Charlotte has worked for over 20 years in the field of international cooperation. Today, she is an independent consultant, works with the 4DS group, and bridges Yoga with sustainable development through her social enterprises Narayan, Listening Inspires, and the Listening to the Earth campaign.



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Charlotte Dufour

<h4>
 CHARLOTTE DUFOUR is a veteran in the
 fields of international cooperation and sustainable food systems. In part 3 of her interview with KALPANA SAI of the Heartfulness Institute, she focuses on
 our relationship with the outside world and the environment.
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Q: When we open our hearts, being sensitive to what’s really
 working for us and what’s not, we build a connection with our inner world. At the same time, we need to connect
 spiritually to the world outside. How can we do that?



CD:&nbsp;It’s a very good and difficult-to-answer
 question, because it’s quite personal. I am finishing my training to be an instructor of meditation, so I have a
 little bit of experience. As trainers, we position ourselves as channels for the wisdom. It’s not me, Charlotte,
 teaching, it’s the Source. So, our own alignment, which is our own practice, is very important for us to be
 connected.



I try to listen very attentively when I’m guiding a Yoga class. I try to be very attentive to what’s happening inside
 me, in terms of the sensations of energy and how it flows. I invite those with me to be open to their sensations,
 knowing they will have their own experience.



It really helps to be guided by someone. All the great masters had their own gurus, right? They needed gurus even if
 they were realized masters; they needed guidance and we need it too. If you have a guide, you can constantly
 reinvite them. Their guidance will help with the outer connection. They hold the key to the inner world.



I’m doing things like journaling, and awareness of the body,in order to recognize physical and emotional tensions. We
 have a variety of tools at our disposal, and it’s a never-ending journey. You can constantly go deeper. Every time I
 go on a meditation retreat, I feel, “Wow, yet another level.” I have friends who’ve been meditating for thirty or
 forty years who are still going deeper and having new experiences. It’s an exciting path.



Q: This builds on our previous conversation about finding a
 community, now adding the importance of having a guide who can help, including how to connect with the world
 around us.



CD: When we are ourselves connected, when we deepen our
 meditation, then the connection with others becomes more fluid.



When we’re connected to ourselves, we can be more empathetic, our intuition and our ability to feel where people are,
 and what they may need, deepens. I’ve also found that by deepening my meditation I’ve become much more aware of
 connections to nature. I’ve become much more nurturing.



In fact, my meditation practice led me to become one of the founders of “<a href="https://listeningtotheearth.world"
 target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Listening to the Earth</a>.” It led to the realization that the
 challenges of our time are due to humankind’s separation from the Earth. We are now reminded that we are one with
 Nature, the divine creation. We are invited to be in a relationship of love with Nature and our environment.



A friend of mine recently said, “When I choose myself, I choose us.” I think this is true because there is always a
 part of us that is connected to the whole universe.



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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">When we are ourselves connected,
 when we deepen our meditation, then the connection with others becomes more fluid.</h4>



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Q: Elaborating on this, what is eco-anxiety and what is the
 significance of connecting to Nature?



CD: A lot of news tells us, “With climate change, we
 won’t be able to feed ourselves, there will be huge disasters, it’s too late as we’ve passed the tipping point.” So,
 there’s a lot of fear. But we should ask ourselves, “Wait a minute. Who do we think we are?” There’s something much
 greater than us, much wiser than us. When we look at the wisdom of Nature, our body cells, the way everything works,
 it is mind-blowing. When a woman is with child, she is not doing anything, and yet the cells in her body are
 multiplying. A being is formed and she’s not consciously doing that.



The power that lies in this creation is far beyond our understanding. Science has so much yet to discover, and that
 gives me hope. I think there’s a far greater regenerative capacity in the world than we think. With the challenges
 we face now, there is an opportunity to remind ourselves of our deep feelings, connection to the rest of creation,
 and it’s part of the evolution of human consciousness on this planet.



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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">I believe that acting from a
 space of love and joy can happen through our inner connection and the connection to others.</h4>



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We’ve formed an NGO called “<a href="https://www.listening-inspires.world/blog" target="_blank"
 rel="noreferrer noopener">Listening Inspires</a>.” We offer workshops on eco-anxiety and a big part of what we
 offer is, “How can we act from a space of love and joy, rather than a space of fear?” There’s a lot of fear and
 anger in the world, and those are the forces that block us, hurt us. They are the opposite of love.



