Dr. Joan Stroud: Joan Stroud, M.D. is a Board Certified Family Practitioner. She did her medical school training at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA and residency in Family Practice at Montefiore Hospital, Bronx, NY. She has been well aware of the strengths and limitations of Traditional Allopathic medicine and decided to learn as much as possible about Holistic practices. She is currently completing her certifications in Ayurvedic Nutrition taught by Dr. Marballi and Amita Banerjee and Aromatherapy taught by Caroline Bayard from the N.E. Holistic Center in New Jersey. Dr Stroud feels that when a person has enough information they can make wiser choices about their healthcare.

Effie Olivares: Effie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of North Florida in 2000 with a B.A. She worked for the City of Jacksonville, Fla. as a public relations writer and alter on took interest in the field of education. She worked on her masters degree at New York University where she received top marks in all her classes. Her work in education showed her that the most practical and necessary education is that of holistic education to be knowledgeable with one’s mind, body and consciousness. With a renewed focus on holistic teaching and learning, Effie joined Dr. Naina's first New York Ayurvedic Nutrition course. She graduated at the top of her class and became a certified Ayurvedic Nutritional Counselor, accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP).

Kyle Nuse: Kyle Nuse grew up in a small town in northern Vermont and moved to New York City in 2002. She graduated from Marlboro College with a B.A. in Dance/Anthropology and International Studies. After traveling and living in several countries around the world including Indonesia, China, Brazil, Panama, Austria, Germany and others, she developed her interests in alternative ways of life and healing. Upon moving to New York City, Kyle was blessed to have found Ayurveda under the guidance of Dr. Naina and Amita Banerjee. She graduated from their Ayurvedic Nutritional Counseling program in 2003 and is currently studying Ayurvedic bodywork, yoga and esthetics.

Petra Nitschke:  Petra grew up in a village nearby Nuremberg, Germany. She graduated in 1997 as Marketing Manager from KAH College in Germany, started a career in advertising and expanded her skills upon moving to New York in 2001. Practicing Yoga primarily to balance her demanding lifestyle, she eventually traveled to India to study meditation and breath work. Yoga led her to the sister science Ayurveda, and she felt grateful for the opportunity to become a Certified Holistic Health Counselor under the guidance of Dr. Naina Marballi.

Ayurvedic Yoga Massage, a powerful bodywork taught to her by Sw. Anand Sidhamo, shows her unique approach of combining both her passion for Yoga and Ayurveda. She is currently completing a Hatha Yoga Teacher training in New York.

Sita Chopra, M.A., H.H.C : Sita graduated with a B.A. in Mathematics and an M.A. in Psychology from Rutgers University, where she was awarded the Lehrman Fellowship for outstanding graduate research in 2000 and 2001. Her graduate studies involved investigation and statistical analysis of various neural mechanisms and brain functions. During the summer of 2002, Sita was awarded a fellowship by the Summer Institute in Cognitive Neuroscience at Dartmouth University. In 2003, she became a research assistant at Stanford University where she was involved in investigating the neural basis of emotion regulation. During her research assistantship, Sita attended various lectures on Ayurveda while practicing and integrating the principles into her own life. She realized that her life purpose was to help people through holistic healing. She was Certified, with Distinction, in Ayurvedic Nutritional Counseling and Ayurvedic Aromatherapy in 2004. Dr. Naina and Amita have made an invaluable contribution to her learning and practice of Ayurveda.

Alexandra Alessia Tselouik : Alesa was born in Moscow, Russia. She graduated First Moscow Nursing School with Excellency and worked as a surgical nurse. She continued her education in Moscow Medical Academy for four years, where she was consistently at the top of her class.  After 10 years in U.S., her spiritual search led her to understanding the importance of the connection between body, mind and soul. Healthy lifestyle and eating habits are very important in prevention of many diseases. She found that Ayurveda, the ancient medical science originated from India helps to open natural reserves and balances the body on day-to-day basis.  She begun to study Ayurveda at Himalayan Institute and Ashram located in Pennsylvania. She graduated from her Ayurvedic Nutritional Course under guidance of highly regarded Dr. Naina Marballi, Ayurvedacharya and Amita Banerjee, Senior Ayurvedic therapist and nutritionist. Alesa became certified Ayurvedic Nutritional Counselor accredited by American Association of Drugless   Practitioners (AADP). Currently she is studying  ayurvedic bodywork, aromatherapy and reiki."I do believe in beautiful world of healthy people living in Love, Happiness and absolute Harmony with their bodies and Higher Forces."

