ABOUT
Hello, I'm Audrey, a 700hr RYT- Yoga instructor and ACE Fitness Personal trainer. I've taught over 5,000 hours of classes, retreats and personalized programs. I started my movement journey from ground zero and worked hard to completely transform myself from the inside out. I began yoga without any flexibility or strength. My mom took me to my first Hatha class in 1998 to help me deal with anxiety and lack of confidence. We practiced together two times per week. It was the first time I felt I could take a deep breath! I innately sensed there was something very special about yoga, but during that time I was more interested in running and team sports. Even with lack of coordination and being overweight I still loved being active with friends. As an Empath, I often used unhealthy habits to deal with my emotions. To compensate feeling drained and over-stimulated I used alcohol and tobacco in hopes to numb myself. After many years of feeling unbalanced, I didn't want to live my life like that anymore, so I decided to finally commit to transform into the person I wanted to be. For over 10 years now, I have fully immersed myself in a life of health. I am dedicated to my daily practice of yoga, meditation and breathwork. I also enjoy fasting, quality nutrition and as much time in nature as possible. Anything related to optimizing the capacity our brains, testing limits and using full potential as human beings fascinates me. My passion is to bring what worked for me to you. I understand the struggles and life's roadblocks. I am here to share my energy and tools to assist others.
-Turn Pain into Power-
We all work on ourselves for different reasons. Sometimes it's a painful experience that instigates our desire to change. For me this all began as I was trying to cope with a family tragedy. In 2006 my oldest sister and mother were in a bicycle accident. My sister lost her life and my mother suffered from a severed C3 spinal chord, which left her body fully paralyzed from the neck down. It was utterly heartbreaking. We knew nothing about quadriplegia and couldn't imagine my mother would spend the rest of her life bound to a wheelchair. Since that accident, I have never taken the simple gift of movement for granted. The first thing I say when I wake up is - "Thank you life". After the accident I immediately dropped out of university and took full time care of my mom, as her "nurse" and companion. I couldn't fathom continuing my own life knowing she was in that condition. I was heartbroken and just wanted to give back the love and care she gave to her six kids. Despite her difficult situation, she remained positive and driven to keep a high quality of life. Amazingly, she taught herself how to paint using her mouth. Eventually she was able to support herself as a working artist. On a daily basis, she found small miracles that brought her joy. Those many years by her side are the most special to me. I can't express in words what it was like to bathe, dress and feed my mother. I slept for years on a sofa next to her bed and woke up in the middle of each night to bring her a sip of water, scratch her nose, adjust her blanket or read to her. Sometimes I would just sit quietly with my head on her heart so she didn't feel alone. Together we discovered silver linings. I discovered a form of gratitude I didn't know before. It was a period in my life of tremendous love and service toward my greatest teacher, my mother. She passed away in 2017, but still remains my hero. Whenever I feel unmotivated, I simply close my eyes and think of her. She refuels me with resilience and grace.
The outer strength that I have now is a small fraction compared to the inner strength I believe I gained from the past. Through my work, I am blessed to meet a wide range of inspiring people daily, like you, who have made challenges into purpose. We are at a turning point in human evolution, and I believe it is largely through our inner work that we affect the outcome of critical issues like climate change, the survival of the oceans, other species and our planet.
-My time is Asia-
At the end of my 20s, I moved to Shanghai where I resumed the life I had paused. With less than 500 dollars in my bank, I worked as many jobs as I could to survive, while studying Mandarin Chinese. I befriended a Shanghainese couple in their 70s who became an integral part of my life and treated me like a daughter. I spent years in their little music shop listening to stories about the cultural revolution, what it was like being avant-garde in a communist society, their views on politics, art, history, Chinese mindset and ancient wisdom. As my original major was Cultural Anthropology at university, I was captivated by their stories. I felt privileged to have a rare peak into the complexity and richness of Chinese culture.
For work, I was fortunate to find a position at the University of Shanghai as a cross-cultural communications instructor within the tourism industry. Later this led me to collaborate with EuropaCorp and China Film Company as a translator for scripts and dialogue coach for Chinese, Hong Kong and Korean actors. Even though I enjoyed this industry, I felt a desire to do something deeper with the valuable lessons I had learned from my past. A big surrendering happened for me over the next few years while I lived in Asia. I completely let go of caring about how others perceived me personally and professionally. I let go of the desire to "achieve" or to conform to society's expectations. I allowed myself time to "simply be" and to create. I diminished false belief systems I had about myself that had stemmed from childhood. I developed new beliefs that felt nourishing. I explored everything I felt curious about - all forms of yoga I could find, vipassana meditation, ayurveda, acupuncture, qigong and reiki. I went through a kundalini awakening which I will share more about one day. Those years were a diligent process of allowing, healing and growing. Ultimately, I felt empowered to be my most authentic self and to show up in this world as the person I believe I am meant to be. I shifted careers and here I am now sharing yoga and my values full-time in Geneva, Switzerland.
So that's me in a big nutshell! Believe me, I started my journey broken and weak. It's not easy for me to share these things here, but I allow this space to be vulnerable, so you can know more about me and why I have chosen this path. I hope it can serve you as a source of inspiration. We all know yoga is not about the asanas. A down dog can be more advanced than a handstand. It's about how it makes us feel, what we learn and what we do with it that counts.
Years after my mom was paralyzed, I took her back to our original yoga classroom. I moved her arms and legs for her while she focused on her breath. Such joy!
Yoga is truly for EVERY-BODY. I'm looking forward to sharing the practice with you.
The light within me sees and honors the light within you. Thank you for all you do. Namaste.
For those interested in my mother's incredible journey and artwork, you can learn more about her here :