I believe that acting from a space of love and joy can happen through our inner connection and the connection to
 others. I truly believe we will make it as humanity. It’s just a massive learning opportunity. We’ve never
 experienced it before on a global scale, as is happening in this stage of human evolution. But we will be guided,
 and we will be supported.



Q: Thank you. Is there anything else you would like to offer or
 to add?



CD: I was just thinking of my gratitude for this
 conversation. In this phase of our evolution, if we show gratitude and respect, our hearts will be full. Practicing
 gratitude is key for heartfulness and well-being. Thank you. My heart is full and I’m filled with a lot of
 gratitude.



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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Interview by KALPANA SAI Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>



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Learning to manage eco-anxiety

<h4>
 CHARLOTTE DUFOUR
 is a veteran in the fields of international cooperation and sustainable
 food systems. Here she is interviewed by
 KALPANA SAI
 of the Heartfulness Institute about the role of Yoga and spirituality in
 her own mental health and wellness, sharing tips from her
 experience.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q: There are many opinions about when Yoga should be
 practiced,
 specifically, the time of the day. What is your take on this?



 CD: I’m tempted
 to say everybody should work based on what suits them. I like to do it in
 the morning before my meditation. I find Yoga to be a preparation for
 meditation, in terms of feeling the energy flow more smoothly in your body,
 so that you can go deeper within, while calming the mind.



 You can be very creative about how you fit Yoga into the day. I find with my
 own practices that I so love it when I can have a long session, but the
 reality of my schedules is not always that. So, I’m constantly reminding
 myself that five minutes is better than nothing. The bare minimum is three
 pairs of sun salutations. It takes five to ten minutes, but it makes a big
 difference. So, adaptation to our schedules is quite good.



 Q: How did you inspire yourself to have a
 dedicated
 practice? How did you become consistent? And what are some things we can
 do consistently to show up for ourselves and enhance our well-being,
 physically, and especially, mentally and emotionally?



 CD: Well, it’s not easy. Yoga does
 take time and discipline. Willpower is a
 very important element of the spiritual journey. Quoting Yogananda, “The
 stronger the will, the stronger the energy.” He talked about this inner
 battle. Of course, the ego will do everything to distract you from
 meditation. Everything else will be a priority.


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<h4 class="text-center">
 I think a big part of bringing Yoga in a daily
 routine is to stop
 and breathe. For example, take five minutes before a meeting
 to do a few yogic breathing exercises.
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 The first important thing is the environment. I find it much easier when I’m
 living alone and completely a master of my time. I think it’s harder when
 you have a family. I really admire mothers with children who continue to
 practice. You eventually understand that the environment is stronger than
 willpower. So, it’s about finding the right environment and the right
 community of friends that support you in your practice.



 I also regularly go back to our ashram, as it is easy to dive deep into the
 practice and remember how much I love it. It’s hard to do alone. I would say
 regularity and good company. Sometimes you need to go through a phase where
 you lose your practice. I confess, in recent weeks I very much lost it, and
 I was not well. I was not even aware of the tensions I had, but as I started
 practicing Hatha Yoga, it was like, “Oh!” Then, when I started opening up to
 what my body actually feels like when it’s well, I was more aware of what’s
 bad for me, in terms of diet and breathing. I think a big part of bringing
 Yoga in a daily routine is to stop and breathe. For example, take five
 minutes before a meeting to do a few yogic breathing exercises.



 Q: Is there anything else you would like
 to add? What
 are other things we can focus on, especially, after the repercussions of
 the pandemic?



 CD:&nbsp;You
 mentioned physical disease, and that’s where the other paths of Yoga are. I
 read a book that explains how many of the physical illnesses we have happen
 when one of our soul wounds is activated. When you are able to identify how
 a particular event has reactivated a wound, you can address it. I remember
 one time my lower back got stuck, and I observed, “This seems to be around
 the second chakra. What does this mean? Okay, X is probably what triggered
 this back pain.” So, on one hand I worked on the Yoga postures, to open up
 the energy flows and bring the second chakra back into balance, and on the
 other hand I also worked on the emotional trigger for the back pain. I think
 this is why we say Yoga is very much about consciousness, awareness, and
 self-awareness.


