Sanja Tatalović – Yoga instructor, therapist & sound healer

Sanja Tatalović (44) came into my life at the right time, as it happens, since I do not believe in coincidences. This genial woman awakened my interest with her charismatic intelligence and profound knowledge about different areas of life. With more than 20 years of experience in the spiritual and personal development field, she focuses on human relationships, especially the balance between feminine and masculine energies within every human being. Soon I started to understand, that this self-effacing woman is a therapist in a holistic sense. She is the owner and founder of the yoga and sound healing studio Equilibrium …

Sanja, why did you choose the name Equilibrium? What does it mean to you?

– Equilibrium is a Latin word that indicates balance, peace, alignment. Equilibrium is the key to a happy and fulfilling life that we all strive for. You can have success, power, money, influence, a family, a partner, etc., but if you don’t have inner peace and balance, you still won’t be happy. Teaching people how to find inner peace and how to maintain it for one’s benefit and the benefit of the people surrounding you, as well as for the whole universe is my mission in life.

So far you have not promoted your yoga studio through a marketing strategy. People come to you by word of mouth …

– I always say that the greatest secrets keep themselves and that true beauty is hidden and unobtrusively calls for revelation. My nature of work is on the energy level, below the level of the visible, a non-violent mode of action. Although invisible, this energy level is crucial, because energy is superior to matter, energy forms matter. Therefore, my actions are extremely delicate and special, because they give people a unique dimension and quality in life. An aggressive and invasive way of promotion is not aligned with the spirit of work I’m dealing with. As I respect the time we live in, seeing myself as a person who is quite situated in reality and responsible for my life and needs, I’m present in the media, but in different ways – through blogs, occasional interviews, notices on social media where I try to wake up the curiosity and interest of people for my work and indirectly invite them to contact me. Energy is like water, it always finds a way, and the same goes for quality. I believe that work quality doesn’t need a lot of marketing, quality sells by itself. The value of the teacher is not defined by the number of his students. The fact that I have no negative PR in the last 10 years of independent work, is of great importance to me. That’s my greatest marketing.

You studied history and information science and you worked as teacher in elementary school for 7 years. Why have you decided to dedicate yourself solely to being a therapist and open your first yoga studio?

– There’s a difference between calling or mission in life and vocation. Your vocation is what you’ve been trained for together with your degree – that’s your profession, and a calling is something that you are, something which can be felt at every turn of your appearance and while addressing others.

During my work at school, there were a couple of nice anecdotes on this subject. Once a week, each class teacher had a schedule for parent consultation. The scheduled time for these meetings were 45 minutes, one class, and usually, two or three parents appeared, and sometimes no one. At my meetings with parents there were around 15 and they would last for two hours. So, an older colleague asked me, if I had some extreme situations in the classroom, some problems I have to discuss with the parents … One student told me that her mother can’t wait for the next consultation, because for her it was psychotherapy. Of course, I didn’t do any psychotherapy, because I even didn’t know what it was. I just talked to those people about school, children, relationships, life, etc., I understood them. We found common ways to help a child, to motivate and to approach him or her … that’s what I knew, that proved to be good, and so they came in such great numbers. And this is what I’m still doing!

It was wonderful at school. I had good relationships with my colleagues, the parents, and especially with the kids. For holidays, I received a lot of student’s gifts, hearts and nice messages. When I came to the school priniciple saying that I’m leaving, she, an experienced, elder math teacher, looked at me solicitously, as if I was her student, and said: „Girl, where are you going? Is this new job safe for you to go?” I replied to her, „Ms. Branka, what is safe in life …?” Nothing, absolutely nothing is certain, the only thing I know for sure is that we have to follow our inner impulse and accept and do the things which life has assigned to us, to follow the calling of our heart.

While having studied at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, you were an active member of The Art of Living Foundation, a volunteer-based, humanitarian and educational non-governmental organisation (NGO). You participated in seminars and workshops, dealing with yoga, anti-stress programmes, breathing techniques, meditation, etc. from the year 2000 onwards. Which parts of this time of your life do you remember with a smile?

– I was a volunteer of the international foundation The Art of Living for 11 years. I held various seminars and lived this knowledge with all my heart, teaching different kind of programmes for children, adults and students.

I was in my twenties and incredibly in love with and devoted to this kind of knowledge and volunteering. Ashrams, travelling, meetings, socialising, seminars and teaching were my only focus, my lifestyle. I can say that this early education and input in these formative years had been instilled by yogis, swamis, mostly men in dresses … (smile). I early gained knowledge and experience and started giving seminars which lasted several days and where the participants were more mature people. When I was turning 30, I looked very young for my age, skinny and with short, coloured hair. I remember the reaction of an older lady who told me sincerely at the end of the seminar: „When I first saw you I thought, what can I learn from you?”. We hugged and in a touching moment I received gratitude from her heart and realised that we don’t judge people on first impressions and physical appearance. It was wonderful. 

