The Person Behind the Method
Oksana Sidorenko-Bensi
Psychologist, transformational coach, and the founder of Breath of Life Method and Retreat.
My Journey
From the Stage to Inner Stillness
From early childhood, my life was connected to the stage. For almost thirty years, I stepped into different characters, trained myself to feel my partner with great sensitivity, and expressed myself through dance, movement, and physical presence.
It began with competitive ballroom dancing — Russian championships and international competitions — followed by years of teaching and coaching. After a serious knee injury, my path shifted towards acting: I trained at GITIS and went on to work in theatre and film.
At the same time, I entered my first marriage, moved to London, and built a life that looked almost like a perfectly curated Instagram image. From the outside, everything appeared successful. Yet I increasingly noticed that it was possible to inhabit other people’s stories with complete conviction while understanding less and less of my own.
I no longer knew who I was or what I truly wanted.
One inner question began to grow louder:
If I remove all the roles, achievements, and professions — who am I really?
Within one month, I made the decision to divorce and leave the United Kingdom. I had no plan B — only trust in an inner feeling that was leading me towards Italy.
Tuscany: A New Foundation
Italy marked the beginning of my true relationship with myself.
I stopped searching for answers outside and began learning how to listen within — through silence, the body, breath, and honest inner dialogue. As I began to reconnect with my authentic self, a man entered my life who would later become my second husband.
Then the pandemic began, and we moved to the heart of Tuscany. In the stillness of that time, surrounded by landscapes that seemed to belong to Renaissance paintings, a clear understanding came to me:
This place was meant to help people return to themselves.
That same year, my father passed away — the deepest loss of my life. Forty days after his death, I led my first retreat. Soon afterwards, I discovered that I was expecting the son I had long prayed for.
This is how Breath of Life Retreat was born — out of silence, loss, and a new beginning. Over time, it also gave rise to my own method, Breath of Life Journey.
About My Method
Education & Professional Training
Psychology & Coaching
Professional retraining in Counselling Psychology
MRT Exponential Coaching
NLP Master Practitioner
Breath, Body & Somatic Practices
Conscious Connected Breathwork
Somatic and body-oriented practices
Yin Yoga
Dynamic Qigong
Meditation
Energy & Transformational Practices
Reiki
Quantum Psychology
Sound Healing
Movement & Performance
Blackpool Ballroom Dance Champion
Russian Ballroom Dance Champion
Master of Sport in Ballroom Dance
Professional ballroom dance coach
Degree in Acting, GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts)
Degree in Choreography Pedagogy, GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts)
Professional theatre and film actress
Continuous Learning
I continue to deepen my knowledge through ongoing professional training, integrating evidence-based psychology, coaching, embodiment, breathwork, and contemplative practices into a single transformational approach.
From Roles to Real Transformation
My acting career did not become a closed chapter of my past. It became the foundation of how I work with people today.
For years, acting taught me how a person enters a particular state, how that state becomes anchored in the body, and how it shapes the lived experience of a character — their inner reactions, behaviour, emotional patterns, and convincing inner “truth.”
In coaching, I continue to work with roles — but now they are psychological and social roles.
My experience allows me to recognise not only which limiting roles you may be playing unconsciously, but also to help you create and embody new ones — roles that feel more alive, resourceful, and aligned with your true nature.
This is not about rejecting roles. As long as we live among other people and interact with them, roles are a natural part of life. The work is about transforming them.
For example, the goal is not to stop being a mother. It may be to transform from an exhausted and unhappy mother into a vibrant, fulfilled, and emotionally resourced woman — someone for whom motherhood becomes a source of strength, support, and meaning.
After so many years and so many profound life changes, I am still working with transformation — but now on a different level.
My aim is not simply to understand your problem. It is to help you create and embody a state from which you can act with greater stability, effectiveness, and care for yourself.
Four Ways to Work with Me
1:1 Coaching
Individual work with recurring patterns, inner blocks, and major life transitions. Available online and in person.
Wellness Practices
Breathwork, movement, Qigong, Yin Yoga, and work with your underlying emotional and physical state. A gentle entry point into a deeper process.
Private Retreats
An intimate format designed for one person or a couple. Each programme is created around your individual intention, needs, and personal request.
Group Retreats
Small-group retreats for up to ten participants, following a carefully designed programme prepared in advance. Each participant also has the opportunity to receive individual coaching sessions and personalised practices.