Véronique is a French pediatrician, meditation trainer, and Yoga instructor. She was a coordinator of the International Heartfulness Training Programs and a co-founder of the Heartfulness program for cancer patients. She is currently the Director of the Heartfulness Yoga Academy.

VERONIQUE-NICOLAI.jpg

VERONIQUE NICOLAI

<h4>
 VERONIQUE NICOLAI is the Director of the
 Heartfulness Yoga Academy and the coordinator of the Yoga4Unity platform. As a pediatrician, she is also
 passionate about mental and physical well-being for all ages, especially children. Here, Veronique speaks about
 Yoga4Unity – 100 days of Yoga. What’s on offer and how can you join up?
</h4>



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In traditional Yoga, you have the Kriyas. There are proper cleaning practices, starting with Jal
 Neti, washing the nose, and the Kunjal Kriya, which are practices for the digestive system. Then
 you have the Asanas, which clean knots of energy in your shoulders, your hips, etc.



Movement also allows energy or prana to flow without any hindrance. This is what we mean by cleaning. We let energy
 flow from the gross, the physical, to the more subtle with Pranayama, which cleans the nadis. The
 nadis are channels of vital energy flow. Prana flows through the nadis, and when we do
 Nadi-Shudhi (alternate nostril breathing) the nadis are cleansed.




Beyond this, there are deeper, subtler layers that can be accessed with the inner practices of Heartfulness. We have
 an every-day cleaning practice that purifies the field of consciousness and the emotional load of the day.



So, Heartfulness Yoga covers all the layers of your being – from the physical to the mind, and then to the core, the
 heart. It’s the only practice that allows a beginner to start working on all the layers from day one, rather than
 after many years of practice.



That’s a revolution! Many other schools already teach Asanas and Pranayama. But Pranahuti (Transmission) and
 the Cleaning practice add depth to the practice of meditation, which in my experience is the need of the hour.



Meditation enables the values that are intrinsic to a human being. We need people to genuinely feel that they don’t
 want to fight each other, and that comes from the heart. If we can clean the heart, which Heartfulness Cleaning
 does, if we can nourish the good qualities of the heart, which Transmission does, we grow naturally into confident,
 balanced human beings, and that will change the world.



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<h4 class="text-center">Meditation enables the
 values that are intrinsic to a human being. We need people to genuinely feel that they don’t want to fight each other, and that comes from the
 heart.</h4>



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We’re also running a project of unity. Unity is the meaning of the word Yoga. First, unite within yourself. Then, you
 grow by your neighbors also growing. There’s a need to take care of the entire population. We grow together, and
 that is the idea behind this program, Yoga4Unity – 100 Days of Yoga. The beauty is to recognize that we grow
 together. People have started practicing Yoga for that reason. They want to grow, they want to change. When they
 feel the change, the magic of yoga, they want to become Yoga teachers.



You can start wherever you want in yoga. Start with Asanas if you want, or start with meditation. First know that
 there’s a science behind it, which is ancient and universal. It has nothing to do with religion. It starts with the
 Yamas and Niyamas, and moves toward Samadhi. We all agree on the same ancient texts, which are the base of the
 science of Yoga. It is being adapted and re-introduced in the present times, and this is not something we can do
 working in our own corners in isolation. We need to unite.



Fortunately, when we invited some of the great mother Yoga schools of India to join us, such as Parmarth Niketan,
 Iyengar, Sivananda, Kaivalyadhama, Krishnamacharya, and the teachers abroad, they all said, “Yes, we will give our
 time.” In this second year, we’ve consciously built the program together and we have a 100-day curriculum for four
 different audiences. There are programs for the elderly, for children, for enthusiasts, and for Yoga teachers.



<hr>



<h4 class="text-center">Unity is the
 meaning of the word Yoga. First, unite
 within yourself. Then, you grow by your
 neighbors also
 growing. There’s a need to take care of
 the entire
 population.</h4>



<hr>



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The directors of all the schools have 30 to 40 years teaching experience. They offer what they can in these sessions.
 It’s an opportunity, it’s free, and it’s online. You can register whenever you want to. The content is put up, and
 you follow it at your own pace. It is a 100–day course culminating in June 21, the International Day of Yoga.



The Heartfulness Yoga Academy is based in Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad, at the international headquarters of
 Heartfulness. It’s a super place. The Academy offers regular yoga classes and meditation training free of charge,
 both in situ and online. We have introductory Yoga programs, and short trainings for people who want to add to their
 meditation, for example, yoga on the chair and simple breathing practices.



