balance and personal awareness. Being fluent in Spanish & Portuguese she is able to work with a range of people from different nationalities.

Damian enjoys working with a wide variety of individuals, as every session is tailored to each client's unique set of circumstances. He draws on the insights of PaRama BodyTalk, MindScape Modules 1,2,3,4,6,7, and 9, along with Structural Integration, Breakthrough, and Traditional Chinese Medicine for BodyTalk. The extraordinary transformations witnessed in both his life and that of his clients' , serve to inspire Damian' s continued mission to remain on the cutting edge of advances in Energy Medicine.

His extensive studies also include: Swedish and Sports Rehab Massage, Aromatherapy, Reiki, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Reflexology, Indian Head Massage, and Nutrition.

Damian is a Level 2 Franklin Method instructor. He has trained extensively with creator Eric Franklin, in this technique that teaches how to harness the transforming power of the mind to support one's ability to reach their full potential.

Damian' s quest for understanding the body/mind complex comes from his own experience of chronic pain, debilitating injury and the depression that comes with having a broken body. What, for Damain, seemed an overwhelming task, soon became an engaging and joyful process of discovery. He is grateful for having found both BodyTalk and the Franklin Method, as these modalities were instrumental in his own recovery. He recognizes the value, of working with each individual and every group, as all sessions offer a unique opportunity to learn and grow.

Jackie Sokol is a certified Bodytalk practitioner working in NYC. She is a member of the International BodyTalk Association and the Hands-on Trade Association. Jackie has completed BodyTalk Modules 1,2,3,4,6,7,9, Advanced Practical, Mindscape, and studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine. She continues to take relevant coursework to deepen her practice and remain as current as possible on the findings of consciousness-based medicine. In addition to her Bodytalk studies, Jackie holds Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts.

Jackie's early affinity towards art, nature, and science led her to explore the connection between body and mind. Pursuing this path of interest, she first studied yoga, nutrition, and psychology before being led to energy medicine and eventually Bodytalk. Being a storyteller herself, Jackie is able to tune into each body's story and communicate what needs to be said. She is consistently amazed by the ability of Bodytalk to unravel each body’s unique story. Jackie is inspired by the relationship between one’s physical-emotional health and connection to self.

An extremely nurturing practitioner, Jackie takes time with her clients to not only make sure they receive information, but to really listen as well. Jackie creates a compassionate, neutral space, during her sessions, contributing to an overall feeling of support and relaxation.

Elzabieta Kosmicki has been practicing BodyTalk since 2006 and has completed training an all the systems advanced modules; she is continually evolving her skills with professional development courses and adjunct training. Elzabieta is also a BodyTalk ACCESS instructor regularly teaching classes for non profits and public out reach focusing on community health equity. She has trained at the Massage Therapy Institute of Colorado and couples much of her knowledge in structural alignment and efficient movement into her BodyTalk sessions..

Elzabieta is completing certification as a labor and post partum doula and enjoys supporting women's health through pregnancy and beyond. She has extensive experience as a community health advocate and has worked thoroughly in Health Disparities She has a growing distance practice and sees clients in person at her clinic in Denver Colorado.

Co-CEO and Director of Immunitrition, is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP), NTA Lead Instructor, Master Certified Healing Foods Specialist (CHFS), author & international lecturer, and is on the Board of Directors for the Nutritional Therapy Association, Inc. (NTA).

Caroline's own health challenges led her to years of research relating to the connection between diet and the strength of the immune system. Her path has led her through a variety of Nutritional systems from the raw food philosophy to traditional whole-foods diet, and with such experience she is devoted to bringing holistic nutrition information to her clients & community.

She uses her writing, lectures, certification program and consultations to fulfill her top priority - change the way the world eats! She is an advocate of nutritional therapy, holistic self-care, education and growth, where an individual has the right to make their own health decisions based on any health and wellness information available.

Graduating from the University of Texas as a Physical Therapist in 1990, Melanie has an extensive background in manual and complimentary therapies including Craniosacral Therapy, Lymph Drainage,Visceral Manipulation, Muscle Energy, Strain-Counterstrain, Fascial Release, Heart Centered Therapy, Dynamic Lumbar and Cervical Stabilization, BodyTalk modules 1,2,3,4,6,7,8c,9, BodyTalk Parama, Neuro-Emotional Technique, Emotional Freedom Technique, and Applied Kinesiology.

Melanie has been an Instructor for many health care & fitness courses since 1982, and a Certified BodyTalk instructor since 2002.

Dr. Zia was drawn to the healing field after spending her childhood and young adult life with many health challenges. In her late teens, she began having migraines and severely impaired vision. After six months of testing she was told that nothing could be done and not only would she have these problems for the rest of her life, but that they would most likely become worse over time. Searching for alternative to allopathic treatment, she began receiving regular chiropractic adjustments, and within 2 weeks her eyesight returned to normal and the migraines disappeared.

Upon graduating from Columbia University in 1995, she felt driven to help others as she had been helped and completed chiropractic school in 2000. After her father’s passing in 2002 she became very ill. In her quest to heal herself, she studied many different modalities of healing in and out of the chiropractic arena. By 2005 she was 80% better, but was determined to heal herself completely and felt drawn to live in China and study tai chi and qi gong.

Within 2 weeks of practice in China she was healed and began to enjoy better health and a greater sense of well being than ever before. She lived in China for a year practicing tai chi, qi gong and traveling through the enchanting and mystical country.

Following her time in China, she continued her travels and studies, in energy healing, martial arts, meditation, spirituality and personal growth. These experiences rounded out her abilities as a Doctor of Chiropractic to help her offer a unique healing experience to the patients she helps.

After her travels, she returned to New York City where she is part of a talented network of healthcare providers. She incorporates all of the knowledge and experiences from her extensive travels in her healing work. She practices what her colleagues call “innovative” chiropractic combining emotional clearing, lifestyle and nutritional recommendations, exercise regimens, energy balancing with chiropractic care. She utilizes gentle and relaxing chiropractic techniques, as well as traditional adjustments.

Her goal with her patients is to help to restore balance to their bodies and lives, and give them the tools necessary to enjoy greater levels of health over time. She teaches qi gong in groups and private sessions. She believes that by incorporating qi gong practice along with her other lifestyle recommendations her patients and students are able to take control over their own health and empower themselves in every aspect of their lives.