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The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday May 20, 2006 - 3 By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Raymonde Worsfold may have embarked on her journey into yoga to improve herself, but in the decade since she has added immeasurably to a host of other lives along the way. Whether as President of the Federation of Ontario Yoga Teachers, (FOYT) or a dedicated instructor, Worsfold has done everything in her power to spread the word ­ and the benefits ­ of this ancient healing discipline. "I do love helping people," says the Montreal native who came to Oakville from Toronto 18 years ago. "That's a passion I enjoy." Using one-on-one instruction and group sessions, Worsfold has made an impact from Big Sisters to Wellspring House by coaxing individual participants to explore both their physical potential and inner landscapes that many did not realize even existed within them. After all, what originally drew her to yoga was an appreciation for the kind of introspection it brings to one's life and sharing that knowledge delights her. "Yoga is moving inward," she said, explaining the kind of peace and tranquility that adherents experience. By simply stopping one's busy life to perform yoga, practitioners have to be alone with themselves which, says Worsfold, can be uncomfortable for some. At only 15 to 20 minutes a day when your routine permits, however, yoga does not have to be a major commitment. "It can be a small change integrated into your life," said Worsfold. Even so, the benefits can prove profound: Worsfold's eight-week "Turn Stress Into Bliss" program, for example, explores stress relief through yogic movement, dialogue and quiet introspection in a supportive group setting. Many participants, who feel they possess no control over the forces working against them in their lives and don't pay attention to their bodies, say they feel as though a "veil lifted." "It's incredible to see the difference," said Worsfold, a former Air Force brat, who traveled extensively as a child when her father was re-assigned. "It's so exciting to see the breakthroughs." Eleven years ago, Worsfold needed a quantum leap in her own life. A stressed-out 46-year old management consultant who traveled extensively because of work, Worsfold was a driven, Type-A personality, who didn't exercise and was always tired. "I was detached from myself. I didn't have time to be with myself," she said. "I felt very robotic." Enter husband Michael, a yoga student for about a year, who suggested they enjoy a one-week Christmas holiday at a yoga ashram in the Bahamas. There she met the woman who would change her life: a 75- Looking inside RIZIERO VERTOLLI / OAKVILLE BEAVER AT EASE: Raymonde Worsfold, president of the Federation of Ontario Yoga teachers and her Dalmatian, JB. year old yoga teacher who was more flexible, calm and physically able than those in the class who were half her age. "She had a serenity about her and I said `That's what I want. That's what I'm looking for,'" said Worsfold, explaining that one of her personal goals on that holiday was to decide the future direction of her career. "I made my decision to become a yoga teacher at the retreat. Then I came home and resigned." Her co-workers may have been surprised, but Michael -- to whom she's now been married for 25 years -- was completely supportive. Worsfold herself was both scared and excited, but in the fall of 1996 she enrolled in the two-year yoga teachertraining program at Sheridan College. "I wanted to commit myself 100 per cent," she said, explaining one reason why teaching yoga was the perfect career for the latter part of her life. "There aren't too many 80-year old aerobics instructors," she laughs. Worsfold said this training gave her a solid platform from which to begin what is a "life-long learning process" and since Sheridan she has trained in various styles of yoga including classical Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga and her current personal program of Bikram yoga at a studio in Toronto. Worsfold ­ whose business is called Le Yoga ­ also studied twice in India: once with best-selling author Deepak Chopra in Agra and again for a month at an ashram on the Ganges River. "India is a feast for the senses," said Worsfold, who also indulged her passion for photography while there. Her very first students, however, were fellow board members of Oakville Big Sisters whom she taught in a rented room at the Ramada Inn (now Park Plaza Hotel) where Worsfold still teaches two days a week. In 2004, Worsfold began teaching Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, which combines assisted yoga postures, breath awareness and non-directive dialogue to help students "recognize the wisdom available to you in your body," she said. "The process of focusing internally with gentle coaching gives you the courage to face your self-limiting fears and emotional responses to life's challenges." For the past six years Worsfold has also taught at Oakville's Wellspring House. At Wellspring, cancer patients and their families and friends receive comfort, support, practical information and much more. Its success rests with the high quality of its 30plus support programs, all of which are predicated on the principle of peer-to-peer counseling. "It's one of my favourite places to teach," said Worsfold. "There is such a wonderful energy at that facility." In 2004, Worsfold became vice-president of the Federation of Ontario Yoga Teachers (FOYT) and a year later assumed the president's position. Established in 1974, the organization is a non-profit, educational group that works to ensure the "heritage of yoga continues in a spirit of excellence and commitment." It encourages members to develop a personal practice of integrity and openness, to teach safely with care for each student's needs and ability. As yoga's popularity continues to grow, FOYT members believe strongly in the importance of good teacher training and ongoing professional development on the part of teachers. The organization's goal is to promote yoga at a professional level by maintaining an association, recognized by teachers and students throughout the province, which provides post-graduate certification to teachers who have trained at an established yoga studio. FOYT also exists, says Worsfold, to encourage people to benefit from the fulfilling journey of self discovery that is the essence of a regular yoga practice. To contact Worsfold, call 905-842-7733, e-mail raymonde@leyoga.com or visit www.leyoga.com. · Wood & Vinyl Shutters, Supplied & Installed · High Quality at Affordable Prices · Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed · Serving Oakville with Shop at Home Service Authorized Vinylbilt Dealer www.shuttersetc.ca Shop at Home Service FREE