Amy O'Connor: Amy received a BA in Art History and English from Barnard College.  Her longtime interest in fitness and holistic health led her to complete Bioticare's certification course.  Now as a certified holistic health counselor, she enjoys giving Ayurvedic nutritional counseling sessions.

Anita Thompkins :Anita holds a M.S. in Community Health and Wellness Promotions and is accredited through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners as a Certified Holistic Health Counselor, with over fifteen years experience in the fitness and wellness industry. She is the founder and director of Thompkins Fitness & Wellness Center where she works one-on-one with clients to develop long-term habits that support them in optimal health, fitness and wellness. She is trained in modern health counseling, eastern and western nutrition, and using nutrition as therapy. She is the creator of an on-line Holistic Nutrition Counseling website, where she can support people all over the world. Anita also holds certifications through ACE as a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, and Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant and through AFAA as an aerobic instructor and consultant. She has managed health clubs in the United States, Germany, and Bermuda. She is a contributing writer to Essence, GYM, BURN, American Cheerleader, Tendu, Salubrious Life and Parenting magazines. She has a tremendous and varied amount of experience in the fitness and wellness industry.
She can be contacted at www.tfwc.us or at 212-675-6690.

Yemi Amu : is an Ayurvedic Nutrition Therapist and cooking instructor specializing in weight management, eating disorders, disease prevention/recovery and overall health management. She is the founder of natureSeed Holistic Health, a company that provides guidance in the path of self-healing and the attainment of optimum health by utilizing the power of food in creating a life of good health, balance and creativity. Under Dr. Naina Marballi’s instruction, she received certification as a Certified Ayurvedic Nutritionist and Holistic Health Counselor accredited through the American Association of Drugless Practioners. She also attended The Natural Gourmet Cookery School where she was trained in the preparation of beautiful and delicious health supportive meals.

Yemi’s goal is to help increase the awareness of healthy and nutritious food as a powerful tool in the prevention and treatment of the major diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, alcoholism etc. prevalent in our society.

For more information visit www.natureseed.org or contact Yemi at yemiamu@natureseed.org or call 917-328-6842

Marly Hornik: has been investigating and experimenting with nutrition, philosophy and meditation for over 15 years. She has studied medicinal and food wild plants in the northeastern US, Central Rocky Mountains, SE Alaska and the Venezuelan Andes. She has guided backcountry travelers, apprenticed on organic farms, worked in land management of remote wilderness as well as in the NYC parks system, and in addition to these formal studies of human-nature relationship, she has spent over 4

compiled years of her life sleeping out under the stars. Guided by intuition to study Ayurveda with Dr. Marballi, Marly has been deeply blessed to discover this ancient science combining nature, spirit and unique human experience. In addition to being certified as an Ayurvedic Nutritional Counselor, Marly is a Prana Yoga instructor, a style of hatha yoga combining breathing techniques and bij mantras with asanas for profound chakra balancing and insight. She regularly lectures on global food-safety and trade issues, and bringing spiritual practice into daily activities through understanding and finding alternatives to the violence inherent in modern life and globalization. It is her path to help others

discover their inner truth, and find the clarity to bravely and lovingly share it with the universe.

marly@marlyhornik.com or call (917)589-6931

Ms. Hitomi Okamoto
Ayurveda Holistic Health Counselor/
Japanese Marketing Consultant
Contact phone: 1-917-532-7502
Email: ayuruveda3939@aol.com

OUR GRADUATES PRACTICING AS HOLISTIC
NUTRITIONIST:

DETAILED PROFILES OF THE GRADUATES WILL BE ADDED SOON. CLIENTS CAN CONTACT THE HOLISTIC COUNSELORS FOR CONSULTATION BY EMAIL.