This week, Shannon chats with Rachelle Wintzen, who is the founder of the Chi Junky Studio in Toronto. She offers a bespoke yoga experience unlike any in the city.

Rachelle’s professional life began in the performing arts world as a dancer, but her thriving career was cut short by injuries. Abandoning her disciplined lifestyle, she was drawn to New York City’s nightlife, where she worked in the city’s top clubs for almost a decade. This lifestyle left her physically and mentally wasted and she vowed to dedicate one year to a radical detox. Turning a negative to a positive she became addicted to living well—a junky for the chi she finally found.

Rachelle is a featured media expert and has appeared on, The Globe & Mail, City TV News, BlogTO, Chatelaine, Best Health, Huffington Post, CP24 and CTV Your Morning. She is also the yoga expert for CTV’s "The Social", a yoga instructor for CBC’s "Kim’s Convenience", and a proud Lululemon ambassador.

Topics discussed:

1. Rachelle's story: from party girl to chi junky
2. Rachelle's year-long detox (what she did and how she felt)
3. What detoxing actually means and how to do it in a healthy way
4. Rachelle's journey through physcial, emotional, and spiritual healing
5. How yoga has changed Rachelle's life, and what chi junky is all about
6. Simple yoga poses to help de-stress, sleep better, reduce anxiety, heal from pain, etc...
7. The benefits of yoga/meditation
8. Shannon's favourite yoga pose for when she feels anxious
9. A 2-minute morning routine to start your day off well
10. Letting go of expectations and perfectionism
11. The importance of "community" in our lives

Links mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.chijunky.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/chi_junky/
• https://www.instagram.com/getthegunkout/