Valentine Leonard, Ph.D & E-RYT500
Yoga + Coaching
Through October
Through October
Yoga @overton park
Sundays at Noon
Thursdays at 5:30 pm
"To inspire people to live their most truthful and beautiful life"
I wrote my doctoral dissertation in philosophy on creativity, memory, and the unconscious. Through yoga, meditation, dream work, psychotherapy, philosophy, creative writing, music, and dance, I have spent the last 30 years exploring this uncharted territory of the “unthought”—a much broader, poetic, creative, and joyful understanding of who we are and what we are here to do. My passion is to share the tools and insights I have gathered along my journey and 25 years of teaching experience to help us live more authentic and beautiful lives.
Valentine Leonard
Education
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Ph.D in Philosophy, University of Memphis
- E-RYT 500 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher)
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Spiritual Mentorship Certificate, Atlantic University
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Creative Writing Workshop Facilitator, AWA (Amherst Writers and Artists)
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BA, Euuopean Cultural Studies & Philosophy, American University in Paris
Published Books
Yoga: The Good Life
It all started with philosophy. First, wonder, and then in its wake all the questions, or rather THE question: What is a Good life? A True life? I did a Ph.D to think about it, a thesis on creativity in thought. Halfway through, I came up against the pitfall of classical thought, that is, the body. The living, desiring, joyful, sweating, ailing, healing, aging, moving, and emotional body. This is how yoga arrived, an unexpected but obvious answer because it is both embodied and transcendent to THE question: What is the True life?
If we speak of True Life, is it because there is a “false” life: a life devastated by the struggle for domination and money, by ready-made ideas, by desensitized bodies and hearts? True Life is colorful, surprising, profound; it sometimes breaks our hearts because it pulsates in a body that breathes, that runs out of breath, that dreams, desires, feels and experiences.
Yoga teaches us to refine our sensory system to be more aware, and to strengthen our nervous system to be more awake. Then we can embrace life, activate our talents and creativity, no longer be a stowaway in our own body, marvel at the small and big things, know that we are connected to all that is, nourish ourselves with this vital impulse that propels evolution and gives us the means to accompany the formidable paradigm shift currently underway, towards a world more fair, harmonious and beautiful.
A dedicated yoga and meditation practitioner for 25 years, it is when I discovered Kundalini yoga 15 years ago that I decided to move up a gear. I trained in the United States and Europe with masters faithful to the oldest traditions but free from any dogmatism (Ravi Singh, Kirantana Kaur Khalsa, Satyavrati Yogi). Thanks to their teaching, my passion, and 25 years of experience as a teacher from college to kindergarten, I lead yoga teacher training courses, group and private classes, and international yoga + creative writing retreats (France, Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, etc.). Creating a group dynamic that reassures and inspires, connects and liberates, has become my specialty.
Also known as the yoga of awareness, Kundalini Yoga is an art and technology that allows you to unlock your creative potential through breath, movement, meditation, and chanting. Classes alternate between intense and light effort to work the heart, the nervous system, the glandular system, and the spiritual dimension.
(or pay when we meet)
Prix
Cours: $11
Privé: $88 / heure
In Yin Yoga, the emphasis is on deep tissue release. Most postures are practiced on the floor, targeting major muscle groups and the hips, and held for a few minutes. Use your breath to slowly stretch deep connective tissues and achieve deep relaxation through nervous system regulation.
Kundalini Wake-Up Series 🇺🇸
Kundalini Shakti Yoga 🇺🇸
Yin Yoga for the Spine 🇺🇸
Yin Yoga heart & lungs 🇫🇷
Find all my videos on Vimeo and YouTube
Coming Soon: Video on Demand Classes & Courses!
Coaching
Meaning is to our soul what air, food, and shelter are to our body. Without it, our failures feel like total collapse, and our victories leave us without lasting satisfaction. I offer personalized, multidimensional support—just like you!—that combines philosophical exploration of the unthought, somatic work (free movement, yoga), meditation, and creativity.
