Love and relationships. Sigh. Such a lovely and fraught topic; so light and yet so hard.
Hands up if you’ve had love troubles in the past twelve months. I might as well confess that I’ve had them on and off for the past thirty one years. But all these troubles have eventually lead to reflection – a deeper knowledge of myself. And that has been very interesting indeed.
I can say with complete certainty that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for a woman called Jenni Kauppila.
When I signed up to the pilot version of her love course four years ago, I had no idea where it would take me. That year, 2011, turned my whole life around.
And here I am. Happier than ever. More self-confident than ever. Healthier than ever. It hasn’t been a painless or easy journey, by any means, nor will it ever be – pain and struggle are an unavoidable part of self-discovery.
Boyfriends have come and gone since that course – none of them stayed. And why would they have, when none of them were the right one? My love affair with myself is flourishing, however, and there might be something else on the horizon, too. Time will tell.
Jenni’s second course was sold out before she had even completed the first one, and requests for more kept on coming. Jenni finally wrote a book, which was published last spring. The book, Rakastan siis olen (I Love, Therefore I Am), has just gone into its second edition, so I guess there are a few us out there, troubled by love.
Alongside her job as a yoga instructor and personal guide, Jenni still runs her love courses. I doubt we’ll see much of her in Finland this winter, however – an international cruise line has hired her to provide guided meditation and yoga on a ship sailing the Pacific.
Still, two courses will be held in Helsinki in January: the love course runs in the evenings from January 5th to February 2nd (similar to the course I took in 2011), while the inner power weekend workshop will be held from the 24th to 25th of January.
Jenni asked me if I wanted to give my readers a discount for these courses, and of course I did! A post about her book had been on my to-do list, anyway. You can sign up to the month-long love course for €300 (normally €330), or the weekend workshop for €150 (normally €170). Just mention my name as you sign up!
Jenni’s book can be ordered online at Adlibris, or straight from Jenni herself at Hyvinvoimala – the latter is €20 and comes with a signature.
Lots of love to ya!
Jenni’s book is currently only available in Finnish.
Photos Katja Kokko
Translation Katja Nikula
