chloé stückelschweiger

Photography supplied by Chloé Stückelschweiger

Share a little about yourself..

My name is Chloé, I was born and raised in Paris nurtured by the strong French Carpe Diem culture. Absolutely nothing in my upbringing or childhood could have indicate that I would be one day passionate about better being, spirituality, and self-psychology.

After a few years working as a lifestyle trend forecaster trying to give meaning to human behaviors but without really understanding the meaning of life in general, I randomly discovered Kundalini yoga & meditation 4 years ago. This has tremendously changed my life. 

I’m now teaching Kundalini Yoga & Meditation in a monthly course I’ve created -called The Meditation Club @the_meditationclub - a membership program centered around meditation of course, but also personal expansion and community. 

I still haven’t found the meaning of life, but I found my purpose in teaching, sharing and holding space for others :) 

You have lived in many places, most recently Berlin and Lisbon and have just returned to France - what inspires you to move and live in different cities around the world?

I was born in a bi-cultural family. My mother is French and my father is Austrian. And because of his job in the tourism industry, my father has always been traveling a lot. I have very vivid memories of him coming back from so many far-off lands: Mexico, China, Nepal, South Africa, Jordan... I guess this lifestyle influenced my choice of moving around and immersing myself in different European cultures, starting with the Germanic culture when I was 20.

Now I’m back in France since December 2020 and I’m excited about this new chapter in my life. Our plan is to move to the Basque Country, in the Southwest of France, close to the Spanish border.

Could you share with us a little about your journey into creating 'Essence of Victory' - and the inspiration behind the powerful name?

Thank you! My idea was to create a platform for the womxn who are substantially very happy and fulfilled with their life, yet who intuitively feel that there is more for them. They want to embark on the elevation path after having spent time on the introspection one.

And in order to become “more themselves”, they might be looking for guidance, inspiration or tools. ‘Essence of Victory’ aims at providing all those resources - rooted in yogic teachings, consciousness and art of living.

One of the core values of Essence of Victory is also accessibility. I’m working on a concept for more vulnerable people who don’t necessarily have the financial resources and mental capacities to dedicate themselves to self-development because of their current life experience. I truly believe yoga and meditation can be great tools to find strength and willpower in the adversity in order to rise again.

I also make a point to share a lot of resources for free on my IG page @essenceofvictory, for instance meditations, daily tips etc.

As for the name, I had this word Victory which kept coming to my mind, I have no clue why! And I love the sound current Essence. So, I put them together and that’s it!

For those that don't know could you share a bit about your teachings in Kundalini yoga? 

Kundalini Yoga is an Ancient yoga practice brought to the West in 1969 by an Indian Master called Yogi Bhajan. Its aim is to awaken a dormant energy - called the Kundalini - through the combination of powerful movements, deep breathwork, vibrating mantras and elevating meditations.

We all have this Kundalini energy in us. It is said to be located in the root chakra, at the base of our spine. It is a sacred and subtle energy that gives us the power and space to create, to embrace consciousness and transcend our very down to earth existence.  We call it Kundalini because this type of yoga is rooted in Eastern spiritual traditions, yet we believe it was already known by other civilizations. It simply had another name, Uraeus in Ancient Egypt for instance. 

So, Kundalini yoga will activate your Kundalini energy and will set up a strong foundation for vitality, clarity and creativity. It also helps to clear the subconscious mind and get rid of unwanted beliefs, thoughts or emotions! It’s a very complete and life changing practice.

You also host 'The Meditation Club' - could you share a little about this?

I launched The Meditation Club because I wanted to create a sacred space for people willing to commit to a regular meditation practice.

Each series has a different topic: prosperity, intuition, creativity… This 30-day length provides the time needed for the body, mind and the soul to integrate the teachings and benefits through a daily meditation practice, creating a sustainable new habit. It’s also incredibly stimulating for the brain, as we have the opportunity to deeply explore a concept from different perspectives.

In Kundalini Yoga we don’t have such things as beginners. It means that even with no previous experience, everyone can join. It’s the same for the Meditation Club. You can join without having meditate 1 minute in your life. The most important is the will to have an experience with the Self while being supported by the community.

What are some of you favourite daily or weekly rituals? 

I love rituals and routines, yet as a triple Virgo (!) and a Generator I need to leave some space for spontaneity and flow. So, my rituals are quite basic and simple.

I start almost every day with what we call a Sadhana, which is a daily spiritual practice that we do before Sunrise, when everyone sleeps and where there is a lot of fresh renewed air available. My practice is a combination of yoga, meditation and breathwork and varies between 10 minutes to 90 minutes depending on how much time I have.

Another ritual of mine is to give myself face massage at night. I either do it with my hands or I use a special tool such as a roller or a stone.

My fiancé and I are obsessed with tea, so we treat ourselves with different tea blends every week. I currently love Japanese and Chinese green teas.

How has COVID impacted the way you share your offerings? Have there been any silver linings?

On a professional level, COVID had been a catalyzer for positive change. I had no other choice than to go digital since I wanted to keep sharing and practicing with others. I had to overcome a lot of mental obstacles and resistance within a few weeks: being seen, positioning myself as a “real” teacher, developing technical skills and learning about sales strategy and content creation.

Luckily, I can count on wonderful women who are on the same path of establishing a sustainable and profitable business during a pandemic. We held each other accountable. I’m particularly thinking of my friends Maike, a Human Design reader and a Deconditionning expert, Christina who has launched a content and workshop platform around spirituality and wellbeing (in German), Anna, a holistic business coach who also helped me to set up the foundations for The Meditation Club, and Sabine who created a transformative masterclass around beauty and self-love. I find them all very inspiring and generous in the way they are and act.

If you had a message for your younger self, what would it be?

There are so many things I would like to tell my younger self, but these are the most important ones:

Take the time you need, don’t rush. 

Honour yourself and cultivate your uniqueness instead of shaming yourself for it.

Let things come to you and trust that what belong to you will find you. 

Connect with Chloé at @essenceofvictory and @the_meditationclub