Portrait d'Estelle Monnier - Maison Selfcare

Portrait of Estelle Monnier - Maison Selfcare

Selfcare House

Founder of Maison Selfcare , a women's sports studio in Lyon and digital, and creator of the podcast Les Conversations Selfcare , Estelle Monnier tells us about her career, her passion for movement and her method dedicated to female hormonal balance to feel good in your body.

Originally from Lyon, Estelle shares her daily life through her account @maison_selfcare and her podcast “Les Conversations Selfcare” where we discover portraits of women committed to female health and well-being.

Alice Picard, one of the co-founders of Equilibrist, was also invited to decipher " female hormonal balance: normal or hormonal "? to be found on listening platforms including Apple Podcast.

She shares her wellness tips for "getting back in shape", selected by "Elle Magazine" in the "best course" section in November 2023, and her method for helping women cope with hormonal upheavals linked to cortisol, insulin, etc.

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Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background?

My name is Estelle, I am the founder of Maison Selfcare, a studio mixing several techniques such as yoga, pilates, fitness, abs, stretching, dedicated to all women.

Sport has always been a source of well-being, learning and listening to my body.

This was even more so at the age of 30, a period when we begin to question our desire for motherhood. Each phase of life (preconception, pregnancy, post pregnancy, pre/peri/menopause) deserves that we take an interest in hormonal upheavals in order to face them and connect positively with our body. Sport then becomes a vector of awareness.

I started training first in yoga (vinyasa, fertility, hatha, yin, etc.), in the Gasquet method (posturology, abdominals, pelvic-perineology, breathing, etc.), in pilates on a mat then on a reformer.
It was also a way for me to reclaim my body and to better understand female physiology, including the hormonal system and female anatomy.

For several years, I have favored low-impact activities, deeply activating the muscles of the abdominal and pelvic strap, limiting muscular and bodily pain, or even promoting the reduction of stress and anxiety.

I combine my training with healthy, protein-rich, plant-based, varied lunches and +++ hydration to avoid an energy deficit, which can result in cycle disorders, and to promote better sports recovery and limit joint and muscle discomfort.
It’s the winning combo, the starting point, to guarantee a good hormonal balance and give all the energy the body needs to start the day.

Since the age of 35, with the decrease in estrogen levels and a loss of collagen of 30% per year, I have become aware of the importance of developing my skincare routine, food supplements, in addition to progressive sports practice.

Outside of the studio, which is of great interest to women of all ages and where I spend a large part of my time supporting them in their sports routine, I am a big fan of nature sports such as aqua walking in cold water and skiing.

What disciplines can we find at Maison Selfcare?

Maison Selfcare is like all women:

for sportswomen (gymnasts, runners and trail runners) who want to preserve their bodies.
for beginners / or those who would like to get back into it,
for those who are going through their cycle and have pain (ovulation, periods, endometriosis, PCOS, spa, etc.)
those who aim to refine their figure and maintain good postural support,
those who want to combat the inconveniences of peri/pre/menopause including retention, postural and muscular sagging, nervous fatigue,
those who want to avoid physical deconditioning during their pregnancy,
those who want to reclaim their body and fight against chronic fatigue,
those who feel the need to reconnect with their body in pre-conception and to continue a physical activity more personalized to their needs (inflammation, stress reduction, IVF)

It is a complete and unique method that she brings to her clients through courses in Lyon and digitally, mixing proprioceptive muscle strengthening, stretching, muscle and tissue relaxation, engaging or relaxing breathing, self-enlargement:

Active methods for the body in general:

Women's fitness which combines muscle strengthening, controlled cardio to avoid adrenal exhaustion, stretching and drainage to restart the lymphatic system.

As we age and due to our increasingly sedentary professional activities, we should be aware of postural sagging and loss of muscle mass.
The lift core & body stretching course combines dynamic and passive stretching work to release tissues and fascia, maintain good postural support, reduce stress, nervous fatigue, and feelings of physical discomfort.

Pilates on mat , Pilates Ball, Pilates intense workout, Pilates on reformer machine will be fun and of varied intensities for a global muscular work in depth and length to refine the muscles. Estelle attaches importance to tissue relaxation thanks to breathing and muscular recovery, before any strengthening phase.

Other dynamic practices such as hatha yoga or yin yoga will rather act on nervous states, flexibility, and will bring vigor and well-being.

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Targeted methods around the belly:

the hypopressive & fitness method , an effective method, guaranteeing through a series of breathing techniques and postures, different benefits whether to reduce tissue adhesions in the case of endometriosis for example, water retention, bloating and long transit in the Pre/Peri/menopause period but also to ensure tissue tone and guarantee overall postural maintenance, and more particularly abdominal and pelvic with eccentric work.

dynamic and gentle fertility yoga, signature hormonal yoga take into account, during the preconception period, hormonal upheavals and can be complementary during a PMA journey, and also effective in case of cycle pain (painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS). The only activity that is practiced without compression or twisting, which takes into account hormonal upheavals well known to women, in line with the cycle and which targets the tendons and ligaments around the pelvic and small pelvic area.

Can you tell us about your method for maintaining female hormonal balance?

At any age, women may experience physical or mental discomfort due to hormonal changes:

"Sagging skin"
“Bloating, the “silicone” effect around the stomach”
“Retention more present”
“Nervous states, disturbed sleep, chronic fatigue which weaken the balance

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"Insulin resistance that stores fat"
“A loss of muscle mass”
“Muscle or tissue pain”

From puberty to menopause, the hormonal system varies, needs evolve, physical activity also. My method adapts to the needs of each person and compensates for these imbalances.
The body remains active and toned for a long time, without any harmful impact on the anatomy and female hormones.

A complete work, techniques that complement each other, for overall well-being.

Much more than a simple pilates, yoga or fitness class, my method combines in each of the techniques strengthening, proprioceptive work, tissue flexibility and diaphragmatic breathing, self-enlargement.

Each woman is free to follow the physical activity recommendations according to her physiological needs, her motivations and objectives, her hormonal specificities, her cycle.

The promise of Maison Selfcare?
Boost metabolism
Tone or relax the body in a targeted and personalized way
Suggest an appropriate activity when there are cycle disorders Rebalance the metabolism according to each stage of a woman's life.

What advice would you like to share with women for a balanced life?

I attach great importance to everything that can guarantee a good hormonal balance, in & out, and I share it on a daily basis.
However, I do not want to get into the fashion of injunctions to well-being at all costs. Nevertheless, it seems essential to me to keep in mind:

That not all pain is normal, and that body movement helps to reduce pain, release endorphins, and the more mobility there is, the fewer symptoms there are.
To know your nutritional value vs. sport ratio in order to avoid energy deficit or an unsuitable training load.

To have fun to continue to be motivated
Adopt daily actions to boost your lymphatic system, such as dry brushing, especially if you are limited by time to carry out your activity.

And even if it's easier said than done, to take care of yourself, this notion of selfcare which is essential for your physical, mental and emotional health. Sometimes, it will just be through self-massage gestures of the face by mixing in cardiac coherence to allow you to release the pressure due to entrepreneurship/the professional sphere or the management of family life.