Itta Ravi Roussos
Itta Ravi has over four decades of experience guiding individuals on their personal healing journeys. As an experienced spiritual leader and yoga therapist, she offers support in healing trauma, anxiety, depression, illness, and navigating the phases of pregnancy and birth.
Itta's path as a yoga therapist began in 1982 when she started teaching yoga and meditation to anti-apartheid activists. Given the traumatic experiences stemming from the anti-apartheid struggle, the use of yoga became an essential therapeutic tool to support the healing of torture, long periods of solitary confinement, and living in hiding. These experiences led to symptoms such as trauma, depression, anxiety, and physical ailments. Engaging with these challenges laid the foundation for Itta’s lifelong commitment to using yoga as a remedy for mental and physical imbalances.
In addition to her work as a yoga therapist and teacher, Itta has deeply explored the themes of pregnancy and birth, having worked as a doula for over 38 years. In this role, she supported women in preparing their bodies for conception, pregnancy, and beyond, guiding them through the delicate transitions of motherhood.
In 1999, Itta became a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, completing Level 1, followed by Levels 2 and 3 in 2004 and 2017, respectively. As a lead yoga teacher trainer and mentor, she founded AKYTTSA (African Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training of Southern Africa) in 2004, with the mission of training yoga teachers from marginalized communities.
In the 1990s, Itta began researching the use of yoga as a therapy for alleviating HIV/AIDS symptoms. She worked with pregnant women who had been diagnosed with HIV in prenatal health and primary care facilities. This experience motivated her to pursue a Master’s degree in Psychology at the University of Witwatersrand, where she conducted a study exploring the intersection between pregnancy, PTSD, and yoga therapy.
Itta is the founder of the Sat Sangat School for Yoga Therapy, an IAYT-accredited school, and currently offers an online yoga therapy training program to pass on her extensive knowledge and experience to the next generation of yoga therapists.
