I believe that facing emotional & physical challenges on our spiritual path is not a sign of failure.
It’s what has the power to free our frozen hearts to be spacious, peaceful, loving and joyful again.
Have you ever thought…
- I would be happier if my spiritual practice could help me get rid of the suffering in my life.
- I am falling short because I am not able to be a person I love in so many situations, even after so many years of spiritual practice.
- My yoga and meditation practice is not working because I am struggling so much emotionally and physically right now.
- I am still so messed up, even after years and years of practicing yoga and meditation. I must have done something wrong.
- Is my spiritual path really able to help me to live a happier life?
Hi, I’m Charlene,
And I’ve been there too!
I know what it’s like to doubt yourself and your path. I know how much it hurts to be searching for an easier way through happiness and peace after years of practice.
Maybe you had amazing experiences of freedom, clarity and expansion thanks to yoga and meditation, but now your practice has become unsettling and even painful.
I know how discouraging it feels to lose connection with those expanded states of being and to feel constricted, disillusioned and overwhelmed by the very dark places that your practice reveals.
I sincerely believe that any struggles you’re experiencing on your spiritual path are not “in your way” and you don’t need to get rid of them or to”purify” them.
They are actually the way to become calmer, more open, and easeful. They invite you to integrate a part of you that is habitually contracted. And by doing so, they can help you access the power of your own body to awaken from the inside out.
THE ONLY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE TO ASK YOURSELF ARE:
Do I have all the ressources that I need to welcome these inner challenges with tenderness and love?
Do I have the capacity, on my own, to relax into what I am feeling now? Or would it be so much quicker and easier to do so, if I get support on my journey?
This healing process does not need to be a painful struggle.
And you do not need to do it alone.
Has anyone ever told you:
“Yoga and meditation are not meant to be “feel good” practices. They are here to show you the truth. And truth is not always comfortable.”
While it’s true that your practice won’t always make you feel good, I know how discouraging and confusing it can feel to hear these comments from your teacher or other students.
It makes you think that you must take the blame for the distress that you are experiencing right now. That your expectations about yourself and your inability to accept your own shortcomings are the reasons why you don’t really feel like practicing anymore.
However, that’s not what is happening. The discomfort that you are experiencing is not the darkest part of you. It’s simply a reflection of some strategies, like anger or numbness, that your younger self adopted to protect you from being hurt. You’re simply projecting your past onto your present. That’s why you feel unsettled.
You are now acknowledging that there is also discomfort involved in this protective mechanism. And you are simply willing to learn how to update it, so that you can be more aligned with who you are right now, which is beautiful. To do so, the intelligence at play within this old protection needs to be felt, honored and integrated. That, to me, is what healing is all about.
This integration of your past into presence is a training in tenderness and humility. Slowly but surely, it will enable you to find this inner spaciousness and peace to respond to your daily life rather than react.
Let’s explore this path together!
Which side of the pendulum do you typically fall into?
As our life unfolds, challenges arise and we all experience the full scope of the pendulum. All those states are in you, but they are not you.
When you know how to listen to your nervous system, you have the freedom to name the state your are in and to chose the most appropriate way to come back quickly to a grounded, peaceful and easeful way of being.
Whether you want to find freedom from anxiety, overthinking, dissatisfaction, loneliness, sadness, or depression, I can support you.
I know exactly what it feels like to be haunted by my emotions, even after years of spiritual practice.
I discovered yoga during my first year living in India. Jyoti, my first yoga teacher used to welcome me, in her morning class, held at 6 am, in one small empty room of her apartment. I was her youngest students (21 years old at that time), surrounded by 10 elderly Indian men and women, all above 60 years old. I was the least flexible of them all! They had all come to Jyoti after severe accidents or illnesses, and were now so flexible and so strong! I’m not sure I would have carried on my yoga practice if I hadn’t witnessed the amazing physical benefits they had gained from yoga.
When I returned to France, I was motivated to practice daily on my own, thanks to what I learned. What I enjoyed about yoga was how it connected me back to my body, to my breath, to a felt sense of inner aliveness. I loved the feel-good, energizing and calming effect my practice had on me. But I also noticed how fleeting this feeling was.
