about

Hi, my name is Isabel.

My background is actually in Economics and International Relations. For many years, my adventures and professional journey unfolded mostly in analytical and intellectual spaces – understanding complex systems, working across cultures, countries and continents, building bridges between different perspectives, and contributing to projects that sought to create positive change at an (intellectual) societal level.

Looking back, however, I realise that what truly fulfilled me in those roles always came down to the human factor: what happened in between the systems and the people, meditation, the liminal spaces where transformation quietly unfolds, and the constant curiosity of seeing how ideas translate into lived experience.

It is meaningful work, but I recognized that it is mostly a way of serving with my mind, my intellect.

At the same time, another part of me had always been asking for space.

I am also an artist, a seeker, and someone deeply drawn to the mystery of being human. Over the years, that inner calling became impossible to ignore. Yoga gradually evolved from a regular physical practice into a path of devotion and self-inquiry. It became a way of relating to life, navigating uncertainty, and coming back to myself.

This is where my path began unfolding towards a different form of service – a deeper service that engages not only the mind, but also the body, the heart, and the spirit.

Throughout my own life, I have crossed many thresholds. Living away from my home country for many years now has meant navigating countless transitions— new countries, new languages, new communities, and new versions of myself. Through each of those crossings, these practices, together with the love of community, became the bridge that carried me safely across.

In a world that often moves too fast and asks us to navigate life alone, I believe we deeply need spaces where we can slow down, breathe, reconnect with ourselves, and be genuinely supported through change.

That is the intention behind Travessia.

What is Travessia?

Travessia is the Portuguese word for "crossing" or "passage". It represents the journey between where we are and who we are becoming.

Travessia was born from my desire to accompany people through these life crossings with presence, care, and practices and containers that help us reconnect with our own inner wisdom.

At the heart of everything I offer is the intention to create safe, intentional containers where change can be experienced, explored, and integrated. I believe that transformation unfolds most naturally when we feel supported — when our nervous system can soften, when we feel seen without judgement, and when we are given practices that help us come back to ourselves.

The forms these containers take are different. Sometimes it is a weekly yoga class that offers a steady rhythm amidst the busyness of everyday life. Sometimes it is a longer one-to-one journey or a Sadhana, where we have the time and continuity to explore more deeply. Other times, it is the simple medicine of gathering in community through workshops, circles, retreats, or rituals that remind us we don't have to navigate life's crossings alone.

Different depths, different rhythms, different ways of practising — but always held with the same intention: to offer spaces where you can feel safe enough to listen, reconnect, and move through life with greater presence, trust, and belonging.

A path towards birth work

More recently, my path has also been leading me towards birth work.

The more I reflected on the moments that shape our lives, the more I realised that birth is perhaps one of our first and most profound transitions, and one that everyone goes through, for we are all born. It is a threshold not only for the baby entering the world, but also for the woman becoming a mother, for the partner, for the family, and for the community that surrounds them.

Supporting women through this sacred crossing feels like a natural extension of everything Travessia represents. It is another way of accompanying people through transformation with presence, trust, informed care, and deep respect for the wisdom of the body.

This is why I am currently training as a birth doula and a pre and postnatal yoga teacher, preparing to support women and families through this deeply transformative passage.

My approach, Training and Certification

I am a certified 500-hour Himalayan Kundalini Yoga teacher, having completed my training at Sattva Yoga Academy in the Himalayas, India. I am also certified in Mayan Abdominal Massage (45 hours of training from a lineage of traditional Mayan midwives) and continue to deepen my personal practice and understanding of human experience through different contemplative, esoteric, and embodied traditions (astrology, tarot, numerology, psychoanalysis, somatic therapy, to name a few).

My support comes from a place of co-creation and of holding a safe, nurturing, and structured container, where each person can explore, connect with themselves more deeply, and allow transformation to unfold in its own time and in its own way.

Above all, my work is rooted in qualities that matter deeply to me: presence, love, trust, respect, curiosity, and a commitment to meeting each person where they are without judgement.

Thank you for being here. I am grateful our paths have crossed.

With so much love,

Isabel