Dharma Quest
What is the gift you have to offer the world?
“The two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain
We will draw inspiration from the ideas of visionaries like Edgar Cayce and Carl Jung to:
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Clarify your core value – your personal spiritual ideal: peace, love, joy, creation…
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Take inventory of your talents, abilities, and strengths – the cornerstones of your purpose in life.
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Choose the words that express your mission: the gift you have to offer the world to move it forward.
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Consider your life path from a broader perspective, on which you can always rely to achieve your goals and not let yourself be discouraged by difficulties.
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The protocol includes five 60-minute sessions.
I will guide you through fun and enriching exercises and help you develop a concrete action plan.
Available in person or on Zoom.
Spiritual Coaching
Restoring Meaning For Those Who Seek
FOR WHAT ?
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To restore meaning to life
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To see things more clearly, to make a difficult decision, to turn the page
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To discover untapped inner resources
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To have a room of your own
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To cultivate more authentic relationships
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To unleash your creativity
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To feel more inner peace and vitality
FOR WHOM?
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All those who suffer, who question, who seek
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Creatives who want to create more, more regularly or less alone
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Poets, philosophers, mystics
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Bodies wanting more energy, power and well-being
HOW ?
Modalities include:
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Attentive listening
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Philosophical advice
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Meditation
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Dream Work
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Creative writing
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Somatic work (free movement, yoga)
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Life Mission (Dharma Quest)
Private sessions in person or on Zoom.
Past life regression
Embody the wisdom of all your past experiences
Past-life regression, used wisely, is a valuable tool for improving the quality of your present life. Queen or servant, soldier or saint, who you once were isn't as important as who you are today. You are the sum total of all your past experiences.
What strengths did you acquire in your past lives? Are you making full use of them today? What mistakes did you make? Are you repeating the same self-destructive patterns today? The more knowledge and understanding you have of your past experiences and how they influence your reactions to people, places, and events, the closer you will be to true freedom.
Private in-person sessions only.
Creative Writing Workhsops
“Not just writing, it’s a transcendental experience.” David
"This was just the “kick start” I needed to get back in the groove and start writing again!" Julie
"MeWE has encouraged me to take on a larger (and much postponed) writing project which is now becoming a reality." Constance
It works like this:
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We gather in person or on zoom (12 participants max).
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I offer varied prompts and timed exercises to generate new writing, experiment with diverse forms (prose, poetry, drama) and improve our craft.
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We write freely for the allotted time (between 5 and 40 minutes).
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We read to the group what we just wrote-if we feel like it.
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We give and receive supportive feedback.
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All levels of experience are welcome.
Author of the novel Even the Breath (Lavender Ink, 2016) and AWA* certified writing workshop leader, I honor the courage and vulnerability of all writers by making a safe space and a supportive community for any adult (16+) who wishes to explore their own voice(s).
*AWA: Amherst Writers and Artists is a wonderful method developed by Pat Schneider. The organization offers group leadership training and certification. I have been an AWA certified workshop leader since 2007.
Comments
"Authentic, down to earth, passionate, Valentine transmits with wisdom and joy the Yoga that makes her vibrate and it is contagious."
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"Thank you Valentine for your practices which helped me to find inner peace, fluidity in my life, a less painful body, and to make choices for a more harmonious life."
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"Valentine is a beautiful person, so complete that you never get to the bottom of her literary, philosophical or historical resources. All of this with finesse, humor and grounding ... During each class I experience a gratitude that gives me immense wings of happiness, creative energy, mental space ... and it feels good !! "
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"I've taken both Kundalini and Yin classes with Valentine and can't recommend them enough. She brings a very high level of thought and care to her classes, and her intelligence and deep study come through clearly. Her insights, as she guides us through practice, stay with me long after class has ended and I always leave enlightened, refreshed and smiling. "
