In recent years, we’ve seen a shift in how we talk about mental health. People are learning how to take better care of their mental health, which can often lead to an improvement in physical health as well. Saint-Anicet resident Carole Collinet is a yoga instructor who uses the practice to help her clients connect to their spirituality, improve their mental and physical health, and help them better understand themselves. Over the past year and a half, she has offered classes across the Valley through her practice, Yoga Toa.
Collinet has been doing yoga for many years, but not regularly. A few years ago, she was experiencing a lot of anxiety and panic attacks. “I started meditating and doing more yoga, and I really felt the benefits,” she shares. She decided to take a course to become a yoga instructor, mostly for herself. She hoped that by doing this she could learn as much as possible about the discipline. The course taught her how put different sequences of movements together on her own. While taking the class, she realized that she really enjoyed teaching, which led to her launching Yoga Toa about a year and a half ago.
Everyone is welcome at Collinet’s yoga classes; however, she has noticed that students tend to be mostly women. She hopes to create a space where people can be included, no matter what their ability is. This year, she gave classes in “chair yoga” for people with limited mobility. This is a way for these folks to still participate and receive the mental and physical benefits of yoga classes, but without the barrier of mobility issues.
These classes ended up being entirely made up of older women. She noticed that a lot of these women seemed to have a really positive experience with the spiritual side of the yoga practice. For some of them, they expressed it was the first time listening to their body and their breath. “There’s no age limit to getting to know yourself and better understanding yourself,” Collinet says.
This year, she offered courses in Saint-Anicet and was the only yoga teacher in the town. Although the turnout was small, she had four or five regulars who attended every class. She has also been giving free classes in Valleyfield on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM, and Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:00 AM, with chair yoga on Tuesdays. These take place at Parc de la Pointe aux Anglais and will continue until the last Wednesday in August. These classes are special because they feature a live violinist who accompanies the class.
Collinet has recently started leading yoga classes on paddleboards. She had been paddling for some time, and knew that such classes existed, though she had never taken one. Instead, she created her own movement sequences for a new class.
“On a yoga mat we have stability. We’re in control of ourselves because it doesn’t move and we’re not in direct contact with waves,” she explains. This means that participants in paddleboard yoga have to go back to basics and re-learn how find balance in a new environment. “It’s a bit like being on a boat. When you first get on, you can feel like you’ve lost your equilibrium, but the longer you’re on the boat the more you get used to it, regardless of the waves. The body adapts to the situation,” she says. These courses are offered on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. at the Port Lewis Marina for $20, or $30 with rental equipment. Classes are paid for at the door.
Collinet reminds people that “Taking care of your physical health helps take care of your mental health.” Though there are not a lot of places to practice yoga in the Valley, she encourages people to give it a try, and experience the benefits for themselves. It’s also nice to take a break, and feel more present.