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<div class="block-image">
 <figure class="has-img-center" style="width: 700px !important">
 <img alt="yoga-4-unity" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/yoga4unity2_700x375_7f5c96d81c.jpg" />
 <figcaption>International Headquarters of Heartfulness, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad.</figcaption>
 </figure>
</div>



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The Academy also offers teacher-training programs, and other educational, paid programs, with the curricula and
 criteria needed for certification in India and abroad. You can become a certified international Yoga trainer or a
 yoga professional by taking one of these programs.



The best time to practice is early in the morning, but simply start whenever you can. Just do it and things will fall
 into place. It will change your life. Let the magic of yoga happen.



Nowadays, there’s a lot of lightness in the way I look at life and the way I handle difficulties. My yogic practice
 gives me a line of support, a lifeline to manage any situation I feel uncomfortable with. One of the enormous
 changes I feel is that I have learned to manage anger. I used to have a very angry side to myself, but I don’t have
 the energy to be angry anymore. It’s a waste of time. There are other ways to deal with disappointment. I’m sure
 other things have changed too. I feel that I have cultivated lightness and softness, but you would have to ask my
 husband and my children, and the team here at the Heartfulness Yoga Academy.&nbsp;



Please join us! Thank you.



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Yoga4unity

<h4
 id="h-veronique-nicolai-is-the-director-of-the-heartfulness-yoga-academy-and-the-coordinator-of-the-yoga4unity-platform-as-a-pediatrician-she-is-also-passionate-about-mental-and-physical-well-being-for-all-ages-especially-children-here-she-is-interviewed-by-varsha-kushwaha-about-her-own-journey">
 VERONIQUE NICOLAI is the Director of the
 Heartfulness Yoga Academy and the coordinator of the Yoga4Unity platform. As a pediatrician, she is also
 passionate about mental and physical well-being for all ages, especially children. Here she is interviewed by
 VARSHA KUSHWAHA about her own journey.
</h4>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



Q: Thanks for joining us Dr. Veronique. We wish to know where
 your journey started, and how is it you’re here today?&nbsp;



VN: Thank you for inviting me. To make it short, I
 started with Heartfulness Meditation, a modern form of Raja Yoga. I didn’t start with Asana and Pranayama but
 directly with meditation. It answered the need I had when young to understand myself better. That’s why I also
 became a doctor, to understand how we work.



Why Heartfulness? I was impressed with the people who were doing it. To be precise, they attracted me because they
 were joyful. I felt they were well established in their family, successful in their profession, fun and authentic. I
 could be who I wanted to be, and it was extremely relaxing. Maybe that’s the purpose of yoga, to feel relaxed. I
 wanted to know what made them like that, and made me feel that way in their presence. There was joy. Only much later
 I discovered that yoga is all about inner joy.



I didn’t stumble into yoga after a trauma or an event. I was having quite a nice life, but I did have a question from
 childhood onward: “Why are we here?” I would ask, “Why go to bed if I have to wake up in the morning?” I felt that
 deep search for the purpose of life.



By the age of 21, I had an apartment, I was studying to be a doctor, I had great relationships with friends, and I
 thought, “If this is life, then I’m done. It can’t just be this! What am I going to do for the rest of my life?” I
 needed to find something deeper. And when I met people who were meditating, I could see that they didn’t have the
 same insecurity.



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<hr>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">The Heartfulness way
 offers all the limbs of yoga, including asanas and pranayama. It encompasses the entire philosophy
 of yoga, based on the Vedas, Sankhya philosophy, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, all for modern
 life.</h4>



<hr>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



Heartfulness did not give me immediate answers, but it showed me a path so I knew the answers would come. I think
 everyone has the same question at some stage in their life. One day it comes. Some suppress it, but it’s there in
 everyone.



For many years, I was part of a team coordinating an international scholarship program for Heartfulness, with people
 coming from many countries, especially those where we didn’t have trainers. They would spend a month with us and go
 back to their countries as trainers. We had amazing people from all walks of life, from Burkina Faso, Sri Lanka,
 South America, CIS countries, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, etc.



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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/yoga_self_development3_700x568_365b5fcd38.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:40:05.225Z">
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Meditation with a trainer, with Pranahuti, is a catalyst for growth. You see the results quickly without
 much effort. It is like climbing a mountain; you can climb up on your own, or you hold onto a rope and go up much
 faster. Pranahuti is the rope that takes you up. You just make the effort to sit in meditation everyday. Of
 course, there is practice, there is continuity, and there is discipline. Once you have all three, you become
 effective in everything you do. You work faster, make better choices, and manage your time better. For me, time
 management equals meditation. When I am all over the place, and I’m not able to get to where I want to be, I first
 align myself by doing my practice well. I then become more efficient, to manage my life successfully and give back.
 I think we’re here for that.