I was practicing yoga every day for years, and yet, I wasn’t the peaceful, resilient, loving person I was hoping to become...
Many times, I also felt very irritated, or sad after practicing, and I wasn’t able to understand why. I was so ashamed to experience those sudden bursts of emotions.
This longing for inner peace guided me towards meditation.
But it took me a while before I found a meditation style I could connect with. Everything I initially tried felt like a dry, mental exercise, which was disconnected from the aliveness of my heart.
I could experience the calming benefit of the practice when I was doing it, but the aftermath was even worse than my yoga practice. It seemed to activate the emotional reactions I wanted to get rid of even more strongly.
Our human heart is big enough to hold all our emotions and pains
I kept searching for another way, until I discovered the somatic meditation offered by Reggie Ray.
Reggie’s approach to meditation was so nourishing. It helped me find a place of safety and rest within my own body.
I simply fell in love with this inner space, that enabled me, for the first time, to see myself with the eyes of tenderness and love, and to feel:
“There’s a healing for me here!
There’s healing here for everyone!”.
My willingness to deepen my connection to this inner refuge, led me to several group meditation retreats, where I was humbled to see all of us from this place of love, as we were going through the ups and downs of our emotions.
Like most of us, I grew up in an environment where if you feel overwhelmed, you should be ashamed and get in control of your emotion. Where tears, despair, anger and so many more emotions were unwelcome.
Where suffering was considered as a sign of failure, showing that you are not making it somehow, because you can’t shape up and control yourself. Where I learnt to always shine and never grieve. To perform rather than to be sincere.
During these retreats, I experienced that our human heart is big enough to hold all our grief, our anger, our rage and our pains, but that we often need the presence of someone else’s heart to remember this natural ability in us.
These deep openings in my heart brought back into light more inner challenges and I also realized I need more resources to thread my path.
That’s when I started incorporated in
Energy Healing Techniques applied to Yin Yoga
Intuitive Art, Journaling, and Free Writing
Restorative Yoga
Yoga Nidra
I discovered is that there are many possible pathways into healing and welcoming our inner challenges.
I believe that when resistance is coming up in your practice and you’re getting too activated, the answer isn’t to keep pushing forward.
Instead, it may be time to explore other complementary healing modalities.
There is not just one path, one way or one tool to discover your inner refuge. In fact, taking a multi-disciplinary approach might be just what you need.
Everything I teach today is based on what has worked for me on my own journey. I also recognize that you are unique and my role is to listen to you and honor your intuition and inner wisdom.
My deepest wish is to support you
Rest, Soften, Regenerate
Find more relaxation, serenity, and a sense of safety within and outside of yourself. Learn how to come back to this inner refuge, again and again.
Source From Your Heart
Align your life with your intuition and insight. And authentically share your unique gifts with the world, while feeling deeply nourished inside.
Embody Loving Presence
Bring more openness and clarity to each moment, so that your response to life come from your loving presence and insight, not from your past.
The values that guide my work
Safety
I believe safety empowers us to be in relationships with our bodies, and our minds, in a non-judgmental and compassionate way. I promise to offer you simple practices that you can use, anytime, anywhere in your everyday life, to feel more grounded and safer in your own body, despites the ups and downs of your path.
Simplicity
Simplicity allows us to be available to the subtle messages of our body, and insights that are always here for us. I promise to offer you enough time to feel your experience; as well as enough guidance on how to modify yopur practice for your own specific needs. My role is to encourage your to trust your inner wisdom, more than my knowledge.
Inclusivity
I believe that all aspects of ourselves and of our bodies need to be embrace through a lens of love and compassion, without judgment and discriminations. My intention is to provide you with the tools that you need to feel at home in your practice, regardless of your flexibility, your shape, your size, your gender etc. I promise you to hold a supportive and inclusive space, welcoming to all.
