The cover girl of L`Officiel Baltic October-November issue in Lithuania Nina Verkoeyen (@nina_verkoeyen) is an international spiritual teacher with looks of a model who possesses the wisdom of a 100-year-old monk, destroying the stereotype of what a spiritual guru should be like. Nina is also the founder of Meta Spirituality, a growing spiritual tradition that helps thousands of women around the world discover their true, powerful selves. We talked to Nina about growing one's inner beauty, self-expression through fashion and her new spiritual-wear brand Sincera.

Nina, you have lived in Europe and Asia, you have a villa in the Bahamas, and now you are moving from New York to California - you are a perfect embodiment of the concept of "the citizen of the world." But where is your home?
As trivial as it may sound, home is where I am. I have built a beautiful abode within myself and I am teaching women to do the same. So that no matter where they are, who they are with, what happens in their life, they could feel calm, safe, so that being alone fells like home to them.

You are a very beautiful women. How has this affected your career as a spiritual teacher?
For many years, I felt that I people didn't take me seriously enough because of the stereotype of a young and good looking woman not being able to be a real spiritual teacher.
I couldn't wait to get older, fantasizing about how free and happy I would be in my 50s, an age more socially acceptable for being a spiritual guru.
I can still remember the words said by a woman who spoke before me at a spiritual conference when I was 30 years old. She said to her friend, "Let's see what this 25-year-old model can teach us about spirituality." Later, she became one of my most devoted students.
For many years, I wanted to get older faster so that I could do what I wanted to do most: teach spirituality. Back then, I was more concerned of the outer &mdash; the opinions of other people, social norms, my age&mdash;than of the inner&mdash;the need to fulfill my destiny.
Everything changed in 2016 when I went through the biggest spiritual transformation of my life, which led to the emergence of Meta Spirituality. It was thanks to this transformation that I realized that the outer is a reflection of the inner, that they are one, there is no separation.
And that's part of what I'm teaching women now. This is why Meta Spirituality (a practical approach to spiritual growth that replaces the old, no longer applicable spiritual traditions of the past) is so popular, especially among women - it promotes a radical change in their perception of themselves, self-esteem, and gives integrity and leads to positive changes in all areas of their lives.

What is the main lesson you, as a spiritual teacher, could teach women regarding fashion and beauty?
Nowadays, many women identify so much with their appearance that they forget who they really are. They wear what is trendy, not what reflects their personality, following external trends rather than their inner voice, sacrificing their inner self for the sake of an external image.
I teach women to understand that we should pay as much attention to their inner beauty as to their outer beauty.
There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is not afraid to live and speak the truth about who she really is. This is what makes any woman irresistible, deeply sexy, magnetic.

&ldquo;There is nothing more beautiful than a woman who is not afraid to live and speak the truth about who she really is. This is what makes any woman irresistible, deeply sexy, magnetic&rdquo;.

What is necessary for a balance of inner and outer beauty?
Equal attention should be paid to the development of both. Often, before going out, a woman spends so much time choosing an outfit, makeup, hair, and jewelry. She prepares herself externally for a long time, but she does not prepare herself internally at all.
But if a woman is irritable, shy, tense or withdrawn, then clothes and makeup will work as a barrier behind which she hides, and not as something that emphasizes and enhances the beauty of her true self, making her completely irresistible.
That's why my advice to women is to take some time for &ldquo;inner make-up&rdquo; and inner preparation. Even just ten minutes to put your inner state in order is of great importance. Think about the state of energy you are in right now. Focus, feel and decide what you want to bring into the world today, what is your goal, what state of mind you want to radiatebroadcast, with what emotions you want to influence others. Know what you want to express today and carry it where you are heading.
The inner state you are in is just as important, if not more so, than the outfit you wear.

What is fashion for you?
Clothes are part of how we express who we think we are. What we put on our body tells other people and the world the story of who we are. That is why we should wear the things that reflect our true selves.
If we don't feel comfortable in what we wear, we don't feel confident, if we are stressed out by the descrepancy of what's inside of us and what we put on, it affects everything in a negative way. When we wear something that reflects who we are, it enhances the message we bring to the world and makes my more beautiful.
Clothing is the cover of the book about who we are, and we ourselves are the designers of this book - both the cover and the content.

&ldquo;Clothing is the cover of the book about who we are, and we ourselves are the designers of this book - both the cover and the content&rdquo;.

What clothing style best reflects you?
Mainstream fashion bores me. I am a rebel at heart, I like everything that is unusual, interesting, ahead of its time. This feeling determines both what I do in life and the clothes that I choose for myself.
That is why I prefer to buy things from independent, emerging designers, rather than well-known and established brands. But it's hard to find designers who fully reflect my taste in clothes, so I'm also working on my own clothing brand "Sincera".

It's an interesting combination to be a spiritual teacher and a fashion designer. How do you manage to combine the two?
A few years ago, I already had my own line of yoga clothes, so this is not my first attempt to create meaningful fashion. Everything I do serves one mission, one goal, and one intention, expressed in different ways. This goal is to help people live in harmony with their true selves through the thoughts and actions they choose and the clothes they choose to wear.

How interesting! What style will "Sincera" be in?
"Sincera" is a clothing line for sincere spiritual seekers, creative thinkers and modern philosophers who care about the way they look, but do not want to sacrifice their true self for the sake of fashion trends. For those who want to stand out in the crowd with the clothes that bring out their inner strength.

Where do you look for inspiration?
I don't have to look for it, I'm constantly inspired. We are all inspired, unless our minds are clouded by layers of fear and insecurity that block the true expression of our selves.
But most of all I am inspired by potential - my own, other people's, of everything that surrounds me.

What advice could you give to our readers?
Fall in love with Truth.
The truth of the present moment can be ugly, strange, perverted, unbearable, or enchanting. But I teach people to fall in love with the "real" spect of it. When they do it, magic happens.
Do not hide who you are, meet the truth face to face, eye to eye, and thus transform it so that you yourself are transformed by it. It is the most beautiful thing in the world and it will make you beautiful both inside and out if you understand it.

COVER IN LITHUANIA
Model: NINA VERKOEYEN @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/nina_verkoeyen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">nina_verkoeyen</a>
Photo: JEFF VERKOEYEN
Jumpsuit HARMONIA NY @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/harmonia_ny" target="_blank" rel="noopener">harmonia_ny</a>

Nina Verkoeyen's mission

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