Heartfulness Meditation is simple. You don’t need a mantra, chanting, or any preparation. It’s silent. You don’t need
 an education. Even if you cannot read and write, you will receive the same benefit when you meditate. There is no
 need to speak. That’s its strength. Heartfulness is for everyone.



Nowadays, the Heartfulness way offers all the limbs of Yoga, including asanas and pranayama. It encompasses the
 entire philosophy of yoga, based on the Vedas, Sankhya philosophy, and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, all for modern life.
 It’s extremely practical. You cannot know by reading or by watching other people do it.



Heartfulness Meditation is supported by Pranahuti (from the word “prana,” which means energy). We call it
 Transmission in English. It is the subtlest energy that flows from the heart of the trainer to the heart of the
 practitioner, and it was the key for me. I will remember that first experience all my life. After I had my
 introductory sessions, I was walking home from the trainer’s place and I wanted to tell everyone, “This is so
 simple. This is available.” I wanted to wake up my entire city.



I was in France at that time. To this day, that has been my effort, the revelation was so strong. Many Heartfulness
 volunteers have a similar experience and dedication. We want to give time to train others, because it’s the best
 thing that has happened to us. Actually, for yoga teachers, the spirit of service is part of the fiber of our being.
 In Heartfulness, the trainers never charge for the practices.



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 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/yoga_self_development4_700x475_ca8a9ad202.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:42:31.559Z">
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Q: When you say yoga, I only think of asanas. I think meditation
 comes later in life. So how do asanas, meditation, and all the other parts of yoga fit together?



VN: Heartfulness is known for meditation, but it has
 always been based on Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga philosophy.



What is asana? In Patanjali’s words, it means to be comfortable and stable in your posture so that you can sit for
 meditation.



Heartfulness starts with meditation, but there is still a need to take care of the body. Being a doctor, I know it’s
 very important to do something for the body. I used to do all kinds of sports, like anybody raised in the West. I
 came to yoga later. At the beginning, I didn’t like it much, because it was too slow for me, my mind was too fast;
 but asanas have definitely helped me. They are good preparation.



Even if you already meditate, asanas are a fantastic way to take care of your health. You can hit the gym, swim, and
 walk, but if you want to do something that is complete and aligned to your practice of meditation, then yoga is a
 great way to take care of your body.



The asanas evolved that way. In ancient times, when yogis meditated, they sat for hours. Their muscles, their
 strength, even their nervous system started withering away, because they were not using them. So they devised a way
 to take care of the body, too. Asanas support meditation. Start with meditation, then include pranayama, and then
 use asanas to prolong the condition that you have after meditation.



There’s another element that’s extremely important. In Heartfulness we meditate on the heart, reconnecting us to the
 heart. Children bring joy because they’re in touch with their hearts so completely and freely. In psychology, we
 know that children develop ego at the age of three. They start to say “I” when they speak. Before that, they live in
 the present and bring joy to the whole family.



Unfortunately, when we educate the brain, and the mind takes over, we start remembering and worrying, so we’re no
 longer in the present. Linking people back to the heart is the most important thing we can do. In Heartfulness,
 before we do any asanas, we sit on the mat and connect to the heart. Then, throughout the practice, we come back to
 the heart. Meditation connects us to the heart and nourishes the qualities of the heart.



<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>



<h4 class="has-text-align-center">Asanas are a fantastic
 way to take care of your health. You can hit the gym, swim, and walk, but if you want to do something that is complete and aligned to your practice of meditation, then yoga is a great way to
 take care of your body.</h4>



<hr>



<hr class="vertical-space1">



From the perspective of the chakras, the heart chakra is the middle one; it’s connected to all the other chakras. So
 we start with the heart chakra, nourish it, and clean it. Asanas and pranayama are also all about cleaning and
 preparing. We prepare the mind to be still. So, in Heartfulness, we start from inside with meditation, developing
 the qualities of the heart, and from outside we also shape the body.




<figure><img decoding="async" width="300" alt="" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/yoga_self_development5_d99710cd56.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T09:43:48.871Z">
</figure>




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To be continued.