Choice
My deepest wish is to invite you on journey of self-discovery. Each offering is an invitation, never a should. At any time, if one of the practices offered does not feel right in your body, simply leave it aside and try something that sincerely resonates with your heart. I want you to know that you are always at choice in this process. Your boundaries and your “no” will always be respected and honoured as your inner wisdom.
Humility
I trust that our journey through life is meaningful. Every encounter is an opportunity to accept that we all still have so much more to learn. I promise you to remain a student of each moment, even when I, momentarily, take the role of the teacher. I believe we are here to grow together. I hold so much gratitude for your presence in my life, and I promise to remember that our time together really counts.
Empowerment
I believe we all have the power and the freedom we need to make a positive impact on the world, by choosing to turn every moment into a deep practice of becoming. Becoming someone we love. Becoming someone who appreciates what we have been able to give. Becoming someone who is able to receive. I promise to help you find this freedom in yourself. To offer you the support, the care, and the appreciation you naturally deserve, so that you too can shine your light into this world.
Fun Facts About Me
My cat taught me a lot… When Nala entered my life, I was not at all ready for her. My husband found her mum in a street of Phnom Penh 4 years ago. I had no intention to have a cat, I never did before… after one month, we had 4 at home! The mum + 3 babies. They sure taught me how to expand far beyond my comfort zone. We found 3 families full of love for the mum and the 2 male kittens and decided to keep Nala with us. She was the most vulnerable and fearful of the family. She is an amazing source of love for me these days.
I love snorkeling: I love exploring the silence, the colours, and the wildlife under water. The curiosity of the fishes and the turtles when I am among them, and the magical way they connect with me fascinates me.
I love hiking: From the lunar landscapes of Ladakh, to the wild jungles on Malaysia, passing through the Himalayas, and the Vietnamese paddy fields… It always makes me feel so fortunate to be alive.
I love caving: I have the great fortune to live in a part of the world where I can explore the underground world. So many enchanting landscapes, so many things to learn from our incredibly rich planet.
Why work with me?
As an acupuncturist and a reiki practitioner, I have noticed that so many of us give away our innate healing power to so-called “qualified” people, hoping for miracles to come. Healing never occurs this way: it requires the full participation of the person who is experiencing suffering.
This is the reason why, after 8 years of professional experience in acupuncture and reiki, I decided to embark on a journey towards becoming a trained Yoga and Meditation teacher, to be able to learn the skills that will allow me to empower you to reclaim your own freedom from suffering.
Certifications
- Yoga Nidra Teacher
- Energy Medicine Yoga Foundations Level Teacher
- Restorative Yoga Teacher
- Yin Yoga Teacher
- Vinyasa Yoga Teacher
- Hatha Yoga Teacher
- Reiki Master
- Acupuncturist
- Certified Thai Massage Therapist
The biggest lesson I learned is:
Awakening is not a process of becoming less and less sensitive.
It’s actually embodying our experience more fully, while maintaining a sense of inner safety, to be able to open our heart to each moment.
It’s also recognizing that your emotions and physical pains don’t define you. That you have the freedom to reinvent yourself in every moment. That’s very powerful!
1:1 Support
For Seasoned Yogis
You’ve been practicing yoga regularly for some time now in a gym, from home with an app, or in a yoga studio.
You experienced that beautiful sense of inner peace after your practice in the beginning, but recently, you’ve been feeling unsettled during and after your practice. If yoga has become disturbing and activating, instead of being one of the most peaceful parts of your day, this offering will support you.
Imagine discovering new ways of feeling supported, calm and grounded again. And find within yourself the resilience to be lovingly present to your experience.
Inspired to book your first session? Click here.
1:1 Support
For Wellness Professionals
You’re a yoga or mindfulness teacher, energy healer, massage therapist or any other wellness professional committed to your spiritual path.
Do you feel like your spiritual practice is not supporting you anymore to bring your best self to clients? Have you been finding yourself overthinking a lot, feeling anxious and more easily activated than usual? Is it difficult for you to ground despite all the techniques you already have in your toolbox?
I can help you restore your confidence in your spiritual path and gain clarity on how to honor your needs while sharing your unique gift.
Inspired to book your first session? Click here.