Having arrived in Georgia from Los Angeles for two weeks, Mariam tells me that Tbilisi fills her up with vital energy and joy. Then she returns to the States and puts all of her effort into her favorite job, which she pursues so passionately.
Knowing that she wanted to become a doctor, Mariam received the proper education, but before she knew it, her career path took a completely unexpected turn.
Almost two years ago, she opened her clinic in the U.S., called InHype Sanctuary, where she helps patients improve their appearance with state of the art devices and shares her lifestyle with them. Most people who consult her desire a change. As she says, Mariam gives them the tools needed for that change.
After graduating high school, I went to Paris. I completed my freshman year there. Then I went to Shanghai, China for a year. I learned about yoga. Then somehow I found myself in Tibet for two weeks and grew even more interested in the practice. Tibet has been such a delight! People are totally different. Even their facial expressions are so different, so calm, vastly determined by their inner state. That was when I first realized what a difference it makes for a person to be energetically balanced. I spent a total of two weeks there, but it turned out to be more than enough time for me to become interested in their practices, meditations, food that is completely different. I left the place feeling enchanted.
What was the most impressive aspect for you?
They walk a lot. They do not get angry, do not gossip. They speak very little, while some do not speak at all. They are so full of life. I met a 92-year-old man, one of the oldest gurus, who looked like he was 30 years old. Their energy and attitude towards life are so contagious, it fills you with joy. After that, when I returned to Shanghai, Chinese culture became much more graspable for me.
How did your American adventure begin?
I soon went to the U.S. and attended the University of San Diego. I received my Ph.D. in Cognitive Behavior Analysis. The knowledge gained there played a crucial role in opening my own clinic later. Being a doctor, you have a different approach to working with people: you want to help them. This strong feeling comes from within, as you perceive business from a completely different perspective, guided by the principle of “I want to help you”. Hence, when I opened the clinic, this attitude made a lot of things easier for me. However, I have come a long way full of surprises. For example, one of the modeling agencies found me and contacted me out of the blue. The thing was that since arriving in the U.S., I had gained a lot of weight, I weighed more than 100 kilograms. Food and lifestyle changes often lead to this.
Was it the fast food?
I wouldn’t necessarily name that as the reason for my weight gain. The product itself is different. Even organic products are saturated with lots of hormones. For example, even the worst tomatoes grown in Georgia are better than the most expensive ones in the U.S. Due to the fact that I wasn’t born and raised there, and I wasn’t used to that type of product, it had very adverse effects on my body. As a result, I gained a lot, but there was also a silver lining. It was this weight gain that led to my modeling career: I worked as a plus-size model. I was the face of Lancome, Sephora; I had done shootings for billboards. I had 180,000 followers on Instagram. This modeling success came out of the blue. Just imagine, I was going to be a doctor; having grown up in Georgia, I’d never even thought about modeling. My dad wasn’t too pleased when he heard about it.
Did you enjoy modeling?
I enjoyed it a lot but at the same time, I started developing multiple health issues: shortness of breath, heart-related problems. However, had I lost my weight, which would alter my size, I would be unable to continue modeling. Plus-size models have their own size standards, just like other models. I used to be US 10-12. Now I’m US 4.
Almost everyone in Los Angeles practices yoga. I decided to join myself. At first, it was very difficult for me. Due to my weight, I lacked flexibility, but I enjoyed it because I felt good after yoga sessions. Once, I was late for my class. When I was told that Kundalini yoga class was starting, which I hadn’t done before, I thought I’d give it a try.
At first, I was shocked. They stood on one foot, their hands fluttering like wings while making strange noises. I thought to myself, “this must be some sort of a cult”. You know how our mentality works: you see something different and you are most likely to be skeptical about it. But there were 30 people in the room and as I entered, I felt too embarrassed to leave, so I stayed. When the class was finished, I felt strangely well; I felt very light. A very old Tibetan woman was sitting on the stage. She beckoned me, realizing that I must have been new as it was her first time seeing me. She told me my energy was very blocked but had I continued attending these classes, I would discover a whole new world. I reassured myself back into thinking that I had entered some sort of a cult, so I said goodbye.
I continued to go to my usual classes. When I arrived back from Georgia, I had kyphosis, my spine was terribly sore and thanks to yoga, it went away completely.
As time went on, half a year later, I had a shoot on Santa Monica Boulevard. I become friends with one of the models. Shootings last for 7-8 hours and they require a lot of stamina: you’re constantly changing clothes, wearing high heels. During the break, this girl suggested we go for yoga. We entered a totally different yoga session, that this girl was attending and I met that old Tibetan woman again. This time, I was presented with a completely different environment: a specialized studio, people wearing white clothes, turbans, and sitting on fur rugs.
As it turned out, the Kundalini class lasts two hours and unlike a usual yoga studio session, goes on for over 45 minutes. The last hour is devoted to meditation. When you meditate, you may sit for hours, unaware of the time passing by. This was the first time I had reached the state of trance. It turns out I sat there for two hours, but that time passed like it was only a minute and a half. No one dared to disturb me as the class came to an end, as they all have the utmost respect for the process.
