Mona-Elizabeth Assaf

Nurturing authenticity

In my teens and twenties, I definitely liked to learn the hard way. I broke many rules and stretched the limits as far as I could take them. To many I seemed reckless, but I realize how that quest was vital for me to learn accountability and responsibility. By the age of 16 I was a strict vegetarian and I started dabbling in self-help books, yoga and martial arts. Evidently I was seeking balance and looking to steady a lifestyle of polarities!

This need to shift my perception moved me to the beautiful East Coast of Australia in 2001, where to my surprise I settled for nearly 7 years. By then I recognized the validity of the heart and mind in wellbeing, the interconnectedness of our body, mind and spirit. Little did I know how useful my passage would be as an integral part of my clinical approach, in understanding the complexities of the soul. I connected with my enthusiasm for global health, as well as my vocation to be of service to others. I had come to know that I derive greatest pleasure by helping others find joy within and lead happier, healthier lives.

After years of training, I worked full time as a Bodyworker and taught Yogalates at the Rocklily Natural Health Care Center on the Northern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. When I returned to Montreal, I set up my practice at the Queen Elizabeth Health Complex in 2009 before creating Origin in 2013.