Portrait Photography
Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruhana Nova Ra
Hi Ruhana, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Growing up in various tight-knit communities across Central Jersey, Saudi Arabia, Texas, and the Bay Area as a former Muslim Bengali American, I was always driven by an insatiable curiosity to explore beyond my comfort zones. This urge to immerse myself in diverse cultures and understand the fabric of different societies became my guiding light, propelling me to redefine my roles within these communities and discover my true place.
My journey began with a serendipitous opportunity to be an event photographer at Mirus Gallery in San Francisco, which subsequently opened doors to a vibrant co-living space in the Financial District. At just 19, I landed my first role at Hustle—a mid-size social impact startup that powered Bernie Sanders’ 2016 campaign through peer-to-peer text messaging. This experience in tech and my exploration of Silicon Valley’s dynamic landscape sparked a profound entrepreneurial inspiration within me.
Eager to delve deeper, I set my sights on Medellin, Colombia, where I launched a local community initiative. For five transformative months, I hosted events and retreats, fostering connections among traveling entrepreneurs, expats, and creatives while embracing the wisdom of indigenous traditions. This period was a testament to the power of community and the beauty of cultural exchange.
Returning to the U.S., I settled in Los Angeles, embarking on a profound personal development journey. Joining an Enneagram startup, I explored several typologies that identified human motives, personality types, and behaviors and began hosting intimate, immersive experiences. These gatherings ignited a burning desire within me to forge deep, lasting connections with individuals committed to personal growth and creative exploration.
In December 2019, I embarked on a soul-enriching one-month-long yoga retreat in Canggu, Bali, where I received a ceremonial water blessing from the revered Bali Priestess Ida. This spiritual awakening marked a pivotal moment in my journey.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, I completed my remote Bachelor’s Degree in Multidisciplinary Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies. My thesis on Liberatory Education and Community Development explored the empowering and disempowering aspects of global education systems. Having been part of numerous communities since childhood, I delved into community development frameworks and the intricate history of intentional communities, uncovering their profound impact on human growth.
As 2021 dawned, I spent my first ten days in the jungles of Iquitos, Peru, connecting with an indigenous tribe that taught me the sacred traditions of lunar cycles and nature’s rhythms. Later that year, I immersed myself in a transformative Moon course at Pyramid del Ka by Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, reconnecting with my true essence on the deepest level.
Upon completing the program in Guatemala, I returned to the tech world, joining a data masking software startup that mimics sensitive production data to honor data privacy for engineering, biz ops, and Devops teams for fintech and health-tech companies. In an ever-evolving world of cyber information and technological advancements, I was curious to delve into Big Data and the way in which it has been stored, synthesized, interpreted, and applied for algorithmic outcomes on social media and commercialized human consumption.
After my time at the data startup, I journeyed to Baja, California, where I reconnected with a community of sustainable environmentalists and indigenous elders. They shared invaluable practices on vitality, nature connection, ocean tide patterns, Qi Gong, gratitude, and the beauty of simplicity.
At my home base in Los Angeles, I dedicate myself to personal development and creative exploration, solo producing and directing all my modeling shoots and intimate feminine immersive experiences under my new brand, Shenius. This venture represents the culmination of my journey, a celebration of creativity, community, and the relentless pursuit of personal growth and connection.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I am profoundly grateful for the inner space and agency I have cultivated, allowing me to embark on a rich tapestry of creative, cultural, professional, and entrepreneurial experiences. Each step of this journey has deepened my appreciation for exploration, emphasizing the beauty of the path over the destinations themselves.
In 2021, driven by a deep sense of compassion and purpose after experiencing a loss of two loved ones, I chose to donate a few of my eggs to Santa Monica Fertility, providing families ready for children with a precious gift. Through transformative modalities such as alchemical hypnotherapy, Internal Family Systems, EMDR, breathwork, power yoga, and kundalini, I navigated a profound journey back to spiritual and emotional wholeness as a woman and re-awakened my reproductive health, vitality, and creativity.
This experience illuminated a fundamental truth: we are our own greatest teachers, students, and healers. We possess the extraordinary ability to reshape our realities, steering our lives towards any direction, goal, or desire we envision. This realization has been a beacon of empowerment, reminding me of the infinite potential within each of us to create and recreate our worlds.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As I continue to gather new experiences and follow my curiosity, I am filled with excitement about modeling for brands that promote women’s wellness and empowerment. I am eager to curate more Shenius feminine immersive experiences and expand Shenius services to help other women rediscover their inner wholeness and balance their masculine and feminine expressions of self.
I am profoundly grateful for my journey, overcoming difficulties and weaving together my experiences, healing modalities, and ancient cultural traditions into creative productions and immersive experiences. These endeavors encourage women to delve deeper into their mysterious feminine nature, devote themselves to the wisdom of their wombs, and liberate themselves from limiting societal constructs. This journey is not just my own but a shared path of collective healing and empowerment, fostering a community where every woman can embrace her full, authentic self.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I loved observing ladybugs resting on leaves and ants carrying popcorn kernels back to their ant homes in our backyard. To me, it represented a natural cycle of evolution in which we must explore outside of ourselves and reflect internally before returning home to center.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ruhananovara.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ruhana.ra?igsh=MmVlMjlkMTBhMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://shenius.co
Image Credits
Sia
DP Ken
Bryan Wesley
David
Curt Nordling
Lana Palmer
