From the bustling city of Philadelphia to her tranquil horse farm in Florida, Giselle Toner has seamlessly woven together her passion for yoga, her love for horses, and her dedication to empowering individuals through her multifaceted expertise. In this enlightening interview, Giselle shares her remarkable path, her innovative Equine Wisdom Coaching approach, and more. MysticMag has the pleasure.
Can you please introduce yourself to our readers and share a few details about your professional background?
My name is Giselle Toner. I’m a Certified Equine Assisted Coach (CEAC) and a Yoga/Meditation Teacher, (E-RYT 500.) I’m certified to teach courses in Ayurveda, (the sister science to yoga), having been taught personally by Deepak Chopra, MD, in 1998 to teach his course called “Perfect Health.”
I conduct Yoga Teacher Trainings through my school, Eternity Yoga’s Power Fusion Teacher Training, registering my graduates through Yoga Alliance at the RYT 200 Level.
I’ve been coaching private students since 2001 in both Yoga, Pilates and Life Coaching in my yoga studio. I especially like working with women who have lost their power and I teach them to take it back through a ten-step program I’ve developed, called “The Goddess Blueprint.”
From a very early age, I was strongly drawn to horses and to yoga. I can’t tell you how or why since there was no one in my family drawn to either one of them. I was born in the City of Philadelphia, a concrete jungle, with scarce access to horses and stables, and where yoga studios/teachers were non-existent. Yoga was an obscure subject that was barely just starting to make itself known in the Western world.
I was drawn to yoga due to a book that I had skimmed through at a library as a child. I was fascinated by the physical poses and at first thought it was Ballet, which I loved and danced in my adolescent years. But yoga was far different, and it centered me. Through the years I studied on my own with books and as more information became available I devoured it. Eventually, in the 1980’s, I started teaching classes at the local YMCA, just from my own knowledge. I ultimately became grandfathered into Yoga Alliance in 2006 and opened up my own Yoga/Pilates studio in New Jersey and had personal clients for many years.
All through my younger years, I managed one way or another to own a horse, and it fulfilled my heart’s desire to bond with those majestic animals. Fast forward to today, where I combine both of my loves, Yoga and Horses, into what I do as a profession.
I am an Equine Assisted Coach and my special brand is called Equine Wisdom Coaching. My clients and students connect to the horses during their sessions and the wisdom of the horse (millions of years of evolution and high levels of sensitivity) is the catalyst for the change and transformation the client is looking for.
I also have specialized workshops at my healing center in Florida, called “The Bliss Barn,” that includes life coaching with horses, yoga, and other modalities to connect deeper to Mother Earth, and the innate wisdom within all of us.
What ideas and principles is your life coaching based on?
The ideas and principles that my life coaching is based upon are empowering women and men through an integrated approach: Fitness of Body, Mastery of Mind, and Connection to Spirit (something much greater than themselves) … “From Broken to Brilliant, from Getting the Love You Deserve to Getting Paid What You’re Worth.”
What is Equine Wisdom Coaching?
Equine Wisdom Coaching is my brand of coaching with my two horses, a Thoroughbred (ex-racehorse), and a majestic Friesian. Horses are healers and are highly sensitive prey animals. They have had to run for their lives from predators for millions of years and have developed a keen sense of awareness, which I also see as wisdom. That awareness from the horse is what helps during coaching. The horse can detect fear, anxiety, and many other emotions in humans. This helps while coaching, as the client can see how their own energy levels affect the horse and its behavior towards them.
What can people expect from your Yoga Crash and Learn Course for Busy People?
My Yoga Crash and Learn Course was developed to help people who are either new to yoga or want to get back into it, and it’s made with short instructional videos so that it can be done daily, in less than 30 minutes, for those who just don’t have time to devote to a full yoga practice of 60 or 90 minutes a day. It breaks down the best of yoga into easy-to-do, but very effective sessions that target all of the important aspects of yoga for every part of the body, along with the best of flexibility, strength, balance, and relaxation.
What other services do you offer?
My other services include many new specialized Workshops that I conduct at my property in Florida at my horse farm. I have a little barn that I converted to a yoga studio and it’s called The Bliss Barn. I have many new things coming up, such as a “Horses, Yoga and Cacao Ceremony Workshop” for those who want to dive deep into opening up new channels through powerful energy modalities, and for horse owners/trainers, I’m having a special two-day Advanced Horse First Aid Clinic including Wilderness Training. So there is a lot going on around here.
I am living my dream life, practicing yoga, riding horses, and helping those who want to love life again and find their brilliance!
For those who want more info, I can be reached at: [email protected] or through www.GiselleToner.com or www.Eternity-Yoga.com
