If realigning your chakras is part of your resolutions for 2020, Julie Fotis and Marie Viellard have a plan for you.
" The idea is this concept of body, mind and soul, to reconnect the body, mind and soul Says Julie Fotis, co-founder of the Uma center, and specialist in Akashic, a spiritual therapy used to resolve certain chronic blockages.
After working together for a year in the former cabinet of Marie Viellard, specialist in Ayurveda, traditional Indian medicine, the two coaches decide to expand and open the Uma Center, a holistic health center, in the 'Upper East Side. Next to the cabinet, a space is dedicated to yoga, pilates and various workshops.
The two French women practice holistic medicine, called alternative or parallel medicine, which apprehends the individual in his entirety, namely his body, his emotions, his mind and his spirit. " The medicine that everyone knows treats the disease, we no longer have a global approach, we are understanding, we will look for the sources of the problem, on the emotional side Explains Marie Viellard.
With Ayurveda, the 40-year-old Frenchwoman from Brittany works on food, uses plants, massage and acupressure techniques, and recommends certain changes in lifestyle. " We explain to people that they are masters and responsible for their health, and that it does not necessarily depend on the outside ".
Their patients come to see them for insomnia, back pain, digestive problems, hormonal imbalances, stress, depression. " We can deal with everything explains Marie Viellard, people are tired of taking drugs, they don’t trust the American health care system. Sometimes by modifying little things in your daily life, you see a lot of changes ".
Holistic medicine aims to offer a personalized treatment, adapted to each individual and tackles the disease and dysfunctions from different angles than the so-called allopathic medicine, general medicine in the West. " We don't treat every patient the same way we would treat a drug. Treatment depends on the cause of the pain and the person's profile. We are trying to understand how people work »Specifies Marie Viellard.
From patients to practitioners, the two women clearly understand the approach of those who seek their services. Passed by Paris and settled in New York for 3 and 7 years respectively, the two French women changed their lives thanks to these practices.
While she is an assistant trader for an investment bank, Julie Fotis, couldn't manage to have children, and decides to work on energies thanks to Akashi, a method of meditation followed, transmitted by her mum. " I fell pregnant, I quit my job and started training as a health coach ".
For her part, Marie Vieillard talks about her life as a lawyer in Paris before spending 10 years in Mexico, where she practices the professions of photographer and yoga teacher. " I remember in the state I was in, with the lifestyle I had, I now understand why I was sick all the time ". Since 2012, she has devoted herself to Ayurvedic practice, after having completed her classes at the European Institute of Vedic Studies, in Switzerland and then in India.
The two women work hand in hand, sometimes with the same clientele, which is mainly made up of 80% women, mostly French, between 30 and 60 years old.
With the additional space next to the cabinet, the two founders of the center want to create a " real community, who share the same ideas and the same values, hope Julie Fotis, we bring together as many people as possible, we bring in as many therapists as possible to share experiences and multiply solutions. "
On the tariff side, it takes about $ 200 for the consultation session, which lasts between an hour and an hour and a half.