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Yoga for self-development

<h4>
 DR VERONIQUE NICOLAI presents the
 Yoga programs now offered by internationally certified Heartfulness Yoga
 teachers. These programs integrate the meditative practices of
 Heartfulness with traditional Yoga postures, and a deep knowledge of the
 human system from Yoga, Ayurveda and medical science.
 </h4>
 
 “Can you come every day to do these sessions? It will help us to sit
 through the day.” This 32-year-old man from Switzerland is part of an
 Executive MBA program in a five-star hotel in Chennai. Like the rest of
 this group, he is fit and young, hitting the gym several times a week to
 stay in the competition that his professional life demands.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness2_6703100599.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:13:19.609Z"
 alt="hfnwellness1"
 />
 
 
 Yet he, and the group in our Yoga session that morning, felt the effect
 of Transmission. He was sharp enough to understand that starting the day
 in this condition would help him get through the intense corporate
 training. So at the demand of the group, we came seven days in a row,
 teaching them all the tools of Heartfulness. It was our first attempt to
 integrate Heartfulness Meditation and Asanas.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness3_566db6be43.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:07:49.414Z"
 alt="hfnwellness3"
 />
 
 
 Heartfulness is Raja Yoga for the modern world. The practice starts
 directly with the seventh step of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga,
 Dhyana or meditation. It is a shortcut to human evolution. The
 possibility of evolution of consciousness is given in this pure and
 simple approach. There is nothing superfluous; maybe it seems too simple
 at first glance and therefore it is not attractive. But if you study
 deeply the philosophy behind Heartfulness, if you experience it
 genuinely, you will see that the practice encapsulates Ashtanga Yoga,
 with all the eight limbs concentrated in their purest form.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness4_fd7e52bd80.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:08:22.040Z"
 alt="hfnwellness4"
 />
 
 
 The fast pace of our daily life is not conducive for all to sit quietly
 with eyes closed. Asana prepares the person to sit; through
 body movement the mind is quietened, and Asana allows a deep
 relaxation. Not many are attracted at first glance by meditation but
 many are interested in doing something good and holistic like Yoga; and
 meditation is part of a Yoga class. With the help of Yogic Transmission,
 there is no need for long hours or years of purification of the body and
 mind through Asana, Pranayama, and the
 Shatkarmas, as this is taken care of by the practices of
 Heartfulness.
 
 <h4>
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness5_721430f196.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:09:08.800Z"
 alt="hfnwellness5"
 />
 </h4>
 
 Since that first attempt to integrate ‘Yoga + Heartfulness’ in a
 five-star hotel, Heartfulness has developed many wellness programs. With
 a group of Yoga professionals and Ayurvedic experts, the Heartfulness
 Wellness and Yoga team offers preventive health weekends, daily Yoga
 classes, an introduction to Heartfulness Yoga, and a one-month
 certification program to become a Yoga teacher with international
 recognition.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 WHAT IS HEARTFULNESS YOGA?
 </h4>
 
 Heartfulness Yoga offers a series of simple Asanas, not only
 for the sake of exercise, but to improve health and posture. At the same
 time, these Asanas help us to calm the mental and sit
 comfortably for meditation. Heartfulness Yoga allows us to experience
 the fundamental elements of Heartfulness through movement. We discover
 our subtle structure and the three bodies, we open the heartspace and
 feel its immensity, introspect and note our inner condition, and witness
 its transformation through journaling. We start our spiritual journey or
 Yatra, connect to the Source and stay connected while being in
 action. We quieten the mind, enjoy meditation, and rejuvenate in order
 to start a balanced and happy day.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness6_e9d5a7825a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:09:48.300Z"
 alt="hfnwellness6"
 />
 
 
 This practice also brings people together: as we refer to the heart
 throughout the class, and as all the hearts are connected, the group
 naturally and beautifully moves from ‘me to we’, removing the veils that
 keep us apart.
 
 
 For those who want to dive deeper, who are interested in the philosophy
 of Yoga, and who look for a full immersion, we offer the Heartfulness
 Yoga Teacher Training Course. This TTC is a transformative one-month
 program that takes us step-by-step through traditional Yoga, its
 philosophy, the modern schools of Yoga, all the eight limbs of
 Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, and the transformative effect of Transmission
 in the Heartfulness Way.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness7_349f4ae9b9.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:10:23.383Z"
 alt="hfnwellness7"
 />
 
 
 Transmission is pure love and works at the deepest level. At the end of
 the month, a group of certified Yoga teachers graduate with the
 possibility to teach all over the world and pass on their experience.
 They also transform into new beings and witness the changes offered by
 Heartfulness, when it is practiced intensely for a short time.
 
 <h5>
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/hfnwellness8_4553cd71e8.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T08:10:59.946Z"
 alt="hfnwellness8"
 />
 </h5>
 
 Heartfulness Yoga programs are open to all: people who already practice
 Heartfulness, new seekers, Yoga professionals and complete beginners. It
 is a different way to learn and live Yoga.
 
 
 https://heartfulness.org/education/yoga-trainers/ 
 in.wellness@heartfulness.org
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by DR VERONIQUE NICOLAI</h4>
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