To create my dream life, I had/have to step outside my comfort zone. I am sharing my journey from fitness to personal development and then yoga.
If you read my blog since 2014 (thanks to Google translation), you know that I have been a communication manager for 5 years. I became a Personal trainer & Fitness instructor thanks to a professional transition and a life coach a couple of months ago.
Empowerment & confidence coach to serve you Beautiful
These last two years, it has been a very intense journey, I worked a lot on myself and this personal growth experience has changed my life. After travelling all around Australia in our Dream machine in 2017 (the big loop from Brisbane to Brisbane) and a move to Melbourne in 2018. I studied and became a Life coach. Through the Empowerment & confidence coaching series, I have helped women to create their dream life.
An amazing 3-month journey to uncover who you truly are reconnecting sith your body, heart and mind so that you are bursting with confidence and creating a life you LOVE.
I work with Beautiful who live according to the other (what they say, what they do, what they could think) totally disconnect from themselves.
Often, they lost their purpose and their life seem meaningless for them
Their self-confidence level is very low, they don’t know what they like or what they could do to feel better. So, we work very often on their self-confidence/love/esteem, their mindset and we talk very often about their career.
Be aligned with your life can seem impossible when you are alone facing your doubts but with me, it is always an exciting adventure! Because I have been there and as your guide, I want you to ENJOY the process. This is one of the keys to succeed.
Throughout all my coaching, something is always raised: this feeling to be disconnected (physically, emotionally or spiritually).
That’s where yoga comes in
As you know, movement is essential in my life and I started my professional transition from there.
Yoga has always been something important to me. I’ve always wanted to implement it in my happiness routine and life philosophy, I’ve been talking about it for years… I knew. But there is a clear difference between knowing and being ready.
I’ve played at hide-and-seek with yoga. But each time, I found it faster, more and more instinctively.
Why this game ? As I said, knowing and being reading is quite different. And I needed to grow to totally resonate with yoga. Indeed, when you practice yoga regularly, you need to find a balance between discipline and let go and I wasn’t ready to let go.
I wanted to control my body and my thougts, not enough into acceptation.
The word YOGA (from the Sanskrit root “yuj”) means “union”.
And I wasn’t enough in this harmony spirit. The practice of yoga allows me to balance physical, energetical, émotionnal, mental et spiritual balance, all the ingredient to have a harmonious life.
At the end of each session, I can feel happiness and let go. I can slow down thanks to yoga. It is one of the reasons I practised more and more. Plus, it can be very physical and challenging. Holding a posture isn’t very easy sometimes but the best is to keep smiling and do your best in yoga. It teaches you humility. And I love that: being in the present moment, be humble to progress and move with joy, have a clear mind and act instead of re-act in daily life.
It is after my yoga retreat in 2017 that a seed grew in myself. Now, I am ready.
On the blog, I am talking about connection body/heart/mind, self-journey and self-confidence. So, yoga is an evidence but I needed to be ready. Ready to dare to do another big step and invest in me again to give you more and more Beautiful. Because I want to help you reconnect with yourself and have a clearer mind and yoga is a perfect tool for that (philosophy AND movement).
Melbourne – Bali. I went to the ashram Shanti Toya (for the second time) to become a yoga vinyasa teacher.
It has been a life-changing experience. Furthermore, it allowed my Empowerment & confidence coaching series to be more and more exceptional. It was the experience I needed to end 2018 on a high note. And I lived it with my soulmate.
Indeed, I practised and talked a lot about yoga to Warren and he has been really happy to live this incredible experience in the ashram in 2017. Something cliked there. So we shared this new adventure together and I am SO glad for that. (Yoga philosophy can have a very positive impact in your couple when you just do your things without trying to force the other to join. Practising yoga inspired him and now we are on the same page. And it has been very natural.)
The program during 4 weeks
- 7.30 – 9.00 – ASANA PRACTICE
- 9.00 – 10.00 – BREAKFAST
- 10.00 – 12.30 – ALIGNMENT / TEACHING
- 12.30 – 14.00 – LUNCH
- 14.00 – 16.00 – THEORY / YOGA SUTRAS
- 16.30 – 18.30 – SLOW YOGA, PRANAYAMA & MEDITATION
- 19.00 – DINNER
6 am, time to wake up in the middle of the Mengwi’s jungle.
