February 1, 2021

How yoga changed my life: The Story of Annabelle Picker

Tell us a little about yourself?

Hi! I am Annabelle, and I am from France. I arrived in Montreal in 2017 for work. I was supposed to stay 1 year, but I fell in love with the city, so I never went back to France. I have been practicing yoga since 2016, and I have been teaching it for 7 months. My favourite yoga practices are Vinyasa, Hatha, and Kundalini.

How has yoga impacted your life?

To me Yoga is the best way to teach both my mind and body how to find comfort in discomfort. It helps me to understand deep down that everything shall pass as long as we accept what is happening. When I am on my mat, I take the time to scan my body, and my emotions. When I notice something that is worrying me, I embrace it, so that the emotion can run its course and leave. When I feel something positive, I also take the time to emphasize it, and I take the time to feel it deeper. During my practice, I let go of every kind of resistance I have in life, accepting all my emotions, I allow them to be, and then pass, so that I can then be worry free.

When I practice yoga, I face what is possible, and what is not possible YET. Yoga teaches me patience, resilience, and humility. What happens on my mat, is the perfect illustration of what I want to practice more in life: patience, resilience and humility.

Indeed, practicing yoga is the best way I have to monitor my own growth, even the smallest improvements both on my mat and in my life. What I like the most, it’s that this journey of growing never ends …

“What happens on my mat, is the perfect illustration of what I want to practice more in life: patience, resilience and humility.”

How can someone change their Karma?

Karma means that everything you do, say, or think, has an impact. To me, Karma is that you reap what you sow, it's as simple as that. When something bad happens to you directly, most of the time, it’s the result of the sum of the decisions you made, such as something wrong you may have said, done, or thought. If you want good things in life, start by being good yourself, then you’ll only attract good things and good people, but it starts within you.

What are some of your values and how yoga has influence them?

Patience, resilience and humility as well as consistency. I used to be obsessed with movements and change. I always wanted quick results in my life, without taking the time to work with consistency over a long period of time. I used to be impatient and I wanted it all in the blink of an eye. My yoga practice taught me how to slow down, how to be consistent and how to be patient. It taught me to acknowledge my limits, and to work hard to get out of my comfort zone.

What do you think it would take for you to help the collective move forward?

I’d like to have a positive impact around me. I would like to share with people what I’ve learnt. Sometimes, by simply sharing your experience with people, you can help them. My mission is to help as many people as I can, with my tools which are my positivity and my enthusiasm. To me, there is nothing more valuable than being helped, and helping others in return, and that’s my purpose in life.

What are your hopes and wishes in terms of teaching?

I want to help people to feel more at peace in their minds, and in their bodies so that they are less anxious. Helping people release anxiety through practicing Yoga, is my hope.