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Freedom is from within
Freedom is from within
Joseph Campbell wrote: “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.”
Finding who you are is a personal journey toward living a meaningful life.
Is becoming your authentic self. It means knowing, embracing, and accepting who you really are, and taking action according to your own values.
When you give yourself permission to be your authentic self, you can live free from others’ expectations and become the creator of your own life. You are honest with yourself and with others, taking ownership of what happens as a result of your choices and actions.
Finding who you are is living in alignment with your life purpose.
Is living to your fullest potential. It means aiming higher, expanding and growing into the person you want to be.
A meaningful life is one in which you feel connected to purpose - your contribution to the world - the way you use your unique talents to create a positive impact around you.
Living a meaningful life is living connected to your authentic self and to your purpose.
Now we have defined what living a meaningful life is, you must wonder how to achieve it!
The journey is unique to you, you are the only one who can define what would make your life meaningful.
Hopefully, there are a lot of resources and practical suggestions to help you find alignment between your inner self and the outer world.
In the Pagoda, you will find the tools to connect with your true self and your purpose.
Enter the Pagoda and begin your journey towards a blissful and meaningful life!
My name is Catherine Manin.
I was born and raised in France, where I received my academic education and started my professional career. I studied International Business in Strasbourg Business school, which curriculum allowed me to study one year in Tokyo and one year in Los Angeles, in partner universities.
After my studies, I moved to Paris where I was supposed to start a brilliant career in a large company as a worthy representative of the French educational elite.
I would have started with an internship to prove my value within the company. Then I would have had the position of assistant product manager, then junior product manager to finally evolve to a senior product manager position, or even if I had really managed everything well, to end up as a marketing director. I would have been invited to the alumni dinners where everyone compares their salary, their title, the size of their car, the thinness of their flat screen, or the number of options on their phone.
For that, I should have dedicated my life to building my career, between PowerPoint presentations, meetings, evaluations, and other seminars.
At the same time, I would have built my family life with two kids, a dog, and a cat, and I would have juggled deftly between these two lives to find a balance - and why not even happiness.
The prospect of this life all written down was already suffocating me. At that time - of course, I had no clue about this concept yet - I was not aligned with my authentic self.
And I felt terrible about it.
First of all, my parents have worked hard all their lives to pay for my studies and for me to access the financial wealth that they will never have. And how did I thank them? By giving up this chance and saying sorry this is not for me!
But I felt bad, especially towards my dad. He had so much ambition for his beloved daughter, and I was already envisioning how he would proudly talk about my successful career to his friends a few years from now.
But I just couldn’t play the game. I didn’t even want to be in the game!
I felt that I needed uncertainty, an unexplored path, and above all nonconformism. And for as long as I can remember, I have always been attracted by the unknown, the exotic, and the distant. I think my mother always felt it and she allowed me to take every opportunity to travel when I was a child or teenager. I think I have done all the exchange programs, stays, and internships abroad that I have been given to do!
So here I was, torn apart: Should I insist and try to find satisfaction in this life? After all, most people live like this, right? Or was I supposed to listen to that inner voice that was telling me: run, get out of here!
So I resigned after 6 months. And at 28 years old, my blissful life started!
I started to work as a temporary worker in Paris and the Paris Region, as an Assistant in various fields, mainly in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
I loved every mission.
I loved that feeling of excitement, anticipation, and fear when starting a new job. Will they like me? Will I like them? Will I succeed?
I also loved that feeling of excitement, anticipation, and fear at the end of the mission. Will I find a new job? Will I like it? Will I succeed?
In between 2 jobs, I was regularly travelling abroad – mainly in Asia – as a backpacker or as a volunteer. After several months of travelling I was coming back to Paris to resume my professional life until the next trip. Each trip was longer than the previous one.
And at 35, I went on a backpacking trip around Asia for 1 year. Immersing myself deeply in these local cultures, encountering many different people, and facing quite a few challenging situations has helped me push my self-imposed limitations, develop humility and expand my mind.
Travelling alone taught me how to build self-confidence, develop gratitude, and not take life too seriously no matter what happens!