Another good thing about my job is that years work for you, even though this lifestyle and knowledge, I would say, this internal software you care for, imparts a constantly youthful and enthusiastic way of living with lots of energy!

You successfully completed numerous trainings. Would you like to name some?

– Research and the search for meaning, truth, the principle of life and knowledge are my passion and focus from the earliest teenage days through literature, meetings with numerous teachers, seminars. My friend said that I’m a seminarist. While my college colleagues invested in bags, shoes, outfits, I was happy with my seminar and education lifestyle. I was constantly in the role of a teacher and student, and this role adds to my curiosity and knowledge to this day. I enjoy it and it’s wonderful to discover same insights in different ways. In fact, all these knowledge systems are very similar and we can say that all roads lead to Rome, but some roads you like more and some landscapes are more interesting to you. It’s individual and we reserve the right to personal taste.

After having attended numerous seminars, what has made a deep impression on me and what I practise and teach is the Theta Healing method – changing subconscious patterns through the brain wave theta. I practised different kinds of yoga, meditation, healing methods, the teachings of different teachers. Currently, I’m focusing on the Quantum healing therapy, biocommunication and therapy with new technologies. I’m doing Quantum therapy through Quantec (Quantum Technology) – an advanced computer system that diagnoses energy disorders before they can be seen on the physical body in form of dysfunction or disease. The system not only diagnoses existing and possible imbalances, but also establishes interactive biocommunication and alignment, creating balance that can be traced exactly. Spirituality, science and technology work hand in hand and that’s wonderful. I believe that the future of treatments is precisely in the understanding and application of such systems and in the symbiosis of science and spirituality. That’s amazing!

Lalita is a workshop for women, about women and women’s themes developed by you. What do you emphasise in this programme?

– Lalita is a seminar that empowers and directs women on the path of their integral emancipation. Every woman needs mental, emotional, financial autonomy and freedom, as well as good health given the fact that she is physically fit – in a state of health and well-being. Lalita is a women’s seminar which harmonises women to the vibration of her natural female being and helps releasing degenerate mind programmes, that is, the artificial image of herself how she should be.

Nowadays, women live, work, love and make love out of their intellect and that’s why they get sick and are unhappy. Their mind dominates them, they are slaves of their intellect, instead of enjoying peace and using its strength by creating something beautiful and constructive. The mind, the degenerate mind, full of set phrases and instructions, takes away the women’s right to personality and naturalness and places them in a state of fear of life and circumstances, making them constantly comparing themselves to others, depending on their opinions and judgments. All these prevent women from accepting and loving themselves as well as from creating their inner integrity.

Lalita encourages women, because this is what they were deprived of during their childhood – too much advice, too little support and encouragement, too much blame, too little understanding. Excessive parental reactions to children’s mistakes create insecure women with suppressed needs, with little self-confidence and self-esteem. This leads to a need for control and manipulation, which doesn’t bring joy and quality of life to anyone, neither to the women nor their surroundings, partners, children, etc.

Lalita supports women through different techniques, cognitive processes, awareness of patterns, education and relaxation in their true feminine being and brings them closer to themselves. It helps women to emerge from the victim’s position and to take full responsibility for their life, which is a gift, and to be empowered, full of enthusiasm and wisdom to leave their unique mark in it.

You have also developed a workshop for men called „To the point”. What is it all about and how is it helping men in relationship with themselves and with their partners?

– Since I do seminars for women, it wouldn’t be fair to exclude men from the very same. Men share identical problems as women, just the consequences of these problems differently reflect on the outside. Like women, men are victims of toxic and non-functional patterns of their own mind, which destabilise them and make them weak. Overwhelming ambition and the terror of excellence, which is expected from them, the imperative of potency, not only in their intimate lives, but in all fields, confront men with unrealistic expectations where they lose themselves, develop addictions and lose what is essential – orientation, focus and a goal.

Emotional blockage, lack of genuine male passion, courage, valour and perseverance due to the upbringing of the majority of boys, based on patriarchal ideals, where a man doesn’t show and articulate his feelings, lead to rationalisation or negation of the same. Or more recently, bringing male children up in families, which organise their childhood through the maxim of theme parks with professional guides, cannot give these boys the possibility to develop their instincts and practise basic survival skills. The „golden cage” comfort zone system offers just senseless comfort, which is not the basis for quality hedonism, which many later refer to, confusing hedonism with lack of creativity in life.

In many cases, men’s problems manifest when thinking of themselves as being worthless, if just being themselves – they are assured that their value grows when they create something materialistic, but still, their personal value has not been accomplished. So, they will try again to achieve value with an ambitious new project, which must be greater than the previous one. In this way, a man becomes a mad neurotic who is never satisfied, because he never reaches his goal. His mind is restless, his movements are speedy, he has no peace of mind and body. He cannot be dedicated to a woman, because he thinks that he as he is not enough and that he must prove himself to his woman through his goals. These goals are elusive and cannot be reached. The anxiety cycle is complete. 

