About Yoga of Life
Beyond postures! Yoga merges our spirit (light) with our actions (our LOVE!)!!!
How yoga has changed my life
Hello! My name’s Celine, and I’d like to tell you a story about life and yoga.
It starts with a whole lot of pain.
Born in 1977, growing up in a dysfunctional family on Montreal’s South Shore, I lived through a bunch of abusive relationships and heartbreaks, broken trust, severe car crashes, depressions, my mother’s abrupt death by suicide and my father’s decline by alcoholism and Alzheimer’s disease.
Today, this list makes me laugh! Can you believe it?
At the time, however, I had to learn that I could escape my surroundings, but not my broken mind and soul.
I left the province in 1995, at eighteen, and only came back in 2011, after living most of my adult life in the Ottawa and Calgary regions. In 2001, I managed to graduate with honours and medals from Ottawa University in Occupational Therapy and Psychology.
Always passionate about health, well-being and healing, I had the blessing of working eight years in neck and back rehabilitation, functional and vocational training, geriatrics and pediatrics.
“Despite professional success, my life felt like a dark and sick lie for the longest time.”
Behind the masks of a nice house, new truck, stable work with a respectable title, advantages and good salary, I still felt myself dying inside and often considered following my mother’s path.
Haunted by the demons of my past, I numbed myself into socially acceptable addictions: food, television, my children and engaging in doomed love relationships, always reenforcing my victim attitude and ever-present dissatisfaction with my life. My thoughts were constantly dark and negative, and I ended up on antidepressant medication.
With the shame of living what felt like a lie, I suffered from many health problems:
- Incapacitating migraines
- Neck pain
- Allergies
- Asthma
- Excessive weight
“The change came when spirituality and yoga found me.”
Having been raised without religion, in a moment of intuition, I purchased “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, a book that helped me connect with my inner truth in a way I never had before.
Shortly after, yoga found me in 2006-2007. Both helped me lose fifty pounds without effort in that one year!
My lifestyle improved radically. Eliminating dairy products, bread and pasta, my mental clarity skyrocketed! I knew I had found my way out.
In 2008, still shy and insecure, I took a yoga teacher training intensive in Vinyāsa and Power Hatha yoga. I really believed I would never enjoy public speaking, so my goal at the time was to only improve my personal practice. Guess what happened?
“You just can’t underestimate the transformative power of yoga.”
One cannot underestimate the power of a yoga mat! What a mirror this yoga mat is!
- It allowed my frustrations to melt into surrender.
- It transformed my competitive attitude and impatience into humility and compassion.
- It turned my fears into inspiration and motivation.
Oh! Yummy... How life works wonders! After graduating, I started right away to work as a teacher.
“I’m fulfilled today – but I wouldn't have made it alone!”
I thank my guides and teachers, as they helped me believe in my wildest dreams. One of the major catalysts of my transformation was my Spiritual Mother Amma (Mata Sri Amritanandamayi). She is the saint who gives darshan (hugs) to everyone, unifying all religions through unconditional love.
I’m so grateful I got the courage to plunge. I left my career as a professional O.T. to live only from my passion: yoga. I simplified my living arrangements and felt so much lighter!
In 2012, back in Montreal, after the birth of my second son, I purchased a yoga studio. During these challenges and stresses (of amazing growth!), I discovered the benefits of Pranayama, Yin, Restorative and Nidra yoga on emotional balance and on nervous system healing.
“Listen… It's never too late. Let’s partner up for your healing.”
For the first time in my life, I'm filled with deep joy and happiness.
I feel good in my skin and I love my skin! I'm now stronger, leaner, more beautiful and balanced than I have ever been in my life. It’s proof that age really does not matter! It's never too late!
Every day, I rediscover the power of manifesting a new reality with awareness, joy, beauty and love and I invite you to meet me on that path.
My dream is to co-create, with YOU, a commUnity of healers: because it is by healing ourselves that we can help others and the planet to heal.
Qualifications
- B.Sc. Occupational Therapy, University of Ottawa, ON
- B.A. Psychology, University of Ottawa, ON
- Calgary Hot Yoga (Kim McMullen), Calgary, AB
- Journey to Light (Christine Wushke) Calgary, AB
- Aarona Pichinson (Yoga of Nourishment, NYC)
- Joe Barnett (Yin Yoga) Ottawa, ON
- Linda Leclerc, (Yoga du Rire, Dr. Kataria) Montreal, P.Q
- Alissa Cohen, Raw Food Chef, Calgary, AB
- David Wolfe – Soul’s Journey, Orangeville, ON
- David Wolfe’s Nutrition Course, Body Mind Institute, Calgary, AB
- Victoria Boutenko Weekend Workshop, Calgary, AB
- Daniel Vitalis Weekend Workshop, Calgary, AB
- Raw Foods 2 weeks intensive- David Wolfe and Elaine Love, Hawaii, USA
- CPR and First Aid Certified, St-John’s Ambulance, Calgary, AB