Learn Our Mission

Kenza Alami | Founder of Bedouin Roots Experiences

Bedouin Roots Experiences was born from Kenza’s love of mindfulness and conscious travel. With roots in Morocco and a heart connected to distant horizons.

Growing up in Morocco and later venturing to the United States and Canada, she witnessed the power of human connection firsthand. However, as the world became more digitally connected, she noticed a growing sense of disconnection, both from ourselves and from others. After leading a 14-year career in the corporate world, Kenza transitioned her career into wellness after experiencing an illness that became a life-changing turning point, inspiring her on a journey of profound self-discovery. She delved into an array of transformative experiences, seeking healing and personal growth. Her commitment to Mindfulness deepened through her enrollment in the Intensive mindfulness Practice Program at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), coupled with the deeply enriching learnings she explored through continuing education on human consciousness, body mapping, yoga, emotional anatomy, non-violent communication and somatic practices.

These experiences inspired her to create Bedouin Roots. It’s a space where people from all walks of life can unite, celebrating diversity, and nurturing a more compassionate and caring world; a holistic journey that fosters personal growth, connection, culture and exploration. Through cultural immersion – the heart of her Moroccan heritage can be felt so deeply in her retreat experiences.

She lives part of the year in Morocco and Spain and part in Vancouver, Canada.

Sara Hawileh | Collaborator

Sara brings over two decades of rich experience to the hospitality industry, where she has passionately contributed her skills to renowned brands such as Fairmont Hotels, La Mamounia, and Palais Namaskar. Her professional journey has taken her across diverse locations, including Morocco, Canada, Zanzibar, and various other countries.

In addition to her extensive hospitality background, Sara is a certified yoga instructor and a dedicated practitioner of yoga and mindfulness. Her teaching style is deeply integrated and grounded, providing a holistic approach to the practice.

Her love for travel and cultural exploration shines through in our retreats, where she sets a relaxed tone for our retreat guests to restore, and refresh during our week together.

Nads Manira | Mindfulness Teacher and Yoga instructor | Manira Palm venue’s host and chef

Nads is the founder of Manira Palm which is a hub for healing – both in Marrakech and online. Nads dedicates her expertise to helping people create sustainability for soil & SOUL. There is so much talk about sustainability for the environment, but what about sustainability for ourselves? Us humans can burn out too…

Her journey stared many moons ago during her travels around the globe. Nads found the adventures put a lot of things in life into perspective but it was the yoga along the way that brought her back to herself. In her earlier years, yoga was exercise. In India, it was her movement towards inner peace. By removing the notion yoga is based on touching your toes, she began to discover the presence within. She stopped chasing and started living..

Vy Van Le | Mindfulness Teacher and a Somatic Practitioner

Vy received her training in mindfulness facilitation through the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Mindful Awareness Research Center in 2016. She is a Certified Mindfulness Teacher – Professional. Vy has co-led a mindfulness retreat for healthcare professionals in 2019 in Umbria, Italy. She is delighted to share the practice for inner connection and greater wellbeing.

She has shared mindfulness and compassion practices to all age groups from teens and young adults, professionals, healthcare providers, to retirees. Vy is a certified coach through the International Coach Federation and is also trained in the practice of Focusing by Gene Gendlin, a somatic process to help one deeply listen to the wisdom of the body. She has a degree in Mathematics with a specialization in Computing and Business Administration from UCLA, and an MBA from University of Southern California. She worked in the management consulting field and biotech business development prior to commencing her mindfulness path.

Jaqui Kinney | Counselling & Mindfulness Teacher

Jaqui Kinney, our workshop/yoga facilitator is a beacon of inspiration who enjoys creating communities of playful, open-minded individuals who are curious about discovering the union of the individual self to the Universal Self.

She believes it’s imperative to keep the mind-body healthy, strong, and clean in order to follow Dharma and to experience divinity within oneself.

Sandra Stephanson | Collaborator

It is within our human adventure to embody a lucid mind and tenacious heart. The sky is the limit.

For me, it comes from catalyzing heartache and joy in the synergy of flamenco and the loving space for the sanity of meditation and yoga. It has led to the intriguing doors of existential philosophy, depth psychology and the will to reach out and ask, “What makes you you?”.

Exploring the idea of self is spacious and interdependent with all. It is where great passions and great pains merge and burn into creative transformation. My mind and body studies started thirty years ago with a degree in physical education and continued into anthropology, Buddhist psychology while studying my own angst, travelling wildly and reading widely and meeting captivating people.

All the adventures have been imbued by daily reminders that just being open and aware creates a damn interesting life. I have guided yogis of all levels in hatha, vinyasa, yin yoga and meditation at YYoga in Vancouver, Canada since 2008.

Recently, I have opened my counselling and mindfulness practice called Something Softer which focuses on the insights of somatic therapy.

Laila Tazi | Sound Healer

Laila is an inspirataional woman who shares her passion for sound and humanity. Guided by her intuition, she listens to her environment, infusing healing and love through sound. She co-creates with a vision of balance between personal-professional and spiritual life.

As a Holistic Therapist and Sound Healer, she trained with Philippe GARNIER and Dr. John BEAULIEU at the ‘Sage Academy of Sound Energy New York’ in Paris. Today, with extensive experience in human interaction, energy work with Theta Healing, she possesses numerous resources that enable her to activate positive change during her practice.

Mbemba Diebate | Soulful Music

Mbemba embarked on a profound journey into mind and body studies three decades ago, beginning with a degree in physical education. This educational path led to explorations in anthropology and Buddhist psychology, culminating in a deep engagement with yoga philosophy and teaching. Throughout significant life challenges, Mbemba found resilience and emotional nourishment through counseling therapy combined with mindfulness practices, which enriched his ability to live creatively amidst constant change. This nurturing experience sparked a desire in him to help others harness their unique capacities to navigate through grief, loss, and anxiety, ultimately enhancing their well-being.

Mbemba understands the universal human need to be acknowledged and compassionately supported while sharing one’s most intimate stories and deciphering personal pains and the unknown. He appreciates the courage required to enter a therapeutic alliance, trusting in the process and embracing new insights for better coping mechanisms and flourishing.

Mbemba views therapy as a compassionate journey towards accepting one’s humanness, and he is dedicated to guiding individuals through this transformative process.