But above all, I entered the world of spirituality, with the discovery of yoga and reiki. I realized that until then, I felt stuck in my life because it lacked depth and not distance.
After this trip, I continued to live in Paris, but I was increasingly attracted to a permanent life abroad – and not only as a tourist.
In that context, I accepted a job as a Customer Service Representative in Thailand, where I discovered the Customer Service Industry, for which I have been working for 8 years now, not only in Thailand but also in Spain and Portugal. I occupied various positions, such as Virtual Secretary, Technical Advisor, Travel Agent, Quality Analyst, Order Management Specialist and Trainer.
Today I feel blessed to have been able to connect to my authentic self. I realized that I was a spiritual wanderer and that a life out of my comfort zone and made of spirituality was my path to self-realization.
Travelling, learning more about myself and others, discovering more about this world made of spirituality and energies, and sharing this knowledge gives me a sense of purpose and inner freedom.
I discovered spirituality and life force energy by chance.
Well not by chance, but through Menuka - a French tourist I met in Vietnam while I was backpacking in Asia.
We were both planning to be in Koh Phangan (an island in Thailand) at the same time a few weeks later, and we thought it would be nice to meet again there. I was so excited when she told me she was going there, because Koh Phangan is THE party island in Thailand.
With the full Moon party, half moon party, jungle party...I already had a busy schedule and was happy to share these moments with a friend.
Except that she was not going there to party, but to attend a 4 weeks Yoga training.
My enthusiasm went down all of a sudden.
I was not into Yoga at all, I considered it a boring practice for old ladies or hippies, so I passed.
But she was really damn convincing! And when I reluctantly looked into the program, it was actually quite amazing!
It was a one-month intensive program for beginners composed of:
So, it wasn't just about stretching exercises and testing your flexibility (which - as I learned later - has nothing to do with Yoga!).
Beyond the mere practice, the concepts, objectives, and advantages of each position will be explained. So we were going to find out why to do an asana, where it comes from, and what purpose it serves. My cartesian mind could go with that.
What a life-changing experience!
First the pain. A lot of physical pain.
And then, the awakening.
During a meditation session with music, the aim of which was to stimulate the chakra located at the level of the navel, I actually felt after a few minutes like vibrations, a flow of energy at this location.
And all of a sudden something completely crazy happened: I felt that my spine stiffened by itself without me being able to resist. And then it was my arms' turn. Instead of remaining motionless on my thighs, I felt that they rose slowly without me being able to control the movement.
I felt gradually being sucked towards the ceiling, as if my being wanted to leave my body through my skull. And the more I tried to resist, the more my body started to shake. Fortunately, this meditation was done with my eyes closed, because I would not have wanted anyone to see me like that!
At this point, let me tell you that I am a very rational, scientific person, who needs proof, concrete facts to be convinced by a theory.
But frankly, I have to say that all my certainties were blown away one after another that day!
I had just discovered that my body could do absolutely anything it wanted without my brain being able to control it!
I could only admit - after having experienced it - that there is a subtle energy (called life force energy) that flows through our body. It was totally mind-blowing!
I also learned a lot from the lectures and the extensive course material. Chakras, vegetarianism (I became a vegetarian during this program), detachment, contentment, fasting... all topics I had never heard of before!
Throughout this month, through these teachings and exercises, I experienced a true spiritual awakening - a profound inner change in my thoughts and way of being.
I felt so different on the inside, as if I had a new identity.
Now connected to the Source, I was ready to go on a search for a deeper meaning to my life.
Here is the link to this Yoga University if you want to know more: https://agamayoga.com/
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I discovered Reiki during my first trip in Thailand. Back in France, I wanted to know more about it and received a comprehensive professional training in Traditional Reiki.
When a couple of years later I went back to Thailand, I decided to expand and improve my qualifications and took advanced training in Reiki.
After Reiki, I was looking for an energy-based therapy, but less esoteric, and more easily accessible to those who have no knowledge of - or interest in - the energy circuit and are simply looking to feel better.
And when I read about reflexology and the "reflex" points corresponding to the different structures and organs of the body, I knew I had found a practice that could improve health and well-being while being easily understood.
“One who looks outside, dreams. One who looks inside, awakens.”
- Carl Jung-
