Yulia Zhirova

Yulia Zhirova is a certified psychotherapist, psychologist, and somatic movement practitioner who has specialised for about 25 years in complex trauma, including PTSD, burnout, anxiety, and life crises.

Her somatic classes and therapeutic guidance are offered in both Russian and English.

See the class Contact Us

Book her class on the studio schedule, or meet her one to one when something will not settle.

How she works

Her work specifically fuses the mind and body. She treats the psychological impacts of trauma, burnout, and anxiety while using somatic (body-centered) movement to help clients to release the physical tension and nervous system dysregulation that these conditions cause.

She uses advanced, trauma-informed therapeutic frameworks (like TIFT®) specifically designed to help individuals navigate heavy emotional crises, long-term stress, and post-traumatic recovery without re-traumatising them.

Photos and video of her teaching. Yulia teaching

From the client's point of view

To understand Yulia Zhirova's practice from the client's point of view, it helps to look at the specific symptoms, feelings, and breaking points that drive people to her door.

People usually seek her out when traditional talk therapy alone isn't working, or when emotional stress has begun to manifest as physical pain and exhaustion.

Her typical clients generally fall into three distinct profiles based on the core problems they are trying to solve:

1. The Overwhelmed Professional (Burnout & Anxiety)

These clients are often high-achievers, corporate workers, or creatives in Tallinn who have pushed themselves past their limits.

The problem
They realize they cannot think their way out of burnout. Their mind is exhausted, and their body feels like it is constantly running from an invisible danger (a state of permanent fight-or-flight).

Why they come to her
They feel completely hollow, emotionally detached, or constantly on edge. They might experience racing thoughts, chronic insomnia, or sudden panic attacks.

2. The Trauma Survivor (PTSD & Emotional Blocks)

These individuals are dealing with the aftermath of deeply distressing events, prolonged childhood stress, or sudden life crises (like divorce, grief, or severe illness).

The problem
Trauma is physically stored in the body. These clients come to her because her TIFT® framework offers a minimal exposure approach, meaning they can heal and process the trauma without having to repeatedly relive the painful details out loud.

Why they come to her
Traditional therapy might feel too overwhelming for them because talking about the trauma triggers intense flashbacks, hypervigilance, or severe emotional numbing.

3. The "Disconnected" Individual (Chronic Stress & Body Numbness)

These clients often feel a deep sense of disconnect between their minds and their physical bodies.

The problem
They have suppressed their emotions for so long that their body is doing the crying for them. They turn to her somatic movement classes to safely, gently wake up their nervous system and learn how to feel safe in their own skin again.

Why they come to her
They might suffer from unexplained physical ailments, such as chronic muscle tension, neck and back pain, digestive issues, or a general feeling of being "heavy" or numb, that doctors cannot find a medical cause for.

For people with a dance background

For people with a dance background, Yulia Zhirova's classes and approach solve a completely different, highly specific set of problems.

While beginners come to her to find out how to move, trained dancers usually come to her to unlearn the toxic or rigid aspects of traditional dance training.

Dancers generally seek her out for three major reasons:

1. The Burned-Out Performer (Healing "Dance Trauma")

Traditional dance, especially ballet, contemporary, and competitive genres, is heavily focused on perfection, external aesthetics, and pushing through physical pain ("no pain, no gain").

The problem
Many dancers develop a hyper-critical relationship with their bodies, experiencing performance anxiety, severe body dysmorphia, or emotional burnout.

Why they come to her
Because her Nia and somatic movement classes have no "right" or "wrong" ways to move. She teaches dancers how to move for the internal sensation of pleasure and joy, rather than how it looks to an audience or a judge. It allows them to fall in love with dancing again, free from pressure.

2. Physical Rehabilitation (Injury & Movement Freedom)

Dancers are highly prone to repetitive strain injuries because traditional choreography forces the body into rigid, unnatural shapes.

The problem
Chronic joint pain, back issues, and muscular imbalances that come from years of strict formatting.

Why they come to her
Yulia's Nia 5 Stages practice focuses entirely on the natural, evolutionary mechanics of the human body (like spinal alignment and primal floor work). Dancers use her classes as a therapeutic tool to gently realign their joints, heal their nervous systems, and unlock fluid, organic movement patterns that their classical training ignored.

3. Reclaiming Creative Individuality

Many dancers spend years mimicking a choreographer's exact vision, which can end up suppressing their own creative voice.

The problem
Feeling rigid, robotic, or disconnected from personal emotional expression when the music plays.

Why they come to her
Nia blends dance with martial arts (like Aikido and Tai Chi). This intersection forces a trained dancer to shift from purely "pretty" movements to powerful, grounded, and explosive energies. It helps them break out of predictable habits and discover authentic improvisation.

High-Level, Direct Training in the Nia Technique

Her credentials in somatic movement are extensive and formally certified. In the global Nia community she has climbed a structured belt system:

Direct Mentorship

She trained directly under the global co-creator of the Nia technique, Debbie Rosas, as well as renowned somatic educator Laurie Bass.

Advanced Belt Progression

She holds a Nia White Belt (2021), Green Belt (2022), and an advanced Blue Belt in the Art of Communication (2024).

Specialized Somatic Tools

She holds specific certifications in Nia MOVE it (interval training), Nia FLOORplay (floor-based developmental movement), and Nia 5 Stages (which focuses on mimicking human evolutionary movement to heal the spine and joints).

A common misconception about trauma-informed somatic movement is that it requires high flexibility or dance experience. Her classes at Goyoga Tallinn are explicitly structured so that no prior physical preparation or movement experience is required. The practice is designed to adapt to almost any physical range of movement, focusing entirely on internal nervous system regulation rather than external physical performance.

Practical Class Requirement

For her physical Nia 5 Stages classes, there is one highly specific piece of equipment required: knee pads. Because this somatic discipline relies heavily on developmental floor work to realign the body, knee pads are mandatory, though they are provided directly by the studio if you do not bring your own.

The person you meet

Yulia Zhirova teaches and sits with people in Tallinn. At Goyoga she works in Russian and English.

On the schedule she leads Somatic Movement and Fitness practice, and Psychological and Psychotherapy Consultations.

One to one, she works with complex trauma, PTSD, burnout, anxiety, and life crises. Contact Goyoga to arrange a meeting. She works under supervision.

Which one is for you

One to one with Yulia

For you if you want something to change: complex trauma, PTSD or CPTSD, burnout, anxiety, a life crisis, or you have lost contact with yourself. Sessions stay with what showed up in recent days.

Tallinn and online, in Russian and English.

Nia 5 Stages at Goyoga

For you if you want a movement class: rolling, crawling, squatting, and walking, in Russian or English, at the studio.

Knee pads for the floor work are at the studio.

See the class Schedule