The cicadas start to sing, the rooster is happy and makes us noticing it. I grab my notebook and journal. I need to write down my feelings. This yoga course is challenging my ego, my mental and my beliefs. Journaling every morning helps me have a clearer mind and make space.
7 am, time to practice in the yoga shala.
In the beginning, the teachers guided us. Then, we started to build our own practice. Observed and helped by our incredible yoga instructor if needed of course.
Every morning, we arrive in advance in the yoga shala with Warren. We put our yoga mats next to each other, sit and observe the nature surrounding us. Living this yoga course in the middle of the Balinese jungle is a real privilege. We went through so many emotions.
The sequence starts with sun salutations.
The perfect way to awaken our energy, relax and strengthen our body. I love when my movements are aligned with my breaths. It’s like a dance. Every morning, I’m discovering a new part of me. The sequence continues. Every posture asks to focus if I want to enjoy 100 % of its benefits. Usually, I’m always used to be in a hurry. I realised that I needed to slow down.*
* Vinyasa means “movement” and the yoga vinyasa classes I went to were very intense. I was so happy to discover that we could take our time between each transition. It allows delving into the posture.
Every day, when I practice yoga, I can be in Bali again. I just have to close my eyes and I imagine that I’m practising on my yoga mat in the middle of the jungle. I can hear the Balinese cicadas and feel my yoga instructor’s wise fingers touching my back to help me improve my practice.
After the asanas, Pranayama (breathing exercises)
In Sanskrit, Prana means vital force and Yama: control. I became an addict to them. Now, it’s one of my essentials, as important as the asanas and the meditation. We had an amazing teacher and thanks to him, I’m now able to practice by my own and enjoy it at the fullest everyday.
Then, Pratyahara, et Dharan (focusing exercises to prepare the meditation.)
When I practice Pratyahara, I observe myself. Dharana, I focus on something specific. These exercises lead to meditation. And since the course, my meditation experiences transformed totally. I’ve never felt so good.
After 10 to 15 minutes of Shavasana, time to have breakfast.
All the students gather. And the conversations start around delicious breakfasts. My favourite combo? Mango, papaya, home-made peanut butter topped with a mix of seeds.
Then, it’s time to go back to class. We work on each posture day after day and we teach others.
Everybody sweats. Our bodies push their limits. I write down all my instructor’s tips because I already know that I will read it over and over to own them.
After lunch, theory and yoga sutras have always been amazing.
This time, our ideas are pushed to their very limits. I learned so much about myself and the world thanks to this perspective shift. I will talk about that in another post because I still need to process and reflect on a lot of topics.
We also practice guided meditation with our lead instructor. They’ve been outstanding experiences.
We are in the yoga shala around the lead yoga teacher, the weather is cloudy. The meditation starts with the yoga teacher guiding us.
This meditation is intense because it’s about sensitive topics, our deepest fears. Then the storm blows. The rain is so violent that we can’t hear the teacher but he continues so we all get closer. It was so intense for everyone.
Every evening, slow yoga.
Then we meditate and finish on a high note with Kirtan. We sing mantras all together to express our joy.
A very intense course. I went through all the emotions. The body was sore but it was nothing compared to what was going on inward: the laughs, the weeps, the hunger, the fear; a real emotional storm. Everything was called into question. Spiritual awakening can be very violent sometimes. But I feel grateful for everything. I grew so much and now I feel more confident than ever, at peace with myself and the life I’m creating.
Gladly, Shanti Toya has a wonderful team. We just had to live, eat and breathe yoga. The Shanti Toya team handled everything else.
And you beautiful? Comment and tell me: do you practice yoga? What did it change in your life?
If you want to enrol in a yoga teacher training, send me an email to leona@leonareading.com I will be happy to make the connection between Shanti Toya and you. You will live the best experience ever !