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<img decoding="async" width="700" height="490" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
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 Q: I agree. A lot of people talk about awareness as the
 first step to
 knowing, because once “you know,” everything else seems to fall into place
 organically.
 



 In a more general sense, what kind of advice would you
 give someone who
 is trying to build a spiritual connection with themselves, or embarking on
 a journey of self-acceptance, self-love, or just wanting to have a
 relationship with themselves?



 CD: Well, the
 answer is so personal. I would say, be open to the cues, because when you
 start wanting to engage in this journey the universe is responsive. You’ll
 start having a conversation with somebody who gives you an idea or a book. A
 turning point for me was when somebody shared a book that opened my mind to
 the idea of reincarnation, souls coming and going, and life having a
 purpose. But it was later that I found the path of Yoga. So, there were
 little seeds along the way. When I finally arrived for the self-healing
 course in Ananda Yoga, it was an incredibly moving moment for me, especially
 when I found myself in a temple with pictures of all these masters, and
 reading Jesus.



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<h4 class="text-center">
 Yoga is very much about consciousness, awareness,
 and
 self-awareness.
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 I am moved even thinking about that moment because I felt it was waiting for
 me. And I think we have an image that Yogananda shares, “It’s good to try
 the water from different wells; they all go down the same source, the same
 aquifer.” Once you find the one that feels right for you, stick with it and
 go deep. There’s being open to what comes your way. What resonates? Where
 does your heart open? You might retrospectively recognize the signs.



 For example, I had such an interest, but at first I hesitated to practice
 Kriya Yoga as taught by Yogananda. I asked myself, “Do I go into that
 practice? It’s a certain commitment,” but I was starting to meet people out
 of the blue from completely unexpected sources who were either doing it or
 who gave me a book that mentioned it. So, be aware of the signs. Listen to
 your heart. You know. And if you are having a challenge in your life – be it
 a personal one, like a divorce or an illness – that might be a cue that it’s
 a good time to search. I’m so grateful to live in this great time of
 spiritual opening.


To be continued.

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<h4 class="text-center">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4>

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Be open to what comes your way

<h4>
 CHARLOTTE DUFOUR
 is a veteran in the fields of international cooperation and sustainable food
 systems. Here she is interviewed by
 KALPANA SAI
 of the Heartfulness Institute about the role of Yoga and spirituality in
 mental health and wellness. She shares some solutions for a world that seems
 more anxious and disconnected than ever.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q:&nbsp; Welcome Charlotte. How would you define mental health
 and
 spirituality?



 CD: Mental health
 is very much about feeling a sense of joy and lightness of alignment between
 the way we lead our lives and the aspirations of our heart. When we feel
 purposeful and mentally well, we feel happy and grateful.



 Spirituality is about connecting and nourishing the connection to the Higher
 Self or soul, and about learning to disentangle ourselves from the fears and
 attachments of the ego. I like to think of it as an expansive source of love
 that animates the whole world. We can call it the Divine. And the journey of
 spirituality is about nourishing that connection.



 Q: How has spirituality shown up in your life?


<p
 id="h-cd-spirituality-has-always-been-present-in-my-life-in-some-shape-or-form-i-grew-up-in-a-christian-family-with-a-very-devoted-grandmother-and-with-no-pressure-to-conform-to-practices-so-it-was-always-there-but-i-really-discovered-what-it-meant-when-i-was-struggling-with-physical-and-mental-challenges-there-were-some-very-difficult-events-i-was-regularly-close-to-burnout-and-sometimes-flirting-a-bit-with-depression-then-there-was-a-turnaround-when-i-found-a-yoga-and-meditation-retreat-in-a-community-in-italy-and-that-was-just-a-whole-mind-and-heart-opener">
 CD:
 Spirituality has always been present in my life in some shape or form. I grew
 up in a Christian family with a very devoted grandmother, and with no pressure
 to conform to practices. So, it was always there, but I really discovered what
 it meant when I was struggling with physical and mental challenges – there
 were some very difficult events. I was regularly close to burnout, and
 sometimes flirting a bit with depression. Then there was a turnaround, when I
 found a Yoga and meditation retreat in a community in Italy. And that was just
 a whole mind- and heart-opener.