What was that feeling like?
I had never experienced anything like it. Once you do it, you will never be the same. You are completely transformed. The third eye opens to you, you perceive the world and its beauty with different intensity. This first experience got me even more hooked. I had already seen barefoot, happy people in Tibet who looked like 30 years old at the age of 93. I decided to take a deeper look, started to practice yoga actively, hired a meditation teacher, tried new practices. It’s a long process, although, slowly but surely, my perception of the world changed completely.
How did you get to opening your own clinic?
While I was still modeling, I went to Paris. My feet felt swollen from the flight. This was not the first time, however; standing for long periods, wearing high-heels, and frequent flying, affected both appearance and health. To combat this problem, I had already tried the LPG massage in the U.S., which improves blood circulation and is very effective against swelling and stretch marks. LPG devices were created in France. When I did a similar procedure in Paris, I realized that the effect was radically different from what I had already tried before in the U.S. The device was the same, but in France, they used it completely differently. As a doctor, I grew very interested, researched it thoroughly, contacted the French office, and told them I wanted to purchase their equipment. It took six months for the device to arrive. Prior to that, I went to Paris and underwent intensive training, learned all about the technique, and how the procedure works in general.
Upon my return to the US, I hired an assistant, taught them the methods myself, and rented a room. The very first customers were followed by even more customers. When they saw the results, we had more and more clients coming in. I could not physically fit everyone in that space and realized I had to open a clinic, as it was impossible to handle the increased workload otherwise.
After the clinic was refurbished, it was opened on March 1st. On March 8, however, virtually all of Los Angeles went into lockdown due to a pandemic. We had to close the clinic as well. It reopened for a little while in September, then closed again. Everyone was worried and anxious about what would happen, but I refused to panic; I was confident that everything would eventually fall into place.
What gave you the hope to feel that way?
I am still being asked to this day, how I managed to not only keep going but have a waiting list for the next three months with clients planning their visits in advance, while so many businesses had to close. There is one reason: when you are not overly anxious and entrust yourself to a force stronger than you, everything falls into place.
What is the main motivation that urges people to pay a visit to your clinic?
People want to improve their appearance and health. They want to transform their lives and they do say that I have indeed changed their lives. They send me flowers and thank you notes. In fact, the change is in our very own hands. I am not the one changing anything; I just give them a little push and the tools to materialize their desires. When people come to me for a consultation, I put a lot of energy into talking to them. It is the biofield alterations that attract change. When your chakra starts working properly, you are the one attracting what you desire.
What does it mean for chakra to work properly?
Chakra is our energy center. All chakras rotate in the direction of the sun’s rotation. If a person wants to be healthy, this must be in balance. If the chakra does not work, various problems arise. For example, if you have a blocked heart chakra, you are unable to experience joy, you become depressed. If the throat chakra is blocked, then the person lacks the ability to communicate effectively, and they fail to be understood.
Which procedures are in high demand at your clinic?
I invested heavily in the devices. With these various methods, we offer our customers body contouring, involving the refining of body shapes, improving skin structure, and adjusting individual areas. Facial contouring i.e. non-surgical correction of the face, as well as the removal of pigment and age spots, smoothing of the skin color and dozens of other procedures that change a person’s appearance and self-esteem, are very popular in Los Angeles. When people pay a visit to us, they also change their lifestyle, because unless you have inner harmony, it is difficult to sort things out solely based on physical changes.
How did your loved ones react to the drastic changes in your lifestyle?
At some point, there may be a disconnection between our vibrations and that of our loved ones. I lost a lot of friends because of that. I seemed weird to them. For example, going to yoga and meditating on a Friday night might be more important to me than drinking tea at a cafe with friends. Someone unfamiliar with this lifestyle will find it hard to grasp. They probably thought I had gone crazy. I never wish bad upon anyone, but I just don’t want some people to be by my side any longer. That’s all. I did not invent the concept. It’s been twenty years since metaphysicians came up with a device that takes your photos, sees your karma, the colors of the aura, the biofield and how many megahertz it takes to cause vibrations.
What prevents people from getting what they want?
One can get everything they direct their energy towards. There is no limit. You get back the same type of energy you give away. For instance, I get up at six o’clock every morning and walk ten thousand steps. I do this alone and without wearing headphones. When you walk and spend time alone with yourself, various ideas are generated within you. It may seem strange at first, but if you make a habit out of it, you will find it impossible to give it up. In fact, we have a lot of energy to bring what we want into our lives. When you truly have a goal and you direct your energy towards it, it will definitely materialize and life as we know it, changes.
Why is it that some people get what they want in the blink of an eye, while some, who spare no effort, seem unable to make it work?
The one working tirelessly and not sparing any effort does not really know what they truly want. When people visit me for a consultation, this is how they begin to tell their stories: “I couldn’t make it work, I couldn’t do it”. But in fact, one didn’t not get what they did not truly need. I experienced the same thing first-hand. You may be rich and successful but still feel miserable. The thing is, you have to define success yourself: either as something that society has dictated and presented to you as the most desirable thing, or as something that your soul really craves. We need to find what makes us happy.