The most difficult part of all this website and business building sits right here in trying to write a bio about myself. In order for me to believe in myself, this is the practice of me, seeing me. Vulnerable and honest. This is the the part where I roll my eyes, hold my breath, and find an excuse to step away from the computer ;-)
Basically to start....I am real.
humour ~ honesty ~ humbleness
This is what sets me apart, makes me different.
The worlds of energy, yoga and spirituality can carry a weight of seriousness and intensity that I feel the need to lift and defuse. Don't get me wrong, I am not afraid to make you work when its called for but it's carried from a place of compassion. The ability for tenderness and a bit of laugh when things go sideways in our practice and day-to-day life is key.
Humour: in welcoming the human condition.
Honesty: in embracing that sometimes life does not go as planned.
Humbleness: in accepting that we are on this journey together, each of us experiencing it differently.
teacher
Teaching, it's in my blood. My first experience of teaching was through martial arts in my teenage years. After a while the teacher calling came back and I committed to 13 years of instructing and coaching snowboarding. This is where I realised my teaching audience. I started up the chain in gaining experiences and courses in coaching higher-end athletes in the sport of boarder cross. I could feel my teaching passion slipping out from underneath me. I found out then that my love for teaching lies at the grass roots level. Introducing people to a new sport, passion and even way of life was
(and still is) what really lights a fire in my heart.
Moving to the flat lands of the Netherlands required another search for teaching...
Women's gatherings: a first logical step since I held them in Canada, sharing the tools of practice and meditation and learning to listen and hold space for others.
Chi Kung: introduced to various practices starting in 2006 and now being called to share.
Kundalini Yoga: early 2018 the year long training began and before the training was over I had started to teach! Yoga has been a part of my life for so long it was a natural integration as a teacher to be a conduit of this knowledge for others.
grounding
One foot in the physical and one in the energetic.
When you are teaching and working in the arena of energy it's important to have activities that ground. These things outside of teaching and study are what help keep me focused in this reality, grounded to this earth, connected to my body.
Travel for the purpose of seeing the human similarities in all of us and playing in places of power. Cooking and nourishing my body with good foods. Physical activities in snowboarding, bouldering, mountain biking, swimming and yoga. Being creative with art, photography and poetry. Caring for my plants. Being open to hugging the odd tree and getting my bare feet on the earth.
And counselling! Yup, I said it. It's important to openly admit to in order to start removing the stigma around this work. As my subconscious grows and the layers of my consciousness reveal themselves, its important to work through these things with someone outside of my personal circle of friends and family....besides, its not their shit to deal with anyways ;-)
seeker
This is where I say I have been meditating and practicing yoga since I was a teenager, have had active energy practice since my mid 20's and been in study in various traditions and belief systems for about the same time.
As much as this statement is true, the actual structure of it is not cumulative. To be honest I have practiced and left the path, found my way back on, got bounced right off, had moments of WTF and been blessed with glimpses of Grace.
I have heard and not listened and I have listened and given my all.
It has taken work and an ability to trust to move on this path of ebb and flow.
And how do I know I am heading in the right direction? The duration of not seeking decreases, the time of listening and active practice increases. The wisdom slowly becomes more clear, the alignment and synchronicity more apparent. I take every moment, through each dark, bright and simple hour, as a chance to learn and grow, contemplate and question.
I am not the centre of attention, you are the centre of my attention.
Caroline McHugh ~ Tedx Talk ~ The Art of Being Yourself