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July 15, 2014
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July 31, 2014

A Little About Rose-Marie Thériault

Rose-Marie

Q. What was your life before teaching yoga and barre?
A. I grew up in Montreal, and everybody in my house had an arts practice. Opera and French songs were always playing in the background…
I took my first ballet class at the age of 3 and at 16 years old I decided to become a professional dancer, which I did after six more years of intense training. I became a freelance contemporary dancer and life was hard. I struggled with so many aspects of my life and realized that I was quite unhappy and that I was sacrificing my health for reasons that weren’t very clear to me. During that time, I started working the front desk at a yoga studio in the city and that opened a whole new chapter of my life. I discovered incredible teachers, life changing teachings and started to walk the path towards a more authentic, healthier and fuller life.
I moved to Calgary a little less than two years ago, and I am now teaching full time, offering yoga, pilates and barre classes.

Q. Why did you start practicing yoga?
A. At first, I was simply a dancer wanting to gain even more strength and flexibility…
But soon after, yoga became much, much more. It became my main and most supportive practice. Over the past eight years, it has helped me navigate my life, offering me anchor during both difficult and joyous times. It continues to teach me to be present and fully engaged in my life.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure?
A. I am slowly learning to take the guilt out of pleasure 😉 I do have a sweet spot for good coffee and I think it’s just a matter of finding a balance that works for you. I used to be so strict with myself and it was just too stressful… life is too short!

Q. What does a typical day look like in your life?
A. My day gravitates around my teaching schedule which varies quite a bit. I absolutely love mornings and unless I teach a very early class, I take it slow. It usually involves Ayurvedic cleansing routines, meditation, feeding the kitty and some catching up with emails and facebook. It’s always a very quiet, sacred time in the house!
Then off I go to teach, travelling around the city using transit (you can’t take the Montreal girl out of me!). The rest of my day is usually spent planning my classes, doing some form of mind-body practice (could be yoga, pilates, swimming) and cooking, which has become such a great passion over the years. Spending time in my (tiny) kitchen is always such a grounding and creative part of my day. I also usually try to squeeze in a little afternoon nap with my partner who works at night! That often is the only time of the day when our schedules sync-up…

Q. Where do you see yourself in 5 – 10 years?
A. I can only wish to keep growing on this path… My life has been changing so much in the past few years that it’s hard to tell what’s ahead for me. Trust the journey, they say!
Traveling has been in the planning for quite some time and hopefully my work will bring me to places. Also, my partner is training to become a scuba-diving instructor and I would love to somehow work with him. Yoga can be a great tool for divers!

Q. How did you come to Santosha?
A. Earlier this year, a dancer friend of mine told me that Candace was looking for someone to teach a more mindful type of barre classes at her yoga studio. She wanted a slower pace class that could integrate the mind-body connection to the barre technique. I was so thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the different elements of my background together. It has been a great journey so far and I’m glad to see how beneficial the class can be for yoga practitioners. It’s an excellent way to complement the practice and bring balance to different muscle groups. And it’s a fun way to approach your body differently!

Q. Anything else fun and random you’d want to include?
A. Well, they say I’m an old soul and for quite some time, my friends used to call me ‘granny’…
Also, I once dreamt of becoming an actress… or a rock star… or an osteopath… or a midwife… or a professional cook… only fools don’t change their minds, I suppose!