My Story
A journey back to myself
I was born and raised in Kazakhstan when it was still part of the Soviet Union, and that shaped me more than I realised at the time. The desire to break free and see the world was always strong. My idea of a successful future involved a career — vague at first, shifting from law to journalism to psychology — but the ambition behind it was never vague. I wanted to be independent and to matter.
Which makes it all the more surprising that at 18, I fell in love, got married, and became a mother — all within two years.
I did manage to start a career in sales and marketing for an Australian telecommunications company, where I also met my then-husband. But it was cut short when we left Almaty and began an expat life built around his career. That is how I found myself in Prague, with two children under the age of four.
Life was supposed to be easy. I had a beautiful family, the means to live well, time with my children, and freedom from the pressure of a demanding job. And yet something felt profoundly wrong. I could not settle. I poured my energy into the kids, into competitive kickboxing, marathon running, adventure travel — and still the peace evaded me. Underneath it all, the feeling that I was not good enough, and the dream of a meaningful career, never left me.
Depression hit hard. I had no framework for it — I'm not sure I even knew the word properly at the time. It simply made no sense that someone who had always considered herself strong was struggling to get out of bed or drive the children to school. I felt constantly guilty: didn't I have everything? So I pushed harder — longer runs, more training — and refused any medication. That approach had consequences I won't detail here. But over the following years I had to learn, the hard way, how to find my way back. The marriage did not survive. But I did.
And then — I remembered. Career. Independence.
Within a few years I had a job I loved, money, stimulating work, great friends, a loving partner. I trained hard. I climbed Mont Blanc, ran a marathon in New York, trekked through Peru, and learned to surf. I believed in discipline the way others believe in religion. I felt invincible.
There is a reckoning that comes when you lack humility — when you only take from your body and your emotional reserves, when your entire sense of self rests on achievement and momentum. Mine came through my mental health, and this time life was not gentle about it. More than six years. Every kind of therapy. Doctors, public and private. Different medications. Nothing cut through. And when the pain became too much to carry, I reached for pills and alcohol.
I wish I could point to one thing that changed. There was no single moment.
What I can say is that I had to completely surrender — to stop fighting and start again, but differently. I began volunteering in a cancer ward. I studied Eastern philosophy: yoga, Buddhism, Hinduism. I immersed myself in neuroscience, nervous system work, and psychology. I read Peter Levine, Bessel van der Kolk, and Gabor Maté, and began to understand my own story through a new lens. I built small, quiet rituals. I started to notice small things again: a walk with the dog, a coffee with a friend, a quiet evening at home. And very slowly — not dramatically, not all at once — something shifted. The war in my mind began to quiet. Survival mode began to lift.
That is how BodyMindSoul was born.
I believe that real health lives at the intersection of body, mind, and soul — not as an idea, but as a daily practice. And I know from everything I have lived that there is no single path. Some of us need to start with the body before the mind becomes reachable. Some need breathwork before words make any sense. Some need, first of all, simply to be heard.
I don't promise to have your answer. I promise to look for it with you.
Whether you have a question or want to explore if yoga therapy is right for you, I'd love to hear from you.
The easiest way to reach me is via WhatsApp or email — I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
EMAIL — anna.rusnak@gmail.com
TEL — +420 602 619 064
ADDRESS — Záhřebská 48, Vinohrady, Prague 2, 120 00
Whatever brings you here, we can begin by simply having a conversation.
Healing starts with connection
