Léna was born in Ste. Adele, Quebec. Léna received valuable knowledge and the incentive for her present undertaking, early in her life, from her mother, who made her very aware of harmful ingredients in food and prescription drugs. Lena ‘s first experience leading up to her current vocation was her involvement for ten years in an avant-garde physiotherapy clinic. During this time she coordinated unique Holistic workshops and seminars and learned progressive techniques and therapies for the treatment of pain and rehabilitation of injuries from her mentor, who was a pioneer in holistic treatment. She held executive positions with various corporations before launching on the current career path she loves and to which she is dedicated.
Léna‘s next steps on her journey to becoming knowledgeable about the natural products of this earth and the role they play in helping to nourish and sustain the well-being of people was to undertake studies at an herbalist school so she could become a producer of herbal products. This requires knowledge of anatomy, aromatherapy, botanicals, and all the aspects of herbalism, including hand-crafting balms, salves, concoctions, Bach Flower Essences, hydrosol, skin care, perfume, pumice, etc. To enhance her expertise she also studied in California with the world-renowned Jeanne Rose, a pioneer in aromatherapy and treatment with essential oils. Jeanne Rose’s books are sold all over the world and are a reference for anyone working with essential oils and distillation. Lena is also an accomplish naturalist (specialize in everything natural).
Léna became intrigued with tea and started her studies some years ago, at a time when there were no schools at which to learn even the basics. In her quest to become a tea expert she has done extensive research and traveled to many countries. She has visited Tea producing countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Indonesia and Hawaii,. She will be traveling to Taiwan and Japan in April, to gather information for the last part of her book. Her travels are not always tea related, but her passion for culture has taken her to;Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Scotland, Costa Rica, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, St-Vincent Grenadines, Grenada, West Indies, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Hong Kong .
Léna also has studied the health benefits associated with tea, and has received her Certification as the first Tea Master in Ontario - joining only a few people across Canada who have this Certification.To become a Tea Master, one must have extensive knowledge about the history of tea as well as the growing regions of tea, the many types of tea, how it is produced and harvested, its bio-chemical contents and health benefits, the tea tasting protocol and the various techniques used to process tea. A Tea Master also has to be familiar with the Japanese, Korean and Chinese Tea Ceremonies, and the art of pairing tea with food.
Léna is a self-taught chef who, with her travels around the world, has gathered the inspiration and knowledge that she employs when preparing food in her Tea Boutique. Her food philosophy encompasses the use of fresh, seasonal, local and ethically sustainable products. She loves to integrate the East with West. She has a special bond with Indo-Asian fusion cooking and is one of the few chef teaching Balinese cooking.
She is currently working on completing two books.
The first is the secret to eating well and living well. More than a cookbook, it will also contain a great deal of information and tips about the nutritional and the harmful ingredients in food, which will help people wishing to transition to a more healthy lifestyle.
The second book, A Tea Journey, was started after her trip to Asia to visit the various tea-growing areas, She hopes to completed this manuscript during the summer of 2011.
Léna is the owner of Hockley Valley Herb & Tea. At this small operation, she grows all the herbs she needs to create her various products and custom herbal teas, and to offer high quality medicinal herbs to the public. She manages the entire garden without pesticides or fertilizer and only uses organic substances to nourish the soil and control weeds and disease. To do so, she integrates biodynamics (biodynamic Agriculture focuses on enhancing the life processes of nature) and moon gardening (gardening by the phases of the moon).
The Tearoom is a kitchen garden that is managed using the same principles. Because of the nature of such products as bath salts, soaps or skin care products, which she wanted to manufacture, Léna undertook to study the various ingredients required for these products. She became very knowledgeable about what were actually true natural ingredients and the many harmful substances that surround our everyday lives. She has been able to identify the ingredients which are truly ‘natural’ and to rule out those that are claimed to be, but are not. Léna is also a natural cosmetologist and has specialized in custom natural holistic skincare. She has integrated her holistic knowledge into cosmetology; making her the very first person to do true holistic, natural, custom skin care products.
She also studied Ayurveda, the “Science of Life” (see the Holistic Philosophy Section of this site.), when she became a Holistic Practitioner. Today, she employs this ancient knowledge every day to handcraft her products, such as a custom skin care product, an herbal tea or an Ayurvedic formula. Not one to rest on her laurels Léna has begun to study bees, with a view to using her knowledge of Biodynamics and organic gardening to achieve her goal of having a small organic honey production business. As she says, “The bees are an integral part of the garden, already.” Léna is a strong advocate and pioneer of practicing business without harming the planet; green living has been part of her life since her childhood.
Most recently, Léna has become a Certified Life Coach specializing in healthy lifestyle makeovers and is also the owner of Healthy Lifestyle Wellness, offering unique, holistic treatments and services.
