About me and my journey
Hi, I'm Ana, founder of Armonyah.
I'm a Mindful Movement specialist, a recovering overachiever and stress addict, and someone who knows - first hand - what it means to battle with anxiety and its physical symptoms, but at the same time that the stress, tension and restlessness you experience and store in your body can be healed and released again, through your body.
This is my story...
the disconnect
Until the age of 31 I lived life caught up in my head, pressuring myself to perform, to be perfect, to fit in. I graduated from one of the most prestigious private universities in France with the highest praise with a Master's degree in Corporate Communications, spending the next 15 years working myself up the ladder of major corporations, all the way to being in charge of European PR and Communications for an American multinational who hired me for the 6 languages I speak.
But in 2016 my body put me to a full stop. I felt so angry, so lost. I didn't understand what was going on since I had always managed everything to perfection. I felt my body had let me down. Looking back, I realised I had repressed emotions (depression, anxiety...), aches and pains (scoliosis, migraines...), chronic inflammation (IBS, cramps...) and panic attacks for years. You may try to suppress, but your body remembers...
My body reminded me my life had always been about achieving, standing out, getting praise and making others proud. It reminded me I had lost track of who I was and where I wanted to go. It reminded me that without my job title, I didn't know my worth. It helped me reconnect with what had been most precious to me during my childhood and adolescence: finding joy and peace in movement.
After countless visits and thousands of euros spent on therapists, coaches and healers of all kinds, I finally decided to step back onto my mat. It was that private practice, away from the pressure I put on myself, connected to the inside vs. the outside that enabled me to FEEL again and to experience another definition of "success", of "aliveness" : one that only YOU can define for yourself.
returning home
I dove deep into these life-changing practices, absorbing as much as I could from instructors around the world, assimilating concepts and embodying exercises off the bat thanks to my past experience as a dancer, performer and patient: 20 years of ballet dancing, 4 years teaching and performing swing dance in Brussels, 10 years of competitive tennis, a decade of weekly physiotherapy sessions to relieve severe back pain, and of course my 15-year career as a multilingual communications professional - all made up a natural springboard for what turned out to be a very smooth transition into a career as Mind-Body practitioner.
After 4 years of personal healing, training and study, Armonyah was born in the most natural, beautiful way. Friends and acquaintances started noticing my transformation and were longing for the same results.​
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​I went from feeling drained, stuck and lost to gaining clarity about my dreams and goals and much more energy
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I gained self-efficacy, meaning I became able to take care of myself when it came to chronic my back pain instead of having to reach out to a health professional on a weekly basis
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I became less anxious and much more calm and centred, especially in stressful situations
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My body was as lean, supple and strong as ever
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My mood improved drastically, going from depressed and anxious to joyful and optimistic
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My mind went from scattered and a state of constant overflow to a much greater focus and attention span
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I released imbalances and blocages including gut issues, chronic inflammation, bloating, skin issues, fatigue, chronic pains...to name a few
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I switched my mindset, my philosophy and the lifestyle I led
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Since 2020, Armonyah has helped over a hundred clients improve their lives and switch from feeling stuck and stagnant, to experiencing presence and power.
MY APPROACH
The women I coach are active, ambitious, restless and find it hard and uncomfortable to slow down in their everyday life. They often admit they didn't enjoy their previous yoga / mindfulness experience at all before meeting me. When they try yoga or meditation upon their doctor's or therapists' advice, they feel like running out of the class half way through because they get the jitters - there's not enough action and the teachers oftentimes speak what seems like incomprehensible "spiritual gibberish". You know what? That's exactly how I felt during my first Thai-Chi class: I wanted out, and fast !
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I pride myself with changing my client's perceptions of what it means to move mindfully, and getting them hooked once they get a taste of what it feels like to be truly embodied, to tune in and feel life flowing within. I do this by holding a safe space for each and everyone to gain the self-confidence and awareness to start adapting postures to their unique body and start exploring what feels good - because there is no "one fits all" movement practice. I am merely here as a guide helping you dive into your body, so you can discover the true YOU, feel YOU and let it all be - right there.
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I very often receive feedbacks regarding the power of my voice - a soothing guide that helps even my more sceptic and restless students ease into the moment and into the messages I oftentimes channel as I guide meditations.
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I prefer holding sessions outside whenever possible - preferably on Almaterra Conscious Resort where I currently have the pleasure of living, or at the Ocean which is 15 minutes away - to benefit from Mother Nature's healing powers.
MY mission
I am here to support you on this inner journey so that you too, can anchor yourself back into the present moment through your BODY and your BREATH. They are your greatest companions, always at your disposal and completely free - so why not learn to work with them to release tension, build inner strength and embark upon a journey that can shift your inner and thus outer world in ways you'd never imagined ?
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Remember, you have nothing to prove, only to feel. No more comparing, no competing, no achieving - there is only whatever is in the moment.
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You became who you needed to be in order to survive ;
Now it's time to become who you want to be, in order to thrive.