<p
 id="h-the-practice-of-meditation-changed-my-life-a-beautiful-teaching-that-helped-me-is-the-notion-that-our-soul-has-eight-qualities-of-peace-calm-wisdom-power-love-joy-light-and-sound-and-when-you-think-of-mental-well-being-these-are-all-things-we-aspire-to-our-deep-self-and-the-spiritual-journey-are-about-reconnecting-with-those">
 The practice of meditation changed my life. A beautiful teaching that helped
 me is the notion that our soul has eight qualities of peace, calm, wisdom,
 power, love, joy, light and sound. And when you think of mental well-being,
 these are all things we aspire to. Our deep self and the spiritual journey are
 about reconnecting with those.



 Through meditation, I started experiencing that peace and well-being – not
 only mental, but everything. The term “Heartfulness” speaks deeply to me
 because when I am in deep meditation it’s mental wellness, but it’s also
 heart-based wellness in every sense of the term.


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 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="459" alt="love-animates-the-world2-700x459"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/love_animates_the_world2_700x459_a76b021a71.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:28:40.888Z" />
 </figure>
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 I feel we need that more than ever. Our world is very shaken up and
 everything’s speeding up. Many of us feel that we’re in times of deep
 transition, which lead to deep insecurities. We have massive inequities within
 societies and around the world. I mean, Climate Change, Covid, they’re
 revealing all these tensions. So, I think we’re shaken in our core and it’s
 frightening. The anxiety that’s growing, including among the youth, is very
 concerning. Now, more than ever, we are being given opportunities to find a
 deeper level of peace and harmony. And as many masters have been telling us,
 it’s within us.


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<h4 class="has-text-align-center"
 id="h-mental-health-is-very-much-about-feeling-a-sense-of-joy-and-lightness-of-alignment-between-the-way-we-lead-our-lives-and-the-aspirations-of-our-heart">
 Mental health is very much about feeling a sense of joy
 and lightness
 of alignment between the way we lead our lives and the
 aspirations of our heart.
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Q: What kind of impact do you think meditation and Yoga can
 have on mental
 health?



 CD:
 Meditation brings so much. It’s an everlasting journey of deepening.



 One thing is in helping to find that inner peace when you’re going through
 very turbulent times. I think that many mental health problems are connected
 to a wound, a soul wound. I remember reading a book that mentions soul wounds
 such as humiliation, abandonment, injustice, and betrayal, and the author
 describes how each soul chooses to be challenged in a particular incarnation.
 And when these wounds go deeper, all of them have a commonality. They’re about
 a breakage in love, a feeling of not being loved. And when you go deep in
 meditation with devotion, you find this mother with infinite love, and I think
 that’s the space we’re invited to touch through meditation.



 At the very practical level, meditation also helps you to be discerning, to
 make decisions, to find the right path. What is the right choice today? When
 you’re faced with a sea of confusion and everything seems so hard to decide,
 you get lost. But through meditation, you cultivate your intuition and the
 choices you make are guided from a deeper space.


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<h4 class="has-text-align-center"
 id="h-through-meditation-you-cultivate-your-intuition-and-the-choices-you-make-are-guided-from-a-deeper-space">
 Through meditation, you cultivate your intuition and the
 choices you
 make are guided from a deeper space.
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<hr />

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 Very recently, I was really knocked out of my equilibrium, and I wasn’t
 meditating as much and going deep. I was feeling very stressed. As soon as I
 was able to nourish my meditation routine, the days became so much easier.
 Things just started to flow. The people I needed to meet just showed up in my
 Inbox or called. The meetings that were crowding out my schedule: “Oh, sorry.
 Can we postpone this?” It was as if I had this magic, aid coming my way. And I
 think that comes when you’re aligned with the universe and with what wants to
 happen through you.


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 <figure>
 <img decoding="async" width="700" height="751" alt="love-animates-the-world3-700x751"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
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 </figure>
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 The notion of Karma Yoga has also helped me lot. It’s not us doing. We are
 channels, and at the service of something greater than ourselves. Meditation
 enables us to put ourselves in that position where we can be channels, we can
 receive guidance, we can be carried, etc. Things that are supposed to happen
 become effortless, because they’re exactly what wants to happen through and
 with us.


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To be continued.

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<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 Interview by KALPANA SAI Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL
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