Portrait of Caroline Suter, yogi artist, hippy & nomad
Caroline can you introduce yourself?
Yogi, artist, poet, hippy, nomad are all words that define me! Curious about life, I like to discover other landscapes, new cultures, meet people, share. It is probably for all these reasons that I chose to teach yoga - adults and children. Connecting with people, transmitting the pleasure of practice and seeing the smile appear at the end of the classes, that's what makes me happy!
My training in Bali allowed me to develop a holistic approach - integrating the best of ancestral traditions with the most effective modern healing modalities. I thus created Body & Soul Flow™ Yoga - a style that suits me and is inspired by the different yogas that fascinate me. For 2 years I have been offering yoga coaching courses and retreats for women in order to experience a free, strong and caring femininity. I love co-creation and one of the projects I am proud of is the new "Art and Yoga" mediation at the Annecy Castle Museum.
How did you get into taking care of yourself?
I started yoga almost 15 years ago, at the time I was working in the events sector in Geneva and I was living life at 100 miles an hour. My body had given me warnings that I had not listened to. I had a lot of trouble managing periods of stress and so it ended up crystallizing in the body. That's when I decided to take up yoga, on recommendation, to learn to slow down and breathe. And there I discovered the importance of breathing and I immediately felt the benefit of refocusing, of cutting myself off from the outside agitation.
What practice for your well-being?
Connecting with nature is essential - in fact it is my primary source of inspiration for my classes. Fortunately I live in Annecy between the lake and the mountains. When I am at home, I like to create a relaxing atmosphere, with incense and meditate in front of my altar - where there are my stones and statues brought back from my travels. I have a real passion for books, which I buy faster than I read. I am a visual artist so when I have time: painting and writing, because creativity greatly contributes to my balance, as do traveling, which I do depending on the yoga studios. I never travel without my Jade mat.
What is the ritual of your practice?
I always connect my practice with the energy of the moment (change of season, moon cycles, etc.) because what happens in nature also connects to "our nature" within us. I always integrate a theme into my classes to develop positive thinking, which is a bit lacking in our Western world, and thus recreate the connection with the Universe. And always with a nice playlist to let yourself be carried away.
What do you get out of it?
Serenity, empowerment and confidence in the Universe and in my path. I am learning to listen to myself more too.
What do you carry in your yoga bag?
The treadmill of J essential oils that I apply before or after the course depending on my energy. Without forgetting my speaker for music.
What is your favorite object/accessory?
My mala bought in Bali while I was doing my first training. It symbolizes this turning point in my life and helps me connect to my intentions.
What would be your advice for Tayrona Yoginis?
As I tell my students, yoga is above all about feeling, not performance. The image conveyed by social networks is far removed from what yoga is, which is above all an art of living, where we certainly work the physical body - and not only - but we do not seek to be contortionists. This is why I always suggest trying things out to find the right style and teacher. The yoga mat is magical, it is like a mirror - as you are on the mat, you are in life! It will accompany your changes and revelations off the mat as well.
Yoga is also a journey towards oneself, we understand it as we practice. In a lifetime we will do thousands of downward dog poses, but they will all be different, because we are never the same (physically and mentally), from one day to the next, and even in one day. So, it is important to connect to the present moment, to the feeling and the rest will follow.
Where/how do you practice?
A practice in the morning will condition the rest of the day, so as soon as I can I take advantage of this energy. I do a mix: a flow where movement and breath harmonize, then a meditation with a time to set my intention for the day.
What is your mantra/favourite phrase?
She is such a fetish that she is tattooed on my arm:
"Live the life you love - Love the life you live"
And Oscar Wilde “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken. »
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