Yoga Teacher & Founder of Buenos Chias
Tell us a little bit about your background. You are french, but raised in Mallorca and you are living in Florida right now, how has moving affected you personally?
I was born in the south of France, where I lived until I was 8 years old. My father’s retirement as a journalist was an opportunity for us to move to a different country. My parents chose the beautiful island of Mallorca, Spain, as they had spent many vacations there. After a decade in Mallorca, my mother decided to move the family back to her home country, the United States. Florida became our home and we have lived here ever since. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to experience living in such different cultures. It has opened my mind to the world, to different ways of life, to different perspectives. It has also given me the gift of languages as I am now fluent in French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. I feel very grateful to have attachments, family, and life long friends in different parts of the world. It has also been very challenging to have had to leave my roots in Europe and adapt to a completely different lifestyle in the US. I’ve taken with me many different aspects of each country I have lived in, and the person I am today stems from the mixture of cultures I have been immersed in growing up. I still don’t know where my future home will be, but I’m almost certain it will be divided between Europe and the US.
You describe your adolescence as a rebel self-destructive one, what do you think did lead you to this path?
My adolescence was marked by a period of time in which our household began crumbling due to alcohol, among other factors. This led me to seek comfort in very damaging habits. Since I didn’t have any parental guidance at the time, I started doing very poorly in school and getting influenced by the party scene which in Mallorca was predominant and without any limits and regulations. I started smoking cigarettes at the very young age of 13, and then began smoking weed, drinking alcohol and trying different drugs. After living this dangerous lifestyle for numerous years, my family decided to move to the Unites States where I began a new life.
When was your first contact with yoga? Did someone introduce you to it? Which were your first sensations after the practice?
Unfortunately, my first years in the US were not always easy as I had by then developed an eating disorder. I had become extremely obsessed about my weight gain to the point of making myself throw up, not being able to enjoy food without attaching it to guilt. I spent about two years trying every single unhealthy diet out there, and harming my mental and physical self by engaging in inconsistent eating patterns. While searching for another diet book, I stumbled upon Kimberly’s Snyder’s “Beauty detox solution” which I initially thought to be another quick fix weight loss program. It was the complete opposite, as it opened my eyes to a whole new approach to eating while also introducing me to mindfulness and, inevitably, Yoga.
How has yoga, meditation, and plant-based eating changed your life?
I became fascinated with the teaching of Yoga as it all made sense to me. Yoga means Union: uniting the mind, body, and soul. I started to understand how disconnected I had been, and in order for me to feel good physically, I had to work on myself mentally and spiritually. I began searching for more books on Yoga and learning as much as I could about the practice. It brought me back to my true self and gave me direction. I became passionate about it and felt the urge to transmit my learnings to others. I had found my path.
If you could meet your 16 y/o self, which would be your one advice?
If I could meet my 16 year old self, I would tell her to not waste any time trying to change those who do not wish to be changed. I would also tell her to be confident and not be so consumed by other people’s opinions. I would also tell her to love and take care of herself by not overindulging in unhealthy habits.
What is Buenos Chias? How is it different to Wendy Bernard?
Last year, I began selling vegan homemade date bites and chia pudding at a local farmers market. That is when Buenos Chias was born. I then decided to make it the name of the platform where I would start sharing my plant-based recipes, my Yoga journey and lifestyle.
They say everything happens for a reason and that we are in every moment where we’re meant to. Before founding Buenos Chias, you worked for 6 years for Apple. How has that corporate job supported you to transition to a full-time yoga teacher and inspirational being?
Working at Apple was one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. I loved the company’s values and all the opportunities I gained while working there. I was extremely thankful to work for a company that gave me the flexibility to gain a college degree while working, and then was very supportive of my choice to start teaching Yoga. But I knew it wasn’t my future career.
You decided to follow your gut and leave your job. How was that process? At what point did you realize you wanted to start teaching yoga full time?
Ever since I started my yoga teacher training, I knew that becoming a yoga instructor was my calling. However, this unknown path scared me, as working at Apple was my comfort zone. I knew the day would come when I would have to make a hard choice between following a traditional route of going up the corporate ladder or following my dreams of becoming a successful teacher and entrepreneur. In spite of my fears, I decided to go for it. In order to make a smooth transition out of Apple, I went from full-time to part-time, and only left when I was able to match my income at Apple with teaching yoga. With a lot of hard work, I was able to achieve that, and when the day came, I finally left Apple. It was one of the hardest yet most rewarding achievements of my life.
How would you encourage someone to trust their gut feeling?
I truly believe our gut feelings are way more meaningful than we think. I see them as internal compasses trying to guide us in the right direction, and we can either silence or trust them. As corny as it may sound, I really believe that the regret of not trying will always outweigh the risk of failing which is why my biggest piece of advice would be for you to always trust your gut/ intuition.
How do you see yourself in 5 years?
In the next five years, I hope to visit many more countries, and I hope to find a place to call home. I envision myself hosting retreats internationally and growing my business while positively impacting the lives of others.
Wendy – Sustainable Guide
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