Turkish native, Berna Gungoren Can is a Physiotherapist, Yoga instructor and a health & nutrition enthusiast. Her fascination with the body and understanding how it functions has fueled her desire to pursue a career in physiotherapy since a young age. She has always been interested in human movement and promotion of well-being using a variety of approaches. The flexibility and variety of career paths available and the practical emphasis in this profession as well as the prospect of improving someone’s standard of life and well-being particularly have appealed to her. For this reason, she completed a bachelor degree in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in 2005 at Hacettepe University. She has also completed a one-year course as a special education training student at the same university. After her graduation, she has worked as a physiotherapist in different areas such as private hospitals, community health centers and rehabilitation centers in Turkey. Berna is a current member of Australian Physiotherapy Association and attends regularly professional developmental courses. In 2014, Berna commenced her Bachelor of Health Science degree at Deakin university, and in 2017 was transferred successfully into the Bachelor of Applied Science and Master of Occupational Therapy at La Trobe University.

Her professional philosophy is thoroughly based on holistic health, which is a form of healing that considers the person as a whole — body, mind, spirit, and emotions –in the quest for optimal health and wellness. The primary goal of Berna’s holistic approach is to gain proper balance in life by looking at the health of an individual in a complete picture rather than isolating parts.

Due to her ambition in holistic health, she has also studied Massage Therapy Course at Endavour Natural College, and has been a member of the Australian Association of Massage Therapists (AAMT) since her graduation. Besides, she has completed her Yoga Teacher Training at Moksha Yoga, Melbourne and attended several courses such as Reflexology, Sport Nutrition in Melbourne. Particularly, after her teaching experiences as a yoga teacher in Melbourne, Berna blended yoga therapy in her practice. In Turkey, she founded Avidya Yoga, where she used the skills and knowledge she had gained to treat her patients between 2012 December and 2014 June.  She has been writing articles on health, yoga therapy and physiotherapy on her websites, both in English and Turkish.

Working at the Alfred hospital as a volunteer, Berna has been involved in many projects about health literacy and cultural diversity. On account of her high motivation and enthusiasm, she has been invited to attend the Consumer Leadership at Health Issues Centre course and the health forums and events across Melbourne. She is currently an active team member of Patient Experience and Consumer Participation Program (PECPP) as a volunteer and teaching yoga regularly to the inpatients at psychiatric unit at Alfred hospital.