“Yoga is a journey of inner immersion and conscious connection, a journey to wholeness.”
Emelie Eldridge, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, comes from a clinical and academic background in psychology and criminology. Her studies brought her a professional position within the Swedish prison system, working in close contact with people facing various challenges during their incarceration.
She first arrived on the Baja peninsula to Isla Guadalupe in 2015 through her love for the ocean and work with marine conservation. During her time on the Ensenada coast, life offered her an opportunity to take a leap of faith and move to Cabo San Lucas. Here in Baja California Sur, as she says, doors have opened, and her life has continued to evolve.
“I was looking for yoga and silent retreats and I found the Yandara Yoga Institute. After a few months and life changing experiences at Yandara, I decided to stay in Todos Santos and to pursue my dream to help people through holistic teachings, meditation, yoga and psychology.”
For Emelie, life has not been a straight line. She has engaged in different activities, passions and professional opportunities only adding on to her list of experiences. Through continued studies in psychology, Life Coaching Certification, and a deepened yoga practice, she has been able to inspire people to move through life with more balance and a new way to connect to themselves and their surroundings.
“Yoga is so much more than physical practice. For me yoga is wholeness, wellness and connection, it is a way of life. The physical practice is only one out of the eight limbs of yoga.”
“Life Coaching isn’t far from counseling and has like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) a focus on moving forward and towards a specific outcome. CBT focuses on the relationship between feelings, thoughts and behaviors, situations, and outcomes. Each situation triggers a different response in the mind and body, following this combination is an action. Cultivating more awareness of this dynamic can create beneficial management over responses and actions.”
Not all talk therapies work for every client, it is a great benefit to be able to adjust accordingly to individual needs. To find what works and resonates with each individual, clinical or spiritual, is vital to motivate and support clients on their journey.
“As you start to focus the work from the inside out, you will open the door for wholeness and connection, be patient and kind to yourself on this journey. No outside influence can bring you happiness, it is all an inside job and at the same time make sure you have encouraging and supportive people around you.”
Emelie shares that her biggest challenge personally and professionally is that she constantly seeks perfection in everything she does, and many of us can relate. Wanting things to be perfect and the non-ability to always be able to manage every outcome only brings a humble reminder that everything already is perfect with its imperfections.
“I often find myself getting stuck, holding myself back from progress in the seeking of a constantly changing perception of perfection. There is a humble lesson in letting go, to trust that what we can offer is good enough. If not, then we are never going to get there.”
One of her greatest achievements is building her own website including an online yoga studio and educational platform. This meant stepping out of her comfort zone and into vulnerability. As a result, her experiences and knowledge is becoming available to more people.
“Creating my website and everything I dream of it to become required that I conquer my fear of judgment and rejection. Stepping out of yoga studios and retreat centers into the world of the internet can be very intimidating.”
Emelie finds her inspiration and restoration in nature, she loves the outdoors and considers the raw and untamed Baja California Sur an extraordinary place to live.
“Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Cortez and the beautiful mountains adventure is never far away. I love the simple life and connection to nature in Todos Santos, it is my own paradise where I can hike, surf, horseback ride and grow vegetables in the garden. The climate is wonderful and sunshiny year-round is a blessing”.
Emelie hopes to inspire people to be their authentic selves, with perfect imperfections, with light and darkness, to step out of their comfort zone and move beyond the filtered world many of us are living in. When all is said and done, we are all a work in progress on the journey to become our best selves.