A goal is essential for men. It can be the same as in the first example, but significantly differently set and differently articulated and presented in his mind. It is important for a man to have the strength of a warrior and the peace of a sage. If he embodies just one of the two, a man is incomplete. That’s why knowledge and awareness is needed.

As far as love relationships are concerned, a man is detached from his innermost feelings and true needs. The male mind is mainly built on values of the material world and standards which are expected from him. An unconcious man will rather choose the second option, between a woman he truly loves and a woman who fits in his lifestyle or who matches his habits and standards set by others, and thus, settle for less, accepting a life where he is emotionally incomplete and impaired. Many men are very close to the feeling of guilt, a toxic bug in the system, which has to be neutralised.

That’s why men need the seminar „To the point”.

Travelling is passion. You have extensive experience in organising retreats in Croatia and abroad. How do you choose your travel destinations? Which criteria do you have for this holistic approach?

– Travelling is wonderful. The experiences, the smell, impressions, music, the energy which you share with your fellow travellers, the encounters with new people, friends – that’s amazing. I don’t like travelling as a tourist. I love when the journey has some higher meaning and purpose, to experience an adventure and expedition, not to feel like a walking wallet in search of cheap, ready-made parties, playing the role of a hedonist, which you haven’t felt. I don’t like fake things or fake journeys. Places and cities are alive, the stories there are alive like those people. I like to let some places invite me, then to travel there with some dignity, to feel the welcome of the place and sky that greets and hosts me. Then my journey makes sense, then I improve, absorb, feel, indulge myself. There are a lot of places I haven’t visited yet, I’m waiting for them to call me … (smile)

What’s the benefit of organising retreats in the desert, in the mountains? What’s special about the energy of sand?

– Every place on earth has its specific energy. When we do a retreat, we go to places which support and are compatible with the kind of energy work we intend to do. Mountains are interesting, because the influence of the collective consciousness decreases proportionally to the altitude and all the backlog and unrest simply disappears in the mountains. It’s also good to meditate on a plane for some things. The energy in the desert is special as well, because sand is a natural isolator and certain cosmic radiation, which you absorb and with which you work, is longer retained in the body, because it has no expressed communication with the earth, it doesn’t ground itself. Depending on what you are doing, whether you use more the energy of magnetism or electrification, you might prefer different kinds of soil, different places in nature and different points on earth, which have their specific energy and can support you in your energy work. Therefore, the choice of place is by no means incidental, it can be intuitive, but it is the result of knowledge about energy and its principles.

I’m fascinated by the singing bowls and gongs since I am connected to music and sound. Something happens while listening. Can you explain the benefits of sound healing?

– Sound is fascinating. It is the fastest and easiest way to enter a certain state of consciousness. As soon as you feel the sound, and sound is vibration, you already sail on the sound stream, you’re already drawn-in into that energy. Everything is sound. Everything is vibration. Sound can change the DNA record, sound frequency can destroy viruses, sound creates light, sound frequency allows objects to levitate, sound is definitely the medicine of the future. Sound therapy works exactly on this principle, on that strength of sound and frequency. Sound massages and sound baths, besides being incredibly enjoyable and relaxing, bring enormous benefits to the entire human system. They purify the aura, align our energy, emotional, mental and physical imbalances, and tune to sound frequencies that are listened to or felt beyond audibility. Sound therapy is a particularly gentle, but incredibly powerful healing technique.

How do you define beauty? What do you think makes a person beautiful?

How to define beauty when it is something beyond words – something which leaves you breathless, something that makes you close your eyes and throws you into a trance-like state of admiration. A flower is beautiful, beautiful are the mountains, the sky, amazingly beautiful is the sea. Nature is so beautifully designed. What makes people beautiful is the same what makes nature beautiful … it is what it is and does not try to make itself more beautiful. The flower has no ambition to smell better or enhance its colour, it has no ambition to compete with other plants in the garden. The mountain does not complain, because it’s a metre lower or higher, the hill doesn’t feel angry, because it isn’t slimmer … (smile), and the whole nature has in common that we feel beautiful with it. 

It’s very funny when people want to look like photoshopped models in pictures. The fact is that even those models don’t look like that in reality. Nobody looks like that – it’s a matter of production. So, they want to look like no one … (smile) For me, beautiful people are those, besides whom I feel nice and inspired. They smile a lot and are relaxed and happy – people who brought their mind to Equilibrium. (smile)

What are the plans for your next life adventure?

– It may sound strange, but I don’t make plans for the future, I don’t do any personal manifestations. That’s what life is doing, it’s its department, I’m its executive part. It always silently whispers what’s next, but until the last moment I don’t know what it is. So, we have fun. The Western culture is glorifying the goal, people from the East live the journey. I’m aware that it’s always good – reaching the goal and being on the journey. As you observe this, it means that you are alive. Life is the greatest adventure.

If you could pick only one word to describe our relation, which word would you choose?

– Trust.

Photo credits: Sanja Tatalović, Mario Poje, Hrvoje Serdar, Goran Čižmešija, Petar Borovec, Krešimir Matovina