Have you ever wondered if the very places you resist, the shock, the wound, the contraction, could be the same places that open the door to life’s deepest pleasure? In this episode, I sit with Euphrasia Niyaki, lovingly known as Efu… a woman who carries the transmission of mystery in her very being. Born in Tanzania and rooted in the traditions of her people, she grew up surrounded by ritual, community, and ancestral remembrance. These foundations continue to shape her path as a healer and teacher. For more than three decades, Efu has devoted her life to guiding others back into wholeness. She is a senior trainer in Somatic Experiencing, a long-time practitioner of Family Constellation, and the founder of AFYA Holistic Healing Center in Brazil. This sanctuary is a place where women and communities gather to reclaim their bodies, release the weight of trauma, and return to the resources of life within them. Carrying this work across continents, she has supported people from all walks of life to rediscover what it means to be alive, present, and resourced. And yet, what she reveals is that trauma is not always what we think it is. We imagine it to be only the extraordinary events — war, violence, catastrophe. But she reminds us it can also be found in the small, ordinary ruptures of life. The moment of birth, when we leave the warm waters of the womb for the blinding lights of a hospital room. The blast of a horn or the sudden boom of a city street that jolts our body into shock. The look from a boss that leaves us spiraling into questions of safety and survival. The sting of realizing our friends left us out, the whisper of exclusion echoing the wounds of childhood. These are traumas too. They live in the nervous system, unfinished and unresolved. They keep us locked in cycles of defense, protecting life at all costs but never fully living. And this is where Efu’s wisdom turns us toward an unexpected doorway: the body’s innate capacity to resolve. Healing is not always about retelling the story. It begins when the nervous system is given the chance to complete what it could not finish before. And strangely, tenderly, this path often leads us back through pleasure. It may sound surprising, but pleasure is not a luxury. It is medicine. The body relaxes, the breath deepens, a soft tingling arises, and suddenly the system remembers what ease feels like. In those moments something radical unfolds: comfort, safety, even joy. Efu calls it “the orgasm of life.” Of course, staying with pleasure is not always simple. Many of us find it easier to stay in pain than to allow softness. Yet, when we let ourselves rest in even the smallest sensations of ease…the warmth of breath, the muscles releasing, the heartbeat slowing — something shifts. Shame begins to dissolve. The layers of defense soften. We remember that underneath it all, we are whole. This conversation felt like a transmission, a living reminder that the body longs for us to return home, not only to the wound but also to the wonder. It is such a gift to share this space with Efu, and even more so to welcome her into our wider temple field. She will be joining us for Navaratri: Nine Nights of the Goddess Festival, and as part of the faculty of The Muse: The Golden Womb, our trauma-informed Sacred Sexuality Devi Coaching Certification. Her presence will guide us deeper into the medicine of the body, the mystery of life, and the grace of returning to pleasure. If your body has ever longed to release the grip of pain and remember its natural joy, this conversation is for you. Keynotes -Somatic Experiencing and Family Constellation - Efu's 30+ years of expertise in these holistic healing modalities. -Trauma from a Somatic Perspective -Importance of Pleasure, Sensation, and Resources -Efu's Work with Traumatized Women in Brazil -AFYA Holistic Healing Center -Trauma is Not Just Major Events -Pendulation Between Pain and Pleasure -Bridging Dissociation -Breath, Sound, Sensation as Somatic Tools -Shame and Beliefs of Unworthiness -Joining "Muse: The Golden Womb" Faculty -Navaratri Festival - A free online festival where Efu and other faculty will be offering teachings & their expertise ABOUT Efu Nyaki Euphrasia (Éfu) Nyaki was born and raised in Tanzania, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, trained as a science teacher, and later became a healer using holistic methods. Éfu is a Faculty Member of Somatic Experiencing® and a Professor of Family Constellation System Therapy with the Hellinger Institute. For the past 27 years, Éfu has been living in Brazil, facilitating trainings and therapy for trauma healing using Somatic Experiencing®. She has also traveled to various countries (India, Egypt, South Korea, China, Bolivia, Peru, Spain, Uruguay, Sweden) to facilitate trainings and workshops on different forms of trauma healing. Due to the pandemic, Éfu has been offering international trainings, workshops, webinars, talks, classes, conferences, podcasts, and individual therapy sessions online. Éfu is also a co-founder of AFYA: Holistic Healing Center, located in northeastern Brazil, which employs a variety of natural and holistic healing methodologies. Recently, Éfu published a book on healing trauma through Family Constellations System Therapy and Somatic Experiencing®. The book is available on Amazon. Follow Efu on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/efunyaki/?hl=en — Follow Sharada Devi's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharada_devi_school/ Website: https://www.devischool.info/ — Join the Free Navaratri Online Festival: https://www.devischool.info/navaratri-online-goddess-festival-2025 The Muse (The Golden Womb): https://www.devischool.info/the-muse-online-group-coaching The Permission (Free Mistress Class aka Master Class): https://www.devischool.info/the-permission Join the Devi Temple Membership, a one of a kind journey to the sanctuary of your magnificent being where you discover that all you have ever wanted is already here: https://www.devischool.info/devi-temple — Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/born-to-be-free/id1732123169 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4w1KLIoHKxifsUo7odfFSV Devi School – VIDEO DISCLAIMER The information contained within this video is for informational purposes only. We shall in no event be held liable to any party for any reason arising directly or indirectly for the use or interpretation of the information presented in this video. Copyright 2025, Devi School - All Rights Reserved.
