Kerstin Bibi Nanaki Wiechmann: How I survived the 2004 tsunami
Imagine a quiet morning atmosphere, the sea lying smooth as glass before you – and suddenly you hear the bang.
This is how Kerstin's shock began on December 26, 2004, on Ko Phra Thong, Thailand: a seemingly peaceful morning, then the first tsunami wave – and a few minutes later she is facing walls of water that sweep everything away.
What remains in such a moment? Kerstin was in pure survival mode: all her energy rushed into her first chakra, fear gave way to functioning. She ran for protection, climbing lightning fast to an inexplicable height in a sturdy tree – not a conscious decision, but an automatic reaction:
“I will have to breathe again.” This sentence became her anchor as she hung in a tree, first below and later above the water, surrounded by chaos and yet in a peaceful bubble. The sound of the mantra kept her mentally strong.
The night became a struggle for survival, the community on the hill a refuge. Thousands of fates linked in fear, destruction – and the longing to stay alive. The morning after showed her what loss means: the hut was gone, the holiday resort destroyed, the passport the only thing that remained. But Kerstin was deeply moved – by the compassion of those who helped, by her own transcendence of personal limits, and by the surprising relief that her life went on – albeit at a much slower pace at first. She quickly realized:
This experience was not a punishment, but a blessing in disguise, a profound gift.
She consciously healed her trauma – through Kundalini Yoga, gong sessions, and intensive confrontation with her own fears. Four months later, she ventured back into the water, tentatively at first, then openly and with a new sense of peace. In 2010, on a trek in northern India, she crossed raging rivers – and realized that the memory had truly been transformed: a symbol of her personal growth.
With over 25 years of experience in Kundalini Yoga and as a mentor, Kerstin Bibi Nanaki accompanies people on their own inner journey. She shows how to find clarity through pain, how body, mind, and community work together—and how healing is indeed possible. If you want to dive deeper into yourself, are considering consciously integrating traumatic experiences, or are simply looking for more presence in your life—she is the right person for you.
Kerstin sees her life as a gift—and her work as an invitation to you: to trust, to grow, to heal.
Feel free to visit her website to read more or be inspired.
What you can expect in this video (switch on English subtitles):
The morning of the tsunami: A peaceful atmosphere—until the bang
What helped her not to break down mentally and physically
Why she judged herself—and how she learned to be gentler with herself
The road back: gong therapy, yoga, the sea – and reconciliation
This video is an invitation to pause and ask yourself:
What is really important to me? What remains when everything else falls away?